I am pleased to invite you to the 2015 Global Design and Discipline Conference (GDDC) to be held at the historic Mayflower, an Autograph Collection Hotel in Washington DC from 28 September through 1 October 2015. Last year we had an amazing immersive experience familiarizing ourselves with the millennial mindset and learning the importance of innovation in our industry and disciplines. This year our theme is Elevating Design . We will continue the innovation journey and push ourselves to be innovators and designers. After all, we’re not just in the business of running hotels; we’re in the business of designing unforgettable experiences for our guests. Once again, we have an exciting agenda planned. We’ll hear from our company’s top leaders about the progress of our current innovations. We’ll be introduced to the company’s new innovation methodology – Design Thinking – and through a hands-on, interactive session you will learn to be designers as well as discipline leaders. We’ll round out the week by giving the GLTs a chance to think strategically about the future of the discipline and envision the next generation customer experience. The meeting will include our partners in Brand and Global Design, as well as our key vendors as we work collaboratively to influence the company’s priorities and identify the top opportunities to pursue in 2016. I invite you to join us in Washington to engage in and discuss our path forward in elevating design across the globe.