WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 4, 2021) – Today, Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia, announced that the Walter E. Washington Convention Center was awarded a Gold Stella Award from Northstar Meetings Group as the best convention center in the Northeast region.
The Stella awards are the meeting industry’s highest honor, recognizing hotels, convention centers, conference centers, airlines, cruise lines, destination marketing organizations and convention and visitor bureaus that consistently deliver quality service and innovation to meeting and event professionals.
With the onset of Covid-19 last year, Events DC partnered with DC Mayor Muriel Bowser to announce the first emergency financial relief package dedicated to local hospitality and tourism industry and workers helping to provide $18 million in funding for local restaurants, hotels, destination marketing and undocumented employees. This past March, the convention center served as a high-capacity vaccination site with over 120,000 vaccination doses administered on premise. The facility reopened for events in June, having secured GBAC Star accreditation for cleaning, disinfection and infection prevention strategies.
“We are thrilled to receive this industry’s highest honor from Northstar Meetings Group, acknowledging the challenging work and excellence of our team at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center,” said Gregory A. O’Dell, president and chief executive officer of Events DC. “From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic Events DC remained committed to the health and safety of our customers and employees as our highest priority. Our goal is to ensure our clients’ confidence and safety as they return to our venues, and we are dedicated to focusing our efforts on taking our operating standards to the next level.”
More than 6,000 votes were received worldwide for 603 destinations, hotels and service providers who were recognized as finalists in 17 categories across six regions in the US and globally. Winners were selected for achieving overall excellence, superb food and beverage, professionalism of staff, sustainability initiatives, and other critical aspects of the meetings and event experience.
"Congratulations to all of the 2021 Stella Award winners and finalists,” said Loren Edelstein, vice president and content director for Northstar Meetings Group. “All of the honorees truly represent excellence in the meetings and events industry as valued and respected suppliers. We are delighted to recognize the best of the best once again, especially as the industry recovers from the pandemic. Thank you to this year’s winners for supporting meeting and event professionals so capably during such difficult times.”
The winners were announced during a virtual showcase that premiered on November 4, 2021 at 2 p.m. EST. The showcase will be available for on-demand viewing until year-end. To learn the winners of the 2021 Stella Awards and to view the Stella Awards Virtual Showcase visit NorthstarMeetingsGroup.com/Stellas.
Contact:
Chinyere Hubbard
202-439-5133
chubbard@eventsdc.com
ABOUT EVENTS DC
Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia, delivers premier event services and flexible venues across the nation’s capital. Leveraging the power of a world-class destination and creating amazing attendee experiences, Events DC generates economic and community benefits through the attraction and promotion of business, athletic, entertainment and cultural activities. Events DC oversees the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, an anchor of the District’s hospitality and tourism economy that hosts more than 1.7 million visitors and generates more than $400 million annually in total economic impact, and the historic Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square. Events DC manages the RFK Stadium-Armory Campus (RFK Campus), including Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Festival Grounds at RFK Campus, The Fields at RFK Campus, the non-military functions of the DC Armory and the Skate Park at RFK Stadium. Stay current on the 190-acre RFK Campus Redevelopment Project at www.RFKFields.com. Events DC also built and serves as landlord for Nationals Park, the first LEED-certified major professional sports stadium in the United States. Events DC manages Gateway DC, R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center and Entertainment & Sports Arena, all conveniently located in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC. Find us on social media – Facebook (Events DC), Twitter (@TheEventsDC), and Instagram (@EventsDC) — and on our new hub for live and on-demand event programming on GATHER by Events DC at www.gatherthedistrict.com.
About Northstar Meetings Group
Northstar Meetings Group is the leading B-to-B information and marketing solutions company serving all segments of the business meetings, events, sports and incentives market–including full-and part-time meeting planners, as well as corporate, association, sports and not-for-profit decision-makers, and incentive professionals, facilitating their professional development and achievement of business goals. The company's influential brands– Meetings & Conventions, Successful Meetings, Associations Meetings International, Meetings & Incentive Travel, Meeting News, Incentive and Sports Travel–currently serve over 350,000 active meeting and event planners and incentive professionals, across an integrated suite of data, digital, events and print products. For more information, please visit NorthstarMeetingsGroup.com.
##
