Entertainment + Luxury + Leisure Travel
Our very own Josephine “Jo” Keita was recently featured in the article “Hospitality’s Hidden Figures: Women of Color Who Have Impacted The Travel, Tourism, Hospitality, and Lodging Industry” on blackmeetingsandtourism.com. Mrs. Keita, a 50-year industry veteran, was featured along with Salamander Resort owner Sheila Johnson and Atlanta Marriott Marquis General Manager Erica Qualls-Batley. Read full article here.
Stax Museum to host “The Chaos and the Cosmos: Inside Memphis Music’s Lost Decade, 1977-1986 – Photography by Patricia Rainer” March 9 – July 31, 2018
The Stax Museum of American Soul Music announced it will host “The Chaos and the Cosmos: Inside Memphis Music’s Lost Decade, 1977-1986 – Photography by Patricia Rainer.” It is longtime Memphis music photographer Patricia Rainer’s first-ever exhibit and spans the musical environment of post-Stax and –Elvis Memphis of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Included in the exhibit are candid and posed images of icons such as Al Green, Willie Mitchell, Memphis Horns legend Wayne Jackson, Sam Phillips, Jim Dickinson, Furry Lewis, and numerous others.
Rainer’s love affair with music began at an early age in Memphis, when she, as a young teen in the 1960s, became president of the Memphis Chapter of the Beatles Fan Club and was granted the task of giving the Fab Four a key to the city when they performed here at the Mid-South Coliseum in 1966.
She soon found herself immersed in the the cultural epicenters of 1970s Memphis State University (now University of Memphis), Yellow Submarine and Pop Tunes record stores, and other local organizations that prompted her to follow another passion, that of photography and videography.
Rainer graduated Memphis State University Cum Laude and by the time she began graduate school there in 1975, she began taking photographs, shooting video, and working on recording sessions as a production assistant and engineer in the thick of the Memphis music scene. She meticulously organized her developed negatives and contact sheets but rarely made larger prints for anyone to see.
Now, for her first-ever solo exhibit of her photographs, Rainer has compiled a collection of images that bear witness to a critical time when the legacy of Memphis music was uncertain. Beale Street was boarded up, Stax Records had been forced into involuntary bankruptcy, The Peabody Hotel was closed, and city leaders were considering tearing down the Orpheum Theater and Overton Park Shell. Rainer’s photographs capture not only the behind the scenes magic of those times, but also played a role in the process of championing the rediscovery of what Memphis almost lost.
Rainer now lives in Los Angeles where she works with Omnivore Recordings – a leading label for musical re-issues and compilations. Through this work she continues to draw attention to neglected gems from Memphis and many of the artists seen in these photographs are represented in the Omnivore catalog.
The March 9, 2018 opening reception at the Stax includes a book signing by author Robert Gordon for his new book Memphis Rent Party.
For more information, press images, and interviews with Patricia Rainer, please contact Tim Sampson, 901-261-6324, tim.sampson@soulsvillefoundation.org.
Follow the event on the Stax Museum’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/367018983760109/
Travel Agent Magazine’s annual “Top 25 All Stars” issue named our Pat Walker one of the best advisors in the country. With a team of 11 advisors in her Beverly Hills office, the 30-year travel industry veteran, who began as a flight attendant, has built her career servicing the entertainment industry.
Pat attributes her success to “sticking with the basics” and being “well versed…in every capacity of travel.” She also shares her optimism about the industry in the November 20th issue, adding that “travelers are coming back to agents instead of using online travel sites. They appreciate that the value of having someone advocate for them is more important than a low-priced deal with no support.”
Pat’s recent award doesn’t surprise our CEO Fernando Gonzalez, who applauds her skill, work ethic and reputation. He cites a recent example of a trip to St. Tropez for the CEO of a top cosmetic brand and 20 beauty influencers from around the world.
“Pat and her team handled everything… and made it look easy,” says Fernando.
Read Pat’s complete “Top 25” profile here.
*This story originally appeared in the FIRST IN SERVICE Newsletter on December 7, 2017
http://news.firstinservice.com/pat-walker-named-top-25-all-star-advisor/
Every August the international luxury travel industry gathers in Las Vegas for its glitzy version of the Oscars during Virtuoso Travel Week. This year we all stood a little prouder as our CEO Fernando Gonzalez was named the Virtuoso 2017 Most Innovative Travel Advisor in front of 2,800 industry peers.
F1S president Erika Reategui commented, “Fernando’s vision has always been to do things differently in the travel business — from introducing our WONDERWALL marketing program to hiring from outside of the industry for fresh perspectives. It’s so rewarding to see his colleagues recognize this commitment.”
Other notable awards were given to some of the most outstanding hotels and hospitality professionals in the world.
*This article originally appeared in the FIRST IN SERVICE newsletter (Setptember 2017 issue). http://news.firstinservice.com/f1s-wins-major-industry-award/
