2015 SEUS Japan meeting
The 38th Annual Joint Meeting of the Southeast U.S./Japan and the Japan-U.S Southeast Associations (SEUS Japan) was hosted in Birmingham on November 14-17, 2015.
The Southeast U.S./Japan Association was established in 1976. Its annual meeting, alternating between cities in Japan and cities in the Southern U.S., brings together about 400-500 business and political leaders and other delegates to reinforce economic and cultural ties between Japan and the Southeastern United States.
The theme of the 2015 meeting, the first held in Alabama since Mobile hosted in 1998, was "Initiative for a Sustainable Future Through Continuous Innovation". Grayson Hall, CEO of Regions Bank, chaired the meeting with co-chair Atsutoshi Nishida of the Toshiba Corporation. Hilda Lockhart of the Alabama Department of Commerce was the host delegate.
Major sponsors of the event included Alabama Power, Honda of Alabama, Protective, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and Regions Bank, along with the City of Birmingham, Birmingham Sister City Commission, and the University of Alabama System.
Program
Saturday, November 14
- 3:00-6:00 PM: Registration at Sheraton Birmingham ballroom
- 6:00 PM: Chairman's Dinner, at The Club
Sunday, November 15
- 7:00 AM-3:00 PM: Invitational golf tournament at Shoal Creek Golf & Country Club
- 9:00 AM-3:00 PM: Tours depart from Sheraton Birmingham lobby:
- Tour 1: "Sights & Sounds of Birmingham" with visits to Vulcan Park, the Alabama Theatre and Sloss Furnaces
- Tour 21: "BBQ & Brews" tasting tour with visits to Good People Brewing Company, Dreamland Bar-B-Que, Avondale Brewery, Saw's BBQ, Trim Tab Brewery and Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q.
- 4:30-5:45 PM: Host state reception at Alabama Sports Hall of Fame
- 6:00-9:00 PM: Opening dinner at Sheraton-Birmingham ballroom
Monday, November 16
- 7:30-8:45 AM: Breakfast
- 9:00 AM-3:00 PM: Tour for spouses and guests, "Capturing the Spirit of the Old & New South" with visits to Arlington Antebellum Home & Gardens, Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Japanese Tea House
- 9:00-9:30 AM: Opening ceremony at Alabama Theater
- 9:30-10:15 AM: Keynote address by Condoleezza Rice
- 10:15-11:30 AM: Remarks by delegation leaders
- 11:35-11:40 AM: Remarks by Consul General Kazuo Sanaga (Atlanta)
- 12:15-1:45 PM: Luncheon and keynote address by Ambassador Kenichiro Sasae at the Sheraton Birmingham ballroom
- 2:00-3:15 PM: Executive leadership exchange, "Innovation Spurs Economic Growth"
- 3:30-4:45 PM: Executive leadership exchange, "Protecting Your Profits in the New Energy/Environmental Era"
- 6:45-9:00 PM: Evening reception at Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum
Tuesday, November 17
- 8:00-9:45 AM: Breakfast keynote by former Ambassador Andrew Young
- 9:45 AM: Adoption of joint statement and closing ceremony, with remarks from consuls general Masami Kenefuchi (Nashville) and Shinji Nagashima (Miami), as well as chairman Grayson Hall, followed by an exchange of gifts and announcement of the 39th Annual Joint Meeting.
External links
- SEUS Japan 2015 website