Travel Professionals of Color Hold Conference in Florida
TPOC Unveils Heritage Tourism Specialist Certification Program
Clarence Smith - President Emeritus, Co-Founder Essence Magazine, Essence Communications Partners and founder of Avocet Travel
Edie Bornstein - VP of Business Development and National Accounts, Carnival Cruise Lines
Nicki Englander Grossman - President/C.E.O. of Greater Ft. Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau
Fort Lauderdale, FL (BlackNews.com) - TPOC members are excited about the unveiling of the Heritage Tourism Specialist Certification Program at the 5th annual TPOC Conference and Trade Show April 19 – 22, 2007 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at the Renaissance Ft. Lauderdale – Plantation Hotel.
Approximately three hundred minority travel professionals, representatives from various convention and visitors bureaus, multi-cultural tourism specialists, suppliers and media are expected to be in attendance. Conference attendees will be able to earn points toward a Heritage Tourism Specialist Certificate, participate in workshops, panel discussions, trade show and enjoy key note and featured speakers including Clarence Smith, co-founder of Essence Magazine and now owner of Avocet Travel.
Other speakers include Nicki Englander Grossman, president of the Ft. Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, also city hosts for the TPOC Conference, and Edy Bornstein, Vice President – Business Development and National Accounts for Carnival Cruise Lines. TPOC president, Charlotte Haymore, will also speak on the conference theme "Wake up from the dream and work the vision."
With the increasing interest in Multi-Cultural and Heritage Tourism in the market place today, the TPOC Conference will focus on two major areas of interest: One, helping agents to become certified Heritage Tourism Specialist and two, creating an awareness throughout the community of the many professional minority travel agents, tour operators and other travel professionals who are available to handle travel business of all kind.
Everyone in attendance will have an opportunity to attend the outstanding APEX Awards Banquet, sponsored by Black Meetings & Tourism Magazine, where awards will be presented to many influential and deserving recipients in travel, who have made a great impact within the travel community. Some past recipients of the award include Pamela Richards, U.S. Virgin Islands Commissioner of Tourism and Don Barden, owner of Fitzgerald's Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, the only African American casino owner in Las Vegas.
Anyone interested in reaching out to the minority travel community is welcome to attend the conference. For more information, please visit the web site at www.tpoc.org, or feel free to call the TPOC office at (303) 574-9688. Travel Agents interested in receiving a FREE listing in the Minority Travel Agents Directory are also asked to visit the site and submit an on line survey.
Email
This Article To A Friend
