Ft. Lauderdale, Florida – June 19, 2007 – With the summer season already in swing, South Florida’s gay friendly lodging and hospitality organization, the Rainbow Alliance, is eager to get the message out that Ft. Lauderdale is one of the most popular gay destinations in North America. The 55+ member group is shifting gears to better facilitate a cooperative effort to represent and promote gay and gay friendly businesses to the prospective gay visitor.

With newly appointed members to its Board of Directors, the Rainbow Alliance will work toward becoming a leader in the hospitality and lodging industry by focusing their efforts on new strategies to build consumer awareness, maintain the strength of its membership base, and tap into the growing groups and events arena. To accomplish some of these goals, the Rainbow Alliance will continue to work closely with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. For the past eight years, the Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), in cooperation with the Rainbow Alliance has promoted Greater Fort Lauderdale in local, national and international gay media and publications. Now, over $400,000 has been earmarked in the upcoming year’s CVB budget to promote Fort Lauderdale as the premier gay destination in the United States.

In addition, the Tourist Development Council (TDC) of Broward County recently appointed Richard Gray, a member of the Rainbow Alliance’s Board of Directors, to a seat on the TDC. This much-sought-after position represents one of the highest positions in Broward County tourism. Richard was not only appointed to a seat on the TDC, but is also Co-Chair of the Marketing and Advertising Committee (MAC), which oversees the advertising expenditures of the Convention and Visitors Bureau. It is partly by means of this liaison that the Rainbow Alliance can better lead and guide the way to making Greater Fort Lauderdale and surrounding areas a wonderful place for gay men and women to come and play, work, live and retire in.

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If you’d like more information about the Rainbow Alliance, please contact either Jennifer Morales at (305) 519-1876 or e-mail to jennifer@sidelinessports.com or Roger Handevidt at (954) 566-5068 or e-mail to Orton@ortonterrace.com.