Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1476179
B M & T ••• July/August 2022 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 4 B ecause of the Covid-19 pan- demic. We at Black Meetings and Tourism, like most others in our industry, have limited our travel plans for the last couple of years. But as meetings and travel slowly come back, we too have expectations of hitting the road again. For starters, we will be in Miami to par- ticipate in the 26th Annual International African-American Hotel Ownership & Investment Summit and Trade Show, as well as the 9th Annual International Multicultural & Heritage Tourism Summit & Trade Show, both of which will be held back-to-back at the Hilton Miami Airport Blue Lagoon hotel from July 13-17. We will also be hosting and presenting our annual Apex Awards at the luncheon on Saturday (see "Apex Awards to be Presented in Miami"), in this issue. This is our opportunity and honor to recognize our brothers and sisters, along with our allies, who have made significant contri- butions to diversity, equity and parity for African-Americans in the travel/meet- ings/hospitality industry, and who have exhibited strong support for this niche market segment. 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 2022 by Black Meeting & Tourism LLC. 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 From October 11-13 we will be attending IMEX America again, and holding our annual Meet Up for African-American meeting planners and association executives attending the much anticipated Las Vegas Event. The BM&T Meet Up will be held at Mandalay Bay, and all African- American planners and association execs at IMEX are welcome to attend. In addition to some great networking opportunities with your planner colleagues, you will also have an oppor- tunity to meet and interact with our Meet Up sponsors, who will make brief presentations dur- ing the event. So planners, if you are interested in attending BM&T's MEET Up at IMEX America, be sure to reach out to me at tourisman@aol.com, or even better, contact our awesome meeting planner Katrina Ruff of Forums Meetings and Events at katrina.ruff@forumsmeetings.com. And any reps from the hotel, DMO, Airline, etc. arena who are interested in sponsoring the Meet Up and thereby get to make a presentation to the planners in attendance, please reach out to me directly. And of course, we will make it our business to be at the 39th Annual National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals Conference in Jacksonville, FL, November 16-19, 2022. Not only will there be an opportunity to interact with some of the indus- try's top movers and shakers, but also to attend educational workshops to keep you abreast of the newest developments in the meetings space. And attending the NCBMP conferences also has some sentimental value for Gloria and me. We have met some of our dearest friends and colleagues at past Coalition conferences. And it was NCBMP founder Howard Mills who urged me, and in fact convinced me, to launch Black Meetings & Tourism magazine over 30 years ago.