PALM SPRINGS BUREAU OF TOURISM

Palm Springs – Sunshine Guaranteed.

Few places on earth can compete with sunny Palm Springs, California when it comes to perennially warm weather, nearly constant sunshine (over 330 days a year!), spectacular natural beauty, and world-class dining, shopping, golf, and tennis. Likewise, the city has few peers when it comes to embracing diversity. To say Palm Springs is gay-friendly is the epitome of an understatement. In fact, it’s safe to say there are few places in the world where gay travelers will feel as much at home as in Palm Springs. The graciousness and hospitality of the community is apparent from the moment you arrive. Here, more than anywhere else, gay men and women of all ages, cultures and backgrounds can gather for meetings, conventions, celebrations, or just to relax and play in the warm California sun!.

It is estimated that somewhere between 40 and 45 percent of the permanent population of Palm Springs is gay and/or lesbian. The LGBT community is represented at practically every level of city government (including the mayor and two City City Council members), is both active and visible in the local business community, and is actively supported by the entire community. Palm Springs was one of the first California communities to approve and implement a domestic partnership registry for its residents, and is home to America’s first and only Gay Veterans’ Memorial. The town is also home to the PRIDE Nation Network - one of the nation’s first gay radio, television, and webcasting companies, and nearly 40 gay and lesbian specific resorts/guesthouses, plus a plethora of gay-owned businesses, bars, restaurants and shops.

Palm Springs has also become a favorite destination for LGBT meetings, conventions and special events. And why not? What better way to encourage attendance than to hold an event in Palm Springs – America’s Great Gay Oasis. And speaking of Oases. The Palm Springs Convention Center is also known as the city’s Meeting Oasis. Recently expanded, the Palm Springs Convention Center is a spectacularly beautiful facility set just two blocks from the heart of downtown Palm Springs. It is also home to Jeffrey Sanker’s WHITE Party, the annual Dinah Shore Weekend, annual benefits for the Desert AIDS Project, EQUALITY California, the Palm Springs International Film Festival Gala, and a wide variety of other LGBT meetings, functions and events throughout the year.

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, who first settled the area that is now Palm Springs, named the area "la palma de la mano de Dios," which means the palm of God's Hand. After a visit to America’s Great Gay Oasis you will likely agree that Palm Springs is indeed blessed … with great weather, stunning mountain views, and a community that is about as welcoming as they come.

Links

www.palm-springs.org
www.palmspringscc.com
www.palmspringsgayinfo.com
www.gaytravelpalmsprings.com
www.gogaysocal.com
www.jeffreysanker.com
www.thedinah.com
www.dinahshoreweekend.com
www.desertpridecenter.org
www.dbaps.com

Groups Hosted

Hot and Dry (Gay AA), Baseball, National Gay Pilots Ass’n, International Gay Rodeo Association, Gay Bridge Tournament, Gay Tennis Tournament, International Royal Court System, Dinah Shore Weekend and Jeffrey Sanker’s White Party.

Convention Center Contact

Rick Leson, CMP
Director of Sales
P: 760-322-8402
F: 760-322-6921
email: rleson@palmspringscc.com
To submit an RFP, go to: http://www.palmspringscc.com/site_rfp_form.php

LGBT Organizations

Desert Gay Tourism Guild
Desert Business Association
IGLTA

Community Involvement (Donations and Local Support Links)

Greater Palm Springs PRIDE
Desert Gay Tourism Guild
Desert Business Association
Desert AIDS Project (Steve Chase Awards)
AIDS Assistance Program