What makes your city a top meeting/convention destination?
We're super-compact. The Baltimore Convention Center is surrounded by the hotels, sports facilities, attractions, shops, restaurants, and bars of the Inner Harbor - all within walking distance. Groups can come in, have their meetings, enjoy plenty to do after hours, return to their hotels - and not worry about taxis and shuttle buses. And although most everything people will want to do and see after meetings is within easy walking distance, they can also explore by water taxi, trolley tours, harbor cruise, "Ride the Ducks," or paddle boat. That's just the start.

With two world-renowned medical institutions and a growing biotech industry, Baltimore is a particularly attractive meetings destination for medical groups. Having Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland in our own backyard gives us a competitive edge in the lucrative medical meetings market. The presence of those institutions, combined with our waterfront and tight convention package, sets Baltimore apart from the other cities competing for the business.
Tell us about a meeting you're thrilled to have booked, or a recent meeting you're very pleased with.
The Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) will meet here in October 2010 and June/July 2011, respectively. APIC is a citywide convention that's making a return visit to Baltimore after a successful 2005 meeting here. What is your perspective on destination leadership?
It's all about sales and marketing. In order to do their job effectively, DMOs must hire good talent and build coalitions with hoteliers.

Destination leadership is also about exploring new marketing sales and marketing avenues beyond the four walls of the bureau. We've partnered with the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau in a sales strategy that's based on a national hotel model aimed at encouraging groups to sign multi-year contracts at properties located around the country, often with an incentive for doing so. By joining forces, partner cities can be more competitive, offering possible discounts for booking multiple destinations in a multi-year deal. If one of the cities isn't a good fit for a group, sales staff can continue to push the other two destinations.
What is your city's roadmap for the future?
Baltimore has more than $1 billion worth of developments under way, including hotel expansions, renovations, and more. In one of the most exciting developments, work is progressing on the new Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel next to Oriole Park at Camden Yards and connected to the convention center. It's expected to open in August 2008.
What green initiatives is your city/convention center undertaking?
Sheila Dixon, Baltimore's new mayor, is very focused on making the city greener, safer, cleaner, and healthier. We're on our way in this regard. The new Hilton property will have a green roof; the convention center is working to become green-certified; a Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott will be Baltimore's first LEED-certified hotel.
What is your biggest challenge as a destination marketing association (DMO)?
Spreading the word about a vibrant city that's under-valued and under-rated.
How did you get into this career? How long have you been there, and where were you before? I've spent my entire career in the hospitality industry. It's in my blood. My father, David Noonan, is deputy vice president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a past president of PCMA.