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VELma R. HaRT Ferguson, president & CEO of Destination DC; Hank Harris, president, CEO and founder of the National |Black Tourism Bureau and the Gulf Coast African American Visitors Bureau; Velma R. Hart, ASAE Board of Directors chair; Anita Johnson-Patty, GM of communica- tions for the U.S. for the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism; Michael D. Munn, chief of staff and director of Business APEX AWARDS CONTINUE TO IMPRESS Black Meetings & Tourismpresented their yearly Apex Awards for Distinguished Service during the highly successful 8th Annual Travel Professionals of Color (TPOC) Conference at the Sheraton Nassau Beach Hotel in April. The Awards are annually presented by BM&T magazine to a select number of indi- viduals who have made outstanding contribu- tions in their particular fields of endeavor that have positively impacted travel and tourism This year’s recipients included: Elliot Continued from page 12 0900 or www.fop.net March National Society of Black Engineers Convention, Milwaukee, WI. (800) 231-0903 or www.visitmilwau- kee.org March 3-7 Healthcare Information and management Systems Society (HIMSS), New Orleans, LA. For more information, visit www.neworlean- scvb.com. May 26-31 NAFSA: Association of International Educators’ 2013 Annual Conference & International Education Expo, Louisville, KY. More information on the organization and conference at www.nafsa.org. June 18-20 Americas Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition (AIBTM) Tradeshow, Baltimore, MD. www.aibtm.com August 24-31 Blacks in Government Annual August National Training Conference, Los Angeles, CA. For more information contact Carol Martinez, LA Development for the Boston Convention and Marketing Center; Gary C. Sain, president and CEO of the Orlando/Orange County CVB; Premier Ewart F. Brown, MP, of Bermuda; David Bradley, director of Convention Sales at Valley Forge CVB; George J. Brice, vice president of the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board; Marcia Bullock, regional director of Groups and Conventions, Worldwide for the Jamaica Tourist Board; and Hazel Adele Simonette Herndon, director of Protocol Hospitality and PR for the Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad and Tobago. Special presenter Commissioner Tiffany Moore Russell pre- ELLIoT FERgUSon sented the award to Sain, while Franzella Pertilla and Jerry Butler served as mistress and master of ceremonies. Pertilla is CEO and chief marketing strategist for Global Business Developers and Research Institute, and Butler is Caribbean executive director at the Inter-American Development Bank. Also participating was special guest Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Minister of Tourism and Aviation for The Bahamas (a past Apex Award recipient him- self ), and Carole H. Williams, president, CEO and chief creative officer of Carol H. Williams Advertising, who also cosponsored the Apex Awards Dinner. Inc. The Los Angeles CVB at (213) 236- 2357. November 15-18 American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), New Orleans, LA. For more information, visit www.neworleanscvb.com. December 10-12 Expo! Expo!, the International Association of Exhib- itions and Events’ (IAEE) Annual Meeting & Exhibition, George R. Brown Convention Center, Hilton of the Americas, Houston, TX. Visit www.iaee.com/expo for more informa- tion. 2014 June 17-19 Americas Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition (AIBTM) Tradeshow, Baltimore, MD. www.aibtm.com September 24-26 National Black MBA Association 2014 Annual Confer- ence & Exposition, Los Angeles, CA. For more information contact Carol Black Meetings & Tourism July/August 2010: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 37 Martinez, LA Inc. The Los Angeles CVB at (213) 236-2357. 2016 January 3-13 American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting, Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC), Boston, MA. (617) 954-2168 2017 November 10-13American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), New Orleans, LA. For more information, visit www.neworleanscvb.com.