No decision on Sleaze
New Mardi Gras (NMG) will look at a raft of ideas to reinvigorate Sleaze Ball before making a final decision on its future.
About 60 people filled Heffron Hall this morning to offer NMG their ideas on Sleaze Ball and all its other key events in an effort to reinvigorate the organisation.
Attendance at the fundraiser, which has helped finance the annual Mardi Gras season, parade and party since its inception, has slumped in the last decade, resulting in a significant loss of revenue for the organisaion.
This year’s events only sold 4000 tickets.
The slump in attendance was due to increased competition from other smaller parties on the same weekend; lack of community engagement and a heightened interest in the event by NSW Police sniffer dogs.
“Sleaze has a real branding problem … it has become a bit of a mini-Mardi Gras without anything to differentiate it,” former Fair Day chair and SSO Media chairman Daniel Bone said.
“Other parties on that weekend don’t run at a loss, so why does Sleaze? It is obviously possible to make money that weekend because everybody else does it.”
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Adam Bold from event company Points of Difference said Sleaze was a victim of its own shortcomings.
“Simplistically, to have a successful party you need to have put on a damn good party the year before,” he said.
“That’s what will sell it for next year’s party. Unfortunately this year we had a budget party.”
Bold suggested NMG invite other party promoters to join with them and organise on large party in a single space, but with individually themed areas.
“If we could get these events to pull together – things like Woof Club, Dirty and Daywash – under the one umbrella then we could offer different people different experiences in the one location,” he said.
“It not only diversifies the experience, but it is a good way of incorporating other business and community groups into the event.”
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Business Association president Paul Lee Maynard said the event needed to be looked at from a more objective point of view.
“What I am hearing in the room is that there is a reluctance to lose Sleaze,” he said.
“Large GLBTI-focussed parties can be put on and be successful.
“It seems there are four things that need to be explored: community engagement … branding … the cost model … and themeing and creativity.”
Issues surrounding the future of other Mardi Gras events such as parade, the after party, Harbour Party and Fair Day were also placed firmly on the agenda, with members recommending a wholistic look at season.
NMG finished the meeting by promising to look at the suggestions made and discuss the outcomes at another community forum in three months’ time.
Have thought this all along to bring Promoters together for those weekends. They have done it in London.
Either big name DJ’s or get the likes of Daywash, Toybox, Dirty, Woof Club etc to band together.
Everyone asks the community to support so why not ask Venues and/or other Party Promoters ?
So what does this mean for Josh Keech’s “Not in my name!” campaign to remove the bigger dancehalls? He was advocating for a greater loss?
Branding eh? I’d pay to see that.
Congrats to NMG for going out there and asking the people. Let’s hope more people come to the next one and offer their ideas freely.
Mardi Gras is too important to let fall regardless of it’s mistakes. I urge NMG to use the information wisely and the community to unite behind it …. we don’t want to lose it twice do we??
I am interested in the comment as reported “The slump in attendance was due to increased competition from other smaller parties on the same weekend;…..” It would be an interesting exercise to look at how many alternative parties are advertised in past sleaze ball period in this illustrious publication. My fading memory recollects many alternate small events happening on the sleaze long weekend. Sleaze held the roost because of it size and production values.