AkzoNobel sponsors Gay Pride 2014
AkzoNobel will be spreading its own life-size rainbow coloured Pride Wings, which will glide through Amsterdam from July 31 to August 2 to show the firm’s support for Gay Pride 2014. The wings, which made their first appearance last Friday on the city’s Staalmeestersbrug, will be on show at the Mercatorplein and the Homo-monument on Thursday evening for the Pride Walk, the Reguliersdwarsstraat on Saturday and at the Pride Closing Party on Rembrandtplein on Sunday.
AkzoNobel invites other pride-goers to show their support by posting images of themselves with the Pride Wings on Social Media with the hash tag #showyourtruecolours for the chance to win €1,000 worth of AkzoNobel paint to colour their own lives.
In addition, for the second year in a row, AkzoNobel will also be entering a boat in the parade. The boat, which will feature 80 people from AkzoNobel and partner organizations, will be decorated with the rainbow flag, and a giant retractable paint can-dress, which will go up and down as the boat sails under the city’s bridges.
Commenting on AkzoNobel’s participation in the Amsterdam Canal Parade, Michael Lightfoot, head of public affairs, said: “If you have a work environment in which everyone has exactly the same background, that’s bound to have its limitations. That’s why at AkzoNobel, we believe we can only win together if we recognise that all of us – no matter what our religion, sexual preference, race or age – can bring something to the party. We’re therefore proud to sponsor this year’s Gay Pride and with our theme show ‘your true colors’ we will be demonstrating how we at AkzoNobel embrace diversity.”