VPPPA Wraps Up 30th National Conference
The Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center overlooking the Potomac River turned out to be an ideal site for the four-day event.
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – Attendees and exhibitors agreed the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center was an excellent facility for this week's 30th Annual National VPPPA Conference (#30VOOOA), a showcase of member companies' outstanding safety performance and the many operational benefits that come from participating in the Voluntary Protection Programs.
The hotel's signature atrium provided a panoramic view of the Potomac River and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge's twin spans that connect Alexandria, Va., with Oxon Hill, Md. In the distance, the Washington Monument could be seen through the spinning spokes of the Capital Wheel, a Ferris wheel that opened this year in National Harbor.
More than 300 exhibitors participated in the expo, and VPPPA Board Chairman Mike Maddox predicted total attendance at the Aug. 25-28 conference would reach 2,600 people.
Many new restaurants and shops are open in a development of about 10 square blocks across the street from the Gaylord National, which offers numerous boutiques and restaurants of its own. Some conference attendees also arranged excursions to see the attractions of Washington, D.C., including Georgetown and the National Mall's museums and memorials, or to visit downtown Baltimore's Harborplace area.