The Black College Reunion (BCR) began in the early 1980�s, as a spontaneous attempt to commemorate the resumption of a football rivalry between Bethune-Cookman College and Florida AM University. The unanticipated, overwhelming number of attendees at the annual event eventually led both schools to decline official sponsorship.

Each spring, the BCR, without promotion from the City of Daytona Beach or its original collegiate supporters - Bethune-Cookman College and Florida AM University - continues to occur in Daytona Beach, Fl.

Since 1995, the weekend event has averaged an estimated 100,000 attendees and continues to be one of the city�s largest annual events. Attempts to organize and restructure the BCR have yielded various results, however, none of the initiatives proposed, to date, have produced a method by which the event can be managed profitably and logistically.

The Adam�s Mark Daytona Beach, largely due to its centrally located position in the city, has been the unofficial gathering point of the BCR.

Since opening in 1995 the Adam�s Mark Dayton Beach and its staff have been actively involved with the Black College Reunion. In fact, since his arrival at the property, in 1997, general manager Mike Ako has been a leading voice for the event and has served an active role in community dialogue concerning BCR planning.

In my opinion, the Adam�s Mark�s strategy for accommodating the BCR, and its support of the event since 1995, has shown initiative, cooperation and responsibility. Based on my experience with the Adam�s Mark, BCR guests are treated the same as any other guests who stay at the hotel during major events. The Hospitality Management Dept. at Bethune-Cookman College considers Adam�s Mark Daytona Beach a friend of the college and we have come to know the hotel as a gracious and hospitable supporter of activities involving our community.

We look forward to a continuous future of mutually enriching actions and activities.

I was certainly surprised to hear of the recent allegations made against the Daytona Beach Adam�s Mark Hotel by five African-American patrons following the Black College Reunion Weekend. As an African-American, I am mindful that whenever such charges of discrimination are made, there is both a need for concern, and for an appropriate examination as to the validity of the claims. And, when warranted, those responsible should certainly be held accountable.

In this instance, however, I find the allegations difficult to believe, given the widely supportive role the Adam�s Mark has played in the past with regard to the Black College Reunion, in particular, and with its overall commitment to civic and community activism in the Daytona Beach area.

As a Daytona Beach resident, community leader and former chairman of the Black College Reunion Development Committee, I can attest to the fact that the Adam�s Mark was a leading corporate friend to the event during my tenure as chairman. In fact, during that time, the Adam�s Mark worked closely with the BCR Development Committee to plan, initiate, and coordinate corporate support for the event.

It is significant to note that of the 150-plus hotels in the Greater Volusia County Area, the Adam�s Mark was one of only two hotels to have worked with the Committee in the planning and facilitation of the Black College Reunion. In 1996, for example, the Adam�s Mark assisted in setting the date for the BCR and, in my experience, the hotel�s facilities have always been used as the focal point for BCR activities. Additionally, as recently as last year, the hotel served as corporate sponsor of the BCR.

It seems inconceivable to me that the Daytona Beach Adam�s Mark which, historically, has enjoyed such a positive history with the Black College Reunion would in any way jeopardize that relationship with such insensitive behavior as has been alleged. Adam�s Mark Daytona Beach, Fla./Black College Reunion

• The BCR event began in Daytona Beach in 1984 to acknowledge the football rivalry of two Historically Black Colleges�Bethune-Cookman and Florida AM University.

• The event�s popularity quickly led to a dramatic increase in the number of attendees, leaving both schools unable to sponsor the event due to capacity limitations. Florida AM University withdrew as sponsor in 1987 and Bethune- Cookman withdrew its sponsorship of the event in 1988.

• The Black College Reunion, as it now exists, operates without the official recognition of the City of Daytona Beach and without the oversight of any educational institution, and without any formal organizing body. This has resulted in an event that, while widely attended, has a critical need for centralized coordination and better communications with Daytona Beach community leaders, including public safety and tourism officials.

• In an early effort to address these issues, the Adam�s Mark became involved with the Black College Reunion in 1995, the year its Daytona Beach property opened. In fact, the Daytona Beach hotel was one of two hotels out of more than 150 hotels in the Greater Volusia County, Fla.-area to have worked with the Black College Reunion Redevelopment Committee, established briefly in 1998, to plan and facilitate the Black College Reunion.

• Reflecting its commitment to accommodating BCR attendees, the Adam�s Mark has, over the years, assisted the event by:

• Lending event planning assistance and coordination through Adam�s Mark employee participation on BCR planning committee. To assist in the events planning process, Angela Cameron, Adam�s Mark Daytona Beach Director of Marketing and Promotions served on the 1998 BCR Development Committee. In 1996 Stuart Arp, who was then the Adam�s Mark general manager, worked with Antonio Phillips, a BCR promoter and provided use of the facility as a venue for BCR entertainment/activities. Current Daytona Beach GM Mike Ako remains actively involved in coordination and planning for the event.

• Granting access to Adam�s Mark meeting facilities for BCR committee meetings.

• Providing Adam�s Mark facilities as a venue for BCR entertainment / activities.

• Currently, BCR is the largest annual event, as measured by registered guest nights, held at the Adam�s Mark Daytona Beach. BCR has averaged 72,000 visitors since 1995. Attendance trend:
1999 - 100,000
1998 - 110,000
1997 - 75,000
1996 - 50,000
1995 - 125,000

• The Adam�s Mark Daytona Beach sees a marked increase in hotel activity, across a number of categories, during the annual BCR event. As compared to a normal three-day average, the 1999 three-day BCR event resulted in:

• Hotel payroll increasing by 30%,
• Clock Towers Restaurant increasing staff by 53%
• Food Court restaurant increasing staff by 16%
• A 92 percent increase in the number of meals served at the Splash Bar Food Grille
• A $17,838 increased expenditure in budgeting for additional security staff
• A 70 percent increase in number of room service calls.