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Atlanta—Atlanta has made great strides towards diversity and minority inclusion, especially in its growing hospitality industry. Next month, when the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) hosts the 8th Annual Diversity in the Hospitality Industry Summit,  February 15-16, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta,  the city will do more than just celebrate diversity, but educate others in the hospitality industry on achieving it .

Atlanta is known as the number one city for African American meetings, according to a study conducted by the Travel Industry Association of America.  In fact, the minority convention & meetings market has proven to be a vital economic generator—in 2006 alone, the minority meetings market segment brought nearly 400,000 attendees to the destination and had an economic impact of $337.9 million. 

 "Since 1999, the ACVB has channeled our energy into making sure that diversity is alive and well in the Atlanta tourism and hospitality industry," said Kathleen Bertrand, vice president of community affairs, ACVB. "This year's Diversity Summit continues to offer insight on how to grow and foster this essential initiative."

The summit will focus on building minority success within the hospitality industry and will highlight strategies for hotel ownership, profitable event planning and effective workforce recruitment. The forum features several top keynote speakers including Robert Steele, chairman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and Michael Roberts, chairman of the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators & Developers.

Steele, who also is general manager of the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, is the second African American chairman of the AH&LA. A 31year lodging industry veteran, Steele has spent his entire career with Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

Roberts is the Chairman & CEO of The Roberts Companies, who are owners of Roberts Mayfair Hotel—the first and only African-American owned hotel in downtown St. Louis. The Roberts Mayfair also represents the first affiliation of an African-American owned hotel with Wyndham Hotels, Inc.

Established in 1913, ACVB is a private, nonprofit organization created exclusively to market metro Atlanta and Georgia as a premier convention, meeting and leisure destination in the regional, national and nternational marketplace and to favorably impact the Atlanta economy through conventions and tourism.