A full convention calendar will draw delegates to the nation’s capital in June in numbers exceeding 60,000, a figure that will saturate the city’s hotels with more than 106,000 room nights and generate more than $63 million in revenue.The Renaissance Washington, DC will host more than 15,000 scientists, physicians and other health care professionals as part of the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) Annual Meeting and Scientific Session. This meeting is significant in that it is being held in conjunction with ADA’s Call to Congress on June 8, a one-day event giving hundreds of diabetes advocates a chance to meet with and petition elected officials for more federal involvement in the fight against a disease which carries an annual price tag of $132 billion. A schedule of seminars and panel discussions will keep medical professionals up to date on the latest research, treatment recommendations and advances toward a cure for diabetes, which claims more than 220,000 lives per year in the U.S. www.diabetes.org

The 2006 Annual Conference and Exhibition of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is expected to attract more than 15,000 human resource professionals to one of the industry’s most respected professional development programs. Heading a distinguished roster of speakers is former secretary of state Gen. Colin Powell, scheduled to deliver the keynote speech for the Conference’s Opening General Session. Other speakers will include David McCollough, author of the best-selling book 1776, and Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., former CEO of IBM. For the 12th year in a row, SHRM will give attendees the chance to attend senior-level educational programs led by world-renowned management experts as part of its Masters Series. Instructors will include Sigal Barsade, professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; Tamara J. Erickson, award-winning author and director of the Concours Group’s Human Capital Practice; and Jennifer James, a writer, lecturer, commentator and cultural anthropologist. Attendees will also benefit from the HRM Marketplace® Exposition. www.shrm.org

Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) will partner with the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) Associates Council to present its 11th annual conference at the Grand Hyatt Washington. More than 300 public relations professionals will address topics like blogging, shifting reader demographics and the growing genre of lifestyle publications.Notable speakers will include Joe Sharkey, business travel columnist for the New York Times; Wendy Perrin, consumer interest news editor for Condé Nast Traveler; Melissa Biggs Bradley, features editor for Town & Country; and John Mariani, food correspondent for Esquire. Mid-Atlantic-based journalists in attendance will be invited to attend the Washington, DC Convention & Tourism Corporation’s (WCTC) Capital Media Day on June 20, featuring panel discussions with editors from national outlets along with first-hand experiences of Washington, DC through visits to attractions and tours of neighborhoods and other points of interest. www.washington.org/prsa

June will also bring the 15th Annual International Franchise Expo to the Washington Convention Center, along with more than 9,000 attendees. Representatives exhibiting hundreds of franchise concepts will be present, and potential investors can attend free seminars on topics like financing options and choosing the right franchise. And nodding to the growing number of veterans as franchisors, veterans will be admitted to the Expo free of charge, and nearly 50 representatives of franchises offering financial incentives to veterans will be on hand. Endorsed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, The International Franchise Expo is sponsored by the International Franchise Association (IFA), one of the world’s largest and oldest trade associations representing franchisors, franchisees and suppliers. www.franchise.org

Below are details about the top four conventions taking place in June, sorted by attendance. Room nights are calculated by multiplying the number of hotel rooms by the number of nights those rooms are used during a given meeting or convention. Delegate spending is based on an estimated $1,049 per attendee, according to Destination Marketing Association International’s (DMAI) ExPact 2004 Study.

Organization: American Diabetes Association
Event: Annual Meeting & Scientific Session
Date: June 9-13
Location: Washington Convention Center
Attendance: 18,000
Room Nights: 41,000
Delegate Spending: $18,882,000

Organization: Society for Human Resource Management Event: Annual Conference & Exposition
Date: June 25-28
Location: Washington Convention Center
Attendance: 15,000
Room Nights: 41,700
Delegate Spending: $15,735,000

Organization: Association for the Advancement of Medical Instruments
Event: Annual Conference & Expo
Date: June 3-5
Location: Marriott Wardman Park
Attendance: 2,000
Room Nights: 700
Delegate Spending: $2,098,000

Organization: National Alliance for the Mental Ill
Event: Annual Meeting
Date: June 27 – July 1
Location: Hilton Washington
Attendance: 1,000
Room Nights: 852
Delegate Spending: $1,049,000

Totals
Attendance: 36,000
Room Nights: 84,252
Delegate Spending: $37,764,000