Management Briefing Seminars Mark 50th Year

One of the auto industry's most important conferences, the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich., kicked off its 50th annual meeting yesterday in the wake of violent weather late Sunday that knocked out power to the venue and much of the surrounding area for 24 hours.

The conference was launched by the University of Michigan's Institute of Science and Technology and Prof. David Cole, son of former General Motors President Ed Cole. It began as a retreat where perhaps 100 auto engineers could get away from their offices and informally discuss technological challenges of mutual concern.

Early sessions, held in the Park Place Hotel, were marked by low-tech presentations and candid discussions enabled by a total lack of media coverage. All three elements changed as the event grew. The conference booked more senior executive speakers. Presentations became notably slicker and more cautious as reporters began to show up.

By the time MBS moved to the then-new Grand Traverse Resort some 20 years later, the event was drawing 1,300 or more attendees. Industry chairmen and presidents routinely used the venue to make important news announcements. Social activities surrounding the conference itself also turned MBS into a major networking opportunity.

Now operated by the independent Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, MBS continues to be considered as one of the global auto industry's top annual conferences.