Solomon J. Herbert Sr.
Black Meetings & Tourism held its
Apex Awards luncheon in Miami during the Multicultural during the International Multicultural & Heritage Tourism Summit & Trade Show in July. This is our time each year to recognize and acknowledge our colleagues in the industry who not only exhibit excellence in their performance, but also have shown a consistent commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and parity. For 2024 we honored
Angela Lopez, National Sales Executive for Visit Lauderdale,
Casandra Matej, President/CEO of Visit Orlando,
David Bradley, Vice President of Sales & Service for the Shreveport CTB,
Don Welsh, President/CEO of Destinations International,
Ginny Gutierrez, Director of Community Relations (retired) for the Greater Miami CVB,
James Jessie, Chief Sales Officer for Travel Portland,
Maxine D. Jamison, Manager of Multicultural Markets for Discover The Palm Beaches,
Nicole Rogers, Executive Vice President and Chief Sales Officer for the San Francisco Travel Association,
Petra Brennan, Senior Director of the Tourism Enhancement Program for the Greater Miami CVB's Multicultural Tourism & Development Department, and
Tracy Berkeley, CEO of the Bermuda Tourism Authority. We look forward to 2025 when we can honor even more awardees for their fine work and contributions to our industry.
October will be an even busier time for Black Meetings & Tourism as we gear up for a slate of activities we are hosting in Las Vegas during
IMEX America. In addition to manning a BM&T booth on the trade show floor and promoting our media company, we are also collaborating with IMEX America to present our annual
Hosted Buyer Event where we bring in Black meeting planners to engage in a series of tours, presentations and workshops. And most importantly,
Black Meetings & Tourism will be hosting our
Annual Meet Up for planners on Tuesday, October 8, from 6-10pm. The event, which is being sponsored by
MGM,
Visit Tampa Bay and
East Point Georgia's CVB, provides BM&T with another opportunity to serve our community. In the words of our official meeting planner
Katrina Ruff, "We want to ensure that young Black planners get the opportunity not only to come to IMEX but also to connect with their peers so they can have mentorship in this industry that we love."
I want to thank Katrina for her passion and professionalism in organizing the hosted buyer event, Meet Up and our BM&T booth space. We could not pull this off without her efforts and hard work. Let me also thank Tony Gladney from MGM,
Sherri Brown from Visit Tampa Bay, and
Chantel Francois from East Point for their support and dedication to the African-American market segment.
We look forward to seeing you at IMEX America, and invite you to the BM&T Meet Up. Travel safely.