NSBWEP stands for the National Society of Black Wedding and Event Professionals and was created in the summer of 2019. Since the inception of the association, they now have over 135+ Black-owned businesses that represent the industry from the East Coast to the West Coast to include the Caribbean. Membership is based on each business owner passing mandatory credentials and having an exemplary business performance. By the end of 2022, the association is on track to include 300+ businesses! NSBWEP serves as a foundation for its members to build hope, opportunity, community, and more while creating change makers to thrive in this dynamic environment! In this episode of the podcast, Andy chats with Tara Melvin (founder and Creative Director of Perfect Planning Events and founder and President of NSBWEP), Brian Green (Chief Event Architect and creative visionary of By Brian Green LLC and Chairman of the Board of NSBWEP), and Marc Wilson (founder and creative director of The Style Marc and Vice President and founding member of NSBWEP). Tara – who has been in the wedding and events planning industry for nearly two decades - reveals that the NSBWEP arose out of the racial turmoil that we saw last year in 2020 such as the renewed wave of the Black Lives Matter movement and the death of George Floyd. She talks about the fact that the percentage of Black wedding event professionals being represented tends to be less than 1%, which made her want to create a space for more representation. Marc, who has been in the business for twenty-five years, personally felt that lack of representation in the industry which has made community so important to him in this organization. Tara, Brian, and Marc also talk about the educational programs that they have put in place and share the organization's goals in the future, such as how they want to expand their influence from twenty-three states to forty states and to Canada and even Europe. Andy is so excited about what NSBWEP is doing and respects and admires their mission so much. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you never miss an episode, and if you can think of at least three good friends who would benefit from listening to the podcast, share it with them! Andy would also appreciate a positive review wherever you listen to the podcast! Have you heard about the brand new show on The Wedding Biz Network, Stop and Smell the Roses with Preston Bailey? Listen as Preston shares the secrets, tools, and technologies behind his extraordinary ability to create a theatrical environment out of any space. Also, don't forget about Sean Low's podcast The Business of Being Creative, where Sean discusses the power of being niched, pricing strategies, metrics of success, and so much more. You can find both shows on The Wedding Biz Network.   SUPPORTING THE WEDDING BIZ Become a patron and support Andy and the show! If you are so inspired, contribute!   Time Stamps [0:56] – Andy announces the guests of this episode – Tara Melvin, Brian Green, and Marc Wilson of NSBWEP. [2:53] – Tara explains how the NSBWEP came about. [5:21] – Tara reflects on how she had to give a lot of strategic thought to who she would bring on to help her bring about NSBWEP. [6:32] – Brian reveals that NSBWEP is still the only wedding and events planning organization with the mission statement of representing Black wedding and event professionals. [7:25] – Marc touches upon community and how important it is to him. [9:15] – Tara shares some of NSBWEP's biggest accomplishments. [12:11] – We learn more about NSBWEP's mission and initiatives in place for the future. [13:02] – We hear about some of the industry icons that are allied with NSBWEP. [14:09] – Tara asserts that NSBWEP is for all Black wedding and event professionals regardless of how big or small their businesses are or where their businesses are located. [16:38] – We discover how we can learn more about and/or become members of NSBWEP. [18:06] – Andy offers more specifics abou