Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/3108
MICHAEL D. MUNN BOSTON CONVENTION MARKETING CENTER BY ViCTORIA HEAD Along with being one of the oldest cities in the U.S. and the largest city in New England, Boston, MA is considered the economic and cultural center of the region. In this city, The Boston Convention Marketing Center (BCMC), Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority work together to market Boston, attracting conventions, tradeshows and other events to its world-class facilities. For the past five years, Michael D. Munn has enjoyed being the chief of staff and director of Business Management at The BCMC. In this capacity, Munn oversees the deployment of The BCMC's representatives throughout the country and coast to coast, to attend confer- ences and industry events, promoting all Boston has to offer as a top destination for meetings and conventions. "I'm thrilled to be able to share all the wonderful qualities of Boston and let people know that it's a great multicultural and diverse community with an abundance of rich history," says Munn. "Within four square miles of the Back Bay, there are over 140 different languages spoken. The Jewish, Caribbean, Italian, African-American and Hispanic commu- nities are just some of the cultures that share the streets of Boston and touring these neighborhoods allows visitors to experience these cultures up front and personal." Munn shares that many firsts are recorded in Boston's his- tory. In Boston's African-American history, the epic film Glory depicts the service of the 54th regiment which was one of the first official Black units in the United States armed forces. A monument of the regiment, constructed 1884–1897 on the Boston Common, captures their march through the streets of Boston as they left Camp Meigs in 1863 for battle. Dr. George Franklin Grant was the first African-American professor at Harvard. The son of former slaves, Dr. Grant was one of the first to enroll in Harvard Dental School and being an avid golfer, invented and patented a golf tee whit- tled from wood and dental latex resin. Lewis Howard Latimer, the son of runaway slaves, was born in Boston and in 1874, copatented an improved toilet system for railroad cars, the first of many patents. Additionally, in 1876, Alexander Graham Bell employed Latimer to draft the drawings required to receive a patent for the telephone. Often times, Munn finds that he has to compete with larger cities for business. In these instances he quickly points out that with so many colleges and universities with- in the city and surrounding area, Boston is a center of higher education and medi- cine. These points are significant to drawing the medical community to hold their events in Boston, as well as provid- ing legal professionals and the education and medical com- munities with an extensive array of keynote speakers for their events when needed; any of these could be found at MIT, Harvard, Boston College, Tufts University or Emerson. "Good things come in small packages," notes Munn, and presenting the fun side of those good things is what takes place at the Weekend of Discovery. The Weekend of Discovery is an event where multicultural groups are invit- ed to Boston and greeted by the BCMC, Mayor Thomas M. Menino and various business leaders of the community to learn about the diversity of Boston, its ability to house great meetings and conventions, as well as Boston's social scene; a great balance of business and fun. Guests are introduced to The Boston Convention & Exhibition Center; Boston's newest convention center. The Center connects three hotels, The Marriott, The Westin and The Sheraton, two shopping malls and the Hynes Convention Center - all under one roof. So after showcasing the meeting capabilities of Boston, the weekend ends with an event called The "Steppin' Out" which is a fundraiser where musical headliners come from around the world to perform. The "Steppin' Out" is usually held at the World Trade Center or another large hotel ball room which is then converted and sectioned off into various his- toric jazz clubs; replicating the jazz clubs of Boston in the 1920s-1960s. More information regarding the BCMC can be found on their website at www.advantageboston.com; Michael Munn can be reached via email at mmunn@-advan- tageboston.com or telephone him at (617) 867-8259. Black Meetings & Tourism April/May 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 25