Now I believe another way that Detroit could become a viable city is if it positions itself as a tourist destination. True the state has the Pure Michigan campaign which does talk about Detroit a little but in that the campaign is statewide it doesn't go into any detail.
Now, I know that money is tight in the city budget, but if there was a way to promote the city and all the fun things to do here, then that would probably encourage more conventions, and tourist.

Some of the things that I am thinking about include:
Commercials for the annual events like the Fireworks, Detroit Jazz Fest, Hoedown, Electronic Music Fest, Winter blast, Riverdays, the car race on Belle Isle and Hydroplane boat race. These are all events that last over a number of days and would make ideal national attractions.
Detroit's riverfront makes for a great outing.

Our casinos can become national draws if they had nationally known entertainers. And, eventhough most all cities have a casino nearby, Detroit is still only of a few cities that have a casino downtown. As a result of the casinos, the book cadillac, Holiday Inn, Courtyard and others, we now have a plenty of hotel space.

To add to the attraction, I wish that there would be a automobile museum located downtown, that got national attention. This museum could have automobiles on display made by Detroit based companies, even those that have closed, like Studdebacker, etc.

This is just a thought, I'm sure you can add to the discussion.

I'm doing a documentary about Detroit, "The Great Detroit? It was-It is-It will be", www.strongdetroit.net.