Michelle Lewis was born and raised in the City of Wilmington, Delaware. She is a Mother and a new Grandma. A woman who wears many hats, she is the CEO of Dream Vacation by Shell, Delaware Caribbean Events & Refer Me Socially. She is also the administrative assistant for Richard Blackwell at Blackwell 360 Entertainment, a recipient of the Delaware Black Awards.
For the past 15 years, Michelle has found inspiration, pleasure, and reward spiritually, by helping others with Small Business Start-ups, Travel Services (Tourism real Estate, & Medical services), Entertainment Services, as well as Marketing and Promotion. She started ‘Dream Vacation by Shell’ in 2015, ‘Refer Me Socially’ in 2018, and with her knowledge and passion for travel, music, and nightlife, in 2021, she bridged all three together and established Delaware Caribbean Events.
“Many people of different ethnicities need help with spreading the word about their products and services and don’t know where to start, so my goal was to be able to assist people of all financial backgrounds with packages that would help them become successful while helping them gain the exposure they need,” says Michelle.
Delawareblack.com: What do you feel sets your business apart from others?
Michelle Lewis: What sets my businesses apart from others is that I am very passionate about what I do, so I give 120% every time when people come to me for travel services …and I provide more than just a hotel and a flight. We actually talk to our clients and find out what exactly would be their ‘Dream Vacation.’ These include details on nightlife, concerts, and family events including destination weddings, excursions, or even luxury vacations. My staff has all tools required to ensure it’s a memorable vacation experience from our full-service agency. We even have on-call services to help our clients in some Caribbean islands to make sure they return safely from their trip.
DB: Tell us more about Refer Me Socially.
ML: When it comes to Refer Me Socially, through our relationships, marketing, and advertising, we have built a very strong referral database with listings from A-to-Z. When people are looking for someone who can help via referral, we personally know the people who provide the services, and they subscribe to Refer Me Socially’s referral database for continuous exposure. Our clients believe in our work ethic which is why we have been successful.
DB: What was the idea around creating Delaware Caribbean Events
ML: Delaware Caribbean Events is actually recognized as a one-stop shop. We are able to create flyers for client events and assist them with acquiring services such as bartenders, hookahs, venues, security, and more.
Inside and outside of Delaware, we promote a lot of Caribbean concerts and group trips along with ‘Dream Vacation by Shell.’ We are very innovative when it comes to social media, marketing, and advertising in today’s society. Previously, I had a talk show on Facebook Live called Thursday’s Night Cap, in which I discussed real-life issues in the Black & Caribbean community, from sex to parenting … no topic was off limits. We had a platform of over 4k people who tuned in faithfully every Thursday Night, so that’s what actually gave me the push to take marketing and advertising more seriously in the Urban and Caribbean Community. We offered paid ads to those who wanted exposure and to support the show. So ideally, we do way more than just throw parties at Delaware Caribbean Events.
DB: What upcoming projects or events do you have planned for 2023?
ML: I am looking forward to the return of our Delaware 2nd Annual Hammock Festival in August 2023. Last year’s event was hosted at Fort Christina park next to Kalmar Nyckel foundation, sponsored by all three of my companies, our staff, and a few local Nonprofits.
DB: How well do you feel your events and services are received by the Delaware community?
ML: What I find challenging in Delaware is that you have to work extra hard to get acknowledgment from the community when it comes to events that aren’t parties. The Hammock Festival, for it to be our first event in Wilmington … it was a total success. We are really looking forward to 2023’s lineup, and are already working with local musicians, and DJs that I’ve worked with us over time, they all use Refer Me Socially to make flyers or advertise their music or events.
DB: Are there any Dream Vacations coming up? How has COVID-19 affected travel and group trips?
ML: We have some group trips lined up for 2023 which are posted on my Instagram and Facebook pages. I would say my biggest challenge as a Travel Agent, started in 2020 with Covid-19 stopping most travel, which is one of my main lines of income. But there was a blessing behind the pandemic, it allowed me to focus more on Delaware and what was needed locally. Refer Me Socially and Delaware Caribbean Events created income for me here in Delaware and the Tri-State area where our services were needed.
Follow Michelle Lewis
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelwithshellz/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meshelllewis
Website: Www.DreamVacationbyShell.com
Refer Me Socially
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReferMeSocially
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/refermesocially/
Delaware Caribbean Events
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071241880342