City Focus
development for events , Gates notes , and 60 e-sports athletes from the NBA2K be coming to the District in February 2023 through a partnership between Events DC and Wizards District Gaming . The city will host seasons 6 and 7 in DC , which will be live-streamed .
While in the physical world of sport , the Capital City Go-Go , the NBA G League affiliate of the Wizards , has its regular season games at Entertainment & Sports Arena . The NCAA Women ’ s basketball ( Georgetown v UConn ) is coming in February .
The Walter E . Washington Convention Center will also see sports action in February with the return of the Capitol Hill Classic Volleyball Tournament , which hosts more than 3,600 matches and attracts about 950 teams , plus thousands of fans .
There is certainly much unique culture to exercise visitors in DC after conference and event hours , including the city being home to Go-Go music .
“ This year we saw a record-breaking number of attendees for Otakon , a convention celebrating Japanese pop culture , with some 43,000 people in the Walter E . Washington Convention Center ,” Gates explains , and notes that the Association of the US Army had about 30,000 attendees at its annual meeting in autumn 2022 .
Looking ahead to 2023 , and one of the most popular car shows in America , the Washington Auto Show , will be coming in January . And , staying with transport , the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting returns the same month with more than 10,000 attendees and will be the first citywide of the year .
The Travel and Adventure Show , a public show in February , is expecting more than 10,000 people to come through the doors .
Another citywide with big economic impact is the Credit Union National Association coming at the end of February . n
Capital meeting messages fly in to Europe
PAUL COLSTON GO-GOS ALONG TO THE DC SHOWCASE IN LONDON AND MEETS DESTINATION DC ’ S PRESIDENT
E lliott Ferguson , president and CEO of Destination DC , alongside Washington DC ’ s deputy mayor for planning and economic development , John Falcicchio , as well as representatives of Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority , and US Guided Tours , spearheaded a Washington DC roadshow for travel and event buyers in the UK and Ireland in December .
During the tour Ferguson sat down with CMW at the London showcase at Lalaland in London ’ s Shoreditch and outlined the destination ’ s plans for the international MICE market . “ Like so many cities everyone is focusing on recovery , although the economic development continued in DC despite Covid ,” he said .
“ We have new hotels and properties opening in Union Market and a new phase of the Wharf opening in DC , among numerous developments ,” Ferguson said , adding that , “ in terms of labour , we are trying to ensure we have adequate numbers working in the industry to meet demand ”. Of the hotels , some are reflagged , like the Waldorf Astoria , while other private brands like Salamander are emerging strong .
DC is responding to haemorrhaging of jobs during Covid for the events sector , with a big push on to get people returning to this industry , while Howard University was creating a new hospitality school , he added .
Convention confidence returning In 2022 , there were 19 citywide conventions , Ferguson noted , similar to the pre-Covid figure . That sounds very healthy although he tempered the
Above : Destination DC president and CEO Elliott Ferguson
optimism by noting that not all events had so many delegates show up .
The association market has roared back in terms of demand and desire to meet again in person , the Destination DC chief said . “ Some organisers no longer offer a virtual option . Either you meet in person or you won ’ t be able to participate ,” he added . The Destination DC team was also in Europe to visit Scotland and Manchester and then went on to Dublin . They brought plenty of discussion points :
“ We ’ re here with our airport authority and looking at the expansion at Dulles and Reagan airports and over $ 900m being invested , as well as the Silverline now going from Dulles Airport to the city . That is a game changer – you can do the trip for $ 6 ,” Ferguson said .
The international market stays longer and spends more in DC than the national events and their delegates and it is clear that the deputy mayor ’ s presence in the delegation indicates that the DC politicians ‘ get it ’ as regards events impacting local economies . “ For us to get our mayor and stakeholder to realise the importance of why we are here is is a big deal ,” Ferguson noted .
“ The UK is currently Washington , DC ’ s number one overseas travel market ,” Ferguson added and likened Shorediitch to the neighbourhood of Washington , DC ’ s Adams Morgan .
“ We look forward to our continued commitment to the UK market , and to welcoming travellers in 2023 and beyond ,” he concluded , adding that tverticals such as tech , quantum physics and burgeoning industries provided a brain trust of individuals in DC ’ s back yard – all ready to be connected with meeting planners .
So , do Go-Go to see the Destination DC website ( https :// washington . org /) for this one stop shop for the MICE market . n
41 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / ISSUE 122