Black Meetings and Tourism

Black Meetings & Tourism February/March 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 29 NEWS NOTES The Bermuda Department of Tourism announced in December 2008 that it is teaming up with Gospel Music Channel (GMC) to produce three, 90-second, Gospel Insider- branded vignettes. The project will air in heavy rotation on GMC throughout the first quarter 2009, and will also be avail- able online (www.gospelmusicchannel.com) and on-demand. The three-part series will be pre-taped and shot on loca- tion in Bermuda by GMC's "Gospel Insider" news. The crew traveled to Bermuda in early December, to capture the essence and impact of faith-based tourism on the island. Segment features will include an interview with the Hon. Ewart F. Brown, Bermuda's Premier and Minister of Tourism and Transport to discuss faith-based tourism and the histori- cal impact of gospel music in Bermuda. There will also be clips from a special performance by Melinda Watts, and a fea- ture showcasing Bermudian music, with a focus on those influenced by gospel with a tour of Bermuda's music venues. For more information, visit www.bermudatourism.com. WORDS & DEEDS The leaders of African-American churches commemorat- ed one of the most extraordinary events in American history – the inauguration of the country's first President of African descent – with a gala celebration. The African American Church Inaugural Ball was held on Sunday, January 18, 2009 at the Grand Hyatt Washington, Washington, DC. Proceeds benefited The Balm in Gilead, an organization that provides health education and service delivery systems within African and African-American faith communities to address HIV/AIDS and other health concerns that disproportionate- ly affect Black people. The Ball's theme, We Have Come This Far By Faith, was upheld as 25 extraordinary leaders were honored with the Keepers of the Flame Award. The recipients are individuals who have an unshakable commitment to our future and an undeniable place in the African-American book of history. Honorees included: Bishop John Hurst Adams, Ms. Donna Brazile, Mr. Robert J. Brown, Dr. Marion Wright Edelman, Bishop Barbara Harris, Dr. Dorothy I. Height, Mr. Earl Graves, Sr., The Honorable Alexis Herman, Congressman John Lewis, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Gardner Taylor, and Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker, Sr. On January 27-30, 2009 the 37th World Conference and Exposition of the Religious Conference Management Association (RCMA) convened in Grand Rapids, MI. This annual ecumenical event attracts key meeting planners and industry representatives from throughout the U.S. and over- seas who manage over 16,000 conferences and assemblies that annually attract 14.9 million attendees. Hosted by the DeVos Place Convention Center, the confer- ence focused on the theme Catch The Spirit and presented a variety of learning experiences aimed at bolstering the planner's meeting and management skills, plus pro- vided numerous networking and fellowship opportunities. The opening night grand reception recreated a Carnival On The Beach complete with an indoor Ferris wheel, virtual reality rides, and the creation of sand castles. Special features of the conference included Behind-The- Scenes Experience in which attendees participated in all aspects of preparing for a large convention. There was University of Expanded Knowledge an interactive event at which the attendees were tested on their IQ in the meetings field using an electronic response system. Keynote speaker for this global conference was South African Philanthropist Stef du Plessis. Other speakers included skyjacking survivor Jackie Pflug, author Bryan Townsend and humorist Bobbie Staten. The conference also included a special performance by the New Shanghai Circus. The traditional Thursday evening gala featured the President's Award and top talent from Broadway presenting a variety of musical hits. The 9th Annual Holy Hip Hop Awards took place January 16-17, 2009 at Center Stage Arena (formerly known as Earthlink Live Arena) in downtown Atlanta, GA. The event included over 100 live performances with supporters, minis- ters of the gospel (Emcees), pastors, churches and labels from over 146 cities in 40 different states, and countries like England, Canada, Japan, Bahamas, Sweden and Australia. The Crowne Plaza Atlanta-Marietta was again the official host hotel for the 2009 Holy Hip Hop Summit, ministerial classes, and pressrooms. The Holy Hip Hop Awards ceremony was hosted by eDDie Velez (Da Preachin' Puerto Rican) and Erica Cumbo. The 2009 Holy Hip Hop Music Awards Honorees included LG Wise, Young Prayzr, IROCC, S.O.M.,D-M.A.U.B., Gospel Gangstaz, The Great Commission, Danny (D- Boy)Rodriguez (posthumous), Legacy, XROSS, Dice Gamble and Christafari. The Ambassador Award went to Kurtis Blow Walker and Josh Niemyjski. The 24th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards Show was BY PATRICE KELLY Continued on page 31

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