March 4, 2016
Washington, D.C. — The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the business voice of the LGBT community, proudly announced that Palm Springs, California will host the 2016 NGLCC International Business & Leadership Conference. The 2016 conference is expected to convene more than 1000 LGBT and allied entrepreneurs, business owners, government & corporate representatives, and LGBT chamber leaders from across the country and around the globe. For the forth-consecutive year, American Airlines will be a presenting sponsor, and will be joined by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Southern California Edison (SCE) to present the largest LGBT business development event in the world.
“As with all NGLCC events, we are constantly shattering attendance records and delivering greater opportunities for LGBT business owners to thrive,” said Justin Nelson, NGLCC Co-Founder and President. “Palm Springs is one of the premiere entrepreneurial and entertainment destinations in the world, which makes it a perfect place to host a conference celebrating the innovative stars of the LGBT business community. We are honored to have such renowned corporations as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Southern California Edison, and American Airlines present the most-anticipated and exciting event on the business conference calendar in spectacular Palm Springs.”
“We cannot be any prouder than to help bring the world to Palm Springs next year, and to the nation’s largest gathering of LGBT business owners and entrepreneurs,” said Patrick Quayle, Managing Director Network and Fleet Strategy for American Airlines. “As longtime partners with the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, we are dedicated to doing all we can to building trusted connections and to expanding economic opportunities for all.”
The 2016 conference, hosted at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa, will invite attendees to 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.
“At Bristol-Myers Squibb, we recognize the importance of building trusted, strategic relationships with diverse businesses and understand the value those relationship bring to our mission to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases” said Farryn Melton, chief procurement officer, Bristol-Myers Squibb. “Our experiences with LGBT and other diverse businesses bring new ideas and new energy to our company that fuels our passion for supplier diversity and strengthens our value chain.”
“SCE joined the NGLCC to push for historic legislation that recognizes LGBT-owned businesses as diversity suppliers for utilities,” said Doug Bauder, SCE Chief Procurement Officer and Vice President Operational Services. “We are thrilled at this opportunity to highlight the many opportunities within the utilities industry available to the LGBT community.”
The 2015 NGLCC conference brought together over 800 business leaders at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Attendees heard from finance expert Suze Orman, CNN anchor Richard Quest and Washington Post columnist/CNBC contributor Jonathan Capehart, as well as many of the world’s top corporate and government leaders committed to LGBT business development and opportunity. The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, with the help of the Destination Marketing Association International, estimated the economic impact of NGLCC’s 2015 conference at $4 million dollars, and made a lasting impact on the region’s hospitality and tourism industry.
“In addition to the many LGBT and allied business owners residing in southern California, the NGLCC conference now attracts attendees from across the country and around the world,” said NGLCC Co-Founder and CEO Chance Mitchell. “It is a particular sweet homecoming for the NGLCC, which helped shape AB1678, the first-of-its-kind law that requires that public utilities in California extend to Certified LGBTBE® companies the same provisions currently granted to women-owned, ethnic minority-owned, and disabled veteran-owned businesses. Since passage of that law, NGLCC has helped cultivate a 200% increase in certified LGBTBE® companies in California; something we look forward to celebrating at the 2016 conference.”
Conference registration and information can be found at www.nglcc.org/nglcc16. Join the conversation about the 2016 International Business & Leadership Conference using #NGLCC16.
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The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce is the business voice of the LGBT community and is the largest global not-for-profit advocacy organization specifically dedicated to expanding economic opportunities and advancements for LGBT people. NGLCC is the exclusive certification body for LGBT-owned businesses. www.nglcc.org
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jonathan D. Lovitz
Vice President of External Affairs, NGLCC
jlovitz@nglcc.org | 954.695.5896
This press release can be viewed as a PDF here.
