From August 11-14, over 800 LGBT and
allied entrepreneurs, business owners, corporate representatives and LGBT
chamber leaders from across the country and around the globe descended upon Ft.
Lauderdale Florida for the NGLCC International Business & Leadership Conference.
Attendees take part in three days of
symposia, panel discussions, development seminars and special events designed
to generate business opportunities and build strong relationships with
corporate champions and one another.
I was fortunate enough to be one of
those attendees along with GSBA President & CEO Louise Chernin and GSBA
Board members Drew Ness and Jenny Harding. GSBA is a founding member of the NGLCC and we have sent representatives
to this conference almost every year and even hosted it in Seattle in 2009.
We were not the only GSBA
representatives at the conference. Some of our small business members are very
active with NGLCC including George Pieper of OutSmart Office Solutions and
Elise Lindborg of ZippyDogs, both of whom are certified LGBT businesses. Both have been named Supplier of the Year by NGLCC, in 2012 and 2013,
respectively. It was great to see them around the conference and watch them in
action as they presented in breakout sessions, were matched with corporate
procurement officers to discuss potential business or exhibiting in the
marketplace.
Throughout the conference the breakout
sessions are categorized for the different types of attendees. One of these
tracts is for LGBT chamber leaders from across the country. Earlier this year,
I submitted a proposal, along with the Co-Founders of Travel Gay Canada, to
present one of these sessions on Tourism. Our proposal was accepted and along
the way we added an additional presenter: the President & Co-Founder of the
Argentina Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
Driving Economic Growth Through
Tourism
Tourism plays an important economic
driver for many communities and LGBTBEs. This session will highlight the
importance LGBT tourism can have on a community, and how local and
international LGBT Chambers of Commerce can work with their members, their
tourism industry, and their destination marketing organizations to create value
through increased visitation and tourism receipts. From the session,
participants will receive concrete takeaways that they can use to grow business
for their own Chambers, LGBTBEs, and communities.
I focused on what GSBA has been able
to accomplish in the LGBT Tourism realm, how we promote our members in this
industry and the successes and challenges of a Chamber-based Tourism
initiative. I was proud to highlight the
diverse and generous support we receive from our Tourism sponsors and I
emphasized the importance of creating strong partnerships with sponsors -- that
our Tourism sponsors offer so much more than just a signed check.
And speaking of checks, a major
highlight of the week was the $10,000 grant GSBA received from NGLCC and Wells
Fargo. GSBA was awarded a grant to increase our efforts around LGBTBE
certification. Read more about that here.
And on a personal note, in addition to
thoroughly enjoying my experience presenting at the conference, I was a giggly
fangirl for the keynote plenary on the 1st day of the conference. The one and
only Suze Orman told her story of being an out lesbian in the world of finance
and her rise to become one of the world’s leading authorities on the subject.
She also spent time answering questions from the audience, often with
no-hold-barred answers. Before she spoke, she took the time to pose for
selfies. This fangirl, unfortunately, did not make it to the front of the
ballroom fast enough. But it was such a thrill to hear her speak, I can
overlook the fact that I did not get to post a #SuzeSelfie.
