Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1541144
The major industry event we are attending in November is the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals' conference, which is tak- ing place in Portland Oregon the 19-22. We want to acknowledge Jason Dunn, executive director of the NCBMP, who has brought his dynamic energy and creative ideas to revitalize and give new life to this important organization. We look forward to participating in the confer- ence and provide our support for the Coalition. The late Howard Mills, one of the original founders of the Coalition, was one of the people who urged me to create Black Meetings & Tourism so we could report on our community's participation in and contribution to the travel/meetings/hospitality industry. We actually established The Black Convention magazine in 1990, but things didn't work out with my then business partner, and so we disbanded this enter- prise and founded BM&T. My wife Gloria left her position as a public school teacher for special needs children and joined me to launch Black Meetings & Tourism in 1993. None of our suc- cess and accomplishments would have been pos- sible without her dedication and brilliance. Thank you Gloria! With the coming new year fast approaching, we are looking forward to hosting our annual events for 2026. This includes the Apex Awards in July, and IMEX America and the BM&T Meet Up in October. We invite those who are interest- ed in sponsoring either one (or both) of these events to get in touch so we can make sure you get ample exposure and promotion for your sup- port. We also are also open to organizing a host- ed buyer event to your destination and/or venue in 2026 so we can bring a group of vetted meet- ing planners to your city with RFPs in hand. 4 B M & T ••• November/December 2025 ••• 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 2025 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. In October, Black Meetings & Tourism had a booth at IMEX America, as well as hosted our annual Meet Up in Las Vegas, NV. Both efforts went well and a number of worth- while relationships were established or built upon. Now that IMEX America and Black Meetings & Tourism's Meet Up for African-American planners are behind us, we want to take this opportunity to thank those responsible for making all this hap- pen so successfully. Thank you Tony Gladney and MGM for again sponsoring the Meet Up, the largest networking event for Black meeting planners at IMEX America. And thank you also to Katrina Ruff and her superb team at Forums Meetings & Events, who negotiated with IMEX officials to secure a better booth position for us at this year's trade show, and who orchestrated the Meet Up at the Classic Jewel Restaurant in Las Vegas. Thank you also goes out to David Humdy, a Las Vegas resident who pitches in every year to make sure our experience at the show is the best. And finally, our thanks to John Wyche and Bonnie Herbert (my daughter), who are sales managers with BM&T. PUBLISHER'S M E S S A G E Solomon J. Herbert Publisher/Editor-in-Chief E-Mail: BMandTMag@aol.com