Growing Organization Attracts Industry Experts
The LGBT Meeting Professionals Association (LGBT MPA) announces Alexis Dinyovszky and Richard Gray are new members of their board of directors. Dinyovszky is the President of the Board of Directors for the Southern Comfort (SoCo) Conference Organization and Gray is the Managing Director for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. Both executives bring years of experience in the LGBT professional community.
In addition to her current position at the Southern Comfort Transgender Empowerment Conference, Dinyovszky consults with the CVB of Broward County on travel issues affecting the transgender community. With over 10 years of experience in event planning, she is currently Chairman of TGV Holidays, LLC, a booking agent for ocean cruises and travel. Dinyovszky is a transgender woman politically active in her home state of North Carolina.
“I am excited to represent the transgender meeting professionals in this new association,” said Dinyovszky. “The LGBT MPA is an important entity for all event planners and I am looking forward to sharing my professional experience with the growing membership.”
With an annual LGBTQ budget of over $1 million, Gray’s work at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau brings more than 1.5 million LGBT travelers to South Florida annually who spend $1.5 billion. He is an active Board Member of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association and was named as a Trailblazer and one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in the Meeting Industry (Meeting Planner Mag. 2016). Gray was also most recently honored by Q-Digital for his commitment to Transgender tourism.
“I am most proud that Greater Fort Lauderdale continues to be a global leader in the LGBTQ platform and that we are the LGBTQ capital of Florida. Becoming the first destination in the world to use Transgender models in our new mainstream campaign says who we are as a destination – cosmopolitan, edgy, diverse, inclusive, authentic and accepting. We want all travelers to Greater Fort Lauderdale to be free to be themselves, be free to be accepted, and most of all feel safe and respected,” says Richard Gray.
“We are gathering momentum every day. The association was founded in August of 2016 and today we have over 500 members, an active, committed board and a conference scheduled for November,” said David Jefferys, Executive Director and Founder of the LGBT Meeting Professionals Association. “I am pleased to welcome Richard and Alexis as our newest board members. Their leadership skills, professional experience and commitment to inclusivity embody the mission of our new organization.”
About the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Meeting Professional’s Association (LGBT MPA)
The LGBT MPA (www.lgbtmpa.com) is the first and only organization solely committed to the professional advancement of LGBT meeting professionals. The LGBT MPA advisory board have years of experience and are devoted to networking, educating and mentoring to develop successful business leaders who continue the work of promoting the essential elements of inclusivity and diversity throughout the profession.
The LGBT MPA was founded in August 2016 by David Jefferys, President and CEO of the Altus Agency, a Philadelphia-based marketing enterprise firm specializing in LGBT travel, and is supported by the current advisory board.
Membership for LGBT Meeting Professionals is free. To join the organization, visit our site www.lgbtmpa.com.