Gay Games 9the multi-day, multi-event LGBT sports spectacular, held last summer in Cleveland and Akron, Ohiowas a monster financial success for Northeast Ohio, and long will live on in countless memories for the thousands of worldwide participants and, believe it or not, through funds generated for the future.
The ninth edition of the quadrennial Gay Games were the most profitable in the event's 32-year history, generating $120,000 for the Gay Games LGBT Legacy Fund at the Cleveland Foundation and $27,000 for the Gay Community Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation.
The Games released its final financial numbers at the "2014 Gay Games Lessons and Legacies" panel discussion in late February, hosted by The ( Cleveland ) City Club. The donations represent the net profit from the Games.
Plus, the Games had a $52.1 million impact on the local economy, it was reported.
"An event of this magnitude brings significant spending from both locals and visitors," said Rob Smitherman, a longtime Chicagoan who was the associate executive director and director of sports and events for Gay Games 9. He officially worked on the Cleveland event from October 2011 through this past December. Smitherman is now back living in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood and working for Northwestern University.
"During the week [of the Games], the downtown [Cleveland] hotels, restaurants and bars, and the parties and vendors, all saw a great deal of spending. So the event is a major financial impact on the region."
So how did Gay Games 9 stay on track financially, which has been a major shortcoming of past Games?
Smitherman said there were two major reasons.
"Our fundraising goals were exceeded because of the incredible work of our fundraising team, both staff and volunteers, and the overwhelming support from local and regional businesses, individuals, governments and foundations;" and
"From the beginning, GG9 was very focused on not overspending. Our Opening and Closing Ceremonies and Festival Village were all produced under extremely tight budgets. We were able to get in-kind support for many of our venues. And we had a great team that understood the conservative spending approach and worked within the limited budget."
Smitherman, 55, who also had key roles working on the Games held in 2006 in Chicago and in 2010 in Cologne, Germany, said the legacy of Gay Games 9 will be "that welcoming community of people from a somewhat surprising destination produced a fun and incredible week of sports and events, and the success extended to the finances and economic impact for the event.
"Most of all, the event changed hearts and minds in the area and region while providing a great sports festival for all participants."
So now the focus of the Gay Games, specifically, the Federation of Gay Games, which oversees the event, is on Paris, Francehost city for the next Games, in 2018.
"Paris 2018 is already deep into the planning of the 2018 Gay Games," Smitherman said. "It is going to be different than GG9, bigger and in one of the top destinations of the world. They will be ready for everyone by the summer of 2018."
Smitherman is helping Paris organizers as a volunteer in a couple of areas, "but Paris has a great team that will be able to produce an outstanding event," he said. "I am planning on going and actually participating and enjoying the week."
Smitherman, a longtime gay basketball player, said Gay Games 9 "will always be special because of the spectacular success of the week of events. The team producing the Games worked for about 5 years to create a unique and memorable experience."
His personal highlight was watching the Closing Ceremony, "realizing that all the hard work of the staff, board and thousands of volunteers created a safe, fun and memorable week for everyone."
Smitherman said he long was impressed with the way Cleveland and Akron supported the Games. "The partnerships with the cities of Cleveland and Akron, the counties, the local corporate support, and the hundreds of small businesses all provided the support necessary for the success of the Games," he said. "But most of all, the people of Cleveland and Akron genuinely embraced the events. Three thousand people volunteered, and almost everyone was so welcoming to the participants. People opened their homes to scholarship recipients, donated their time, and applauded when participants got on the bus wearing their medals."
Gay Games 9 attracted "between 7,000 and 8,000" participants, Smitherman said, though media reports and statements last summer said the participation total was only about 5,000.
"Each Gay Games is different," Smitherman said. "Chicago offered its incredible city that people love to visit, as well as one of the hottest weeks on record. Cologne is one of the gay capitals of Europe and knows how to throw a fantastic party. Gay Games 9 was smaller, so it allowed the participants to get to know the area and the residents. Everyone in Cleveland and Akron knew about the Gay Games months before and displayed their genuine Midwestern nice welcome."
Smitherman said the opening ceremony in Cleveland "was the best that I have attended."
He said the worst part of Gay Games 9 was that "more people did not participate."
"Cleveland is not a major tourist destination, so some chose not to come," for that reason, he said. "[But], they missed the best party week that the area had ever produced, and a great sports festival."
Smitherman added, "I have so many memories [from Gay Games 9], including getting into a dumpster to dig out 5K racing bibs that were inadvertently thrown away, and having no time to shower the rest of the day. But one of my strongest memories came a few weeks before the Gay Games. I took a call from an elderly gentleman from Akron who wanted to register for the track and field event. He was not computer literate, so he wanted to pay by check. We did not normally do that, but we arranged for a staff person to meet him to get the check. It turns out that the gentleman was the father of a man who had recently come out, divorced his wife and moved away from his family, including his children, because the man did not think his family would accept him. His father wanted to participate in the Gay Games to show his son that he loved him and accepted him for who he is. The story still makes me tear up."