Conference Shines Even Without Big 3 CEOs, Organizer Says

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – Although U.S. Big Three CEOs Dieter Zetsche, Bill Ford and Rick Wagoner won't show up at the Management Briefing Seminars this year, organizers say the event here has not lost its luster.

"We don't get the CEOs every year," says Jay Baron, president and CEO of the sponsoring Center for Automotive Research of Ann Arbor, MI. "It goes in cycles."

In the past, says Baron, the organizers believed the success of the event was related to the health of the auto industry, but evidence of the last two years dispels that notion, as the number of attendees has remained high.

CAR's Jay Baron

On Tuesday, the event had 951 people registered.

However, he says, the individuals who attend change with the economy.

"When times are difficult, we see more consultants and (information technology) people," he says. "When times are good, there are more from the auto companies and suppliers."

This year, Ford Motor Co. is the only industrial company among the top five organizations by number of attendees.

For the past several years, Baron has been trying to build attendance at the World Class Manufacturing sessions during the first two days by assuring participation from Asian or European OEMs, such as Monday's presentation by Yoshimasa Yamamoto, vice president-powertrain production engineering for Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.

Last year, Audi AG sent an executive, says Baron, but it has been difficult to attract European executives because the European OEMs tend to shut down for long holidays in August.