Black Meetings and Tourism

November / December 2018

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B M & T November/December 2018 www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 4 A s we approach the end of 2018 and prepare to take on the challenges and opportunities awaiting for us in the new year, I always take time to reflect on the last 12 months, and express my thanks and appreciation for those who continue to support and encourage our mission here at Black Meetings & Tourism. First and foremost I must thank my lovely wife and life partner in this journey – Gloria Herbert. Whatever success and progress BM&T has made during the past 25 plus years in an effort to bring more diversity and inclusion into this industry could not have been possible without her by my side, often leading the way, and sharing her brilliance, passion and commitment to our community. Thank you Glo! I also want to thank members of the BM&T team who have stuck with us through the years sharing their talents and creative juices. Graphic Designer Robert Ingram, whose Pop Media Group is responsible for BM&T's slick and reader-friendly look, I am so grateful for your outstanding work and dedication. Office Manager Dorothy Canty, who has been a mainstay at Black Meetings & Tourism for over 20 years, I thank you for your work and friendship. Katrina Ruff, who we were blessed to meet a number of years PUBLISHER'S MESSAGE Black Meetings & Tourism is published bi-monthly by SunGlo Enterprises, 20840 Chase St., Winnetka, CA 91306-1207 •Telephone: (818)709-0646/Fax: (818) 709-4753 Copyright 2018 by SunGlo Enterprises. All rights reserved. Single Copies, $6.00 Subscriptions $45.00. Postage Paid at Pasadena, CA. •Postmaster send address changes to Black Meetings & Tourism, 20840 Chase St., Winnetka, CA 91306-1207. Solomon J. Herbert Publisher/Editor-In-Chief E-Mail: BMandTMag@aol.com ago while attending IMEX, has become a devoted team member – really more like family – serving in many roles, including as BM&T's official meeting planner. Of course I want to express my thanks and love for my son Solomon, who always has my back, and provides us with those eye-catching cover graph- ics for each issue, and shows his considerable writing skills inside the book as well. And last, but not least, thanks go to Victoria Head, who has served in a vari- ety of capacities at BM&T, including her current stint as feature writer. I also want to take this opportunity to thank our advertising and event sponsor partners for under- standing the importance of the work that we do at Black Meetings & Tourism and for valuing the $72+ billion market we serve by investing in it year after year. Your support is absolutely necessary for us to continue providing this much needed service to the travel/tourism/meetings/hospitality industry. And finally, I want to thank those industry organi- zations that champion the needs of African-American planners and industry professionals. Thank you National Coalition of Black Meting Professionals (NCBMP)! Thank you Travel Professionals of Color (TPOC). Thank you National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers (NAB- HOOD)! And thank you Black Meeting & Event Professionals! I'm confident that everyone reading this publish- er's message wants to see people of color succeed in our industry. It is shameful that only 12 of nearly 700 CVBs are currently headed by African- Americans, only two state tourism agencies are run by African-Americans, and fewer than 100 of the nation's 55,000 hotels have African-American gener- al managers. In closing let me implore every one of you to com- mit to supporting each other in 2019 and beyond. We will never be able to make the changes necessary for this industry to truly embrace diversity and inclusion without us working together and making it a priority that we not only succeed individually, but just as importantly, we succeed as a group.

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