December 2-5, 2019
I’ll be heading back to Coterie Retreat in December to speak on The State of the Wedding Industry for 2020. I'll be sharing where the global wedding industry is headed not only in the new year, but in the new decade. So much has changed since I published The State of the Wedding Industry for 2019 this past January, and we're in for some even bigger changes ahead.
The Coterie Retreat is a wedding conference produced by Jackie and Chike Nwobu, founders of Munaluchi Bride, a wedding magazine focused on the multicultural market (you can join their 302k+ followers on Instagram here). This year the Coterie Retreat is being held in partnership with the government of the Bahamas on December 2nd-5th.
The conference is attended by wedding professionals from around the world who work in the Premium (wedding budgets of $31k-95k), Luxury (budgets of $96k-$500k), and Ultra Luxury (budgets of $500k+) markets. It’s become one of my favorite events because it’s educational, fun, unpretentious, non-cliquey, and a great way to wrap up the year refreshed and recharged.
Sheila C. Johnson, the first African-American female billionaire
The keynote speaker for Coterie Retreat this year is Sheila Johnson, the first African-American female billionaire (yep – even before Oprah!). Sheila is the founder and CEO of the luxury Salamander Hotels and Resorts. She is also a co-founder of a venture capital firm investing in female entrepreneurs, a founding partner of Black Entertainment Television, and is an owner of the NHL's Washington Capitals, the NBA''s Washington Wizards, and the WNBA's Washington Mystics. Honestly, that's just scratching the surface of her work and accomplishments. i’m looking forward to hearing from this successful, hands-on serial entrepreneur and philanthropist.
Attendees will also hear from James Beard Award-winning executive chef at Kith/Kin in Washington DC and Top Chef contestant Kwame Onwuachi, celebrity makeup artist and founder of her eponymous cosmetics line Danessa Myricks, clinical psychologist Dr. Vidal Annan Jr, and more. Jackie and Chike have stacked the speaker list with true experts, and I cannot wait to take in all the sessions.
Preston Bailey on the cover of the Fall/Winter 2011 issue of Munaluchi Bride
In addition, celebrity event designer and industry icon Preston Bailey will be honored at the Coterie Retreat Awards Gala on the evening of December 4th. Preston has collaborated with Jackie and Chike several times and was the keynote speaker at the 2017 Coterie Retreat in Johannesburg, South Africa.
You can learn more about the Coterie Retreat and register here.
