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B M & T ••• September/October 2017 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 11 Black Meetings & Tourism present- ed its 2017 BM&T APEX Distinguished Service Awards at the 4th Annual International Multicultural & Heritage Tourism Summit & Trade Show during the gala awards din- ner, Saturday evening, July 29, at the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay Hotel, in Miami, FL. Among this year's recipients were Kevin Johnson (NCBMP president), Ken Lawson (Visit Florida presi- dent/CEO), Karin Aaron (Greater Newark CVB presi- dent/CEO), Calvin Ramsey (historian, author, playwright and film maker), Commissioner Audrey M. Edmonson (Miami-Dade County Commission), Bennish Brown (Travel Tacoma president/CEO), Cornelius Alvin Smith (community and political activist), Russell Miller (Cove & Reef at Atlantis Paradise island senior VP/general manager hotel operations), and Jihad S. Rashid (Coconut Grove's historic Village West president/CEO). PJ Douglas Sands, senior manager with the Bahamas Tourist Office, served as Apex Awards master of ceremonies, and the Hon. James D'Aguilar, minster of Tourism, The Bahamas, delivered the keynote address. The BM&T Apex Awards for Distinguished Service are annually presented by Black Meetings & Tourism to a select number of individuals who have made outstanding contributions in their particular fields of endeavor that have positively impacted travel and tourism. Former recipients of this prestigious BM&T Apex Award include Arnold Donald, Roger Dow, Andy Ingraham, Hon. Obediah Hercules Wilchcombe, Ana Aponte-Curtis, Jason Dunn, Ernest Wooden, Jr., Linda Haithcox Taylor, Jim Smither, Julie Coker, Kitty Pope, Beverly Nicholson-Doty, Hugh Riley and Bill Norman, to name a few. Earlier in the week, the 21st Annual International African American Hotel Ownership & Investment Summit & Trade Show kicked off at the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay Hotel for a round of workshops, general sessions, town hall meetings among others and networking opportunities. According to Ingraham, National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators & Developers (NABHOOD) founder and president, the organization is "dedicated to creating more opportunities for African-Americans to own hotels and become suppliers and vendors in the lodging industry." Workshop titles included "ABC's of Hotel Ownership," "Brand USA Update – New Administration, New Travel Policy," Workforce Diversity, Where The Industry Needs to Be," "Hotel Financing – Debt, Equity and Creativity," and "Executive Forum – A View From The Top," The Summit and Trade Show unfolded from July 26-28, paving the way for its sister event – the 4th Annual International Multicultural & Heritage Tourism Summit & Andy Ingrham addresses general session during NABHOOD Summit