Board of Directors Enters into Enhanced Relationship with the Oak Park Area Convention and Visitors
For the last few years, OPALGA has built a strong working relationship with the Oak Park Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (OPACVB) through various projects such as the “Big O” float in the annual Chicago Pride Parade. Our most notable joint endeavor was our partnership in the Gay Games in Oak Park last summer, when both organizations teamed up to encourage organizers of the Games to make Oak Park one of the sporting venues.
At the OPALGA Board of Directors February meeting, the Board moved to strengthen the relationship further by approving a reciprocal membership agreement that makes both organizations members in each other’s organization. For OPALGA, this means extending our ability to market our various events and programs through the OPACVB. We will now be listed in the OPACVB Visitor Guide, which has a printing of 250,000 copies and is distributed throughout Chicagoland. We will also have an enhanced listing on the OPACVB Web site, and all OPALGA events will be able to be promoted on the OPACVB Web sites ( http://www.visitoakpark.com and http://www.greatneighborsoakpark.com ).
Board Co-Chair Brad Bartels said of the new arrangement, “This is a great opportunity to further increase our visibility. I am very excited about what we can do together.” In addition, OPALGA will work with the OPACVB on other projects, such as a listing of gay friendly things to do in the area on various Web sites to which the OPACVB regularly provides content and working to designate more area hotels as TAG hotels— members of the Travel Alternative Group—that identify themselves as LGBT friendly.
