Ad Club irked by award to Baltimore firm.(Eisner Communications received contract from the D.C. Convention & Tourism Corp.)(Brief Article)

Eisner Communications has been hired to bring visitors back to the District. But so far, the selection of Eisner as the ad agency for D.C.'s top tourism group has brought only controversy.

Bill Hanbury, CEO of the Washington, D.C. Convention & Tourism Corp., spent much of Oct. 23 answering one question: Why would the WCTC, which champions spending in the Washington area, give an ad account worth at least $2.5 million to Baltimore-based Eisner?

In a letter to Hanbury, local Ad Club President Ron Owens writes of anger and frustration among D.C.-area advertising executives. Hanbury also was forced to defend the WCTC's decision to the D.C. Mayor's Office -- to …