![\"Branson\"](\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2015\/06\/Branson.jpg\")
<\/a>Detroit’s Fillmore Theater hosted a swank bash welcoming Virgin’s rock star founder Richard Branson (photo by Harrison Shiels)<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cThe creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of Detroit and its\u2019 people is something very close to my heart,\u201d said Branson, who wore a black t-shirt emblazoned with white letters reading \u201cDetroit Hustles Harder.\u201d Most European tourists, though they may fly to Michigan on Virgin Atlantic, won\u2019t have the same two-day entrepreneurial experience Branson did sitting down with Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert \u2013 another billionaire – at Detroit\u2019s College for Creative Studies to hear investment ideas from would-be \u201cstart ups.\u201d Branson also saw new ventures already in action \u2013 experiencing an urban bike ride guided by Detroit\u2019s \u201cSlow Roll\u201d tour company \u2013 a \u201cmovement\u201d designed to keep riders together and safe while exploring neighborhoods. The bike featured the logo of \u201cShinola,\u201d the local watch company that has become a wearable badge of Detroit pride.<\/p>\n
East Lansing\u2019s James Cash, founder of another one of the phenomenally successful new Michigan start-up companies, heard Branson speak during a swank party at Detroit\u2019s Fillmore Theater just after Branson threw out the first pitch at the Tiger game across Woodward Avenue. \u201cHe is quite colorful and obviously a \u2018big picture guy,\u2019\u201d said Cash, glass of wine in hand as he watched Branson charm the crowd from the stage. With Branson\u2019s Natirar Luxury Resort Estate as a customer, Cash\u2019s innovative Revel Cellars Inc. reinvented the way wine should be stored and displayed by the most discerning of high-end collectors through a groundbreaking design that upended the cellar industry similar to the fashion in which Branson\u2019s Virgin brand raised the service standards and creativity of the traditional airlines.<\/p>\n
Detroit is an extremely important airport hub offering easy connectivity for incoming Virgin passengers via Delta\u2019s service from DTW to 400 destinations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know Delta does well here because it is the only logo I see throughout the entire (Detroit Metropolitan) terminal,\u201d said Branson, Michigan\u2019s newest tourist. \u201cI initially figured the passengers would fly into Detroit and only use the hub airport to get to other places via Delta flights. But now that I have explored Detroit, I think Europeans would be smart to take in the city and see what it has to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Michael Patrick Shiels may be contacted at\u00a0<\/em>InviteYourself@aol.com<\/a>\u00a0or via TravelTattler.com\u00a0His talk show can be heard weekday mornings in\u00a0Lansing\u00a0on 92.1 FM and Fox 47 TV.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"