The Kauffmann Center for the Performing Arts will host a summit, Dec. 3 and 4, featuring mayors and business leaders from around the country talking about the future of the American city.

Kansas City Mayor Sly James has been working on bringing the conference to Kansas City for months, ever since he attended a similar conference in Vancouver in February. It will be organized by City Age, a Canada-based organization which brings together government and business leaders and urban visionaries to promote new ideas and boost the future of urban centers. Previous summits have been held in Vancouver and Toronto.

This would be the first such conference in the United States, and several hundred people are expected to attend, according to mayoral spokesman Danny Rotert.

"This mayor has wanted to raise the profile of Kansas City on the national and international world stage, to a higher level of play," Rotert said, adding that the conference is a great way to showcase the Performing Arts Center and Kansas City's other assets.

Confirmed speakers include Unified Government Mayor Joe Reardon; Houston Mayor Annise Parker; Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx; Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton.