By Tiffany Arnold
Reaching young professionals is something Patricia Washington knows a lot about. As the former vice president for cultural tourism in Philadelphia, she launched the social media campaign Philly360 and smartly appointed native sons The Roots as official brand ambassadors. Now, as president and CEO of the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association, Washington has been working her magic on the 265-year-old waterfront Virginia city— across the river from the Obamas—to draw in coveted millennials and urban sophisticates.
“It was a lot of fun,” she says of the work she originally accomplished in Philly, where she was born. “We were leveraging pop culture to promote Philadelphia—especially the contemporary Philadelphia to younger audiences. We wanted that cool patina.” Their actions weren’t unprecedented. “We looked at what Atlanta had done, in terms of using the music business as a brand and as a magnet to draw younger people to the city,” she admits. “We wanted Philadelphia, which definitely had the strong music reputation, to have that same brand and notoriety.” The timing was impeccable.
“When we first partnered with The Roots, they were [ just beginning] Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. At the same time, they were developing a new festival called The Roots Picnic and there was a real opportunity for a mutually beneficial partnership.” She now wants to bring the same fervor to Alexandria. Founded in 1749, with a history steeped in tobacco and the slave trade—including a slave export shop owned by the men involved with the kidnapping of Solomon Northup, of 12 Years A Slave fame, Alexandria is long on history, but short on the cool factor.
Washington and her team discovered that romance was Alexandria’s secret weapon and the Commander-in-Chief has seconded that emotion. “President Obama has taken the First Lady here for anniversary dinners and birthday dinners,” Washington confirms. Amazon has ranked the D.C.-area gem No. 5 on its list of most romantic cities.
Rebranding the city overall as “Extraordinary Alexandria” in 2013, emphasizing its romance, history, art and foodie scenes, the waterfront and more, has been a grand slam for Washington, a Howard University alum, who returned to her second home in November 2012 for this big challenge. But how did a one-time theater major and former entertainment lawyer end up in cultural tourism? Two words: Sallie Mae.
“I needed to pay student loans back so I worked for a state senator for a while, got into philanthropy and then tourism, where I’ve stayed for the past 16 years.”
Championing Alexandria fuels her creative spirit. “It’s a very energizing job. You’re always learning something new. People are passionate here and they really care. That’s really inspiring.”
Photo credit: Lafayette Barnes