Originally, Pride Fort Lauderdale (with the support of the Convention and Visitors Bureau) wanted to host WorldPride 2021 but lost out to Copenhagen, Denmark. That failed bid led to the group thinking of alternatives, according to Richard Gray, the senior vice president on diversity and inclusion at the CVB, who had been working closely with Pride Fort Lauderdale for the last few years, most recently helping them navigate local government for the festival on the beach in February.