Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/101952
ICI •pg_3-13__BMT_pg3-58 12/21/12 2:38 AM Page 9 International Trade Center Houston, Wea Lee; Texas State Representative Sylvester Turner; president of M.H. Cavazos & Associates, M. Helen Cavazos; international business mogul, Farouk Shami; founder and president of Minority Print Media, L.L.C., Francis Page Jr.; president and CEO of Wealth Development Strategies, L.P., Cheryl Creuzot; Public Affairs and Human Resources executive at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Houston Branch, Donald Bowers; senior vice president at Wells Fargo, Cary Yates, US Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and US Congressman Al Green. For more information on the 2012 IFLS Summit, please visit IFLSconnect.com or contact Deavra Daughtry at (832) 434-5325. About the International Leadership and Financial Summit: The International Financial and Leadership Summit is TWEF's premier event. Over the past ten years, TWEF has provided valuable resources and inspiration to more than 300,000 individuals through its annual Empowerment Conferences like the IFLS. The summit brings together high profiled professionals, business leaders, and budding entrepreneurs for networking opportunities. Over the years, the summit has received overwhelming support from the business community and the impact and partnerships established are priceless. Signature events during the summit will be recorded and televised internationally in over 200 countries. The 2013 Summit will be nothing short of amazing. Be prepared to be inspired, stimulated, entertained and educated with today's business leaders. U.S. TRAVEL STATEMENT ON PASSAGE OF THE MOVING AHEAD FOR PROGRESS IN THE 21ST CENTURY ACT Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, recently released the following statement on the passage of the conference report on the "Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act" (MAP-21 Act). "While the final bill is not perfect, the MAP-21 Act maintains overall spending levels on transportation through September 2014 and contains important policy reforms that will benefit the travel industry. The bill will speed transportation project delivery and environmental review times, which will make our transportation dollars go farther and allow infrastructure improvements to keep pace with growth in the travel industry. "Because of the deep connections between transportation infrastructure and travel, this bill will facilitate future growth and expansion of our industry. By eliminating unnecessary delays in project delivery times and environmental reviews, local communities will no longer have to wait 8 to 10 years for transportation infrastructure to catch up with increased traveler levels or investments in new hotels and convention centers." The conference agreement also includes the RESTORE Act, championed by Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Congressman Jo Bonner (R-AL). The Restore Act allows Gulf Coast states to receive 80 percent of the money that BP is expected to pay in federal fines and devote those funds to economic development projects, including grants for environmental restoration and tourism. BAY AREA HOUSTON CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU WINS 2014 CONFERENCE BID Bay Area Houston CVB returned from Killeen in triumph on Friday, August 17 with a solid win at the Texas Association of Convention and Visitors Bureau's Annual Conference. The CVB presented a bid to bring the high impact conference to Bay Area Houston in 2014 against the stiff competition of popular meetings destination San Antonio. "This win reinforces our region's identity as a great Texas destination for meetings," says Bay Area Houston CVB President Pam Summers. "We have amenities that meeting groups look for – upscale restaurants, luxurious hotel properties, and world-class attractions – all in a coastal atmosphere at a great value." The successful annual conference pitch highlights the Bureau's more aggressive focus on pursuing groups and meetings sales. "The BAHCVB's role is evolving," Summers states. "Over the past 10 years, we have firmly established Bay Area Houston as a fun, family-friendly, vacation destination with visitors all over Texas and surrounding areas. While we have always pursued group and meetings business, in these economic times, our Board and regional partners agree that it's a part of our program that deserves greater emphasis." To that end, the CVB has restructured their team to allow for two new positions - Denise Ronquille-Bell is the Bay Area Houston's Sales and Marketing manager, and Kelly Groce is the administrative marketing coordinator. "The CVB's success in Killeen is a perfect demonstration of how well our team works together. This was a definite team effort." says Summers. For more information on leisure destinations and/or meeting accommodations in Bay Area Houston, call (281) 474-9700 or visit www.visitbayareahouston.com. BM&T ••• September/October 2012 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 9