Nenna Joiner will be one of the many VIP Speakers presenting at the 2011 Black Pride Celebration hosted by DFW Pride Movement on Sept. 29 through Oct. 2 at the Marriott Hotel. Joiner is the owner of Feelmore510, a progressive retail establishment located in Oakland, Cali. that offers traditional and innovative adult products.

Joiner will sit on the panel for the workshop, HIV Through the Looking Glass, giving her input on the safety concerns of HIV/AIDS and the adult industry from behind the cameras.  Joiner hopes her story will encourage other young entrepreneurs to follow their dreams regardless of what it looks like.

“We are born to change a life,” says Joiner. “I heard anything is big in Texas, so show me!”

This year, lesbian party promoters are coming together to lead the Dallas nightlife events for the women.

Chas Martin, owner of Urban LEZ Dallas Ent., Sophistikated Friday’s, We Upscale Ent, and Chase Martin Productions, believes the 2011 Black Pride Celebration will be another awesome weekend filled with unity while uplifting the cultural and social experiences of the DFW area.

Martin is looking forward to Joiner’s presentation during the workshop portion of the weekend.

“I feel like Nenna is doing her thing,” says Martin. “She is a great asset to this year’s Pride, to show our women (the masculine women of the community), that you can have your own business and be successful.”

Eli Spencer, of Off The Leash Entertainment states that the celebration will be educational with all the seminars and entertaining with a variation of parties throughout the city.

DFW Senators’ Kay Spain mentions, “The weekend is a celebration of acceptance. Acceptance of who you are, who you will become and the struggles that you have overcame in this life style.”

So who will host the best event Dallas’ LGBT community has seen? According to the promoters, they all will!

“This year I am collaborating with some other well-known Dallas female promoters [listed in this press release] for one big party. It will be the party you don’t want to miss,” exclaims Spencer.

For more information on all 2011 Black Pride Celebration events, please visit www.dfwpridemovement.org for a complete list of weekend events and workshops.

As many of you know, the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) held its annual conference in Dallas earlier this month. PCMA’s widely attended conferences provide those in the convention planning industry with a fabulous education and networking opportunity.

For Dallas, it provided the city with an opportune chance to showcase the many venues, accommodations and entertainment options that make Dallas the ideal destination for meetings, conventions, conferences and trade shows of all sizes. As The Dallas Morning News said, “Future business worth millions of dollars is on the line.”

Overall, PCMA Dallas was a huge success. More than 3,000 members of the organization experienced Dallas firsthand. Even LGBT and LGBT-friendly members experienced Dallas’ nightlife with PCMA Meet Out, an event held at The Round-up Saloon on Cedar Springs. Jay Marsh, director of national accounts for the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau (Dallas CVB), organized PCMA Meet Out and was very pleased with the event and how it showcased Dallas’ popular Cedar Springs strip.

PCMA Dallas inspired the Dallas CVB to create yet another entertaining video titled “One More Thing”. The video features many familiar faces (and some unfamiliar moves) that celebrate how fortunate we are to be living large and thinking big. We have many reasons for meeting planners and convention managers to host their events here, and for visitors to stay here.

How does this relate to the LGBT community? Since the Dallas CVB first began its LGBT convention business in the fall of 2003, more than 32 LGBT conventions and events have been booked with a total economic value of more $37 million! One of said conventions is the National Conference on LGBT Equality coming up in early February.

Just a few of those “one more things” that visitors experience when coming to Dallas include: Two big airports; central location; several large convention hotels; highly-rated convention center; great weather most of the year; five professional sports teams and plenty of recreational sports; scores of fabulous restaurants; terrific shopping; and hospitality.

Take a look at the video below. What would your “one more thing” include?

Did you know that Dallas is the perfect destination for meetings and conventions of any size? If you didn’t, then consider yourself informed. Since the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau first began its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) convention business in the fall of 2003, more than 32 LGBT conventions and events have been booked with a total economic value of more $37 million.

One of said conventions is the National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change. Coming to Dallas this February and organized by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Creating Change Conference is the largest political, leadership and skills-building conference in the U.S. In the 22 years the conference has been held, Creating Change continues to provide thousands of people with an avenue to learn about what’s going on in the national LGBT community and what more can be done to inspire positive moment for justice and equality.

Each year, between two to three thousand people from across the nation and around the world attend the Creating Change Conference. As diverse as our community, the demographic of attendees range in age, background, political and religious beliefs, sexual preference, and just about anything else you can think of. In fact, the demographic of those who attend is quite fitting for the goal of the conference—creating justice and equality for all.

Aside from a diverse lineup of speakers that include Thomas A. Saenz (Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund), Kai Wright (TheRoot.com) and Rea Carey (National Gay and Lesbian Task Force), the conference will also have many breakout sessions and workshops that cover a broad and diverse range of topics. From religion to sexuality, health to job hunting, there is workshop of interest for nearly everyone who attends. Click here to see the final workshop session list.

The Creating Change Conference will be held in Dallas February 3-7, 2010 at the Sheraton Dallas in downtown Dallas. This event is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the changes and progress taking place in the LGBT movement, and what you can do to advance our cause. For more information on the conference and the Nation Gay and Lesbian Task Force, please visit their Web site at http://www.thetaskforce.org.

Dallas is truly a great place that offers much to see and do. For more information on planning a meeting, convention or conference in the “Big D”, please contact us!