IGLTA: Countdown to Convention. Part 5 of a Six Part Series
“If it were not for guests all houses would be graves.” Kahlil Gibran
With less than one week remaining until the start of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association’s (IGLTA) 28th Annual Convention, called “Unleashed,” Greater Fort Lauderdale’s LGBT-owned businesses are putting their final touches together in preparation for what is hoped to be a successful event, one that will pay dividends long after the attendees have returned to their respective cities and countries.
While many business owners are aware that the impact to their bottom lines may not be felt until sometime in the future – Realtors®, for example, who may reap the rewards through rental lease agreements and the prospect of future sales – food service and hospitality businesses are hoping for the immediate returns that a successful, well-attended convention and its collateral events will engender.
The dual goals of this sort of short-term/long-range strategy require the dexterity of a goat navigating a treacherously narrow mountain path. While the delegates to the IGLTA Convention and their guests attend lectures
and seminars, bar and restaurant owners will be planning for the weekend of May 13 through 15, when the largest number of visitors will be flowing into their establishments.
“Every business, whether specifically involved in this event or not, will realize some benefits from this convention,” insists Ken Kelley, co-owner of Scandals Saloon and The Stable. “This is a most unique opportunity for all of us to showcase our city and our diversity.”
The Rainbow Business Coalition (RBC) of Greater Fort Lauderdale has led the charge in making preparations for one of the largest planned events of the convention, the Friday May 13 Consumer Trade Show and Concert, both of which will be held at Hagen Park in Wilton Manors.
The Trade Show – a highlight of IGLTA’s 27 past global Conventions – is an opportunity for the delegates to promote their businesses to Greater Fort Lauderdale’s LGBT community.
According to John Tanzella, President and CEO of IGLTA, “this year’s travel-themed Consumer Trade Show is particularly dynamic thanks to the support of the RBC, which joined forces with IGLTA to produce the free expo in the heart of Wilton Manors.”
Beginning at 6 p.m., residents and visitors will interact with IGLTA members from Brazil, Germany, Argentina, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Spain, Canada, Peru, South Africa, Australia and other countries, representing a variety of travel-related industries, including tour operators, hoteliers, destination resorts and communities, airlines and travel agents.
The organizers had originally planned a Parade of Flags on Wilton Drive, but the logistics of closing down the city’s main thoroughfare and getting the delegates to and from their expo booths was considered too time-consuming, so the decision was made to concentrate on producing the most successful expo possible. Immediately following the Trade Show, attendees will be treated to a free concert by Billboard recording artist Kristine W. That performance is expected to begin at 10 p.m., and has been underwritten in its entirety by Jackson Padgett and Mark Negrete, owners of Georgie’s Alibi and Bill’s.
Says Padgett: “It is my hope that we can show the IGLTA that we are a united community that strives to be kind, welcoming, compassionate, empathic and generous to all.”
Gay-owned bars and restaurants throughout Greater Fort Lauderdale are anticipating new guests who they hope to turn into friends, and potential returning patrons.
“I hope our visitors go back home only to recommend to their clients and colleagues to visit one of Fort Lauderdale’s most unique gay sports bars,” says Jennifer Morales, Director of Marketing at Sidelines Sports Bar in Wilton Manors. “Sidelines will do our very best to welcome the IGLTA delegates and we hope our loyal customers also come out during this time to meet new friends and enjoy the diversity we all enjoy as gay men and women,” she adds.
With so many businesses competing for a narrow market share, there has been no shortage of naysayers and critics pointing to the difficulties of bringing so many owners, and their divergent agendas, to the table for a common purpose.
“Over the years, there have been a number of attempts to unite businesses to reach a common goal,” notes Scandals’ Kelley. “That goal, of course, is for all of us to achieve the maximum success for our business. Those attempts have not been successful until the RBC. While we still have a way to go to truly be united, the RBC has made tremendous strides in bringing us all together.”
“The RBC was established to do just that,” agrees Padgett. “Open up communications between our community businesses in hopes to unite them, rather than allow the persistent separation by rumor and innuendo designed to do nothing but create a divided community and fuel hate and pain.”
Does this mean that the Age of Miracles has arrived in the gayborhood? Offers Kelley: “The fact that a group of bar owners will sit in the same room and discuss how we can all work together for our common good is quite remarkable.”