Hartford, Connecticut, one of the oldest cities in the U.S., offers meeting planners Bradley International Airport, an estimated total of 740,000 square feet of meeting and exhibition space and more than 6,500 hotel rooms city-wide. The Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau has been awarded accreditation from the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program, which was developed by the Washington, D.C.-based Destination Marketing Association International.

The Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau has been awarded accreditation from the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP). DMAP is an international accreditation program developed by the Washington, D.C.-based Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI). In earning the DMAP accreditation, destination marketing organizations (DMOs) communicate to their community, buyers, meeting planners and potential visitors that their DMO has attained a significant measure of excellence.

"We are pleased to join an elite group of DMOs that have met the rigorous standards of industry accreditation," said H. Scott Phelps, President of the Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau is the first convention bureau or visitors organization in all of New England to earn this distinction. It is one of only 47 organizations worldwide ever to be so honored.

"The Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau has demonstrated a commitment to quality programs and services," said Barry Biggar, CDME, DMAP Board Chair. "Earning DMAP accreditation tells the Connecticut community and convention and business planners internationally that the DMO has attained a measure of excellence, assuring them that their trust is well-placed and their business in good hands."

The Connecticut Convention Center, which opened in 2005, features more than 200,000 square feet of meeting space and is the major factor in creating Hartford’s new stature as a world-class meetings & conventions destinations.

The center piece of Hartford’s meetings business is the Connecticut Convention Center, which offers more than 200,000 square feet of meeting space, including in a dramatic riverfront setting accessible to more than 23 million people. The venue includes 19 meeting rooms; 40,000-square-foot Ballroom and 180,000 square feet of exhibit space, including a 140,000-square-foot Main Exhibit Hall.

"The Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau has demonstrated a commitment to quality programs and services," said Barry Biggar, CDME, DMAP Board Chair.

"We are pleased to join an elite group of DMOs that have met the rigorous standards of industry accreditation," declared H. Scott Phelps, President of the Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau. "This distinction offers validation to meeting planners and convention decision-makers that our professionals are committed to quality service and provide outstanding programs in accordance with international industry standards and benchmarks."