Mayor Rob Ford and the rest of a delegation from the city are set to sign a "music city alliance agreement" with their counterparts in Austin, Texas in an attempt to transform Toronto into a live music hotspot.

The delegation is hoping to learn the secrets of Austin's success and then apply them to draw hordes of tourists and industry members who will pump money into the economy.

The two-day business mission kicked off Thursday afternoon with a private lunch between Ford and Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, and a private meeting involving the Toronto team and City of Austin economic development staff.

Before the lunch meeting, Ford told CP24 reporter Jackie Crandles that he is hoping to "take a page from (Austin's) playbook and run the plays."

"I want to start making deals. I want to start making jobs," Ford said as he entered Austin City Hall.

Later Thursday, the Toronto delegates are attending a city council meeting, where they will sign the agreement and become honorary citizens of Texas’ capital.

On Friday, the delegation is touring the grounds of the Austin City Limits Music Festival and meeting with members of Austin’s music industry to learn more about how Toronto can duplicate Austin’s success.

Billing itself as the live music capital of the world, Austin holds several music festivals that draw hundreds of thousands of people every year, including the massively popular South By Southwest (SXSW), which has grown to include film and emerging technology festivals alongside the music festival.

Toronto holds a similar but smaller festival called North By Northeast (NXNE), in addition to Canadian Music Week and other events throughout the year. Next year's NXNE is being expanded to 10 days and will be the largest one in its 20-year history, organizers announced Thursday.

Ford is in central Texas a day after he answered questions about the latest controversy to crop up during his mayoral term. Ford's friend and occasional driver, Alexander (Alessandro) Lisi, was arrested by Toronto police Tuesday night and is facing drug charges.

The delegation includes councillors Josh Colle, Gary Crawford, Doug Ford, and Michael Thompson, city staff and representatives from Toronto’s music industry.

The mayor’s wife and children have joined him on the trip.