FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 26, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS OUTLOOK:
MARCH 2008

(Washington, DC)…More than 52,000 delegates will gather in the District of Columbia in March for nearly 35 meetings, conventions and other major events. Attendees, including health and medical professionals, engineers, environmentalists, financial and education experts, theologians, attorneys, governments, and business gurus, represent an estimated 70,000 hotel room nights.

Highlights of DC's spring convention calendar include this year's first major citywide convention, the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC 2008), which takes place March 3-6. The first state-level conference on renewable energy to take place in the US, the conference is organized by the American Council on Renewable Energy in partnership with the federal government, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Government and industry leaders from more than 75 countries are expected to attend the event, the third conference since its inception in 2004, which will also feature an associated trade show promoting sustainability and green design. Organizers estimate that 10,000 delegates will attend the event, representing roughly $9 million in direct spending.

One exhibit guaranteed to impress at the trade show is the Mack Hybrid Electric Vehicle, a heavy-duty environmentally-friendly truck developed by Volvo and the US Air Force, with the potential to reduce fuel consumption by 10,000 gallons per year. Volvo will also feature several other vehicles running on alternative fuel systems like ethanol, synthetic diesel and biogas. Wirec2008.gov, acore.org

Celebrating its 100th anniversary, the American Montessori Society will hold its annual conference at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel March 6 - 9. The conference, "Montessori Leadership for the Next 100 Years: A Capital Idea," will bring together educators and child advocates to explore the many ways the world and its children can benefit from the Montessori approach during the movement's second century. Keynote speakers include Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund and Dr. Jane Goodall, world-renowned environmentalist, primatologist, and humanitarian. This conference sets the stage for other associations celebrating anniversaries in DC this year, such as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. which holds its Centennial Celebration July 12-17 as well as AARP, which celebrates its golden anniversary Sep. 3-6.

Given the recent news on food recalls and consumer product safety, the Food Safety and Security Summit will be of particular interest when it takes the stage in the nation's capital, March 17-19. The summit brings approximately 1,200 industry officials, regulators and lawmakers together to discuss pressing issues facing the entire industry such as quality management, processing and packaging, employee training and best practices. One featured vendor is Biomist which has patented a completely safe method for power spraying an alcohol-based sanitizer that safely kills a broad spectrum of pathogens in a food processing environment.

Additional major conventions taking place in DC in March include the National League of Cities Annual National Convention (March 8-12); Society of Interventional Radiology Annual Convention (March 16-19) and the American Society on Aging Annual Convention (March 26-30).

For more information on meetings and events in the nation's capital, visit Washington.org or dcconvention.com.

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