Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/19029
PHILADELPHIA Celebrate your family’s heritage by bringing your reunion home – to Philad- elphia, a place where African- American heritage is cele- brated all year long. The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau and its MAC, welcome family reunions by designating a staff member who specializes in assisting family reunion planners for free. This dedicated staff mem- ber offers sample weekend itineraries, family reunion checklists, suggestions for free time activities and venues, locates and bids on hotels for you and your out-of-town guests, and provides various items that support your reunion from the planning stages to the actual event! Many families choose Philadelphia because of their musi- cal legacy of Gamble & Huff’s Philadelphia International Records. Jill Scott, The Roots, Patti LaBelle, Will Smith and the O’ Jay’s are a few of the musical legends that have infused this city’s restaurants, summer festivals and nightlife with Philadelphia’s own musical legacy. Famous as the birthplace of the United States, Philadelphia is the site of US history. Families can re-live our nation’s heritage and discover historical ties regarding the struggle for freedom at sites such as the Liberty Bell, the National Constitution Center, Mother Bethel (the world’s first AME church), as well as tour major passageways of the Underground Railroad. (800) 225-5745 TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO The dual-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago is a unique destination where business and pleasure find the perfect bal- ance. With world-class accommodations such as Hyatt Regency Trinidad www.trinidad.hyatt.com Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre www.-hiltoncaribbean-.com/Trinidad and Coco Reef Resort and Spa, Tobago www.cocoreef.com the destination offersmore 90,000 sq. ft. ofmeeting space that can all be tailored to the needs ofmilitary events and reunions. To better assist event planners The Trinidad and Tobago Convention Bureau offers a wide variety of services to groups andmeeting planners that includes the island’s venues, hotels, pricing, sites and attractions, and acts as an intermediary between hotels and meeting coordinators or local chapters of international organizations. Key events include Carnival, the largest Caribbean cultural festival,TobagoUnderwater Carnival – a week-long dive festi- val,Tobago Jazz Experience four-day festival with internation- al performers andTobago heritage festival – a celebration of Tobago’s heritage with myriad presenta- 28 tions by various villages and an experience of people, space, food and great cultural shows. Major attractions include the Caroni Bird Swamp, Hanuman Murti statue in Trinidad and theMain Ridge Rainforest (oldest protected reserve in the western hemi- sphere) and the largest brain coral in the world, both in Tobago. (212) 529-8484 MACON Macon CVB sales man- ager Pammie Eagle- Jimmar seeks out and targets theAfrican-American fami- ly reunion market through a number of initiatives, the most successful of which is her bi-annual Family Reunion Workshop. “Our research indicated that we had an untapped market right here in theMacon-Middle Georgia area due to Macon’s rich African-American heritage and local history,” says Jimmar. “We know generations change and young people venture out into the world, but we also know that many people here can trace their roots back four or five generations.” Jimmar knew there should be a way to reach out to her neighbors in the area to encourage them to bring their families home. “We decided to host a workshop, providing the ABCs of reunion planning, that would show everyday folks how easy and rewarding it can be to plan and host a family reunion in their own hometown using the services of their CVB,” she says. Promoted throughout a 5-county area, the Workshop has turned into one of the CVB’s best-attended events. Advertisements in the area’s longest running urban newspaper, The Informer, and local guide to African-American owned businesses, The Macon-Middle GA Black Pages, are the CVB’s primary marketing tools to boost workshop attendance. But Jimmar says now that it’s been established for a while, word of mouth in the greater community is becoming a leading source of attendees. There is no cost for reunion planners to attend the all-day workshop in Macon, although reservations are required, so that each participant may have a personal notebook filled with information and ideas to help make their planning easi- er and their reunion an event that family will talk about for years to come. Jimmar and theMaconCVBinvite area vendors to display in a mini-tradeshow prior to and after the workshop, helping to ignite creative ideas and make connections. These hote- liers, restaurateurs, caterers, photographers, entertainers, printers,T-shirt makers and other providers of services plan- nersmight need, each pay a nominal fee to participate,which offsets the cost of attendees’ notebooks. Black Meetings & Tourism September/October 2010: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com