Following the success of the first PROUD Experiences taking place in London this week, the organizers, Reed Travel Exhibitions, have announced that NYC will be the host city for 2019 to coincide with the official commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising and the City hosting WorldPride. This will be the first time WorldPride has been held in the US.
PROUD Experiences 2019 will take place from 18-20 June 2019 at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge.
Speaking about the announcement, Fred Dixon President and CEO NYC & Company, the City’s official destination marketing organization, was in London to participate in the first PROUD Experiences event said:
“We are delighted to announce our partnership with PROUD for 2019, having been part of the very first event of its kind in London this week. With the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising and WorldPride both in June 2019, it is the perfect opportunity to bring the international travel community together in New York City to focus on the growing LGBTQ travel market and build awareness of how destinations, cities and brands are working towards a more inclusive travel landscape.
“As we commemorate this significant anniversary and celebrate the rich heritage of Pride, we couldn’t be more honored to host PROUD Experiences in our City too.”
Unveiling the new show logo and introducing the team behind PROUD, the organizers will be releasing more information about their plans for the 2019 event over the coming months.
“We consider NYC to be the perfect place for PROUD Experiences and believe that 2019 will also see even more participants. This model presented here in London is all about significant one-to-one appointments between buyers and suppliers whilst also engaging in a number of educational sessions that bring all of the debate about LGBTQ travel to the table. To keep the community spirit we also have parties and social events to bring everyone together, creating a spirit that we hope leads to significant business and long term engagement between everyone attending this week.” Said Simon Mayle, Event Director of PROUD Experiences.
The global value of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender travel market has continued to grow and is now worth over USD$211 billion in LGBT consumer spending per year.