Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 10-18-19

Feature
Visit Tampa Bay Director Has Been Key To Diverse Conventions Coming To City
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Feature Writer
Tampa Bay is a wonderful place to visit for thousands of conventioneers every year.
From the Republican Na- tional Convention in 2012 to the massive International Comic Book Convention (ComicCon) next year, organ- izations have greatly enjoyed the amenities offered by our city.
According to
The Tampa Bay Business Journal, Tampa is ranked 31st among the top 50 cities in the United States for con- ventions. Tampa, however, has been the city of choice for numerous Black, Brown and women populated conven- tions, mainly because of one special person.
The woman behind much of the diversity push is Sherri Brown, the Director of Multicultural Business De- velopment at Visit Tampa Bay.
Ms. Brown recently cel- ebrated her 11th anniversary with the innovative travel and tourism company. Dur- ing her tenure, her efforts have brought over $90 mil- lion to the Bay Area.
With the encouragement and leadership of the com- pany’s President and CEO, Santiago Corrada, Ms. Brown continues her enthu-
siastic efforts to bring large, culturally diverse conven- tions to Tampa.
Some of her most memo- rable events were the 2014 International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) or the Bollywood Academy Awards, where her efforts led her to China to bring the awards show to Tampa. With over 30,000 international visitors, the feat proved to be one of Tampa’s proudest mo- ments in hospitality.
In 2016, Ms. Brown brought the National Baptist Congress of Christian Educa- tion Convention. In 2018, Ms. Brown’s strong leader- ship and negotiating skills were instrumental in bring- ing the Joyce Meyer Min- istries National Women’s Conference to Tampa after 36 years in St. Louis, Mis- souri.
Ms. Brown has brought Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Southern Regional Confer- ence and has lined up the Na- tional Conclave of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity in 2020, as well as the National Conclave of Kappa Alpha Psi in 2023.
The Omega Psi Phi Con- clave is the first Black soror- ity or fraternity to hold their National meeting in Tampa.
Earlier this year, the Aux- iliaries in Ministry (AIM) Convention, the annual sum- mer convention of the
SHERRI BROWN ..Director of Multicultural Business Development, Visit Tampa Bay
Church of God In Christ, In- corporated, brought in 20,000 worshippers to Tampa. The convention brought millions of dollars in economic impact, which in- cludes positive increases in jobs, sales, and other factors.
Ms. Brown has been in the hospitality business for over 34 years. She began her career right after high school by working as a reservationist with Omni Hotels & Resorts in St. Louis. It was there that she gained her passion for the hospitality industry. Ms. Brown soon moved on to the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Bureau. She was Opening Sales Executive with the downtown Renaissance Hotel in St. Louis, where she took home the Golden Circle Sales Award for six consecu-
tive years. After eight years with Hyatt Regency Manage- ment Training, she was awarded Management Trainer of the Year.
It was her tenure with Adams Mark Hotels where she started bringing in huge multicultural events such as the Philippine Nurses Associ- ation, the National Bar Asso- ciation, the National Association of Blacks in Gov- ernment, and the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice.
With her established rep- utation as a consummate professional, she was re- cruited by the Little Rock Arkansas Convention and Visitors Bureau as their Di- rector of Diversity Manage- ment.
In 2008, she was re- cruited by Tampa Bay and Company, now known as Visit Tampa Bay, as the Na-
tional Sales Manager for Multicultural markets.
Ms. Brown realizes that she is a role model and wants young people in Tampa to know that the hospitality business has many different opportunities.
She is an active board member of the Cultural Her- itage Alliance for Tourism, Women in Tourism, and the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners. She is an Honorary Imperial Comman- dress (HIC) of the Harram Court No. 96 Daughters, an auxiliary of the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order No- bles Mystic Shrine.
She holds a B. S. degree in Management and a Master of Arts degree in Marketing from Webster University in St. Louis, MO.
Single, Ms. Brown is the mother of an adult son, who resides in East St. Louis.
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019