Arts & Economic Development Come Together at WDCEP Annual Meeting
Poet and Eastern High School Drum line Move the Crowd
Contact: Raguel Broy Turner
202.661.8670
October 20, 2006
Washington, D.C.—Nearly a thousand people who attended the October 17th Washington, DC Economic Partnership’s high energy Annual Meeting luncheon were treated to unconventional entertainment with a poet and a drum line.
The fast-paced event was a merger of celebration, city pride and a highly polished production. Provocative poet Raquel Brown recounted her experience of moving to the District of Columbia as a child. The audience connected with her words as she told of how she has come to embrace DC as her home and the importance of helping the city thrive. While poetry and economic development initially seem to have little in common, Ms. Brown’s poem spoke to the local investment that takes place daily by students, those who work in the District and those who call the District home.
“The show of support for this event and the caliber of talent we had involved is a testament that economic development is important to us all. Whether you are an artist, an entrepreneur or real estate professional, we all want to live, work and play in an economically healthy and culturally diverse city,” says Steve Moore, Washington, DC Economic Partnership, President and CEO.
The energetic luncheon was rocked by the talented Eastern High School Drum line. The fifteen student high school band brought the crowd to their feet with a rousing tribute to the Neighborhood Honorees.
Alex Nyhan of Forest City Washington commented, “Thank you for leading such an awesome event… [it was] fantastic that you included art and culture. [The]Drum line was definitely highlight. [This] was first of these events I actually got a bit choked up and was proud to be a DC resident.”
Moore tied the luncheon’s artistic portions together with the keynote speech delivered by Dr. Richard Florida with a simple yet effective declaration to, “start something.” He challenged the crowd to start something new, different and better. The message was carried throughout the luncheon as attendees wore their orange wristbands emblazoned with the words, “start something” on them. One thousand performers, business leaders, developers, architects and students vowed to “start something.”
The Annual Meeting will air on the District Government’s Cable Television channels 13 and 16 later this month. Photographs of the event can be viewed on the Annual meeting luncheon page.
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The WDCEP is a 501(c)3 non-profit, public/private partnership dedicated to promoting business opportunities throughout DC and contributing to business retention and attraction activities. For more information visit www.wdcep.com/about.