Countdown to the NACADA Region 2 2016 Conference!

Happy New Year NACADA Region 2! We hope your spring semester is off to a good start. This is Marianne Norman and Lauren Wagoner, the Hospitality Co-Chairs for the upcoming Region 2 conference! Did you realize the conference is now a little over 2 months away? We’ll be posting every week to give you information about the conference and to get you excited about coming to the DC Metro area!

Many of you may have traveled to this area on school trips or vacations in the past, however, you may not know these fun facts about the area!

• DC averages 39 inches of rainfall a year—more than Seattle. - Be sure to check the weather when you are packing to be prepared for the DC weather!
• DC residents pay taxes to the federal government like all citizens of the US. But, they do not have a voting representative in Congress. That is why you will see DC license plates on cars that say “Taxation without Representation.” - Look out for these license plates while exploring DC!
• The federal government is the largest industry in DC. After government, tourism is a very important industry. Other important industries include trade associations, research, education, medicine, government-related research, publishing and international finance. - There are also more than 15 colleges and universities in Washington, DC that are listed under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

The conference is being held at the College Park Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in the Metro DC area, just over the boundary line for DC Here are some fun facts about the Maryland area and the University of Maryland, College Park.

• The Hootie and the Blowfish music video for "Only Wanna Be With You" was shot, in part, at the Reckord Armory on the University of Maryland, College Park campus. - Check out the music video!
• The first dental school in the United States opened at the University of Maryland. - You can read more about the University of Maryland’s role in the history of dental education here!
• Greenbelt was the first community in the United States built as a planned city. Greenbelt was an experiment in both the physical and social planning. - Greenbelt, MD is just 4 miles down the road from College Park, MD. Check out more about their history here!
• Maryland is a prominent producer and processor of seafood and a national leader in the production of blue crabs and soft clams. - Some of the top rated restaurants to get crabs are just half an hour away in Annapolis, MD.

We look forward to seeing you at the conference in March! Be sure to keep checking the blog for more information. Also, if you haven’t checked out the NACADA 2016 Region 2 Conference Prezi, check it out here!