Red Gala

The color red, whose positive connotation of being associated with courage, honor, success, passion, and love, has been chosen as the theme of the 8th Annual Gala Awards Celebration of the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce to be held Saturday, June 27th, at 6:30 pm, at the Symphony Ballroom of the Hilton Miami Downtown, 1601 Biscayne Boulevard.

Drawn from the historic rainbow flag, the generally acknowledged symbol of the Gay community, this year’s Red Gala will follow a tradition launched in 2007 with the inauguration of the Rainbow Gala whose message was diversity, and last year’s Green Gala that aggressively addressed the environmental issues which have now fully surfaced as a major threat to the civilized world.  Guests are being requested to embrace the theme by wearing something red in their attire.

Anticipating one of the largest turnouts in its 8-year history, MDGLCC’s president Steve Adkins envisions this year’s gala to be particularly significant in view of the organization’s achievements in growth and influence. “As membership continues to increase, we are experiencing many of our mission’s major goals, primarily in the thriving gay and gay-friendly business and professional community throughout Miami-Dade County,” said Adkins.

As a classic example of its mission, one of the distinguished local activists and business organizations scheduled to be honored is Tourism and Convention Director and Chief of Protocol for the City of Miami Beach, Michael Aller, internationally known as “Mr. Miami Beach.” Also to be individually awarded will be Jason Loeb, CEO of Sudsies Dry Cleaners, who will be honored with the AT&T-Business Person of the Year Award. Additional honorees include the Dade Community Foundation, Greater Miami’s permanent philanthropic endowment, which for more than 40 years has worked to strengthen our community through philanthropy and civic engagement. A nonprofit tax-exempt organization, the Foundation, will receive the Wachovia Bank-Not-For-Profit Organization of the Year Award. Scheduled to receive The Bacardi/Grey Goose-Business of the Year Award is the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), the sales and marketing organization for Greater Miami and the Beaches known internationally for providing the tourism industry information about beaches, events, clubs and accommodations. The Bureau is also a marketing partner with MDGLCC and markets to the LGBT community via the brand GoGayMiami.com.

Presenting sponsors of the “Red, Simply Red” Gala include American Airlines, AT& T, Bacardi/Grey Goose, Hilton Miami Downtown, Miami Herald and Wachovia Bank. Crimson sponsors include GMCVB, Tiffany & Co., and FVR Group. Tickets are priced at $1,500 for a VIP table of 10 (valet parking included) and $95 open seating (valet parking not included) and are available by calling 305-573-4000 or via mdglcc@bellsouth.net, or GoGayMiami.com.