Great small events begin with a great venue.

Destination DC

Destination DC is the official sales and marketing organization for the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.  Destination DC reserves all Center exhibit and meeting space for any event that will occur 18 months and beyond.

Walter E. Washington Convention Center Sales Department:

The Walter E. Washington Convention Center Sales Department books within an 18- month timeframe. Applicants must submit a completed Walter E. Washington Convention Center “Facility Use Application” to the sales department.  In scheduling these short term events, the Center considers such factors as revenue-producing potential and compatibility with events already scheduled in the building during the selected dates.

Booking Policy:

The Booking Policy states that the Walter E. Washington Convention Center’s primary purpose is to showcase national and international conventions, trade shows and meetings which require at least 100,000 square feet of exhibit space and a minimum of 2,500 hotel rooms on peak nights.  These are the guidelines followed by Destination DC in their sales efforts for the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

The following factors are evaluated for Washington Convention Center bookings:

• Projected overall economic impact on the city;
• Total number of hotel rooms required;
• Projected revenue from direct space rental revenue and projected revenue from food and beverage and other building services;
• Time of year; 
• Potential for repeat booking; and
• Previous history and references from facilities that have hosted the potential user and/or this event.

FIRST PRIORITY:  Dates allocated to conventions, meetings and trade shows which are international, national or regional in nature, and have a significant economic impact on the hotel community, minimum of 2,500 peak room nights.
SECOND PRIORITY:  Dates allocated to annual multiple-day public “consumer” shows such as auto, boat, motorcycle and computer shows, and regional conventions, meetings and trade shows.
THIRD PRIORITY:  Dates allocate to multiple-day local events booked by the Walter E. Washington Convention Center Sales Department.
FOURTH PRIORITY: Dates allocated to single-day local events booked by the Walter E. Washington Convention Center Sales Department.