Good Afternoon and happy Friday.

I am writing to you today from St. Louis, MO, where activities have already begun around our Annual Convention.

We are extremely grateful to Kitty Ratcliffe and her team at Explore St. Louis for their incredible hospitality, which will be on display this entire week. This year’s Annual Convention will feature five keynote sessions, four mega sessions and over 50 concurrent sessions, all designed around the theme of “Evolve and Elevate.” It is not too late to attend. For more information, please click here.

Even before the convention starts, it will be an exciting week with nonstop Board and committee meetings. And this weekend, over 100 industry leaders are participating in CDME courses led by our great CDME faculty. I am looking forward to having the opportunity to spend some time with them tomorrow to present.

The Destinations International Foundation will be hosting its annual Golf Tournament on Tuesday morning and we are expecting 70 golfers to be on the course. This event is sold out – thanks to the Golf Committee for their hard work.

We are eagerly looking forward to the opening of our Silent Auction, which benefits our Foundation. We have over $400,000 in incredible items and experiences that have been donated by our members and partners including:

• Unique destination experiences
• Tickets to attend the NFL Draft, donated by Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau
• 120 NYC Bus Shelter placements over four weeks, donated by NYC & Company

Before you arrive to St. Louis, make sure to check the Silent Auction website here for more information. If you would like to donate an experience or trip to the Silent Auction, there is still time! Contact Mary Bramley at [email protected] with any questions. 

Also, you can support the Foundation with just the touch of your cell phone during the Annual Convention. Text #AC19StLouis to 44321 to make a donation to the Foundation to support research, advocacy, talent development and engagement. You don’t have to wait; you can text today!

The Destinations International House Band will make its debut on Tuesday evening at our Opening Reception with a killer lineup of talent and songs. Don’t miss this event – You will surely recognize the musicians from around our industry. Thanks again to Adam Sacks and Gregg Shapiro for their vision and commitment to this fun project. 

I will be extending a lot of “thank yous” next week, starting with our incredible Board of Directors, Board of Trustees, committees, numerous volunteers and sponsors, who support us throughout the year. We could not do our work without you and we are very grateful.

Thanks for your support of our industry and of Destinations International.

See you in St. Louis! 

Don Welsh
President & CEO
Destinations International