unique venues

Open Space in the Heart of Downtown

With nearly ten acres of wide open space in the heart of downtown Washington, the old Convention Center (OCC) site gives planners a chance to show off their creativity - and build buzz for their clients in one of the city's most dynamic neighborhoods.

Since the former Washington Convention Center was razed and transformed into a parking lot, Washingtonians have flocked to the site to take part in Downtown's Holiday Market and to catch Cirque du Soleil under the big top. Now event planners can build their own unique configurations and displays on the site, located just two blocks from the new Convention Center, opposite the Renaissance Washington, D.C. Hotel and the Grand Hyatt Washington.

Events such as festivals, markets, exhibits, product launches and private functions will find a fitting setting on the Lot, near major transportation hubs at Gallery Place/Chinatown and Metro Center, and near downtown's densely populated office zone. Rental capacity is as follows:

The site will be available for private events until construction begins on a new retail and residential complex in fall/winter 2008. Cirque du Soleil is also planning a return engagement on the site in 2008. Centrally located at 900 9th Street NW, the City Center lot is managed by Downtown Events Corporation (DEC), a new nonprofit corporation created by the Downtown BID (Business Improvement District) to develop and maximize attractiveness for events in Washington, DC. For booking information, click here.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Downtown DC Business Improvement District.

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Grab Headlines with an Event at the New Newseum

With a prime Pennsylvania Avenue address and some of the best views in town, the new Newseum is destined to be one of Washington, DC's most sought-after special events venues. The seven-story, 250,000 sq. ft. building is slated to open this fall - and flexible meeting space is built into its design.

The Newseum's private event space is perfect for meetings and gatherings of various sizes, from daytime conferences to evening receptions. Two large, multifunctional spaces located on the sixth floor are outfitted with movable dividers to accommodate various meeting configurations.  From the sixth floor balcony, delegates enjoy one of the best views in the city, looking out onto Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House to the Capitol and beyond to the Supreme Court - a subtle tribute to the First Amendment. A "green room" equipped with up-to-the-minute audio-visual equipment allows clients to practice presentations and rehearse programs before taking the stage. Take a connecting staircase up one level to the seventh floor, where you'll find smaller rooms for breakout groups, concurrent sessions or event overflow. The Newseum has also selected a catering partner equal to its spectacular space; celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck makes his Washington, DC fine dining debut at the Newseum's destination restaurant, The Source, and also handles meal preparation for special events.

Part of the draw for event-goers is the facility itself. The world's first museum dedicated to the news and how it's covered, the Newseum is located halfway between the Capitol and the White House, a block north of the National Mall. The eye-catching building's design features a "window on the world" - a jumbo screen measuring 57 ft. by 78 ft., which broadcasts world headlines onto Pennsylvania Avenue. The museum's exhibitions spread across six levels, including more than a dozen galleries that examine the history of news and how media have covered important events of the past century. Other attractions include an interactive newsroom, a broadcast studio and a Journalists Memorial dedicated to more than 1,600 journalists who died while reporting the news. Larger artifacts include one of two surviving "Checkpoint Charlies," the largest section of the Berlin Wall outside of Germany and an actual news helicopter.

Newseum meeting space dimensions and capacities are listed below:

For further information about special events at the Newseum, contact Pam Galloway-Tabb at (703) 284-2841 or click here.

Photo Credit: Artist Rendering of the Newseum. Courtesy of the Newseum.

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Washington, DC Convention & Tourism Corporation
901 7th Street, NW, 4th Floor
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 789-7001 | washington.org