Destination DC works hard to ensure that members receive ample exposure in all facets of the convention and tourism industry, so remember to take full advantage of the various opportunities provided to market your business. Log on to the Membership Extranet to view the list of co-op programs currently available, including the upcoming Weekend Warriors promotion, and make the most of your membership opportunities.

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October Monthly Forum
The October Monthly Forum will be at Smith & Wollensky on Tuesday, Oct. 20, from 9-11am. Be on the lookout for an invite. For more information, contact Ashley Richards at 202-789-7009.

Co-ops
Destination DC’s cooperative program forms for the remainder of 2009 and 2010 are available on Washington.org as well as the Member Extranet. Please review the opportunities and explore the ways you can plug into your Destination DC membership.

Upcoming Member Events
View our Member Events Calendar. It lists all upcoming events and has a direct link to the invites.

Heart & Soul: “D.C. Around the World”
Aug./Sep. 2009

Southern Living: “Lobbying D.C.”
Sep. 2009

The Situation Room (CNN): “Freemasons Fact and Fiction”
Sep. 15, 2009

The Globe and Mail (Toronto): “‘Lost’ and Found in D.C.”
Sep. 18, 2009

Sep. 23-24: Exponation LLC
Digital Signage Expo East
Embassy Suites Washington DC – Downtown
Attendance: 2,000     Peak rooms: 225

Sep. 23-26: Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Inc.
Annual Legislative Conference
Grand Hyatt Washington
Attendance: 8,000     Peak rooms: 1,260

Oct. 5-7: Association of the U.S. Army
Annual Meeting
Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel
Attendance: 20,000     Peak rooms: 3,000

Oct. 10-14: College of American Pathologists
Annual Meeting
Washington Marriott Wardman Park
Attendance: 5,500     Peak rooms: 1,450

Walter E. Washington Convention Center Launches New Website
The Washington Convention Center Authority is pleased to announce the launch of its new and dramatically enhanced Web site that can be accessed at www.dcconvention.com. The new site is easy to navigate and provides users with a unique virtual gateway to the Convention Center, and highlights the Center’s location in the heart of the city. Some of the main features of the new site include interactive floor plans, a custom designed events calendar, promotional video and image gallery, translation to French and Spanish for international users and more.

Professional Fraternal Association
Destination DC Convention Manager Sharmane Fernandez attended the Professional Fraternal Association annual meeting along with the National Conference Center, Sep. 9-12 in Tampa. This was Destination DC’s first time attending PFA and the show was a great success, providing the opportunity to meet with executive directors and presidents representing 33 professional fraternities. Interest in booking DC from these groups was high, and potential future bookings resulted.

International Media in DC
Since the beginning of September, Destination DC has hosted several international media including: Sunday Times Magazine (UK), Gentleman (Italy), Neue Luzerner Zeitung (Austria), Manchester Evening News (UK), Donnaventura (Italy), and the Mail on Sunday (UK), as well as a British press group containing reporters from various publications.  The W Washington D.C., the Dupont Hotel, the Hay-Adams, Hyatt Regency Washington and DC GuestHouse sponsored the visiting media with room nights.

LA CUMBRE 2009 and IFTM – Top Resa
International Tour Sales Manager Letizia Sirtori, along with Capital Region USA  and Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), attended La Cumbre, the Americas' Travel Industry Summit, in San Juan, Puerto Rico Sep. 9-11. More than 200 buyers representing the sectors of leisure, corporate and incentive travels met with 190 exhibitors and participated in six conference sessions on industry trends for Latin America. Partners included The Dupont Hotel, Amtrak, Leesburg Premium Outlets, Fairfax County, and the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Addtionally, Sirtori, CRUSA and MWAA, are currently in Paris attending International French Travel Market (IFTM) Top Resa, an event attended by top players in the travel sector including leisure, business, group, production and media. Sirtori will conduct sales calls and destination training for the reservation staff of key French tour operators based in Paris.

• Susan Giambalvo has been named Director of Sales of the Washington Marriott Wardman Park. With more than four years of service with Marriott, Giambalvo previously held the position of Senior Account Executive for the DC and Virginia association market.
• Lisa Harris is the new Director of Sales and Marketing at the Capitol Skyline Hotel.
• HOTELS magazine has named Blue Duck Tavern at Park Hyatt Washington D.C. one of the ten “Great Hotel Restaurants 2009” in the magazine’s August 2009 issue. Blue Duck Tavern was only one of two United States restaurants to receive this award.
• Thanks to relentless support and advocacy from the travel community, by a vote of 79-19 the U.S. Senate recently passed the Travel Promotion Act, which creates a public-private partnership to create the first-ever U.S. promotion and communications program aimed at travelers around the world. View the press release here.