Evening star., 1937-08-22
Committee Reaches Whole
Country With Campaign to
Draw Organizations Here
When They Meet in Con-
ventions Which Require
Good Setting.
By Lucy Salamanca.
. NY salesman who has to spend

n month or two on pros
II pect" is apt to consider his
4 4 job very exacting one and
give way to a measure of discourage
ment before the deal is properly signed
sealed and delivered, But there are
men who sell" Washington, year in
and year out, to thousands of Ameri-
can citizens and they take it as a
matter of course when they have to
spend anywhere from five to six
years on the job before closing" :"
They are the supersalesmen charged
with bringing conventions to the Capt.
tai, and they are known officially as
the Greater National Capital Com
mittee of the Washington Board of
Trade. Through their efforts, IL to
IS million dollars are brought annually
into Washington in the pockets of
delegates who spend that much before
going home, and an estimated so
million dollars are spent by such
delegates, cherry blossom sightseers.
tourists and other visitors, including
professional men whose business with
Government officials makes it neces-
sary for them to spend as much as six
months out of every year in the
Capital.
In order to make these great num-
bers of annual visitors happy and in
| terested, the Greater National Capital
Committee was organized about seven
years ago at the suggestion and
through the efforts of Robert j.
Cottrell and A. c. Case. Mr.. Cottrell
was then and is now the executive
secretary of the Washington Board of
Trade, and it occurred to him and to
Mr.. Case that something should be
done about attra citing bigger and better
conventions to Washington, thereby
stimulating trade and introducing
many thousands of American citizens
to their own National Capital.
With George Pitt, then president
OF the Board of Trade, they worked out
the idea of a special committee whose
duty it should be. to invite conventions
TO the city. take care of their problems
in connection with the visit, and keep
them happy during their stay Robert
v. Fleming, president of Riggs Ma
tional Bank, raised the initial funds
necessary. From that day to this
the committee has operated, and so
efficiently that it has become an
integral part of the Washington pic
ture, enthusiastically supported by
Washington merchants and hotel men,
and others who directly benefit as
result of their efforts and appreciated
by groups and organizations in every
eection OF the country who have
enjoyed pleasant and profitable
period in the Capital, because of the
committees helpfulness and hospi-
tality.
TODAY complete staff gives its
full attention to the purposes for
which the committee was organized.
Mr.. Lloyd Wilson. president of the
Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone
Co., Is chairman OF the executive
committee Washington business men
are its members. There is Campaign
Committee that takes care of subscrip-
tions. and the executive secretary Of
the Board of Trade, who serves as a
liaison officer dealing with the Execu-
tive Committee.
Likewise there is a separate staff
OF the Greater National Capital Com
mittee, part Of the Board of Trade,
that confines its efforts to attracting
and holding convention delegates and
other visitors. This staff is headed by
the executive director, Curtis Hodges
and includes two convention men"
and secretarial staff, all under the
general supervision of Robert Cottrell.
1t includes also motion picture men,
radio and newspaper men, and others
whose duty it is to publicize not only
Washington but the activities OF those
organizations which visit the city as
we'll.
In addition, there Is a special secre-
tary In charge Of publicity and in
formation. and an ONCE manager
and secretarial service director with
flexible staff of 80 to IS employees,
all engaged in selling" Washington.
It would seem that so efIicient an
organization would find 1t easy and
pleasant enough to sign up delega-
tions. But there Is long, hard,
persistent road to travel before any
single convention is secured for the
Capital And there Is enough ground
work to be covered to appall the most
optimistic.
Within the files of this committee
are about 5000 folders. Each of
these folders contains q complete
story Of the pursuit Of some group
or organization Of individuals who
seem likely prospects" for q visit to
the Capital. From the first invita-
ton to the final signing up, every
piece of correspondence that has
passed between the committee and
the organization Is preserved within
The folder. 80 that the whole story Of