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The exterior of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on a bright day with crowds walking along the street.

Convention Sales and Services

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DOMESTIC CONVENTION SALES
Promotions, Sales Calls, Trade Shows and Events

The team’s proactive efforts resulted in 61 presentations, virtual client sales calls and in-person meetings throughout the month of April. Highlights include:

  • American Academy of Neurology
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
  • American Bar Association
  • American Benefits Council
  • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
  • American College of Surgeons
  • American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
  • California School Boards Association
  • Concert Events Global
  • Association Management Center
  • Creative Impact Group
  • Data Center World
  • Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated
  • Ecstasy of Enlightenment
  • Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance
  • Greenbook
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Signal Processing Society
  • Informa Tech Holdings
  • Institute for Sustainable Laboratories
  • The International Academic Forum
  • International Monetary Fund
  • International Municipal Lawyers Association
  • International Trademark Association
  • Krewe of Pyros
  • Link Strategic Partners
  • National Association of Realtors
  • National Association of State Procurement Officials
  • National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals
  • National Education Association
  • Quantum Economic Development Consortium
  • Signature Concepts LLC
  • SourceAmerica
  • Virginia Tech
  • World Bank Group
  • World Biomaterials Congress
     

Operation Cherry Pie Chicago (April 7-8, Chicago, IL)

DDC Staff: Katherine Russo, Kate Anaya, Melissa Riley, Dianna Waldroup, Rachel Bomser

Co-Ops: The LINE Hotel, Capital Hilton, Cohera, Royal Sonesta Capitol Hill, United Airlines, Nationals Park

DDC’s Midwest team and sales leadership hand-delivered cherry pies to 60 customers across the Chicagoland region. The team also hosted a client networking event at Ignite Glass Blowing Studio, where 30 customers attended to connect and participate in a hands-on glass blowing experience.

DDC targeted the following customers:

  • American Bar Association
  • American College of Surgeons
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
  • National Association of Realtors

 

Operation Cherry Pie (OCP) DMV (April 7-9, Washington, DC) 

DDC Staff: All Destination DC staff

Co-Op: AC Hotel Washington DC Capitol Hill Navy Yard, Capital Hilton, Freeman, Puttery, The Royal Sonesta – Washington DC Capitol Hill, United Airlines and Washington Nationals

One of DDC’s signature client appreciation initiatives, OCP brought the spirit of cherry blossom season directly to our valued customers, members and partners. Timed to coincide with peak bloom, the initiative celebrates the arrival of spring in DC while recognizing the relationships that help drive the city’s success. Over two days, the DDC team hand-delivered 275 locally made cherry pies from Dog Tag Bakery to clients across the DMV, offering a “slice of sweetness” as a thoughtful token of gratitude.

 

Connected Campus Familiarization Tour (April 14, Washington, DC) 

DDC Staff: Morgan Simonet, Dianna Waldroup, Daniela Fazoli

DDC hosted a familiarization tour for meeting and event professionals, showcasing the nation’s capital through our Connected Campus initiative. The tour highlighted the walkability of the city’s meeting district with visits to six iconic venues surrounding the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Each stop demonstrated how programs can expand their footprint by incorporating non-traditional spaces located just steps away.

DDC targeted the following customers:

  • American Alliance of Museums
  • American Association for Justice
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • Association of the United States Army
  • FIRST Agency
  • NAFSA: Association of International Educators
  • Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
  • ZERO TO THREE

 

HelmsBriscoe Annual Business Conference (ABC) (April 27-29, Los Angeles, CA)

DDC Staff: Priscilla Alvarez, Derrick Collins

DDC attended the HelmsBriscoe ABC and engaged with more than 40 HelmsBriscoe associates representing a wide range of client programs, with varied peak room needs across portfolios. The event generated strong interest in Washington, DC, and the team is actively following up to build on these connections and convert future opportunities.

DDC connected with the following customers and partners:
• HelmsBriscoe associates across multiple market segments
• The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, DC
• Waldorf Astoria Washington DC
• Omni Shoreham Hotel
• Royal Sonesta Washington DC Capitol Hill
• Royal Sonesta Washington DC Dupont Circle
• Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square

 

Destinations International Convention Sales & Services Summit (April 27-30, Dallas, TX)

DDC Staff: Melissa Riley, Shirley Del Carpio

This summit brings together industry professionals to share best practices, explore emerging trends and strengthen collaboration across convention sales and services teams. The summit provided valuable insights into evolving customer expectations, destination stewardship and strategies to enhance the overall meeting and event experience.

The team gained actionable takeaways to support Washington, DC’s continued competitiveness in the meetings and conventions space and is incorporating key learnings into ongoing sales and service efforts.

DDC connected with the following customers and partners:

  • Convention sales and services professionals from destinations across North America
  • Industry partners and Destinations International members

 

 

Tentative Site Visits

American Benefits Council (various programs)

  • 75 peak rooms; 100 total rooms; 115 attendees
  • Multiple hotels
     

California School Boards Association (various programs)

  • 352 peak rooms; 1,387 total rooms; 350 attendees
  • Multiple hotels
     

Isha Foundation (June 10-12, 2026)

  • 700 peak rooms; 2,100 total rooms; 10,000 attendees
  • Multiple hotels
     

Greenbook (March 2-3, 2027)

  • 340 peak rooms; 905 total rooms; 900 attendees
  • Multiple hotels
     

SourceAmerica (Sept. 13-16, 2027)

  • 250 peak rooms; 571 total rooms; 250 attendees
  • Multiple hotels
     

International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (Sept. 23-25, 2028)

  • 375 peak rooms; 1,240 total rooms; 600 attendees
  • Multiple hotels
     

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (March 31 – April 3, 2030)

  • 5,000 peak rooms; 4,500 total rooms; 5,000 attendees
  • Multiple hotels
     

Informa Tech Holdings - Data Center World (April 2028 – 2030)

  • 1,800 peak rooms; 6,822 total rooms; 4,000 attendees
  • Multiple hotels

 

Definite Site Visits

National Association of State Procurement Officials, Inc. (Sept. 19-22, 2027)

  • 271 peak rooms; 1,168 total rooms; 275 attendees
  • Multiple venues
     

Informa Tech Holdings - Data Center World (April 2028 – 2030)

  • 1,800 peak rooms; 6,822 total rooms; 4,000 attendees
  • Multiple hotels

 

Upcoming Activities

Domestic Convention Sales

  • Devil Wears Prada 2 Premier Client Event (May 1, Washington, DC)
  • Unique Venue Familiarization Tour (May 13, Washington, DC)
  • Professional Convention Management Association Visionary Awards (May 5, Washington, DC)
  • ConferenceDirect Annual Partner Meeting (APM) (May 17-21, Houston, TX)
  • Maritz Elevate (May 11-14, Scottsdale, AZ)
  • IMEX Frankfurt (May 19-21, Frankfurt, Germany)
  • Exhibition & Convention Executives Forum (May 27, Washington, DC)

 

GLOBAL CONVENTION SALES
Sales Calls, Bid Development, Strategic Programming, Familiarization Tours, Site Visits and Tradeshows

With a continued focus on proactive client outreach, personalized touchpoints and international bid development, the team engaged prospective accounts and tentative leads throughout the month of April. Highlights included:  

  • American Express Global Business Travel
  • American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Inc.
  • Association for Computing Machinery 
  • BCD Meetings & Events
  • Boston Consulting Group
  • Clarion Events 
  • DMG Events
  • Enterprise Events Group
  • Global Access Meetings
  • HelmsBriscoe
  • Infinity Marketing
  • International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer
  • International Association for Volunteer Effort
  • International Continence Society
  • International Council of Ophthalmology
  • International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA)
  • International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis
  • International Sociological Association 
  • Maritz Global Events
  • MCI Group Canada
  • Meeting Encore
  • On Stage Academy
  • OpenText
  • Signature Concepts LLC
  • Terrapinn Ltd.
  • The Consumer Goods Forum
  • The International Academic Forum
  • World Endoscopy Organization
     

Tentative Site Visits 

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Signal Processing Society 

International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (ICASSP) 2030  

(March 31 – April 3, 2030) 

  • 850 peak rooms; 4,550 total room nights; 5,000 attendees
  • Multiple venues 

 

Upcoming Activities

Global Convention Sales 

  • IMEX Frankfurt (May 19-21, Frankfurt, Germany) 

Check out the full Destination DC Member News to learn more about what's going on this month.

 

 

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