Greetings and happy Friday from Washington, D.C. I hope you have all had a great week.

This week we had the opportunity to host our association, foundation and DMAP boards here in D.C. This is always an exciting meeting for our team as it allows us to bring this dedicated and committed group of industry leaders together for a few days.

We presented our latest 2019 results and projections as well as our 2020 budget and Business Plan. I am pleased to report that we received unanimous approval from the boards to proceed with our plans for 2020. We will be sharing these plans with you soon.

We have exciting new initiatives for 2020 such as our new venture with PCMA for Destination Showcase, the new cast of the Planner Influencer Board, our many summits and events and of course our Annual Convention in Chicago, IL.

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We invite you to submit a presentation proposal for the 2020 Annual Convention taking place July 13-15, 2020 in Chicago, IL. This is your chance to showcase your success stories, thought leadership, and cutting-edge ideas within our industry. The submission deadline is December 17 and you may submit a proposal here.

We will be launching a series of webinars in 2020, designed to provide our members with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to be successful. We are seeking content that showcases success stories, thought leadership and cutting-edge ideas in all dimensions of destination organizations and the broader travel and tourism industry. Be a part of guiding industry dialogue in 2020 – Submit a webinar proposal. Webinars will be scheduled during the first half of 2020. The submission deadline is December 31, 2019.

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Thank you to everyone who has made their pledge to the foundation, which provides the critical research and tools we need to support our members. The foundation has raised $1.3 million this year and is just short of its 2019 goal. If you haven’t pledged, you may make your commitment before the end of the year by emailing Mary Bramley at [email protected].

Also, if you are looking for a nonprofit to donate to, you can make an individual gift to the foundation by clicking here.

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Many of us will be traveling to Chicago, IL over the weekend for the Convention Sales and Services Leadership Forum and I know we will see many of you at Association Forum’s Holiday Showcase, which truly kicks off the holiday season for our industry.

Since this is our last newsletter of the year, I want to take this opportunity on behalf of our team to thank all of our members and partners for what was a very productive and exciting year here at Destinations International. We look forward to entering 2020 with great enthusiasm, excitement and true appreciation for the support and confidence you bestow upon us.

We wish you and your loved ones a healthy, happy and restful holiday season.

Best wishes,