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Washington, D.C.—With its largest event of the year, The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) celebrated its 17th annual Affordable Meetings® National program  September 6 – 7 at the Washington Convention Center. The organization’s final convention in its annual trio of large scale meeting planner events—which include the  HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® Mid-America that took place in March at Navy Pier in Chicago and HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® West in June 14-15 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California—the Washington D.C. event attracted  an impressive 1,556 qualified meeting planners and 475 exhibiting companies occupying 532 booths.

Show organizers noticed an upbeat economic outlook among attendees revitalizing the meetings industry. “We are very pleased with the level of enthusiasm and the quality of attendees at our recent National event, and the buzz from exhibitors is that meeting planners were intelligent, savvy and looking to do business,” said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI.  “We look forward to continuing our momentum in 2007 and plan to attract even more planners and exhibitors with a dynamic and relevant Affordable Meetingsâ three-show series.”

Evidence of its powerful ‘return on investment’ for participants, the exposition line-up for this year’s event showcased a variety of suppliers, including more than 69 new companies that joined the roster of exhibitors who impressed meeting planners attending the event. During the National program, there were 21 seminars and six workshops (new to the National event for 2006) where planning professionals of all levels of experience came to focus on the various “need to know” key industry topical subjects, such as emergency preparedness.

New for 2006 was a “Best Booth Awards Program” to acknowledge those vendors at the highly-acclaimed trade exposition who showed exemplary efforts in targeting and enticing attendees.  Winners of the “Best Booth Awards” included Harbourtowne,  Visit Florida, San Antonio CVB,  Valley Forge CVB,  and Myrtle Beach Area Convention Bureau.

Sponsors  for the 2006 National show were: Foxwoods Resort & Casino, New Orleans Gateway Jefferson Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc, Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts,   Richmond Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau, Acteva, Plasticard-Locktech, and PC Nametag.

For exhibitors and other images from the HSMAI Affordable Meetings National event, click here.