DOMESTIC CONVENTION SALES: Promotions, Sales Calls, Trade Shows and Events
The team’s proactive efforts resulted in 52 presentations, virtual client sales calls and in-person meetings throughout the month of October. Highlights include:
- America's Credit Unions
- American Association for the Study of Liver Disease
- American College of Trial Lawyers
- American Dental Association
- American Public Health Association
- Association of the United States Army
- Congress of Neurological Surgeons
- Freeman
- Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs
- International Association for Event & Exhibition
- International Association of Fire Fighters
- Marathi Kala Mandal of Greater Washington DC
- National Association for the Education of Young Children
- National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc.
- NVIDIA
- Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers
IMEX America (Oct. 6-9, Las Vegas)
DDC Staff: Melissa Riley, Dianna Waldroup, John Sklencar, Megan Fariel, Katherine Russo, Brandon Murray
Co-ops: Events DC, Encore, Washington Hilton, JW Marriott Washington DC, Sofitel, Arlo DC, Cohera, NatGeo, Nationals Park
IMEX America is one of the world's leading trade shows for the meetings, incentive, conferences and events market. Over three days, 5,000 carefully selected buyers take part in a series of pre-scheduled appointments with suppliers from all over the world. There were 6,145 hosted buyers from 74 countries at the 2025 IMEX America show. DDC held 134 individual appointments, 9 group presentations and 416 individual contact engagements. Additionally, we hosted a large morning appointment with McVeigh Global Meetings and Events.
DDC targeted the following customers:
- American Association for Cancer Research
- American Bar Association
- American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery
- Coinbase
- Deloitte
- HelmsBriscoe
- Maritz
Washington Commanders and Chicago Client Event (Oct. 13, Washington, DC)
DDC Staff: Shirley Del Carpio, Morgan Simonet, Derrick Collins
DDC teamed up with Choose Chicago for our rivalry game against the Chicago Bears at Northwest Stadium, hosting clients in a suite for an unforgettable evening of relationship-building and city pride. While the Bears won on the field, everyone in the suite was a winner, enjoying collaboration, connection and future business opportunities for Washington, DC.
DDC targeted the following customers:
- Accommodations 4ALL
- AHR Site Selection Solution
- American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
- American Association of Physicists in Medicine
- American Association of State Colleges and Universities
- American Gastroenterological Association
- American Physical Therapy Association
- Association for Financial Professionals
- Association of International Educators
- Association of Society Management International Inc.
- Conference Direct
- Datadog
- Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
- Kellen
- Mental Health of America
- National Credit Union Administration
- National Education Association
- Society for Neuroscience
Northeast CVB Reps Fall Client Retreat (Oct. 27-29, upstate NY)
DDC Staff: John Sklencar
This event was a hosted-buyer client retreat for participating NECVB Reps members and clients. Each member was able to bring one exclusive planner for the retreat that included educational and networking activations. A total of 21 clients attended with high profile programs or accounts.
DDC targeted the following customers:
- American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery
- Capital One
- International Council of Shopping Centers
- National Kidney Foundation
- Opera America
- PepsiCo
Professional Convention Management Association Exhale (Oct. 29 – Nov. 1, Austin, TX)
DDC Staff: Dianna Waldroup
The event combines one-on-one meetings with a focus on mindfulness and work-life balance through wellness activities and educational sessions. The event is designed to help industry professionals connect with sponsors and peers in a meaningful way while supporting the PCMA foundation.
DDC targeted the following customers:
- American Association of Physicists in Medicine
- American Geophysical Union
- American Land Title Association
- American Psychological Association
- American Public Transportation Association
- American Urological Association
- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
- Orthopaedic Research Society
Definite Site Visits
Varsity Spirit (Feb. 20-21, 2026)
- 3,954 peak rooms, 12,354 total rooms, 15,000 attendees
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center and multiple venues
National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc. (July 19-22, 2026)
- 560 peak rooms, 2,200 total rooms, 1,600 attendees
- Multiple venues
National Sales Network (Aug. 12-13, 2026)
- 900 peak rooms, 2,620 total rooms, 2,000 attendees
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center and multiple venues
Infectious Diseases Society of America (Oct. 21-24, 2026)
- 3,500 peak rooms, 15,715 total rooms, 7,000 attendees
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center and multiple venues
Tentative Site Visits
National Area Health Education Centers (April 13-14, 2026)
- 301 peak rooms, 608 total rooms, 301 attendees
- Multiple venues
Confidential (April 19-21, 2026)
- 1,000 peak rooms, 3,020 total rooms, 4,000 attendees
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center and multiple venues
Center for Black Equity (May 22-24, 2026)
- 236 peak rooms, 787 total rooms, 1,500 attendees
- Multiple venues
Heart Rhythm Society (June 5-7, 2026)
- 24 peak rooms, 82 total rooms, 25 attendees
- Multiple venues
Wipfli LLP (June 21-23, 2027)
- 375 peak rooms, 1,125 total rooms, 375 attendees
- Multiple venues
National Association of State Procurement Officials, Inc. (Sept. 26-29, 2027)
- 271 peak rooms, 1,168 total rooms, 275 attendees
- Multiple venues
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 October. Highlights included:
- Abbey Conference and Events
- Academy of International Business
- AMC Source
- American Express
- BCD Meetings & Events
- Boston Consulting Group
- Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Coopervision
- Diageo
- Elevate Meeting & Event Solutions
- Embassy of Canada
- EMC3
- Escales
- FCI Events and Incentives
- Fresh
- Global Travel Solutions
- IEEE Computational Intelligence Society
- IEEE Magnetics Society
- Informa Connect
- International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research
- International Council on Systems Engineering
- Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
- Kao Corporation
- Kenes Group
- Larratmice
- MC Event Consulting
- Meeting Encore
- North American Energy Markets Association
- Rubra Eventos
- The Conference Department
- The Society of Endometriosis and Uterine Disorders
- TK Events
- Travel Counsellors
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- VenuesWorld
- Viva Esprit
- World Bank Group & International Monetary Fund
- Young Presidents’ Organization
Pre-IMEX Familiarization Trip (Oct. 3-6, Washington, DC)
DDC Staff: Tara Miller, Emma Stubblefield, Megan Fariel, Brenlynn Falcon-Mase, Heidi Williams
Familiarization trips offer a valuable opportunity to showcase Washington, DC to prospective clients. Prior to IMEX America in Las Vegas, NV, the global sales team partnered with Accor to host 9 senior meeting and event professionals from the United Kingdom for a customized four-day itinerary. Clients experienced #Only1DC firsthand, learning why they should place future meetings, events and incentive travel programs in the nation’s capital.
DDC targeted the following customers:
- BCD Meetings & Events
- DRPG
- Goose
- IMPACT XM
- Meet Events
- Nteractive
- Oddity Events
- Reed & MacKay
- Your Event Solutions (YES)
Professional Convention Management Association Convening EMEA - Europe, the Middle East & Africa (Oct. 13-17, Rotterdam, Netherlands)
DDC Staff: Melissa Riley
The event attracts 600+ business event leaders from over 40 countries to challenge each other, share knowledge, be inspired and develop ways to move forward together. DDC led a session called Conversation Starter: Risky Business: Planning Events in an Unpredictable World. From shifting travel advisories and rising tensions around visa restrictions and other changes, geopolitical uncertainty is reshaping how, where and when we gather. This informal conversation was a chance to compare notes, share roadblocks and crowdsource ideas for staying nimble in an unpredictable world.
DDC targeted the following customers:
- American Institute of Architects
- Ben & Jerry’s
- Bosch
- Jimmy Choo
- Optica
Definite Site Visits
Association for Consumer Research (Oct. 9-11, 2025)
- 818 peak rooms, 2,919 total rooms, 1,300 attendees
- Multiple venues
Upcoming Activities:
Domestic Convention Sales
- IMEX America (Oct. 6-9, Las Vegas, NV)
- Financial & Insurance Conference Professionals Annual Conference (Nov. 2-5, Washington, DC)
- Crew Roadshow and Sales Mission (Nov. 10-14, San Francisco, CA and Seattle, WA)
- Professional Convention Management Association Bowl-a-thon and Sales Mission (Nov. 12-13, Chicago, IL)
- Corporate Event Marketing Association Regional Dinner (Nov. 18, Philadelphia, PA)
- National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals Annual Meeting (Nov. 19-22, Portland, OR)
Global Convention Sales
- International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Congress (Nov. 9-12, Porto, Portugal)
- IBTM World (Nov. 18-20, Barcelona, Spain)
Check out the full Destination DC Member News to learn more about what's going on this month.
