Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1524031
4 B M & T ••• July/August 2024 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com Black Meetings & Tourism is published bi-monthly by Black Meetings & Tourism LCC, 20840 Chase St., Winnetka, CA 91306-1207 • Telephone: (818) 694-7830 • Copyright 2024 by Black Meetings & Tourism LCC. 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. D uring May, International Pow Wow (IPW) convened in Los Angeles, the annual summit pre- sented by the U.S. Travel Association. IPW was held at the expansive Los Angeles Convention Center in downtown LA. From Friday May 3, when Visit Baltimore and its President Al Hutchinson held a pre-confer- ence media event, until Tuesday, May 7, when we all enjoyed a spectacular closing show at Universal Studios Hollywood head- lined by Dianna Ross, attendees were kept super busy. For media, like Black Meetings & Tourism, there were a series of informative press conferences held by Brand USA, US Travel Association, Utah Office of Tourism, Destination DC, NYC Tourism & Conven- tions, Visit Lauderdale, Massachusetts Office of Tourism, Tennessee Department of Tourism Development, Meet Boston, Visit San Antonio and Choose Chicago. In addition to breakfast, brunch and lunch gatherings sponsored by Visit Orlando, Experience Kissimmee, IPW and others, there were also the impressive opening night proceedings at Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park, workshops, and numerous tours of Los Angeles points of interest. The tours included "Walk the Torque at Porsche Experience Center," "Downtown LA's Architecturally Historic Walking Tour," "Bouti- ques & Bouquets in Downtown LA's Fashion District," "Al Fresco Dining Adventure at The Original Farmers Market," "Backstage With Baseball History on a Dodger Stadium Tour," and "Cars, Culture & History at Petersen Automotive Museum." The main activities for conference goers were the appointments set up in the Media Marketplace as well as in the Main Exhibit Hall. This is where tons of networking took place, business deals were explored, new relation- ships established, and old friendships renewed. According to a press release by USTA, "Each IPW not only cultivates valuable connections and knowledge-sharing but also serves as an economic catalyst, driving over $5.5 billion in future travel to the U.S. by spotlighting the very best of what our country has to offer." Special acknowledgement needs to go to Cathy Reynolds from USTA for her excellent work in coordinating the media for IPW. And a shout out to President Adam Burke, Chief Sales Officer Darren Green, Senior Vice President, Citywide Convention Sales Kathy McAdams and their team at Los Angeles Tourism for the outstanding effort to present IPW. It was, with- out any hesitation, a resounding success. We trust many conferences and leisure travel spe- cialists will book Los Angeles as a result of the experience they had at IPW. "Put quite simply, tourism is indispensable to Los Angeles. Right now, there are more than 530,000 Angelenos who earn a living in tourism-related careers….and last year alone, our local business community saw over $40 bil- lion in local business sales, including in hun- dreds of small and diverse-owned businesses," said Burke We look forward to IPW 2025, which is scheduled to take place at Chicago's McCor- mick Place June 14-19. Solomon J. Herbert Publisher/Editor-In-Chief E-Mail: BMandTMag@aol.com PUBLISHER'S M E S S A G E