The Seventh Annual Meeting of the Minds is coming to Detroit next year. NextEnergy, one of the nation’s leading accelerators of advanced energy technologies, businesses, and industries, and the University of Michigan’s Sustainable Mobility and Accessibility Research and Transformation program, or SMART, will act as event partners for the summit.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in this year’s Meeting of the Minds and ecstatic that Detroit has been selected as the next summit location,” said Jean Redfied, president and CEO of NextEnergy. “We look forward to bringing a group of international leaders in sustainable urban planning and design to the city.”
Meeting of the Minds is an international leadership summit for urban sustainability, innovation, and connected technology. The event brings together leaders from multiple sectors to study the advancement of sustainability in cities by using smarter design tools, sounder environmental practices, and cleaner energy systems.
This marks the first time the sustainable leadership summit has taken place in Michigan. Previous locations include San Francisco, Omaha, and New York.
“Detroit presents an opportunity for a new and unique dialogue about urban sustainable development, innovation, and the re-imagination of city systems,” says Jessie Feller, managing director of Meeting of the Minds. Event planners are working to line up a venue for the conference.
During the 2013 summit, held earlier this month in Toronto, NextEnergy officials announced the first Mobi Detroit prize, which will recognize Michigan-based companies that advance sustainable transportation solutions. The prize will be a subcategory of the 2014 SMART Mobility Enterprize, or Mobi.
According to Aniela Kuzon, manager of new mobility at NextEnergy, the company created the award as a way to crowdsource and recognize Michigan companies developing solutions in area such as connected transportation, electrified transportation, and new fleet.
“We believe the award will provide impact by promoting Michigan innovators and connecting them to each other and Mobi’s global network of entrepreneurs, investors, and corporate mentors,” Kuzon says.
