LGBT MPA's First Workshops + Network Event
In conjunction with CMI's 18th Conference on LGBT Tourism & Hospitality
November 2, 2017
Park Central San Francisco, A Starwood Hotel
50 3rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
LGBT MPA's First Workshops + Network Event
The LGBT Meeting Professionals Association is excited to be hosting their first workshops and network event this November in conjunction with Community Marketing & Insights' 18th Conference on LGBT Tourism and Hospitality. Don't miss our first assembly for market education, networking and fun! Full details below.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
LGBT MPA's Executive Director Attending IGLTA Global Convention
IGLTA Global Convention
Media Networking
The Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club
Friday, May 5th, 2017
3:30 - 5:30PM
Thursday, April 13, 2017
Congratulations to PHL Diversity, DVLF's 2017 Business Hero
About PHL Diversity
PHL Diversity (a business development division of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau) - PHL Diversity, formerly the Philadelphia Multicultural Affairs Congress (MAC), was founded in 1987 as a division of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau to help attract more multicultural visitors to the city. Now, PHL Diversity continues to work to increase Philadelphia's share of the multicultural meetings and tourism markets. PHL Diversity maximizes opportunities for the region by promoting Philadelphia as an ethically diverse visitor destination. By encouraging multicultural business and social responsibility, PHL Diversity helps the city's varying multicultural communities benefit from the hospitality and tourism industries. In the past year, PHL Diversity has shown a commitment to the LGBT community and has brought the National LGBTQ Task Force; Out and Equal; the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association; and the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association all to Philadelphia.
About HEROES
HEROES was started 11 years ago to honor individuals whose work and leadership advance the rights of the LGBT community. Through the nomination process we seek to identify youth, adults, non-profits, straight-allies & businesses who have bold ideas, act with selfless intention, are admired for their integrity, and are regarded as courageous in advancing the equality of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, & transgender community in the Delaware Valley and beyond. DVLF honors these Heroes annually in celebration of their character & in encouragement of others to act heroically.
Source: https://www.dvlf.org/heroes
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Newly Released Handbook of LGBT Tourism & Hospitality
To research this book, the authors traveled to six continents, interviewed nearly a hundred industry experts, and analyzed multiple emerging trends among LGBT travelers. The Handbook of LGBT Tourism and Hospitality is an easy-to-read, practical, and relevant guidebook with a simple goal: to help marketing professionals, business owners, and allied professionals compete in the increasingly competitive global LGBT travel and hospitality industry.
Jeff Guaracino, author of the authoritative book Gay and Lesbian Tourism: The Essential Guide for Marketing (Elsevier, 2008), is a highly regarded expert in LGBT marketing, tourism, and large-scale events. His groundbreaking work in Philadelphia catapulted the destination into the Top 10 most-visited U.S. cities by LGBT travelers. He led the Atlantic City, NJ tourism industry through the seaside resort's most turbulent tourism period, and in 2016 he became president and CEO of Welcome America, Inc., which seeks to enhance Philadelphia's image among travelers and to attract more visitors to the city.
Ed Salvato is Chief Content Officer for ManAboutWorld, the world's number one digital gay travel magazine for smart phones and tablets. He was previously Editor-in-Chief of Out Traveler and Out & About, the first gay consumer-based electronic newsletter, and other major LGBT travel content platforms. He serves as the treasurer on the Board of Directors of the IGLTA (International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association). He also assembles and moderates LGBT panels annually at the New York Times Travel Show and other travel shows around the country.
Order your copy here: http://harringtonparkpress.com/lgbt-tourism-hospitality/about-the-authors/
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Wednesday SM Webcast “Including the Rainbow - Planning the LGBT-Friendly Event” featuring LGBT MPA board member Jim Clapes
Jim Clapes, Conference and Event Manager for
the Drug Policy Alliance and board member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgendered Meeting Professional's Association (LGBT MPA) will be sharing his
experience planning LGBT inclusive events for non-profit and mainstream
business sectors. He’ll be part of the Q&A at the end of the webcast.
Including the Rainbow — Planning the
LGBT-Friendly Event
The LGBT event is a growing niche in the
meetings industry. Destinations around the country are developing programs and
marketing strategies to reach and serve this market. Most meetings do not
specifically focus on LGBT issues but almost all meetings include attendees who
are a part of the LGBT community. How should this fact be reflected in the
content of mainstream meetings and events? This webcast will present best
practices for building itineraries, creating content, promoting, and executing
meetings and events that create a spirit of inclusion for all attendees. The
webinar will be followed by a Q&A for the webcast attendees.
Webinar Details:
Wednesday, March 22, 2017 2-3 pm ET.
More about Jim Clapes
Jim has thirteen years of experience in
meeting and event management. As Conference & Events Manager at the Drug
Policy Alliance (DPA), Jim runs the International Drug Policy Reform
Conference, staff retreats and other meetings. Previously with U.S. Green
Building Council he spearheaded the Greenbuild International Conference &
Expo. As Events Director for the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
in Washington, D.C., Jim planned the organization’s two annual flagship events.
Jim is a founding board member of the LGBT
MPA. He’s committed to the professional advancement of the next generation of
meeting professionals. Jim has a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the
University of California, Santa Cruz.
About LGBT MPA
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered
Meeting Professional's Association https://www.lgbtmeetingplanner.com) is an organization serving the meeting professional community to
provide the ideal network for the advancement and growth of our members in the
industry.
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
LGBT Meeting Professionals Association Announces Advisory Board
Executives Commit to Providing Solid Base for New Association
The LGBT Meeting Professionals Association (LGBTMPA) has announced the creation of its advisory board. The board of experienced professionals met in Las Vegas and committed to the organization’s goals including the first annual conference; developing the organization’s education and certificate programs and launching the first bi-directional mentoring initiative in the meeting planners profession.
The Bi-directional Mentoring Initiative is the direct result of the organization’s early meetings. New Millennial and GenX meeting planners requested mentoring from experienced professionals and the experienced meeting planners (boomers) are looking for their expertise in social media and mobile marketing techniques.
“The association’s major goal is professional development for all of its members,” said David Jefferys, Executive Director of LGBTMPA. “Top executives in this industry control large budgets and staffs and plan meetings and conferences worldwide. Like any industry these top professionals have a tremendous amount of experience, knowledge and networks to share.”
“This group of professionals is ready to participate,” added Jefferys. “The Advisory Board has agreed to an on-demand mentoring program and the members of this new organization have already started to sponsor networking events at upcoming conferences.”
First Networking Event:
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Learn more about LGBTMPA during the LGBT Reception at the Professional Convention Management Association sponsored by Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau. The meeting is being held at the Austin House (310 E. Third St., Austin, TX) from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.
http://www.evite.com/event/000657RLZGYT3ILPCEPGZRFXTCPKA4/rsvp
The LGBTAMPA Advisory Board:
• David Jefferys, Executive Director, LGBTMPA
• Seth Eaker, Development and Outreach, LGBTMPA
• Jeff Canham, Partner, Prestige Global Meeting Source
• Jim Clapes, Conference & Events Manager, Drug Policy Alliance
• James Delmar, National Accounts Manager, PHLCVB
• Greg Deshields, Executive Director, PHL Diversity
• Cory Fransway, Director Strategic Accounts, Experient
• Jim McMichael, Diversity and Cultural Manager, Las Vegas CVA
• Gary Murakami, Director Global Sales, MGM Resorts International
• Tom Roth, President, Community Marketing Inc.
• Matt Skallerud, President, Pink Banana Media
Membership for LGBT professionals is free. To join the organization visit our site www.lgbtmpa.com
More about LGBTMPA
The LGBTA Meeting Professionals (LGBTMPA) is the first association for this industry group. Statistically, there are an estimated 100,000 meeting professionals currently practicing in the United States. LGTPMPA predicts 8,000 to 12,000 of this LGBT professionals working in the field.
The LBGMPA was founded in August 2016 by Dave Jefferys, president and CEO of the Altus Agency, a Philadelphia-based marketing enterprise firm specializing in LGBT travel and other members of the current advisory board.
Contact Information:
David Jefferys, Executive Director
LGBT Meeting Professionals Association
dave@lgbtmpa.com
Monday, November 28, 2016
LGBTMPA Interviews Matt Skallerud of Pink Banana Media
LGBTMPA: So what were some of your initial first steps in assisting the LGBTMPA with its social media presence?
MJS: Nearly all of our clients start by having a presence on Facebook as their first step in creating their social media presence online. Facebook has made it incredibly easy to create, as well as build out in terms of photos, description and links. The problem is that its so easy that everyone does it... that, combined with the fact that Facebook has made business page postings nearly non-existent in a person's News Feed means that unless you're doing hyper-targeted, paid advertising with Facebook, it's hard to stand out and get your message noticed.
We did some research and found that the meeting and event planners were strong on LinkedIn. So we helped them to create both a LinkedIn group and a LinkedIn company page. We also ensured they had @LGBTMPA covered on Twitter as well. As things progress and we get some good photos and short-form videos from upcoming events, we'll focus on an Instagram and YouTube as next logical steps.
LGBTMPA: You mentioned hyper-targeted, paid advertising on Facebook. Can you elaborate?
MJS: Yes! So while Facebook makes organic (free) business posts difficult to find, it has made a paid, sponsored post stand out nicely in the News Feed. The trick is to make sure you are targeting your EXACT demographic. We've had clients come to us and say "I've tried Facebook advertising, but it didn't work... I reached thousands of gays & lesbians and had virtually no performance whatsoever!" So my first question is "who did you target?" It turns out 9 times out of 10, it was simply an LGBT audience, and that's just not going to work! You need to be more specific and targeted than that.
Once upon a time, that strategy probably made sense when our choices were just LGBT media versus traditional media. With the growth of online targeting, advertisers were ecstatic that they had new opportunities to target a more focused niche audience within the LGBT community, such as travel, health or sports. But with Facebook's hyper-targeting capabilities, an advertiser can now reach much more effectively their "exact" target demographic, sometimes in multiple ways which can be A/B tested to see which strategies are the most effective.
LGBTMPA: So what else has worked for promoting the LGBTMPA online?
MJS: We've also had some strong success in monitoring any and all articles related to the meeting and event planning world, but with an LGBT perspective. We take these articles and broadcast them through the LGBTMPA network, thereby putting the association at the center of these conversations and positioning the LGBTMPA as a thought leader in the LGBT Meeting Professionals world. By including articles and content specific to the LGBTMPA as well, including these interviews and this blog, help the LGBTMPA to build up its credibility and online membership base over time. We make sure to include relevant hashtags related both to the article being posted, as well as meeting and event planning in general, such as #meetingplanners and #eventplanners.
Over time, the LGBTMPA's social media presence grows, and all of this activity becomes indexed in Google, Yahoo and Bing search, helping to ensure that no matter where someone is looking for information related to the world of LGBT meeting and event planners, the LGBTMPA will be there as the most relevant source for information, news and content for this community.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)