The “American Idol” host told millions of viewers Wednesday night that Hitsville USA — the iconic Motown Music headquarters — is in the suburbs. But visitors to the 2011 “Rebound In Motown” NSNC conference will see for themselves that Barry Gordy’s two-story frame house where the musical magic happened is right on Detroit’s West Grand Boulevard. Our private tour includes a glimpse of the famous Motown echo chamber and a studio visit where you can stand in the footsteps of Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder. You’ll even know the answer to the question, “Are the Funk Brothers related?”
The tour is part of Friday activities at the conference. The visit to one of Detroit’s most enduring brands follows the workshop, “Building Your Brand,” where you can learn how to make yourself a known – and marketable – entity in print, books, radio, TV and on the web. Panelists include Liz Pulliam Weston (the most widely read personal finance writer on the web), best-selling columnist and author Bruce Cameron (“A Dog’s Purpose” and “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter”) and Heloise, the woman behind five decades of household hints.
The “Rebound in Motown” conference — June 23-26 (Thursday-Sunday) — offers a Motor City tune-up that will soup up your writing, rev up your ideas, and put you in the fast lane to writing great columns.
For program details, click here. Make your early-bird conference registration here, and book your discount reservation at the four-diamond AAA-rated Westin Book-Cadillac Hotel here.
So “Shop Around” if you want, but if you miss the conference, you’ll be crying “The Tears of a Clown.” Unless you want to be wondering “What’s Goin’ On?” make sure your conference registration is “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” now.
By Brian O’Connor
Detroit News Finance Editor
2011 NSNC Conference Host
Read my columns here