Innovation—that is what I am betting will be the theme of this year’s ASAE Annual Meeting in Detroit, Michigan.
Before I get to why, let’s take a look at these lyrics1 from Letter to Detroit, by Detroit native and hip hop master, Eminem.
Detroit
There is a resilience that rises from somewhere deep within your streets
You can’t define it, but you can feel it
You can feel it overflowing from the people who call you home
From people who are always proud to declare, ‘I’m from Detroit’
You took our country from its infancy, into industry
And your name still carries with it the idea of a nation built on steel, muscle and sweat
You became the city that carried the country
The city, like the sport, is built on dreams
People who would drive to you, driven to excel
Who know nothing is accomplished without hard work, without sacrifice
When you hurt, we hurt
Your streets witness our struggle
Your bricks are our rage through the emptiness of each house shuttered, of each factory closed
We’ve lived through the ups and the downs
But we remain, Detroit
It’s no secret. Detroit has faced many struggles and failures over the last several decades.
And yet, you can’t ignore the city’s successes either. Detroit is the birthplace of the US automobile industry and assembly line. It’s a hub of Detroit blues, Gospel, Motown, garage rock, hardcore punk and hip-hop. It’s also the birthplace of many technology leaders you may have heard of: Dick Costolo (Twitter CEO), Larry Page (Google CEO) and Steve Ballmer (former Microsoft CEO).
These days, Detroit is a renaissance town, and according to a recent report from the Brookings Institution2, as of 2013 it was the 11th largest of the top 100 US metropolitan areas based on jobs in advanced industries. These include industries you might expect: motor vehicle parts manufacturing and motor vehicle manufacturing, as well as some that surprised me: architectural, engineering and related services, computer systems design and related services, and management, scientific, and technical consulting services. These latter two categories together account for 40% more jobs than automobile manufacturing. And, maybe this explains why Detroit is also becoming a start-up city…
A fascinating series “Innovation Nation” by Re/code, covers emerging technology innovators outside Silicon Valley, including Detroit. Liz Gannes, Senior Editor, Technology Trends and Innovation for Re/code, explores in this seven-part series3, the rebirth of tech startups in Detroit and those making moves to rebuild it. It’s worth the read and made me rethink some of my immediate assumptions about Detroit.
So, I think it’s only fitting that ASAE will focus on “innovation” as the theme of this year’s conference, echoing the beat of its host-city, where innovation is alive and well.
Or I could be completely off and the theme is “Support Oscar Mayer,” judging from this photo ASAE shared. I kid. But seriously, what do you think this year’s theme will be?
Join us in following the conference conversation @ASAEAnnual, #ASAE15. ACGI Software will be exhibiting at Booth 645, where we look forward to sharing ideas for making your associations and credentialing organizations more effective. More details to come.
Resources: MetroLyrics1, Brookings2, Re/code3
Photos: Detroit Lives: Flickr/Russ, HitsvilleUSA: Flickr/Global Relations
