Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/999395
B M & T ••• May/June 2018 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 4 L ongtime followers of Black Meeti- ngs & Tourism have noticed we are sporting a new look to our maga- zine since the November/-December 2017 issue. With that book we began featuring high profile industry movers and shakers on the cover as opposed to strictly destinations and venues. The response we received from the Nov/Dec cover story on Elliott Ferguson, president/CEO of Destination DC, was incredible! We followed up that issue with another cover story profile in the March/April issue – this time of USVI Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty, and again in March/April with a cover story on Al Tucker, vice president of Multicultural Business Development for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. In my opinion, the reason why these three issues were so well received is that our read- ership related to and easily identified with the folks we profiled in these cover stories. Sure, travel, tourism and meetings are about places to visit and convene, but it's the peo- ple in these destinations and venues that make the experience special and memo- rable. Their compelling stories have touched a nerve with and grabbed the attention of our BM&T audience Featuring industry honchos on the cover is by no means a new or unique concept. PUBLISHER'S MESSAGE Back in the day when we published The Black Convention, the forerunner of Black Meetings & Tourism, we regularly profiled industry icons on the cover, people like Howard Mills, Brenda Darcel Harris Lee, and Carol Armstrong, to mention a few. And they were always the most popular issues. More recently we featured Arnold Donald on the cover of our September/October 2014 issue, and again, interest was robust to say the least. Going forward, we have lined up a Who's Who of industry experts for cover story exposure, from Ken Lawson, Visit Florida president/CEO, and Karin Aaron, Greater Newark Convention & Visitor Bureau president/CEO, to Al Hutchinson, Visit Baltimore president/CEO and Julie Coker-Graham, Discover PHL president/CEO, for example. This does not mean, however, that we will only feature people in future BM&T cover stories. This issue that you are reading is an example of a depar- ture from the only people on cover format. The cover story for this issue is entitled "The Essential Green Book, Beyond The Freedom of Travel, Then & Now." I know that's a mouthful, but the story is so very important and shares significant historical aspects of travel for African-Americans that many of you may not be familiar with. It wasn't that long ago that Black travelers put their lives at risk whenever they traveled outside of their immediate environs, especially when that included travel in or to the Southern US. In this arti- cle you will learn about the historic Green Book, a small directory and essential tool that provided a road map for African-American travelers looking for a safe place to spend the night, a service station that would sell gasoline to them, a place where they were welcomed to eat during their journey – you get the picture. Black Meetings & Tourism is poised to launch the New Green Book as a digital directory and app. Please read the story for more details. And finally, if you want to nominate someone from our industry to be featured in BM&T, perhaps even on the cover, please let me know and we will seriously consider your recommendation. Black Meetings & Tourism is published bi-monthly by SunGlo Enterprises, 20840 Chase St., Winnetka, CA 91306-1207 •Telephone: (818)709-0646/Fax: (818) 709-4753 Copyright 2018 by SunGlo Enterprises. All rights reserved. Single Copies, $6.00 Subscriptions $45.00. Postage Paid at Pasadena, CA. •Postmaster send address changes to Black Meetings & Tourism, 20840 Chase St., Winnetka, CA 91306-1207. Solomon J. Herbert Publisher/Editor-In-Chief E-Mail: BMandTMag@aol.com