Annapolis To Host Drum & Bugle Championships

From the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau:

Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay will be alive with the sound of music when Drum Corps Associates (DCA) holds its 48th Annual World Championship competitions at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Labor Day Weekend 2012.
Photo, Left to Right: Maryland State Senator John C. Astle; AAACCVB Director of Group Sales Jo Ellyn McNees; Assistant Secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development Hannah Byron; Annapolis Mayor Joshua Cohen; AAACCVB President and CEO Connie Del Signore; Drum Corps Associates’ Director of Operations Allen Buell; and AAACCVB Chairman of the Board James LoBosco. (Courtesy photo)
In a formal announcement at the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau’s (AAACCVB) 26 West Street offices this morning, AAACCVB Chairman of the Board James LoBosco said the DCA World Championships is believed to be the largest single event ever booked by the AAACCVB. “After 13 months of negotiations with the CVB’s sales team, DCA has elected to bring the World Championships south of the Mason-Dixon line for the first time in the event’s 48-year history. The Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, our hotels, restaurants, and attractions will be rolling out the red carpet to help ensure that the 2012 World Championships will be the most successful in Drum Corps’ history.”
Drum Corps’ Operations Director and Local Chairman for the 2012 World Championships, Allen Buell, told AAACCVB Board Members and partners assembled for the announcement that the August 31-September 2, 2012 event is expected to attract 13-thousand performers and fans who will book 5,600 to 6,000 room nights and contribute $10-million to the local economy. He predicts that 30 drum corps from throughout North America will converge in Annapolis for the event. Each corps is comprised of up to 128 performers and travels with an extensive support crew.
With the Westin Annapolis serving as DCA’s headquarter hotel, the event will include preliminary and final competitions, individual and ensemble events, and an Alumni Spectacular at Navy Marine Corps Stadium. Buell says while Annapolis is the host location, the group’s impact will be felt across Anne Arundel County. “The drum corps will be practicing on thirty fields around the county throughout the weekend. The practices will be open to the public, and area residents, students, and local band directors will be invited to attend the free performances.”
AAACCVB President and CEO Connie Del Signore says the destination was able to secure the World Championships thanks to the collaborative efforts of the AAACCVB, City of Annapolis, DCA, U.S. Naval Academy, and Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks. “Each of these institutions realizes just how important an event of this magnitude is for the destination. Thousands of corps members and their fans will be supporting our local economy by staying at our hotels, dining in our restaurants, and visiting our attractions. Our hope is to bring the DCA World Championships back to the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium for repeat performances in 2013 and 2014.”
Since the Rhode Island-based Drum Corps Associates was formed in 1964, only four states have hosted the World Championships: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. The 2011 championships are being held at the 13,500-seat Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, New York.
The AAACCVB is a nonprofit, membership-based, destination marketing organization that generates revenues for the local economy by promoting Annapolis and Anne Arundel County to leisure and business travelers across the country and around the world.