The 2012 Democratic National Convention already has helped Charlotte stand out as a mature market in the eyes of the world, Hospitality and Tourism Alliance?s Mohammad Jenetian told the organization's members recently at the Crowne Plaza Charlotte. The DNC provides Charlotte with ?global branding,? he says, recalling the scoffers who, almost 20 years ago, doubted the city could support the kind of convention business that would eventually lead to the DNC. Whether you're Republican or Democrat, he said, landing such a visible convention means Charlotte ?does not have to justify itself? anymore, a comment that drew some (presumably nonpartisan) hoots from the crowd. (In other DNC news, 39-year-old Steve Kerrigan, a former aide to Sen. Edward Kennedy, recently was named CEO of the 2012 DNC and is moving to Charlotte from his native Massachusetts—bring the man  some pie.)