American Water Works Assoc. Selects Pennsylvania Convention Center as Site for 2017 Convention.

Philadelphia's Former Water Commissioner Bill Marrazzo and Regional Business Leaders Helped Secure Group; PCVB Announces "Bring it Home" Campaign

PHILADELPHIA -- Officials from the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB), Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority, and regional business leaders today announced that AWWA has selected Philadelphia as the host city for its 2017 convention in the expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center. The AWWA Annual Conference and Exposition will be held June 11-14, 2017. The event is expected to attract more than 14,000 attendees utilizing more than 27,000 total room nights with an economic impact of more than $30 million for the Philadelphia region.

The AWWA is the world's oldest and largest nonprofit scientific and educational society dedicated to the improvement of water quality and supply. AWWA's members represent the full spectrum of the drinking water community, including 4,700 utilities that supply water to roughly 180 million people in North America. AWWA last held its convention in Philadelphia in 1991. Due to the growth of the association, the group has been unable to hold its meeting in Philadelphia without an expanded convention center.

"ACE is the most comprehensive and diverse water conference in the world, and we're please to bring that excitement to Philadelphia," said Jack Hoffbuhr, executive director of AWWA. "The city's strong ties to the water community, its vibrant character, and the expanded amenities at the convention center are just a few of the reasons we chose to come back to Philadelphia."

This announcement comes at a time when the PCVB is set to launch a new campaign, "Bring it Home," created to encourage local business leaders to bring or keep meetings and conventions in their own backyard. The AWWA convention is the first of many groups expected to select the Philadelphia region thanks to the growing partnerships between the local business community, the PCVB, and the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

"The Philadelphia region is thrilled to have the opportunity to help host the American Water Works Association's annual convention in 2017," said Nick DeBenedictis, board chairman of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, and chairman and president of Aqua America. "This booking would not have been possible without the relationships of local leaders like Philadelphia's former water commissioner, Bill Marrazzo who is WHYY's current president and CEO, and Donald L. Correll, president and CEO of American Water, who leveraged their contacts within AWWA to help bring the group back to Philadelphia."

Philadelphia is the site of the nation's oldest water works, which was once headed by Marrazzo, who now sits on American Water's board. On both sides of the Delaware River are two of the nation's oldest private water companies--Aqua America and American Water (both founded in 1886).

"It is a fact, the more people that come to Philadelphia as part of a meeting or convention, the more money that is generated for the local economy through attendee spending, which generates local and state taxes and jobs. Today, meetings and conventions constitute the majority of hotel room bookings in Philadelphia at 40 percent," said DeBenedictis. "If more regional leaders encourage meetings - from a 50-person board meeting, to an association convention for 20,000 people - the "Bring it Home" campaign can have a real impact."

As witnessed with the BIO 2005 convention, meetings connect local leaders and businesses with national and international connections. These connections bring new companies to the region, new partnerships, and an overall awareness of Philadelphia's thriving business community.

The "Bring it Home" campaign will be kicked off on Wednesday at the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce's luncheon to an audience of business leaders. The campaign includes advertisements in regional papers, unique digital outlets, and grassroots efforts targeted at the decision makers.

If you are a regional business leader interested in helping to bring or keep a meeting, convention, or tradeshow in Philadelphia, call 1-800-CALL-PHL or visit www.PhiladelphiaUSA.travel/bringithome.

Who we are: The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB), www.PhiladelphiaUSA.travel, a private non-profit membership corporation, is the official Tourism Promotion Agency for the City of Philadelphia, and the primary sales and marketing agency for the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The PCVB competes with its counterparts worldwide for convention and tourism business. The organization has departments dedicated to the multicultural, sports, and life sciences markets.

Our mission: To generate economic impact and job growth by increasing the region's hotel occupancy and revenues, while concurrently affecting other diverse segments of the hospitality industry. To do whatever it takes to attract ethnically diverse regional, national and international convention and tourism customers through creative sales, marketing and communications efforts. To deliver exceptional service and experiences for all, ensuring repeat business across market segments. To increase the quality of life for all our citizens, stakeholders, and visitors by supporting the region's vibrant arts and entertainment, historic, cultural, retail, restaurant, and sports venues.

Editor's Note: Collateral for the new "Bring it Home" campaign is available as a high-resolution image.