Relative to the EXPO...Notice Time Warner at the end. Neal
November 5, 2004 -- Big companies are hoping to marry their brands to gays and lesbians this weekend — about 20,000 of them.
In the first days after the presidential election — in which gay marriage proved to be a pivotal issue — the nation's biggest exposition on homosexual life is setting attendance records.
Booths for exhibitors are also sold out for the first time at the Javits Center, which since 1999 has hosted Gay Life Expo, one of the center's liveliest trade shows.
Companies ranging from Citigroup and American Express to Jet Blue and J.P. Morgan Chase are hawking their offerings to the crowds, described by organizers as brand-loyal big spenders who are hard to please.
"Visitors at the Expo earn an average $93,748 — that's about double the national average," said Steven Levenberg, chief operating officer of Consolidated Management Associates, a trade show firm that stages Gay Life Expo each year in three big markets — Los Angeles, Miami Beach and New York City.
"Companies are here just to reach everyone on a personal level. When exhibitors see gays and lesbians, they don't see politics; they see dollars. It's good business."
Levenberg noted that yesterday's election statistics showed that 24 percent of gay and lesbian voters cast ballots for President Bush, indicating a diverse social profile among gays.
"We know that at least 24 percent of them are in the conservative establishment, and probably align with the rich," he said.
While crowds roam colorful exhibits spread over a space the size of nearly two football fields, other pavilions offer more off-beat fare.
Several special-interest pavilions address social issues as: counseling for gay marriages; gay wedding planners; adoption of abused pets; health care, and family planning, including information on sperm banks and in vitro fertilization programs.
A full-sized live stage at the expo, running Saturday and Sunday, will have shows every few hours, including variety acts, drag shows, political satires, comedy and musical acts.
"You can assume there'll be some entertainment acts that are quite relevant to our latest headlines," said Levenberg.
But he said the more than 250 commercial exhibitors have made plans to steer clear of any political controversies. There will be plenty of booze and food samples, however.
"They want business, not problems," he said, adding that attendance at the show is up 25 percent from a year earlier.
"Other trade shows are flat or shrinking, but we've been up steadily for five years. This is our best ever year."
Exhibitors come from across the spectrum, including Met Life, the New York Police Department, Orbitz.com, Lufthansa Airlines, Jean Paul Gaultier, Macy's, Time Warner, Tupperware and Tylenol.
