 For the
first time ever in its 50 year history, Washington, D.C. was host to the U.S.
Travel Association’s IPW Conference in early June. The Mayor, Deputy Mayor
Brian Kenner, and Destination DC played "host" for the occasion,
greeting visitors and journalists from around the world.
More than 6,000 visitors attended the
conference including 1,000 U.S. travel organizations and more
than 1,300 international and domestic buyers from more than 70
countries. As the host city, DC can expect an additional 700,000 to 1.1.
million international visitors in the next three years meaning an additional
$1.7 billion in visitor spending and tens of millions of tax revenue dollars for DC, according to U.S. Travel and Destination D.C.’s
calculations.
In addition to addressing
all attendees at a luncheon during the conference, the Mayor also gave a
personalized bus tour to a group of visiting international
journalists. We love our visitors to Washington, D.C.!
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 Washington, D.C. is open! Officials cut the ribbon at the IPW conference at the Convention Center.
 On
Tuesday, June 6, Mayor Bowser sat down at In3 at Howard University with Politico Playbook’s Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman for the
first-ever 'Playbook University' to chat about current trends in technology and
innovation, federal funding and D.C. Statehood.
More than 17,000 watched on the livestream while a packed
house saw Mayor Bowser cover more than a dozen wide ranging topics. She was
asked specifically asked about her recent decision to commit DC to
the Paris Agreement, past meetings with President Trump to establish DC's
independent identity and her plans to improve math education across the public
school system. Most notably, she spoke about her
administration's innovation and inclusion initiatives. The free
program was sponsored by the incredible folks over at Postmates delivery
service.
Catch the full video here.
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On June 5, Deputy Mayor Kenner launched The
Pathways Scholarship at In3 in partnership with WDCEP. This
scholarship is the first-of-its-kind initiative to create tech opportunities
for under-and unemployed communities in DC. The goal is to include those who
have been excluded by providing a program with resources, training, employment
and ongoing support.
By following the ideas outlined in the Pathways to Inclusion Report, DMPED, WDCEP and
our partners aim to create opportunities for inclusive employment across the
tech sector.
This first pathway is
focused on tech inclusion and includes a series of community partners, led by
the WDCEP, Byte Back, Thinkful, and BEACON. We are
successfully on our way and will report back on our progress!
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Congratulations! The Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND) awarded one of our development projects, Sheridan Station, Best Large Affordable Housing Project at their annual awards luncheon on June 20, 2017. This project was developed in partnership with WC Smith and features 114 affordable housing units for District residents. #HANDAM17
 As part
of our campaign to make Washington, D.C. the most supportive ecosystem for
women entrepreneurs in the United States, DMPED is a partner with BEACON, the
D.C. Women's Founders Initiative, to award grants that support D.C.-based
women entrepreneurs.
BEACON launched its 2017-2018 Grant Program at Google DC on
June 15. The 2017-2018 BEACON Grant Program will award one-time grants
of $500-$10,000 to D.C.-based organizations to fund projects and
initiatives that support D.C.-based women entrepreneurs.
The grant program is the latest initiative from BEACON, which
launched in November 2016 in partnership Mayor Muriel Bowser, Google,
and the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law and Policy. A new website debuted
at SXSW that features a directory of women-owned businesses and organizations.
The directory now has more than 200 listings.
Read more here.
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On June 2, DMPED participated in a walking tour of our very own “The
Wharf” project, which will open to the general public this fall. Phase
1 of The Wharf is scheduled to launch in October
2017, with grand opening celebrations and activities planned until April
2018.
But The Wharf doesn’t stop there. At full build-out, 14
signature buildings —each designed by a different architect—will be
linked by 10 acres of public space and parks.
The Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team is restoring a
200-year-old fish market and creating over 650 waterfront residences in Phase I, including
185 affordable housing units, relocating a 127-year-old yacht club
and setting up three unique hotels, designing and building a 6,000-person-capacity
concert hall and conference center, and constructing four public
piers. They’ll all be linked by a waterside promenade with more than
75 restaurants and shops extending along a mile of waterfront.
OH! And Foo Fighters is headlining on October 12 at
the opening of The Anthem, the new DC music venue at The Wharf. Tickets already
sold out!
 Team DMPED visits the Wharf to check construction progress.
 During
the month of June, the DC Department of Housing and Community Development
(DHCD) and other housing agencies hosted a series of events in
celebration of “June Housing Bloom,” Mayor Muriel Bowser’s annual month-long initiative that
showcases how the public and private sectors are partnering to produce and
preserve affordable housing, increase homeownership, end homelessness and
revitalize neighborhoods across the District.
As part of that month, they
hosted their 9th Annual DC Housing Expo & Home Show, a one stop
shop for all the resources you’re looking for related to housing and community
development on Saturday, June 24 where a record 5,000 people
attended!
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 Mayor Bowser welcomes attendees to DC's 9th Annual Housing Expo & Home Show at Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
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