ORLANDO | Members of the LGBTQ community will gather for the Prides of Southeast (POSE) conferencein downtown Orlando on Feb. 7-10. POSE is a networking and educational conference designed to bring together Pride organizations from all over the Southeast for workshops, networking opportunities and social events.
POSE will be hosted jointly by Come Out with Pride (COWP) and InterPrideat the Holiday Inn Resort at Lake Buena Vista, one mile from the Walt Disney theme parks.
InterPride is a nonprofit organization representing and composed of producers of Pride events. It promotes the LGBTQ+ community on an international scale and holds regional conferences such as February’s POSE conference hosted with COWP, as well as the Annual General Meeting and World Conference.
“I am proud to say that Orlando has one of the largest LGBTQ+ communities in the country and COWP is an important partner in making our resident and visitors feel welcome and respected,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer in a press release. “I’m thrilled to know InterPride has chosen Orlando and COWP to host their Prides of Southeast conference in our hometown in 2019 and we’re looking forward to showcasing our City Beautiful.”
InterPride represents over 170 Pride organizations internationally with 13 in Florida including COWP. POSE will draw attendees from InterPride’s Region 5 which includes 12 southeastern states.
Registration is open for both InterPride members and non-members with a cost of $175 and $225,respectively. The price includes access to all workshop and social events, and includes lunch and snacks throughout the day.
Each evening of the conference includes a social event for attendees who want to explore what Central Florida has to offer including Orlando’s LGBTQ nightlife. There will be both an opening and closing reception, as well as an Out and About around Orlando Tour on Feb. 8.
All events are included in the price of registration. Attendees from all over the Southeast may also book a double room for POSE at the Holiday Inn Resort for $149a night.
Workshops will take place on Friday and Saturday and will include a variety of topics including gender inclusion, festival operations and sponsorship, community engagement and volunteer sessions.
“The workshops will focus on how the LGBTQ community comes together in Orlando,” says Jose Dieppa, COWP Communications Director. “We want to share what we have learned as a community.”
“When we were starting out, we didn’t have InterPride or conferences like POSE, we were operating in a vacuum,” says Jeff Prystajko, COWP Board President. “No Pride is competing with other Prides, and now we know what other Prides have done and we can share our knowledge and help each other organize and engage the community.”
Members of InterPride work together sharing Pride resources and providing local support for marches and other Pride celebrations throughout the world. COWP re-joined InterPride in 2016.
“Come Out With Pride is thrilled to host our first educational conference for InterPride, the largest association for organizers of Pride events worldwide,” said Prystajko in a press release. “We are excited to welcome our visitors to Orlando and introduce them to all the great things our hometown has to offer and which have contributed to 14 years of memorable Pride events here.”
For more information on the Prides of Southeast conference, visit ComeOutWithPride.com/Interpride-Pose-2019.
