American Dental Association to Bring National Convention to Philadelphia in 2005; New Hotel Development Helps Land Convention.

Business Editors

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 1, 2000

The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PCVB) and the Philadelphia County Dental Society announced today that the American Dental Association (ADA) will bring its national convention to Philadelphia from October 3-11, 2005.

This will mark the first time the more than 140-year-old, 80,000-member association will hold its national conference in Philadelphia, hosted by the Philadelphia County Dental Society (PCDS). PCDS and Philadelphia's new hotel development are credited with helping to land this prestigious convention.

The announcement was made jointly today at the opening luncheon of the Philadelphia County Dental Society's 2000 Liberty Dental Conference at the Adam's Mark Hotel by Tim Herrmann, vice president of convention sales, PCVB, and Dr. Joseph A. Porreca, president, PCDS. The Liberty Dental Conference is celebrating its 69th annual meeting this week, with more than 7,000 dentists, hygienists, dental assistants and laboratory technicians expected to attend.

Herrmann said the ADA normally brings in excess of 20,000 registrants to its national meeting. "Now that Philadelphia has increased its hotel inventory, we can sell to groups the size of the ADA for national conventions," said Herrmann. "Working with Dr. Judy McFadden, a local dentist, The Philadelphia County Dental Society and the Philadelphia Health Care Congress, we were able to bring the nation's largest and most respected professional dental association to this great health care city."

Dr. Porreca told attendees at the opening day luncheon of the three-day Liberty Dental Conference, "the Philadelphia County Dental Society is one of the earliest local chapters formed as part of the ADA more than 114 years ago. We are delighted at the ADA's decision to come to Philadelphia in 2005. The organization recognizes Philadelphia as an excellent health care convention destination, and the success of the Philadelphia County Dental Society in serving the public and the profession for more than a century."

The ADA will use 52,000 room nights in Philadelphia, the most room nights booked for any convention in Philadelphia, including the Republican National Convention this summer. The group is expected to spend $24 million on lodging, food, entertainment and transportation while here.

More than 4,000 new hotel rooms will be added to Philadelphia's inventory by December 2000. Nearly one-third of all meetings and conventions booked by the PCVB at the Pennsylvania Convention Center are health care-related. The Philadelphia Health Care Congress, a division of the PCVB, works to attract major health care meetings and conventions to Philadelphia by capitalizing on Philadelphia's wealth of health care resources.