The Tribune

By FELICITY DARVILLE

CELEBRATING a Bahamian woman who is making international history, who is a leader in her industry, and who is giving back to the community is most fitting as we gear up to commemorate International Women’s Day. On the eve of this momentous day, we celebrate Lonise Carey.

Just weeks ago, Lonise made history when she became president of the Association of Destination Management Executives International (ADMEI). It is a membership association for Destination Management Companies (DMCs) and is the premier resource for education, standards, and practices within the Destination Management industry. ADMEI has a global presence and a respected reputation.

Tourism is the number one industry in The Bahamas; so it relies on organisations such as DMCs to continue to attract millions to the country each year. DMCs are professional service companies and strategic partners which provide creative local experiences in event management, tours/ activities, transportation, entertainment, and programme logistics.

Lonise is the co-founder of Island Destination Services (IDS), an award-winning DMC that has previously been recognised by the World Travel Awards as the leading Bahamas Destination Management Company. The company’s services include destination marketing, conference management, and event production rentals via their extensive warehouse of special event inventory. IDS has executed national and internationally recognised events such as the Sigma Pi Phi Grand Boule; FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup; Miss Universe Cultural Village; The Best of Best International Sailing Regatta; the Grand Opening of the $400m Lynden Pindling International Airport expansion; and countless MICE events for Fortune 500 companies.

Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions tourism (MICE) is a type of tourism in which large groups, usually planned well in advance, are brought together. IDS has done a stellar job in The Bahamas and most recently, the company was awarded the “Best Overall Programme” during ADMEI’s February 2023 conference for hosting the Vision and Action Conference 2022.

It was during this conference, held February 2-4 at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, Florida, USA that Lonise was elected as ADMEI’s president. She is the first black woman and first person in the Caribbean region to do so. Prior to taking on this responsibility of leading colleagues from around the world, Lonise served as ADMEI’s Director of Education and as a Board Member of the Society of Incentive Travel Excellence for Florida & The Caribbean.

Lonise is a founding Mmember of the DMC Network’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee and is currently an Equity task force member for the Events Industry Council. With this in mind, Lonise embodies the 2023 International Women’s Day theme: “#EmbraceEquity”.

She also serves on the executive committee of the Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality for Tourism and Related Services, which is currently focused on improving accessibility for people living with disabilities.

Lonise is also beautifully exemplifying the United Nations’ International Women’s Day theme: “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”.

“In 2022, I started working on an app to give students easier access to job opportunities and I’m looking forward to its launch,” Lonise told me.

“With the use of technology, people from smaller communities like ours can have faster access to the right networks and careers.”

Lonise has a vision to augment her industry by broadening ADMEI’s reach and bringing in, through diversity and inclusion, a wider spectrum of people who would come into the industry, bringing their passion and personal purpose.

“Globally, our industry is experiencing an acute labour shortage and we cannot grow without the human resources to do it,” she explained.

“ADMEI members represent more than thirty countries on four different continents. Conferences and training events are hosted in both the Americas and Europe. My platform as president is to build a sustainable recruitment strategy by expanding our reach in universities globally, to identify emerging professionals, while utilising technology to increase their accessibility to career paths in destination management.”

Lonise has what it takes to attract these young professionals, because she was one of them, and joining a DMC changed the trajectory of her career. In the early 2000s, she completed her Master’s Degree in Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In Vegas, she worked at the Bellagio Hotel and was exposed to employee retention programmes and large-scale events. After living and working in Washington, DC, Las Vegas, and New York, Lonise moved home and at that time, it was difficult to find career opportunities in hospitality that challenged her and offered competitive compensation packages.

“Although it was a frustrating time, I always try to find the opportunity in every challenge,” she shared.

“I was determined to start my own business. My thesis was based on improving service quality in small communities. I reviewed more than 5,000 guest responses at two major resorts to determine where the gaps were in service quality and how we could bridge those gaps. As a result, I was armed with a very clear understanding of what visitor expectations were and the areas in which organisations needed to improve if they wanted to exceed those expectations. My initial exposure to destination management was with a US based DMC and there were very few wholly owned Bahamian DMCs on the island at that time. This was a gap that I wanted to bridge, and as a result, I teamed up with my father in 2005 to launch Island Destination Services.”

Lonise’s parents are Mizpah Cargill-Carey and Levant Carey. With their support, Lonise has grown by leaps and bounds in her professional career and civic endeavours. Mr. Carey is a veteran in the hospitality and casino industry. He started ventures such as the Caribe Cabaret show at the Rainforest Theatre in the 1990s. As one of three founders of Cable Bahamas, Lonise says he has taught her to be an innovator - one who generates action beyond words. This month marks the18th anniversary of Island Destination Services as a wholly owned Bahamian DMC. IDS is globally recognized as a leader in the industry and has won countless international awards.

“I love that what we do requires us to have a deeper understanding of the strengths of every element of our tourism product,” she explained.

“Essentially, each day, my career reminds me of why it’s a blessing to call The Bahamas home. Corporate clients look to us as experts on all things Bahamian and they rely on our team’s guidance when selecting their hotels, offsite venues and destination experiences for their employee incentive trips and conferences. On a daily basis, we empower local businesses and also non-profit organisations by designing unique ways for them to partner with our clients. This makes what we do feel like a mission, and this is what drives me each day.”

Lonise wants to be able to economically empower local businesses by exposing their brands to international corporations. Her ultimate goal is to ensure that tourism dollars reach beyond the hotels to help fuel the growth of local Bahamian businesses, while promoting the authentic culture of the Bahamas.

Nationally, Lonise has been recognised for her contributions to the hospitality industry as an award recipient of the “40 under 40” award on the 40th Independence Anniversary of The Bahamas and in 2015 she became the first certified destination management professional (DMCP) in the Bahamas.

Lonise is a passionate philanthropist and a member of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, and she consistently uses the influence of her company to connect international corporate clients with local non-profit organisations. Her client’s donations have included the regeneration of a community garden for Hands for Hunger; laptops and tablets needed to operate Project Limestone’s STEM programme; more than 2,000 hurricane disaster preparedness kits donated to the Bahamas Red Cross; and much more. Lonise’s personal mission is to deliver hope through hospitality by educating and economically empowering young people throughout the islands of The Bahamas.

While celebrating her for International Women’s Day, Lonise extended the courtesy to women she admires: “I would like to honour my grandmothers, Patricia Carey and the late Doris Cargill; my mother Mizpah Cargill Carey; my sister Tonika Carey; and cultural ambassador Arlene Nash Ferguson.

“Throughout my childhood, my grandmothers were the most nurturing beings. They were the definition of hospitality and had such an authentic warmth that made everyone feel like family. They had strong characters and faced every challenge with faith instead of fear. That is a lesson I try to take with me each day.

“I have to honour my mother who is an entrepreneur and fashion designer. She set a strong foundation for me with her grace, work ethic, and keen attention to detail. She is always the one that you look to for advice because her opinion is the gold seal. I honour my sister, who is not only my business partner but also a creative genius and world-class fashion designer. From Canada, to New York, to Italy and now home, she has honed her craft and I’m excited about the future impact she will make.

“At work, I honour educators and cultural ambassadors like Arlene Nash Ferguson whose enthusiasm and passion for our culture motivates me. All of these women have accomplished so much in their own right but what I admire most is the depth of their characters and I am inspired by them every day.”