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Meeting in America’s Most Educated City
Washington, DC is a great place to host education-related meetings. With its educated workforce, commitment to lifelong learning, policymakers and industry associations, the DC region is booming with brainpower, fostering the next generation of thought leaders and innovators. Learn how to grow your delegate base, sponsorship dollars and exhibitor footprint to gain a competitive advantage for your organization. Connect with Destination DC staff, submit a meetings RFP or learn more about education-focused meetings and conventions in our education white paper. Workforce #3 most educated city in the U.S. (WalletHub, 2020) #8 for density of college students (Bloomberg CityLab) Most Bachelor’s degrees or higher than any city in the U.S. (The Washington Post) Federal government employs more highly educated workers than private sector 25,000 professionals employed at education institutions Institutions 21 higher education institutions Strong early childhood education degree programs at 17 area universities Top high school in the nation located in metro DC area Gallaudet University has consistently ranked among the top universities for deaf and hard of hearing students Innovation Education reform and innovations in school policy from early childhood education to adult New methods of learning More than 40% of DC’s public school students are enrolled in charter schools Office of State Superintendent of Education programs and agencies to ensure residents receive an education and are prepared for college, careers and life Access Federal policymakers shaping the future of education in Washington, DC Prevalence of higher education can attract attendees Proximity to Department of Education and other agencies spurs advocacy and lobbying Dozens of education associations and groups are based in DC Large availability of organizations focusing on new teaching methods such as DC Equity Lab, Citybridge Foundation and National Implementation Research Network Interested in learning more about Washington, DC as an education hub for meetings and conventions? Read our education white paper and connect with Destination DC staff for more information.
Member Resources
Member Extranet Training Destination DC’s Member Extranet is where you control your account listings, photos, deals, events calendar, contacts and respond to leads. Join our new monthly Member Extranet training webinar to learn useful tips and tricks to help you get the most out of the member extranet and maximize your membership. Email membership@washington.org to receive a training video. Post Your Event or Deal Add your own tourism-related events to our event calendar, one of the most popular features on the site. Additionally, post special deals and discounts on our site. To learn how to post events or deals visit our Member Extranet training videos. Member Directory Exclusively available through the Member Extranet, the Destination DC Member Directory is now available to help you connect and communicate with one another. Social Media Engagement You have a lot of exciting things happening, and Destination DC wants to help you promote them. Here are helpful ways to engage with us on social media. Publications Your membership includes listings in Destination DC official publications. If you would like official Destination DC publications for your reference or to distribute to your customers, please email the visitor services team. Sponsorship Opportunities A partnership with Destination DC enhances the image, brand and identity of partners and can offer ROI in the form of sales, awareness, influence, connections and more. Partners will benefit from access to city assets and information, authentically integrated marketing messages and unique programs designed to meet your goals. To learn more about partnerships please contact the partnerships team. Advertise With Us Members receive discounted advertising rates in official publications and on washington.org. To learn more, explore our media kits and email advertise@washington.org. Media & Press Releases Email our media relations team your press releases so we know your key message points, successes and updates to include in media pitches to domestic, international and convention trade as appropriate. Visitor Statistics Visitor Statistics provide additional and historical information about the Washington, DC hospitality industry. Please note that our statistics are released annually; full data will be published the following fall.
Membership & Advertising Guidelines
Membership Term Membership is for one (1) full year. Membership begins once Destination DC receives the fully completed application and full payment of annual dues. Unless notified in advance in writing in the manner set forth below, membership will be renewed automatically each year by Destination DC and dues will be billed annually. Cancellations are required in writing a minimum of thirty (30) days before the renewal date. Destination DC may automatically cancel any member with dues more than ninety (90) days past due and may suspend any member as the need becomes apparent, in Destination DC’s sole discretion. Dues may be increased once per year. Any dues increase is applicable only after the prior year term has been completed Eligibility & Standing Individuals, businesses or organizations in the travel and tourism industry serving the Washington, DC region are eligible for membership in Destination DC. Destination DC reserves the absolute right to deny membership to any applicant for any reason. It is Destination DC’s policy not to discriminate against any person based on race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability or genetic information and Destination DC expects that its members will not engage in such discriminatory conduct. Destination DC reserves the right to suspend or expel any member if, in Destination DC’s sole discretion, that member engages in conduct Destination DC considers discriminatory, sells, distributes or gives to any non-member any of Destination DC’s confidential or “members only” materials or engages in any conduct which Destination DC deems, in its sole discretion, to be prejudicial to Destination DC. Additional grounds for membership removal by Destination DC include, but are not limited to, failure to pay membership dues, failure to meet acceptable business standards and practices and/or engagement of conduct in violation of Destination DC policies and guidelines. Antitrust It is Destination DC’s policy not to play any role in the competitive decisions of its members or their affiliates or business partners, or to restrict competition in any of the product or service sectors it serves. Accordingly, any activity by a member that intentionally or unintentionally reduces competition or restrains trade is contrary to Destination DC policy. Promotional Content & Advertising Destination DC’s trademarks and logos may only be used by members in good standing. All advertising and promotional content that seeks to incorporate and/or use any of Destination DC’s trademarks, logos and/or media assets, including but not limited to Destination DC’s print, social media, video and website assets, is subject to Destination DC’s prior written approval. Destination DC reserves the right to allow or refuse any materials at its sole discretion for any reason whatsoever, without limitation. Content should be relevant to the travel and tourism industry serving the Washington, DC region. Destination DC guidelines prohibit any content which, in whole or in part, is false or misleading, promotes or includes unlawful or illegal goods, services or activities, or is otherwise unlawful or obscene as determined by Destination DC in its sole discretion. This includes but is not limited to content which consists of or includes the following: pornography, adult-oriented content or offensive sexual material; religious messaging (other than event or cultural attraction marketing); explicit language, violent images or related content including but not limited to, content that would be considered to fall within the TV-MA rating; weapons, ammunition or explosives; illegal, prescription or recreational drugs; libelous, defamatory or disparaging materials; e-cigarettes, tobacco or marijuana products; controversial, offensive or hate symbols political content or messaging intended to support or oppose any political party or candidate; industry positioning or imagery to influence public policy (lobbying is prohibited); any implied or express endorsement of any product, service or message by Destination DC. By submitting any content or advertisement(s) to Destination DC for approval, the member represents and warrants that it owns or has all necessary licenses, rights, consents, and/or permissions in and to such content or advertisement(s). The Member also represents and warrants that the content or advertisement(s) is not defamatory, obscene, or contrary to applicable local, national, and international laws and regulations. At its sole discretion, Destination DC reserves the right to refuse listings in order to comply with criteria that the Destination DC deems appropriate for its publications.
Membership: Free Trial Sign-up
About the free trial: Membership begins once DDC receives the completed enrollment form and runs through June 2021. During the trial, businesses will enjoy all member benefits, except listings in print publications. Businesses will not be charged during the free trial. Unless notified in advance in writing, you will be automatically upgraded to a paid annual membership plan on July 1, 2021. Cancellations are required in writing a minimum of thirty (30) days before July 1, 2021 and subsequent annual renewal dates. As the city’s economic development engine through tourism and meetings, our goal is to help the community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Please complete the interest form below and an account representative from the membership team will be in touch. *Eligibility qualifications for businesses include the following: Must be within the hospitality industry Cannot offer accommodations Must be a first-time member Only businesses in DC, Maryland and Virginia can participate Interest form: !function(o,t,e,a){o._aoForms=o._aoForms||[],o._aoForms.push(a);var n=function(){var o=t.createElement(e);o.src=("https:"==t.location.protocol?"https://":"http://")+"marketing.washington.org/acton/content/form_embed.js",o.async=!0;for(var a=t.getElementsByTagName(e)[0],n=a.parentNode,c=document.getElementsByTagName("script"),r=!1,s=0;s