In an attempt to better integrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community into event planning strategies in cities around the country, Altus Agency — a Philadelphia marketing firm — has created the LGBT Meeting Planners Association.
The organization has already noted to Sports Destination Management that "Sports is a growing segment of the market we also plan to address."
“I see a fragmented market searching for help, ideas and like-minded thinking,” Altus Agency’s David Jeffreys told Meetings and Conventions, which reports that the organization is for individuals and organizations that plan events for LGBT groups, as well as planners who are LGBT.
With the increasing proliferation of athletic opportunities for LGBT athletes — including August’s 2016 International Gay and Lesbian Football Association World Championship in Portland, Ore., and the 7th Annual International Gay Polo Tournament in Palm Beach, Florida, last spring — the opportunities to reach this market segment have never been greater.
In addition, last year, SDM noted that the USTA announced that the same-gender couples’ doubles tournament will now become a USTA National Championship event, and will become an annual part of the USTA’s adult competition tennis calendar moving forward.
The 2014 Gay Games, the world’s largest sporting and cultural event for LGBT athletes, artists and musicians, was held in Cleveland, Ohio, and no fewer than 13 U.S. cities expressed interest in hosting the 2022 Gay Games. The 2018 Gay Games will be held in Paris.
The rights of the LGBT community have been very much in the news lately as pertains to sports. Even the NBA, citing concerns about inclusivity, moved its All-Star Game for 2017 out of Charlotte, North Carolina and into New Orleans, Louisiana.
SDM, in an attempt to find out whether the organization planned to work with sports groups, called the LGBT Meeting Planners Association, but was unable to get an answer. An e-mail also went unreturned.
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