Mayor Bowser, Social Tables, WDCEP Commit to the Future of Technology in District of Columbia
Washington, D.C. (January 28, 2016) – Social Tables (www.socialtables.com), the award-winning, collaborative meeting and event software, and the Washington Post’s #1 technology company to work for in the D.C region, today held a joint press conference alongside Mayor Muriel Bowser, the Obama Administration, and the Washington DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP).
The press conference showcased Washington, D.C. as a leader in tech innovation. Mayor Bowser discussed her plans for the D.C. Tech Corridor in 2016, the Obama Administration shared updates on their efforts to expand tech opportunities via employment, the WDCEP unveiled new initiatives for 2016, and Social Tables showcased its new 30,000-sq. foot office space that is a direct result of the strength of the tech community, and shared its personal commitment to helping D.C. grow as a technology destination.
Washington, D.C is our home, and we are committed to strengthening the community by welcoming over 100 events to our new headquarters in the coming year, said Dan Berger, CEO of Social Tables. With over 10,000 square feet of event space, this office will be the epicenter for the many communities that we love and are a part of, from hospitality to technology.
The District is home to more than 1,000 startups, and that number continues to grow thanks to the robust environment we’ve created to attract these employers, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said. Social Tables’ expansion is a huge win for the tech corridor, and just as important is the continued growth of homegrown tech companies that are creating quality jobs for D.C. residents. We are focused on continuing that momentum into 2016.
These companies, amongst others, played a critical role in supporting the thousands of new technology-backed jobs which were added to Washington, D.C. this past year.
With greater private and public investments, effective marketing, and support for entrepreneurs, the District is becoming a desired location for high-tech companies., says Keith Sellers, chief executive officer and president of Washington DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP). These entrepreneurs help create an ecosystem that supports a highly talented workforce and are key to the District’s thriving economy.
“As innovation continues to be a wellspring of economic growth for our country, Administration investments are putting more tools in the hands of risk-takers and entrepreneurs than ever before, ushering new technologies to the marketplace, creating new jobs, and unlocking new industries, Chief of Staff for the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and former Senior Obama Administration Official for Manufacturing & Innovation Policy, Vikrum Aiyer notes. Core investments in manufacturing R&D, stronger intellectual property protections, and easing the environment for startups to raise capital is boosting American productivity and technology-backed employment from Washington state to right here in Washington, D.C.
“D.C.’s great quality of life, highly educated workforce, and growing reputation as a center for innovation all contribute to the rapid growth we are seeing in the technology corridor,” Dan Berger, chief executive officer of Social Tables said. “With the support of Mayor Bowser, the WDCEP, and the White House, alongside the hiring initiatives companies like Social Tables commit to, I don’t see the influx of tech employers and new tech jobs slowing down any time soon.”
The press conference was held at Social Tables’ headquarters, located at 1325 G Street NW. It was immediately followed by one of the events they alluded to hosting, the Work Design TALK of 2016, which welcomed 100 top workplace executives from the DC metro area to discuss the impact of work environments on employees.
Below are CEO Dan Berger’s remarks…
Thank you Madame Mayor.
I want to start by thanking our customers who are in attendance because without them, we wouldn’t be here.
Could representatives from Events DC, Windows Catering, the Grand Hyatt Washington, Marriott International, Modev, the National Archives, US Holocaust Memorial Museum, William and Mary, the National Association of Corporate Directors, The Smithsonian, Georgetown University, The Watergate Hotel, and The Willard please stand.
On behalf of all of us at Social Tables, we greatly appreciate your business and thank you for your partnership.
Let me tell you a quick story ofhow I ended up DC.
I came to DC in 2008 to go to grad school.
At that time, there were a only a handful of dining options, most of the city’s newcomers settled down in Dupont, and our only tech companies were federal government contractors.
Having been raised in New York City, I never thought I’d call The District my home past my two years at Georgetown. In fact, during that time I was itching to move back.
Today, eight years later, we are in a completely different city. Neighborhoods are coming to life, people are staying, and, according to Angel List, the DMV is ranked 6th in North America in terms of number of startups.
Thanks to the local work of Keith Sellars and his staff, entrepreneurs have access to mentorship opportunities that help them build businesses that last.
And thanks to the national work of Vikram Aiyer, the small business climate is ripe for continued growth.
Today, our region is the destination not just a stepping stone.
This is why we at Social Tables have committed to DC for the long-term and decided to build our new office right here in Metro Center.
Our hope is that our new neighborhood, Metro Center, becomes the 24/7 destination that our previous neighborhood, Chinatown, has become.
In the DC area, we have access to an extremely smart and diverse workforce and to every organization in the world. And, thanks to Mayor Bowser’s leadership, the best is yet to come.
The Mayor is leading a great city that’s becoming even greater every single day. Take for instance her attendance at South by Southwest, which will continue to position DC as the place to be for tech.
I am especially gracious of the fact Mrs. Bowser reached out to me early in her administration to discuss how we can better collaborate.
DC’s rise is evident in our numbers. We have 116 full-time employees. 98% of them are in the DC area and 60% of them live in the District itself.
We are younger than most organizations and very diverse. 91% are millennials, 27% are minorities, and 43% are women.
Social Tables has 4,000 customers all over the world who have planned 800,000 events with over 100 million participants.
We value the power of face-to-face experiences in a hyper connected world.
In fact, we appreciate events so much that we built this space with them in mind. We are standing within 10,000 square feet of flexible function space that we created not only for us but for serving the community-at-large.
Today, we are announcing our commitment to host 100 community events right here over the next two years… and, in one month, we’re already 8% of the way there.
We have created an event directory on the chalkboard to my right where we will celebrate each of the events we host.
This space is just about the community as it is about us. It is our goal to make it the epicenter of #dctech so that our city gets worldwide recognition for the innovation hub that it is.
The vision for our new office directly ties to our company vision of helping people get together to achieve great things. Events are the conduit for moving the world forward and we are on a mission to make them better.
Thank you all for being here today, for your continued support, and for believing in DC.
For additional information on the press conference, please contact Social Tables’ Trevor Lynn for additional information: trevor@socialtables.com.
About Social Tables
Social Tables is the #1 software for planners and properties to work together online. More than 100,000 unique users rely on the web and mobile product line, which includes Social Tables On-Site, an online sales and marketing solution; 2D and 3D room diagramming; business intelligence tools; and attendee management modules. Users have planned over 800,000 events within the company’s 1 billion+ square foot Venue Library. For more information, visit www.socialtables.com.