MILESTONES
Milestones
2007
Philadelphia hosts the 127th annual session of the National Baptist Convention, USA Inc. bringing 30,000 attendees representing more than $39 million in economic impact to the region.
Philadelphia welcomes its first Indian convention, the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, with more than 2,000 attendees.
MAC celebrates its 20th anniversary as a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau.
MAC releases its 2nd edition of its comprehensive multicultural visitors guide, the Share the Heritage Guide.
2006
The Washington Post names Philadelphia as one of the "Top 10 Places to Hold Family Reunions".
Philadelphia welcomes the 35th National Assembly of the Links Incorporated, the 48th National Convention of Delta Sigma Theta Incorporated and the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 27th annual convention totaling nearly 25,000 attendees, resulting in an overall economic impact of nearly $30 million.
2005
Hispanic Meetings & Travel names Philadelphia a top 10 city for multicultural meetings.
Philadelphia hosts the National Council of La Raza convention and its 23,000 attendees, bringing more than $9.6 million in economic impact to the region.
MAC partners with Univision 65 and Bank of America to produce Philadelphia's first-ever promotional DVD dedicated to increasing the Hispanic meeting and conventions market.
MAC produced its first-ever Hispanic focused attendee brochure, "Filadelfia Hispanic Guide" with Impacto Latin Newspaper.
2004
With more than 70,000 multicultural room nights, the year 2004 marked an unprecedented record for Philadelphia in hosting PCVB booked multicultural meetings and conventions, comprising nearly 15% of overall PCVB bookings.
Philadelphia welcomes the National Conference of Black Mayors, the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, the National Caucus for Black State Legislators and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The NAACP alone totaled more than 8,000 attendees with an economic impact of more than $12 million.
Essence magazine names Philadelphia a Top 10 city for Black families. The city is also named a top 10 city by Black Enterprise magazine, a top 10 city for Hispanic travelers by Hispanic Magazine, a top 10 Hispanic meeting destination by Hispanic Meetings & Travel and a top diverse city by Meetings & Conventions magazine.
MAC premiered the first-ever flash introduction page for www.philadelphiamac.org and celebrated Philly international's musical legacy by placing "The Sound of Philadelphia" music within the flash.
2003
Philadelphia welcomes the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine National convention and its 15,000 attendees, representing more than $24 million in economic impact.
MAC announces the multicultural travel market exceeds $1 billion in visitor spending for the Greater Philadelphia region.
MAC and the PCVB unite to create the first joint-membership directory, featuring a special index highlighting multicultural-owned businesses.
2002
Philadelphia hosts the 122nd annual session of the National Baptist Convention, USA Inc. with 30,000 attendees and more than $39 million in economic impact to the region.
Philadelphia receives Hispanic Meeting & Travel magazine's 1st Image Award for Best Convention & Visitors Bureau (East)
MAC makes history for Philadelphia by launching the first multicultural travel Web site in the nation, www.philadelphiamac.org.
MAC reaches the $750 million mark in projected delegate spending.
MAC unveils its Three-Year Strategic Hospitality Plan "The Sound of Philadelphia."
2001
Black Enterprise magazine names Philadelphia one of the top 10 "Best Cities" for African Americans.
2000
Philadelphia welcomes the National Alliance of Black School Educators and the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Convention, combining to total more than 18,500 attendees and $17 million in economic impact.
1999
MAC reaches the $500 million mark in conventions and meetings business.
1998
Essence magazine names Philadelphia one of the top 10 cities for Black families and one of the top 10 cities for Hispanic travelers by Hispanic Magazine.
Philadelphia welcomes the National Council of La Raza and the National Urban League totaling 23,000 attendees, resulting in an overall economic impact of more than $14 million.
MAC releases its first-ever comprehensive multicultural visitors guide, the Share the Heritage Guide, a reference directory to multicultural attractions, restaurants, venues and cultural sites in Philadelphia.
1995
The U.S. Department of Commerce cites Philadelphia as a model city for multicultural tourism.
MAC celebrates the $300 million mark reached in conventions and meetings business.
1994
MAC changed its name to the Multicultural Affairs Congress to reflect its new goals, focus and marketing strategy.
MAC hosts its first Hospitality, Career and Education Fair for high school and college students.
1993
MAC celebrates the $100 million mark reached in conventions and meetings business since the inception of the organization.
1991
U.S. Department of Commerce, Travel and Tourism Administration designates Philadelphia as the No. 1 city for minority tourism.
1989
MAC sponsors an addendum to the Pennsylvania Convention Center lease, providing 10 years of funding for training and education programs.
1988
MAC commissions the city's first study of the minority meetings and conventions market.
1987
Minority Advisory Council (MAC) is formed as a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB), which is the first multicultural division of a convention & visitors bureau in the nation.
