WEEKLY UPDATE- March 5, 2026


2026 DBA Impact Awards – Business & Community Service Awards

Nominations Open -- Submit Them Today!


Each year, DBA honors outstanding businesses, organizations, and leaders whose work strengthens our local economy and uplifts the LGBTQ+ community. Now is the time for the 2026 nominations.


Your nominations are being sought for the following categories:


• Business of the Year

• Business Person of the Year

• Outstanding Community Service Organization

• Outstanding Community Service Leader


If you know a business or individual making a difference, please submit a nomination. You do not need to nominate in all categories.


For each nominee, please provide:

• Their name

• A clear and detailed explanation of why they deserve the award

• Specific examples of their achievements and contributions

• How they demonstrate leadership, excellence, and a commitment to inclusion


Tell us how their work has positively impacted the LGBTQ+ community and our local business environment.


All nominations will be carefully considered. Each nominee only needs to be submitted once.


Note: You do not need to be a DBA member to nominate.

 

Submit your nomination here:

https://form.jotform.com/250667147161154

 

Nomination Deadline: March 23, 2026 (Monday)


Let’s celebrate the leaders and businesses that make our community stronger, more inclusive, and more connected.

 

If you have any questions, please let us know.


Thanks...Dave Powell

Executive Director, Desert Business Association

DBA Networking and

Learning Opportunities

DBA Networking Event

hosted by

Desert Hand Car Wash
Cathedral City


Event Details:

Date: Monday, March 9, 2026

Time: 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Location: Desert Hand Car Wash

67790 E Palm Canyon Dr, Cathedral City

Cost: DBA Members Free

Future Members: $20


Our March Networking Mixer will be held at Desert Hand Car Wash, 67790 E Palm Canyon Dr, Cathedral City. This is a 100% Hand Wash. No brushes, no scratches. Just careful, brush-free work by long-time dedicated employees. They also offer numerous detailing options to keep your car shining!


Making Connections

If you see someone with a “First-Time” badge, please introduce yourself and help them feel at home. That is how the community grows, and you might even win a prize.


Need a Conversation Starter?

• How did you first get involved with DBA?

• What has been most helpful for your business?

• Any events or programs you recommend?

• Who should I make sure I meet tonight?

• What is your best tip for getting the most out of DBA?


Bring a Raffle Item, Get a Shoutout!

We’ll be holding our regular raffle to support LGBTQ+ Youth Education Scholarships through Safe Schools Desert Cities.


Business Card Scan Perk

As an added benefit for attending, we’ll collect and scan business cards from everyone at the mixer. After the event, all DBA member attendees will receive a digital contact sheet, making it easy to follow up and stay connected. Not yet a member? Join us prior and gain even more with membership.


Register here

https://bit.ly/dbamixer2026-3-9

Event Details:

Date: March 11, 2026 (Wednesday)

Time: 9:00 - 11:00 am

Location: DBA Office

3111 E Tahquitz Canyon Dr.

Palm Springs

Cost: $5


This workshop will help you better focus your business activities. This is for emerging businesses as well as those who wish to refine or reignite their business focus.


Do you need a Business Plan? Yes. It turns your business vision into a roadmap, clarifying your strategy. It helps you forecast and build your budget. It helps others take you seriously when you can clearly articulate where you are going and how you’ll get there.


Does it need to be a long document? No. We will work with you to get the most important items to provide clarity in direction and help you stay focused. We believe that one to two pages is sufficient to help you achieve that.


Register Here

https://bit.ly/2026businessplan

Event Details:

Date: March 30, 2026 (Monday)

Time: 5:30- 7:00 pm

Location: DBA Office

3111 E Tahquitz Canyon Dr.

Palm Springs

Cost: DBA Members Free


The DBA is bringing back Speed Networking: Meet Everyone in the Room. This high-energy event is designed to connect you with everyone—not just the people you know.

 

This structured networking experience lets you practice your elevator speech, and ensures that you’ll meet one-on-one and share about your business with everyone in the room in two-minute segments, each getting one minute. 

You pair, you share, you move on. 


Register Here

https://bit.ly/2026-3-30speednetworking


Look What Else is Happening

Cathedral City LGBT+ Days!


Event Details:

Date: 

March 6 thru 8, 2026

(Friday-Sunday)

Time: 8:00 AM

Location: Various Locations in Cathedral City

Cost: Free


Join us at Cathedral City LGBT+ Days for a weekend-plus of entertainment, VIP experiences, food, drinks, artisan vendors, the world-famous Bed Race, and CommUNITY at California's First Pride Festival of the year.


On Sunday, make sure you come by the DBA booth and say hello.


For more information, head to cathedralcitylgbtdays.com

Event Details:

Date: February 26- March 8, 2026

Location: Dezart Performs

605 S. Riverside Drive, Palm Springs

Cost: $69


Dezart Performs presents the West Coast Premiere of DESTROYING DAVID a meditative, witty, and heartfelt journey through the history of one of the world’s greatest sculptures, and through the inner world of someone struggling with loss, love, and what it means to preserve what we hold dear. DESTROYING DAVID runs 75 minutes with no intermission.

Shoe Us the Love


Date: February & March

Various drop-off locations throughout the Coachella Valley


Friends of the Desert Mountains’ SHOE DRIVE! February-March, they will take your gently used shoes to get them into the reuse economy and out of the landfills! Drop boxes throughout the valley for more information and drop off locations https://www.desertmountains.org/friends-shoe-drive/

Dinner with Patsi


Date: March 18, 2026 (Wednesday) 5:00 and 6:30 pm seatings

Location: 

BeeCh, please, 67555 E Palm Canyon Dr, #A-105



Patsi Kocan hosts “pass the hat dinners” supporting local nonprofits and restaurants.


Dinner With Patsi

dinnerwithpatsi.com

CAMP MORNING WOOD at PRISM THEATER


Date: Through March 22, 2026 (Thursday)

Location: 

4707 EVENTS (Prism Theater Temporary Home)

Cost: $54.95


When a buttoned-up city boy stumbles into a free-spirited nudist retreat, his life — and his wardrobe — get hilariously transformed. Full of outrageous characters, feel-good spectacle, and a whole lot of liberation, this body-positive musical proves joy comes easiest when you let everything else go.


The Graduate



Date: February 19-March 9, 2026

Location: Desert TheaterWorks

45175 Fargo St., Indio

Cost: $46.50


Benjamin Braddock has just graduated from college with his whole life ahead of him. Enter the sophisticated and dangerously captivating Mrs. Robinson, who pulls him into an affair that changes everything.


Desert Business Association | 760-904-4589 |

Info@DesertBusinessAssociation.org | DesertBusiness.org

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