Anderson will be first U.S. host for International Network of Michelin Cities Conference

Travis Jacque Rose, Anderson Independent Mail
·2 min read
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The City of Anderson will host the International Network of Michelin Cities Conference in April of 2024.

More than 200 visitors are expected from 25 countries in five continents, including mayors, city officials, university administrators and business leaders, according to a press release from the City of Anderson.

Anderson was selected to host the fourth Conference of the International Network of Michelin Cities on Feb. 14. This is the first time a U.S. city has been selected to host the event. The Anderson Conference theme will be "Drivers of Economic Development."

During the conference, there will be presentations on automotive innovation, business incubators, sustainable development goals and economic equity.

A tour group with Anderson city officials and representatives from cities with a Michelin operation overseas inside Memorial Stadium Tuesday, February 14, 2023. Mayor Terence Roberts announced later in the day at the Anderson Arts Center that Anderson was chosen as the first city in the United States to hose an International Network of Michelin Cities conference, which will be April 14-21, 2024.

The conference brings cities together to discuss issues of common interest and create collaboration opportunities. The project also contributes to participating cities' economic development and tourism.

Mayor Terence Roberts will make two significant announcements regarding European partnerships for Anderson. Roberts serves on the executive board of INMC and is the Co-President with Mayor Bianchi of Clermont-Ferrand. Bianchi established the International Network of Michelin Cities in 2014 at Michelin's International Headquarters.

"It became a dream, and then a goal, for us to be chosen as a host city for the INMC conference." "We recognized the economic value of the conference in bringing the world to Anderson. And we also recognized the opportunities for our region ― our innovation, our research, our industries ― to be highlighted," Roberts said in a press conference.

Mayor Terence Roberts claps with the crowd, as Anderson city officials and officials from cities with a Michelin operations overseas gather at the Anderson Arts Center Tuesday, February 14, 2023. Mayor Terence Roberts announced at the Anderson Arts Center that Anderson was chosen as the first city in the United States to hose an International Network of Michelin Cities conference, which will be April 14-21, 2024.

This conference brings cities together to discuss issues of common interest and create collaboration opportunities. The project also contributes to participating cities' economic development and tourism.

The organization meets every two years in partnership with the association's general secretariat based in Clermont Ferrand.

Mayor Olivier Bianchi established the International Network of Michelin Cities in 2014 at Michelin's International Headquarters in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

Beth Batson of the City of Anderson serves as the City’s Ambassador to the group and is the Director of the 2024 conference.

The INMC says the "group is to encourage cooperative reflection and experimentation among local governments, universities, and corporations."

Travis Rose covers Anderson County for the Independent Mail. Reach him via email at trose@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Anderson Independent Mail: International Network of Michelin Cities Conference coming to Anderson