Annual event will feature binational dignitaries and executives including Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and Consul General for Canada in Detroit, Colin Bird
DETROIT (October 8, 2025) — The Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) will host its Fall Forum: Special Edition, in partnership with Michigan Central and the RIVER Collaborative, on Wednesday, Oct. 15, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at The Station at Michigan Central. The event will emphasize the importance of the Detroit-Windsor region and will feature binational civic, corporate, and philanthropic leaders.
For more than a decade, the Downtown Detroit Partnership’s Fall Forum has served as the premier event for Downtown Detroit’s annual real estate update, and this year is no exception. Attendees will receive the data, insights, and real estate development updates they’ve come to expect and rely on, plus an expanded look at how Detroit and Windsor are working together as anchors of innovation and regional growth.
This year’s event theme, “Celebrating Connections, Forging Futures Together,” will spotlight one of North America’s most dynamic cross-border regions by featuring the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, real estate developers, innovators and changemakers.
“Public- and private-sector leaders on both sides of the border have long recognized that the Detroit–Windsor region stands as a vital economic and cultural crossroad. Through the Fall Forum, we will showcase the transformative power of regional collaboration, innovation, real estate, and infrastructure development that’s shaping our shared future.” said Eric B. Larson, DDP CEO.
The half-day program will include opening remarks from Larson and the Consul General for Canada in Detroit, Colin Bird. Larson will continue with an update on Downtown Detroit, sharing data, investments, and real estate developments captured in the much-anticipated 2025 Downtown Detroit Development and Community Update Binational Edition, produced by the DDP and Downtown Detroit Business Improvement Zone (BIZ). All attendees will receive a copy of the publication, which includes a special section on Windsor and the Gordie Howe International Bridge.
As part of this year’s “Special Edition” of the Fall Forum, Gordon Orr, CEO of Invest WindsorEssex and Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island, will provide a Windsor real estate development update, highlighting the city’s historic and current regional significance.
“The true value of this forum lies in the way it combines thought leadership with practical partnerships,” said Colin Bird, Consul General for Canada in Detroit. “By working alongside the Downtown Detroit Partnership and the RIVER Collaborative, we are able to shape strategies that drive investment, innovation, and opportunity on both sides of the river.”
Mary Culler, President of Ford Philanthropy and Chair of Michigan Central and DDP Board, Executive Committee Member will moderate a panel discussion titled, “Cross-Border Catalysts: Navigating the Present, Shaping the Future.” She will be joined by panelists Steven Kalkanis, M.D., Executive Vice President of Henry Ford Health, CEO of Henry Ford Hospital and CEO of the Henry Ford Medical Group; Yvonne Pilon, President and CEO, WEtech Alliance; and Britany Affolter-Caine, Ph.D., Executive Director of Research Universities for Michigan (RU4M).
Attendees will hear from Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, they will speak about the impact of regional collaboration and the benefits of a shared border.
Additional speakers include Josh Sirefman, CEO, Michigan Central and DDP Board Member; Andy Doctoroff, Senior Vice President of Program Management, WSP; Charl van Niekerk, CEO, Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority; and Rob Eaton, Senior Director of Government Affairs, Amtrak.
The event will also include an Innovation Showcase, curated by Michigan Central and the RIVER Collaborative, featuring a select group of companies from the Detroit-Windsor region whose technologies reflect the strength and future potential of the binational economy. Attendees can speak with real estate developers onsite in the exhibit area, where they will display projects currently underway.
“This forum is proof that when you connect the right partners, real progress follows. Making those connections is exactly why Michigan Central exists,” said Josh Sirefman, CEO, Michigan Central. “We’re proud to host this gathering in The Station, providing the platform where leaders from Detroit and Windsor can come together to accelerate growth for the entire region.”
Registration and networking will take place from 8 to 9 a.m., followed by the program, starting at 9 a.m.
This year’s Fall Forum: Special Edition sponsors include Michigan Central, KPMG, City of Windsor, WSP, CoStar, and AECOM.
To attend or learn more about this year’s Fall Forum: Special Edition, visit DowntownDetroit.org/fallforum2025.
About the Downtown Detroit Partnership
Since 1922, the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) has worked to cultivate social and economic impact in Downtown Detroit. As a member-based nonprofit, the DDP convenes civic, corporate, community and philanthropic partners to create a vibrant and world-class urban core. As a leader in Downtown urban innovation, the organization also provides small business support and manages, programs and stewards 18 parks and public spaces throughout Downtown Detroit. Learn more at DowntownDetroit.org and engage on social media @DowntownDet.
About Michigan Central
Michigan Central is a 30-acre technology and cultural hub in Detroit, where leaders, thinkers, communities, and creators come together to accelerate bold ideas and technologies that shape our collective future. By providing access to world-class infrastructure, tools, and resources, Michigan Central inspires innovators and community members to collaborate on real, ground-breaking solutions to global problems. Since opening in April 2023, Michigan Central has grown into a diverse ecosystem of nearly 250 companies and startups working at the intersection of mobility, technology, and society. Learn more at Michigan Central.
About The RIVER Collaborative
A cross-border initiative launched by regional leaders and the Consulate General of Canada in Detroit to strengthen Detroit–Windsor coordination in innovation, investment, and talent. RIVER connects ecosystems, accelerates binational projects, and repositions the Detroit–Windsor corridor as a single economic region.
