2026 Mackinac Policy Conference kicks off this week. What to know.
The Detroit Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the Mackinac Policy Conference every year, said this week is an opportunity for face-to-face conversations about making Michigan even better.
"People are together and they're connecting and they've developing really policies and ideas and talking about Michigan's future," said Glenn Stevens Jr., the chief automotive officer for the Detroit Chamber of Commerce.
Keynote speakers, panel discussions and even debates are held inside the Grand Hotel.
"A very diverse group of people, we want all different stakeholders of communities and citizens, but then there are panels, and they're very specific discussions like data centers, like the state of education, things like that, and it's healthy discourse," he said.
This year's theme is called "A Quest for Common Ground," but Stevens said that's not the only focus.
"You'll hear this narrative of 'the house is on fire' too," he said. "The state is in a really pretty interesting situation-- some would say dire because of where our state rankings are. So that unofficial theme you'll hear about the 'house is on fire' is really for us to call attention the chamber to call attention to the fact that Michigan cannot continue on its current trajectory. We have to figure out solutions and fixes to put that fire out and build our state again."