Mackinac Conference rescheduled for August because of coronavirus

The 40th annual Mackinac Conference, a high-powered gathering of political and business leaders on Mackinac Island, is being postponed until August.

"We're planning a full agenda for the August date with a full conference experience, not a truncated version. Of course, with the game-changing crisis of COVID-19's impact on Michigan and the nation and the world, the August agenda will be revised as appropriate to reflect this new reality.," said Sandy Baruah, president of the chamber. "We're hopeful that by August, we're all looking at COVID-19 in the rear view mirror."

The conference, which this year had been scheduled for May 26-29, has always attracted about 1,500 people to the island for three days of public policy speeches, networking and deal making, both business and political.

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Keynote speakers scheduled for this year’s conference had included Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Ford Motor Co. Chief Operating Officer Jim Farley, former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford and Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Eugene Robinson.

But the agenda for the new August dates won't be revealed until later this summer.

"The Mackinac Policy Conference is important to Michigan," Baruah said. "It's an important statewide asset and we realized early on that we would have to look at the conference differently in 2020."

With the uncertain economic future of the state, which has been nearly virtually shut down during the coronavirus crisis, Baruah acknowledged that some businesses may not be able to afford the cost of the conference, which carries a $2,400 registration fee.

"COVID-19 is going to have a significant impact on our economy," Baruah said. "But most of our companies that are sponsors are committed to the conference long term. They consider this a priority."

Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4430, kgray99@freepress.com or on Twitter @michpoligal.