Motown’s polishing up the chrome and cranking up the tunes for the 500 heritage professionals who will converge on Detroit this summer.

MotorCities National Heritage Area will host the upcoming International Heritage Development Conference (IHDC), which takes place from Sunday, June 17 to Thursday, June 21, 2007.  Detroit’s international location (with a close proximity to Windsor, Canada) and the wide-ranging appeal of its heritage offerings, including Motown music and its important auto history, are some of the ingredients that will make this conference special, says Bud Liebler, interim director of MotorCities.

Presented by the Alliance of National Heritage Areas (ANHA), IHDC 2007 will once again bring together heritage development professionals from across the world to share best practices, network, and chart the course for the future of this exciting field.  “As this year’s theme, ‘Crossing Boundaries in Heritage Development’, indicates, the focus of this conference is to show how heritage development can improve a community or region by working hand-in-hand with other types of local efforts, such as economic development and tourism promotion” says Michelle McCollum, Chair of the Steering Committee for IHDC 2007.

The conference program promises to have something for everyone:  great sessions, excellent speakers, and plenty to see and do!  To start things off, since a gathering in Motown wouldn’t be complete without the revving of motors and fast cars, participants can come early on Saturday night and enjoy a day at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday by taking in a NASCAR race from the IHDC hospitality tent.

On Monday, three pre-conference tours highlight three distinct aspects that make Detroit unique – its proximity to Canada, its automotive history, and its arts heritage.  Monday evening’s opening reception will feature famous documentary filmmaker Ken Burns as keynote speaker.

Twenty different sessions will be available for participants to choose from on Tuesday, which will address such topics as “creating experiences in your region”, “community and economic development strategies”, and “creative communication and education strategies”.

Wednesday begins the “regional labs,” smaller groups visiting sites around Southeastern Michigan and Windsor to observe how various heritage groups accomplish their missions and to infuse an element of interactive dialogue between conference attendees and heritage-focused communities. Among the lab topics are sports heritage, agri-tourism, and using heritage to revitalize a city.

The final day, Thursday, participants gather at The Henry Ford, a living history site and museum in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn. Speakers will focus on building public and private partnerships through educational programs.

With so much fit into just a few days, conference attendees are sure to come away not only with great information, but a great overall experience.  “We’re going to show everyone a good time,” Liebler says. “This Detroit-based conference will be the one everybody talks about for years to come!”

For more information about the conference or ANHA visit http://www.nationalheritageareas.org