Detroit Becomes Home of National Transportation Week in May 2007

DETROIT, June 26 -- National Transportation Week will find a permanent home in the Motor City in May 2007, with a focus on alternative energies during the debut year, officials from the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau announced today.

Detroit tourism and convention leaders are in Akron, Ohio today to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Interstate highway system and spread the word about Detroit as the new permanent hub for National Transportation Week.

"All of us in the Detroit business community are delighted that National Transportation Week has found a permanent home in our great city," says Christopher Baum, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing at the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau.

"Our automotive heritage, world class international airport, active shipping lanes and high volume rail and trucking activity make Detroit one of the true transportation hubs of North America."

This is the first time Detroit has hosted National Transportation Week, and the city will serve as the permanent epicenter of primary activities for the event in the future. National Transportation Week is an opportunity for transportation professionals to gather for industry-related events, meetings and conferences addressing key issues in the air, rail, trucking, shipping and automotive fields.

Transportation organizations are encouraged to bring their conventions to metro Detroit during the third week in May each year (May 13 - 18, 2007) to take advantage of the conversations, conference speakers and a wealth of transportation knowledge and technology that will be centered in Detroit during that time of year.

National Transportation Week was first observed in Houston in 1953. Nearly a decade later, President John F. Kennedy declared a permanent date that would always be the week in May which contains the third Friday, National Defense Transportation Day, with Maritime Day on the following Saturday.

The Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to market and sell the metropolitan Detroit area as a destination for leisure and business travel including conventions, trade shows, corporate meetings, tours and incentive travel to maximize additional visitors, visitor expenditures, state and local tax revenues, and job opportunities.

With more than 800 business members, the DMCVB was founded in 1896 as the world's first convention and visitors bureau. For details, go to http://www.visitdetroit.com/ or call 1-800-DETROIT.