Greetings and happy Friday.
I am writing you today from Chicago, IL, where our team had the opportunity to join Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE, President and CEO of Association Forum, at the 30th anniversary of Holiday Showcase. Needless to say, this great industry event is eagerly anticipated and seems to officially kick off the holiday season. Thanks to the team at Association Forum and all our partners for the exceptional work you do on behalf of our industry.
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Earlier in the week, we hosted our last event of the year with our Convention Sales and Services Summit in New Orleans, LA. It is always wonderful to be back in New Orleans, especially when Stephen Perry, President and CEO of New Orleans & Company, welcomes the group and shares his insights on the city.
Our friend and partner, Sherrif Karamat, CAE, BAS, MBA, President and CEO of PCMA, kicked things off on Sunday morning with his keynote and many exciting industry experts followed. This year, our event proceeded IAEE’s Expo Expo, which kicked off as our event wound down. Congratulations to David DuBois, President and CEO of IAEE, on another successful show.
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The Destinations International team welcomes the opportunity to speak at your upcoming industry event. You may request a speaker from our team by filling out our Speaker Request Form here.
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This will be our last newsletter for the year. On behalf of our entire team, I want to take this opportunity to thank our members, partners, Board of Directors, Board of Trustees and our committees for their unwavering support, friendship and commitment to Destinations International. This was another year of very positive growth in all aspects of our organization. We developed new EIC partnerships with IAVM and NASC, launched a new membership model, updated and implemented new DMAP Standards and Renewal Model, developed opportunities in Mexico and Latin America, released many advocacy tools including the Tourism Lexicon Policy Brief, and hosted almost 20 member webinars with 658 registered attendees. We also hosted many meetings, including our summits, which provide discipline-based learning opportunities for our members. Here is a list of the 2018 events that took place:
CMO Summit: Pittsburgh, PA – 131 attendees
CEO Summit: Southampton, Bermuda – 170 attendees
Annual Convention: Anaheim, CA – 1,625 attendees
Visitor Services Summit: Monterey, CA – 110 attendees
Membership Summit: Palm Springs, CA – 138 attendees
Finance, Operations and Technology Summit: Cleveland, OH – 101 attendees
Advocacy Summit: Philadelphia, PA – 131 – attendees
Convention Sales & Services Summit: New Orleans, LA – 120 attendees
Spring Learning Week: Washington, D.C. – 57 attendees
CDME: Banff, Alberta – 67 attendees
Summer Learning Week: Anaheim, CA – 100 attendees
CDME: Banff, Alberta – 64 attendees
Fall Learning Week: Seattle, WA – 83 attendees
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We are looking forward to a great 2019. We will kick things off with the Spirit of Hospitality Celebration on February 12, 2019 at the Hamilton LIVE in Washington D.C., where we will celebrate our industry and our Spirit of Hospitality Award recipient, Samantha Brown. Samantha is an icon in our industry and she continues to inspire millions of travelers around the world. You won’t want to miss this annual event! You may learn more and purchase tickets here.
Following the Spirit of Hospitality is Destination Showcase, North America's only one-day event connecting meeting planners with CVBs so they can better understand how CVBs are the key to making meetings and events successful. You may learn more about exhibiting here.
Best wishes to you and your family for a happy and healthy holiday season and prosperous 2019. Thanks again for your continued support. We hope to see you in 2019!
Best regards,
Don Welsh
President & CEO
Destinations International