Eight years ago, Robert Geller was living the corporate lifestyle. He was high-up in the ranks of The Melting Pot Corporation and was constantly on the go, developing new ideas and strategies for the restaurant chain.
But something was missing for the South Tampa resident.
“It was a good job, but where was the fun?” he asks. “There was nothing out there for gay men except for bars. I thought it would be great if there was an activities club that pooled gay people together in a variety of settings.”
So, the seeds of Outings & Adventures were spawned—but it took nearly six years before the club held its first meeting.
Geller found himself unemployed after The Melting Pot laid him off—so he decided the time was perfect to investigate what it took to create a social activities club for the LGBT community. His best resource: straight activities club.
“I visited their website and it had this vague calendar,” he says. “So I decided to go interview for membership. I learned it was really expensive, but I wanted to learn more.”
Geller avoided answering one of the club’s main questions about sexuality and eventually struck up a friendship with the woman who interviewed him.
“I told her I was gay and she immediately told me how well the company worked and how much money was to be made,” he says. “For me it’s not about money—and their plan was all about the cash. Outings & Adventures doesn’t operate that way.”
Geller’s group has free membership. The only time members pay anything is when they attend an activity. Today, the group schedules more than 10 activities a month for both gay men and lesbians and has more than 7,000 names on its membership roster.
Pink beginnings
Two years ago, Geller sat around a table with seven other gay men sipping cosmos before seeing the first Sex and the City film. He took that chance to ask the guys what activities they’d like to see.
“While sipping cosmos at Bennigan’s before the 12:01 a.m. screening of the movie, I took down their e-mail addresses and did an informal survey,” Geller laughs. “Now we have 7,200 e-mail addresses and anywhere from six to 175 people will show up at our events.”
Originally, Geller focused on gay men. He says he didn’t reach out to lesbians at first because he thought the territory had already been conquered by Suzanne Noe, founder of ProSuzy.
“Suzanne and I are great friends and when women would approach me and ask about events, I would tell them about ProSuzy,” he says. “But I kept getting e-mails from women asking to join us at events. So now we have men’s events, women’s events and events for everyone.”
The best gay life
The Outings & Adventures group has appeared throughout Tampa Bay and Central Florida with their distinctive white T-shirts sporting the O&A logo. The organization has taken advantage of attractions throughout Tampa Bay, Orlando and everywhere in between.
“My philosophy is that you only live once, so we should experience all that we can,” the single Geller says. “O&A addresses interests away from the computer and bars. We’re for singles and couples. We’re not a dating service; we’re all about socializing.”
The noticeably fit Geller has a natural love for the outdoors that is expressed in his event planning. The man has biked the Iron Man course in Hawaii, gone rock climbing out West and shows a physique that reflects his work in the gym and his jog along Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa.
Sure, there are literary groups and foodie attractions on the O&A calendar, but a majority of the attractions seem to lead the men and women to Florida’s outdoors.
“My idea of fun is biking and rock climbing,” Geller says. “Originally O&A was going to be all active events. But we ended up with a well-rounded list of events that gave something for every different interest.”
One of Geller’s favorite activities was the trapeze class he and several others attended. He also fondly remembers the canopy tree climbing expedition. That’s surprising, considering his fear of heights.
“I was terrified, but I enjoyed it,” Geller laughs. “It’s one of many experiences O&A has allowed me to have that I will never forget.”
The feedback to O&A seems to be mostly positive, and Geller welcomes suggestions for future outings.
“I used to say that we offer events and camaraderie for gay men and women,” Geller says. “Now I say, ‘What Oprah does for women, we do for the LGBT community. It’s about living your best gay life.’”
Making friends
By nature, Geller is a social person. He ran the popular What2Wear clothing store at the now-closed Suncoast Resort and remembers meeting hundreds of people a week.
“It was a great job and I really enjoyed it,” Geller says. “But it was hard to remember everybody I’d come in contact with. We got a lot of traffic there.”
Geller remembered that difficulty when he started O&A, so now at any social event, members are encouraged to wear a name badge so everyone is on even footing.
“When we gather, I make sure I greet everyone and our members are always made to feel welcome,” he says. “I’ve had several members come to an event and leave with new life-long friends. I’ve made many life-long friends through this process and that makes me excited.”
Membership consists of men and women from all walks of life, all races and all ages. All of them have one thing in common, Geller says.
“They have an open mind to tackle new experiences,” he says.
Most events are open to all skill levels because O&A hires experienced tour guides with complete instruction and rental gear included. All members do is sign up for an event and then show up at the scheduled time.
“Certain events are strenuous and the event descriptions let you know that ahead of time,” Geller says. “Our nature hike was six-and-a-half miles at a quick pace in the heat. So it wasn’t a couch potato event.”
Geller, who calls himself the Chief Adventure Officer of O&A, personally tackles every event personally, along with Barbara Voglewede, O&A’s Director of Adventure.
“We ‘scout’ every event beforehand so we know what we’re getting ourselves into,” Geller contends. “That ensures that the actual event goes off without a hitch for our members and that everyone enjoys themselves.”
The future of O&A is a positive one, and Geller says events are only going to get bigger and better.
“We’re planning our first event that will cross a large body of water,” he says. “We’ll be vacationing in Costa Rica and plans will be unveiled as soon as we finish up the research. I know—it’s a rough job.”
For more information on Outings & Adventures or to see a calendar of upcoming outings, visit OutingsAndAdventures.com.
