Black Meetings and Tourism

March / April 2018

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WASHINGTON DC'S NEW RENOVATIONS GRAB PLANNERS' ATTENTION B Y R E G G I E M U R P H Y Monuments and memorials, eclectic neighborhoods, true local flavor – Washington, DC is a place unlike any other. It's your home away from home with free museums and America's front yard. Plan your trip to the nation's capital by checking out all the things to do, places to eat and ways to stay. Experience the DC difference. Host your next event in the nation's capital and wow attendees with national landmarks, unique venues and meetings. DC's excit- ing food scene will fuel your gatherings, and the local, national and international cultures of the city will inspire. With a variety of meeting spaces, convention halls and plenty of things to do after hours in DC, you can meet on your terms. The cornerstone of downtown DC's renaissance, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, is as functional as it is artistically impressive. The 2.3-million- sq. ft. space hosts meetings, conven- tions and events of every kind, from medical industry annual meetings to comic book-inspired expos and board retreats. You can mold all 703,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space inside the convention center into whatever shape you need. Within its two levels and five exhibit halls is a 473,000-sq. ft. exhibit hall that can be subdivided into three rooms, 198,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space, a 52,000-sq. ft. foot ballroom and 77 breakout rooms. The space is versatile enough to accom- modate events of all sizes. Over the past couple of years there have been many upgrades to the city, making it a more equipped destination for meeting planners to explore. Phase I of this $2.5 billion mixed-use development opened last October. Visitors can enjoy The Anthem, a 150,000-sq. ft. music venue that also serves as a convention facility, with flex- ible capacity up to 6,000. The Wharf also offers 3.2 mil- lion sq. ft. of hotel and retail space, rentable waterfront piers and a water taxi service to and f r o m G e o r g e t o w n and Old Town A l e x a n d r i a . Restaurants will eventually total more than 20, including new offerings from Fabio Trabocchi, Mike Isabella and Nicholas Stefanelli. The newest free museum on the National Mall is devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, art, history and culture, housed in an eight-story building featuring 12 exhibi- tions across 400,000 sq. ft. The museum also features the 300-seat Oprah Winfrey Theater, as well as an education and technology center on its second floor. Arena Stage , the stunning theater-in- the-round complex in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood , is an ideal venue to see compelling theater. Visitors can purchase tickets to see great American theater even on the day they visit. Washington, DC also boasts the presence of Elliott Ferguson as the presi- dent/CEO of Destination DC, the city's official convention and tourism corpora- tion, and Gregory A. O'Dell as the president and CEO of Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of C o l u m b i a . Definitely a dyn- amic duo! There are three major air- ports in the Washington, DC region: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washing- ton Dulles International Airport and Baltimore/-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. All three offer multiple U.S. and international flights daily. Both American Airlines and United Airlines service all three airports. B M & T ••• March/April 2018 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 40 AREA GUIDES WA S H I N G T O N D C • • • STATS • • • HOTEL ROOMS Marriott Marquis Washington, DC 1,175 Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill 834 Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel 807 The Capital Hilton 544 Embassy Suites Washington, DC Convention Center 384 Hamilton Crowne Plaza 318 EXHIBITION FACILITIES Walter E. Washington Convention Center Total Exhibit Space 703,000 sq. ft. Meeting Rooms 77 WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Destination DC – 800-635-MEET www.washington.org The National Black Chamber of Commerce – (202) 466-6888 Smithsonian National Museum Of African American History & Culture Photo Credit: Destination D.C.

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