Wednesday, April 22, 1998 | 10:33 a.m.
When a projected 10,000 people gather Saturday at Sunset Park for the Las Vegas Lesbian and Gay Pride Festival, it will be more than a time to celebrate diverse lifestyles. It's also a ready-made market for advertising.
As the event has grown over the years, business support has increased from mainstream sources.
While establishments oriented toward gays and lesbians maintain a prominent business presence at the festival, support also comes from more traditional businesses like Pepsi Cola, Lake Mead Hospital Medical Center and Bally's hotel-casino, to name a few.
"A lot of industries, particularly the hotel and casino industry, are beginning to realize the power of the gay dollar," said Anne Mulford of Southern Nevada Association of Pride Inc., sponsor of the festival.
For many of those providing sponsorships, donating services or buying ads, it's a business rather than social proposition.
"We have determined that's definitely a market we want to advertise to," said Lake Mead Hospital spokesman Terry Allen.
The hospital bought advertising in the event for a physician referral service. Allen said the hospital markets to ethnic minorities, and targeting the gay/lesbian community is an extension of that niche marketing.
"We've told that community we'll meet that need," Allen said. "They're a group that is highly educated. They have discretionary income. They're good folks."
Nor was there any reluctance on the part of Bally's in participating in the event by donating rooms for the festival's entertainers. Bally's spokeswoman Gina Cunningham said the company looks at community events and evaluates them based on whether it is a just cause.
"The answer is 'yes,"' she said. "It's unreasonable to be reluctant."
Pepsi Cola also sees the event as a forum to market its products. "We are constantly looking to connect with consumers everywhere," said Pepsi spokesman Jon Harris from the company's corporate office. "This event allows us to connect with consumers in a meaningful way."
About 150 to 200 businesses support the event through sponsorship, donations of services, buying ads or setting up booths at the event. About $50,000 worth of donations and services have gone into Saturday's event thus far and that number could increase to $75,000 by the day of the festival, said Jack Levin of SNAPI.
In fact, Levin will be manning a booth touting his own travel agency.
"It's very inexpensive," Levin said. "My entire booth was under $500. I spent $500 and get to show off my business to 10,000 people."
The wealth of business support is indicative of the evolution of the festival that started as a backyard barbecue and is now an all-day event featuring music and vendors.
Now, rather than placing a few posters at area clubs, the event is publicized through major media ads that are starting to attract more and more tourists for the weekend.
SNAPI also relies on professionals in its organization to use their business contacts to aid the effort. Levin said about 90 percent of the companies that SNAPI makes requests to oblige.
"The larger the event gets, the easier it is to find sponsors," Levin said.
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