Updated: Oct. 4, 2018 (Le Meridien URL change)
A must-see event for the local LGBTQ community is coming up on July 25, when the Charlotte LGBT Chamber of Commerce (CLGBTCC) celebrates 25 years of evolution for business owners and professionals within the community. Held at Le Méridien, 555 S. McDowell St., the event will take place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the hotel’s Craft City Social Club.
Craft City offers the perfect event space, with both indoor and outdoor areas. Take an evening dip in the pool, relax on a cozy armchair, or visit the sleek, modern bar and play games from billiards to shuffleboard and more. Or, if your wallet is as sparse as mine, ignore the cash bar and stuff your face with free hors d’oeuvres.
CLGBTCC, formerly known as the Charlotte Business Guild, has spent its 25 years of action working “to facilitate economic proliferation for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and those who support equality for all… by increasing visibility through professional networking and marketing, maintaining operational sustainability, and strategic training,” according to the organization’s mission statement.
At the event, CLGBTCC will honor 25 businesses, professionals and organizations that have worked for true economic and opportunity growth for and within the Charlotte LGBTQ community over the past decades. These honorees have “envisioned a better Charlotte where marketplaces and workplaces alike will truly be all inclusive of the many talents and diversity of the members within this community and beyond,” the invitation reads.
The guest speaker of the anniversary event is none other than Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts, who is currently campaigning for re-election against Mayor Pro-Temp Vi Lyles. Other public figures like Sen. Jeff Jackson, Charlotte City Councilwoman LaWana Mayfield, and Mecklenburg County Commissioner Pat Cotham.
The event has limited space, but attendance is free. Guests may register on Event Brite to guarantee their admittance. Don’t miss this celebration of the local LGBTQ community’s professional successes and growing influence!