This summer, the Urban Land Institute will host its first-ever national conference in Detroit, featuring an opening keynote address by Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Rock Ventures and Quicken Loans.

“Public/Private Partnerships: Best Practices and New Opportunities,” which will take place June 25–26 at the Westin Book Cadillac in downtown Detroit, will focus on why public/private partnerships are so critical to successful development today. Attendees will hear from experts in the public and private sectors who have combined their strengths and resources to complete development projects that would have been impossible using more traditional methods of economic development.

Gilbert has invested more than $1.3 billion to purchase and renovate commercial properties in Detroit’s urban core and brought thousands of jobs to the city. Rock Ventures is also collaborating with the Downtown Detroit Partnership and Detroit Economic Growth Corporation to implement a visionary place-making and retail plan centered on creating activity and vibrant, distinct destinations to draw people to the region using a multifaceted approach to the planning, design, and management of public spaces. Gilbert will share his vision for Detroit and discuss how his passion for the city led him to make such a significant investment and become the catalyst for change in a city most of America had written off.

The conference will also feature presentations and discussions from the following:

Matt Cullen, president and CEO, Rock Ventures LLC

Christopher E. Frampton, managing partner, East West Partners

Douglas George, consul general, Consulate General of Canada in Detroit

Calvin Gladney, managing partner, Mosaic Urban Partners

Bob Gregory, senior vice president, Downtown Detroit Partnership

Jim Harbaugh, executive vice president and CEO, Center City Lehigh Valley

Gabe Klein, senior visiting fellow, Urban Land Institute

Steve Leeper, president and CEO, Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC)

Charles A. Long, president, Charles A. Long Properties

Maureen McAvey, senior resident fellow and Bucksbaum Family Chair for Retail, Urban Land Institute

Paul F. Morris, president and CEO, Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

Sue Mosey, president, Midtown Detroit Inc.

Thomas Murphy, senior resident fellow, Joseph C. Canizaro/Klingbeil Family Chair for Urban Development, Urban Land Institute

Timothy Thorland, executive director, Southwest Housing

Laura J. Trudeau, managing director, Community Development Detroit, Kresge Foundation

Register now and save! Early-bird registration for “Public/Private Partnerships: Best Practices and New Opportunities” is available through June 6.