The Department of Tourism and the Economic Development Authority are joining forces this week at an event for black professionals to promote the U.S. Virgin Islands as an ideal place to visit and do business. The annual event known as the Black Enterprise/Pepsi Golf & Tennis Challenge attracts more than 1,100 business executives from around the country. This year’s event, which takes place Sept. 3-7 in Orlando, Florida, will combine sports and fitness activities with a variety of business and social networking opportunities.
“African-Americans represent 21 percent of the travelers to the USVI and this market’s buying power has shown steady increase in recent years,” said Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty. “We are participating in this event for the first time to assess the potential for developing business leads within African-American organizations, particularly in the area of corporate meetings and incentive travel. We are pleased to collaborate with the Economic Development Authority to promote the range of benefits of doing business in the USVI,” she said.
As corporate sponsors of the event, the DOT and EDA will have the opportunity to distribute promotional materials to attendees during registration and to receive a complete list of attendees for future direct marketing. Representatives from both agencies will have access to all of the social networking and sporting events where they can meet and speak with business executives. They will operate a booth at the event’s exposition where the DOT will award a five-night/six-day hotel stay at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas. The sponsorship also includes the USVI logo on Black Enterprise Magazine’s Web site hyperlinked back to visitusvi.com, an advertisement in the Event Journal distributed to all attendees, and corporate identification on event signage and in Black Enterprise Magazine’s national promotional PR campaign.
“The Economic Development Authority has been interested in participating in this event for some time, and now, by means of our partnership and synergy with the Department of Tourism, the USVI will be able to make a very compelling presentation,” said Percival Clouden, chief executive officer of the EDA. “We view this event as a valuable way to connect with African–American businesses on the U.S. mainland and communicate the attractive business incentives available to them in the USVI.”
Celebrating its 16th anniversary, the Black Enterprise/Pepsi Golf & Tennis Challenge continues to be the largest and most successful African-American sporting event of its kind. With corporate heavy-hitters, innovative entrepreneurs and noteworthy celebrities in attendance, the event has gained the reputation of being the premier African- American networking event in the U.S.
