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American meeting planner, travel agent and hospitality/tourism pro- fessional. He also serves as execu- tive producer of “Globetrotting,” a travel television series that debuted in April of 2002 on BET on Jazz. Before creatingBlackMeetings & Tourism with his business part- ner and wife Gloria, Herbert was self-employed as a full-time free- lance print and photo journalist since 1981. During that period over 800 of his articles appeared in numerous regional, national and international publications. Herbert currently holds membership in several profes- sional organizations, including the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners (NCBMP), National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers (NAB- HOOD), Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Travel Professionals Of Color (TPOC), Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Africa Travel Association (ATA), Travel and Tourism Marketing Association (TTMA), Black Business Association of Los Angeles (BBA) and Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce (GLAAAC). Herbert and his wife Gloria were the 2002 recipients of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planner’s Minority Business Award, the 2005 recipients of the Regional Black Chamber of Commerce of San Fernando Valley’s Small Business of the Year Award, the 2007 recipients of Outstanding Entrepreneur Award from the Black Business Association of Los Angeles, the 2008 recipients of California State Salute to Small Business Award, the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award from NABHOOD and most recently, the 2010 Small Business Award from the United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley & Region. AL HUTCHINSON is vice president of Convention Sales&Marketing for the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). Hutchinson and his staff are responsible for generating direct spending revenue to the City ofVirginiaBeach by bringing meetings, conventions, profes- sional tradeshows and sports- related events to the City. Hutchinson and the City of Virginia Beach are proud to wel- come guests to the new 500,000-sq. ft. Virginia Beach Convention Center. Fully opened January 2007, the facil- ity features a 31,000-sq. ft.ballroom,150,000-sq. ft. column- free exhibit hall and over 29,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Hutchinson is an active industry leader locally and nationally having served on numerous committees and boards. In addition, Hutchinson has been a long-time member of Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI), the American Society of Association Executives, the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners, the Professional Convention Management Association and the International Association of Exhibitions and Events. Hutchinson is a 2008 APEX Award for Distinguished Service recipient, presented by Black Meetings & Tourism Magazine to individuals who have made outstanding con- tributions in their field positively impacting the travel and tourism industry. Through his vision, professionalism, and highly regarded reputation, Hutchinson has opened the door to a variety of opportunities and numerous accolades. During his tenure, his team has hosted ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership’s Convention Center Operations Program and has received a number of awards: Prior to his 2003 appointment as vice president of Convention Sales & Marketing for the Virginia Beach CVB, Hutchinson held various sales positions in the hospi- tality industry: national sales manager for The Park Hotel, Charlotte, NC; director of Convention Sales for the Visit Pittsburgh; senior sales manager for the Charlotte Convention Center; and sales manager for the Greater Richmond CVB. ANDY INGRAHAM serves as presi- dent/CEO of the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators & Developers, Inc. (NABHOOD), of which he was one of the founders in 1999. NABHOOD was formed to increase the number of African- Americans developing, managing, operating and owning hotels; increase vendor opportunities and executive level positions for minorities, thereby creating wealth within the African- American community. Ingraham is also president of Horizons Marketing Group Intl. Inc., a marketing and public relations corpora- tion with special emphasis onAfrican-American andmulti- cultural tourism.He has over 25 years in the tourismindus- try, developing specific expertise in multicultural and Caribbean tourism. Because of his knowledge and expert- ise, he is a constant source of articles and has been featured or quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, National Public Radio, Hotel Business, Black Meetings & Tourism Magazine and a host of other publications. Horizons created a number of programs forCaribbean des- tinations seeking to access the growing African American andmulticulturalmarket. Some accomplishments are: appointed to the National TourismAdvisory Committee for the NationalAssociation for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); Black Meetings & Tourism November/December 2010: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 59