Greetings and happy Friday from Washington, D.C.

What promises to be a very exciting week ahead has kicked off today with our CDME program. I just had the opportunity to stop by and say hello to the groups that are in town. You may click here to see a photo of CDME students from this morning!

Thanks to all those who continue to invest their time and resources to our CDME program and destination leadership. And we would not be able to put on our program without the time and support of our committed faculty including:

• Deb Archer, CDME, President & CEO, Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Scott Burky, E4 Strategic Consultancy
• Matt Clement, Marketing Manager, Arrivalist 
• Kedren Crosby, MPS, Adjunct Graduate School Faculty, Elizabethtown College
• Craig Davis, CDME, VisitPITTSBURGH
• Amir Eylon, President, Longwoods International USA Inc
• Kathleen Frankford, President, CDME, Discover Lancaster
• Mary Grasha Houpt, CDME, Vice President, Human Resources, VisitPITTSBURGH
• John Groh, CDME, Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Chris Ihrig, CEO, Fired-Up! Culture
• Jack Johnson, Chief Advocacy Officer, Destinations International
• Jennifer Johnson, CDME, SHRM-CP, Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Chris Kipper, Chief Financial Officer, Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Jim McCaul, Vice President, Destination Development and Advocacy
• Edward G. McWilliams PhD, President, Reach Market Planning LLC
• Carroll Rheem, Director of Research for Brand USA
• Adam Sacks, Founder and President, Tourism Economics, Inc.
• Andreas Weissenborn, Director of Research and Analytics, Destinations International

We would also like to especially thank our Board Chair, Tammy Blount, FCDME, for her ongoing support and partnership with our CDME program.

We are truly excited about celebrating our industry and seeing so many of you at our annual Spirit of Hospitality Celebration at National Geographic’s D.C. Headquarters on Monday night. I am thrilled to announce that the event has sold out! Thank you to our event committee members and sponsors – this would not have been possible without your hard work and dedication. We will be recognizing National Geographic Traveler and honoring them as our Spirit of Hospitality Awardee, which is the highest recognition presented annually to individuals and organizations that show exceptional dedication and commitment to the travel and tourism industry.

A special thanks to our Destinations International Foundation Board Chair, Stephanie Pace Brown, President and CEO of Explore Asheville, John Groh, CDME, President & CEO of the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Jack Johnson and Daniel Dozier for their hard work on this event that celebrates our industry. We would also like to thank our friend and former Spirit of Hospitality Award winner, Anne Heller, for USAE’s unwavering support of this very important event for Destinations International and the Destinations International Foundation.

If you are not able to join us, you can still support the Destinations International Foundation. You may learn more here or contact our new Foundation Development Consultant, Daniel Dozier, at [email protected].

Following the Spirit of Hospitality, we will welcome over 140 destination organizations and more than 900 registered meeting planners to our annual Destination Showcase, which will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Colleen Phalen, our EVP of Educational Development and Meetings, and her team, continue to enhance this vital event for our members and the meeting planner community. The day will kick off with an education session led by PCMA and will continue with a keynote address by culinary innovator, international business visionary and owner of ThinkFoodGroup, José Andrés. The day will then take off with a lunch and network exchange that will feature a lively performance by White Ford Broncos.

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Jack Johnson, our Chief Advocacy Officer and Foundation Executive Director, had the opportunity to attend the Travel Industry Association of Kansas (TIAK) lobby day this past Wednesday. He spoke on the continuing issues presented by the weaponization of travel as well as the need to make an ideology-based argument to our government leaders about the value of travel promotion, not just an ROI argument. Congratulations to the TIAK folks for a well-organized and well-attended event underscoring the impact of our industry and the need for continued government support.  

Destinations International has recently endorsed the Explore America Act, legislation that supports the expansion of cultural heritage tourism by strengthening the Preserve America Grant Program. Changes to the program will help attract more visitors to American landscapes and cultural heritage sites in the National Parks System, enhance existing programs, and increase collaboration between communities and the federal government. Destinations International supports any legislation that helps foster a better relationship between governments and local stakeholders, empowering them to share their unique stories with visitors and expand the economic benefits of tourism. You may read more about the Explore America Act here.

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Congratulations to Clare Reichenbach, the newly appointed CEO of the James Beard Foundation. We look forward to connecting with her to further our partnership with JBF.

Congratulations to our friend, Katie Callahan-Giobbi, for being named the new Chief Operating Officer of Association Forum. Katie always keeps her finger on the pulse of new tourism and meetings trends that impact associations, corporations and destination organizations. We look forward to continuing to work with her in her new position.

Congratulations to Amir Eylon on his new position as Partner at Longwoods International. Amir continues to be a passionate advocate for our industry and we are thankful for his support of Destinations International.

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Explore destination marketing like never before at our CMO Summit, taking place March 4-6, 2018 in Pittsburgh, PA. Attendees will learn from some of the most well-respected luminaries in their fields through off-site incubator sessions. The programming is designed for professionals in leadership positions within the marketing department of their organizations including chief marketing officers, vice presidents and directors. You may learn more and register here.

We are thrilled to offer our CDME program April 3-6 in Banff, Alberta. This is an exciting partnership with Travel Alberta as we continue our commitment to expand our global footprint and to offer premier education and professional development opportunities to destination organizations. Thanks to Shelley Grollmuss, Vice President Industry Development at Travel Alberta for her leadership and support of Destinations International. You may learn more and sign up here.

Registration is open for the CEO Summit, taking place April 23-26 in Southampton, Bermuda. Join over 140 destination organization CEOs, C-suite and executive-level staff to learn from global leaders addressing high-level topics such as: overtourism, destination guardianship, crisis response, office culture of the future and the weaponization of travel. You may learn more and register here.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Edward J. McNeill as they mourn his passing. Ed was a champion for the travel and tourism industry and was a dedicated supporter of our organization for many years. He served as a chair of the association and was inducted into the Destinations International Hall of Fame in 2015. He will be missed by many. Chris Thompson with Brand USA and I will be representing our organizations at Ed's Celebration of Life on February 28, 2018 in New Orleans, LA. 

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We are excited to welcome the following destination and business members to Destinations International: Discover Coronado, Festival Country Indiana, Oak Ridge Convention & Visitors Bureau, Visit Baldwin City, Visit Lawrence County, Visit Lenawee and 2Synergize, Inc. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events and working with you. If you have any questions regarding membership, please do not hesitate to reach out to our membership team at [email protected].

Safe travels to everyone coming into Washington D.C. and we look forward to seeing you over the next few days!