Sleaze tix to start at $59
New Mardi Gras last week announced its key fundraiser, Sleaze Ball, will undergo a few changes this year: the Ball will move from the Hordern Pavilion to the Entertainment Quarter for 2010, utilising venues such as the Forum and Dome. Despite NMG’s long-standing booking with the Hordern and a history of having several days either side of Sleaze to ‘pack in’ and ‘pack out’ the event, the venue owners, Playbill, this year accepted a rival production taking place the following night at the same venue. On top of this, mounting costs associated with staging the event made the Hordern an increasingly unsustainable venue choice.
“Our hand was forced, we really didn’t have much of a choice. Using the Hordern again, chances were we’d probably break even. With the move, we saw the potential to make the event more successful, have cheaper tickets, and then make some profit on top of that,” New Mardi Gras co-chair Steph Sands told Sydney Star Observer.
“The figures were remarkable — we could drop prices down to $59 at the lowest, and still make five times the profit. That’s based on attendance figures like last year, which is feasible. It really is a win-win situation.”
Perhaps, but there has already been some dissent about the decision, including from within the New Mardi Gras board itself. In a letter to SSO, fellow New Mardi Gras board member Josh Keech said he did not vote for the venue change.
“The reaction has been mixed,” Sands admitted. “The board actually did debate whether we needed to go to consultation, and that was a long debate.
“The decision was based around asking — is this a significant change? Not having Sleaze at all, not having it on the same weekend, or moving it to a venue somewhere else in the city — any of those options would have been significant changes.
“But being on that Fox footprint, and having the familiarity of the Dome, isn’t that significant a change. The Dome is really the iconic Sleaze landmark.”
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Let’s as a gay community just start partying at straight festivals.
Better performers and more international DJ’s.
We can make over 30% of the crowd and actually have a good mixed time.
For us and for them.
I have never been to a sleaze party but many of my friends tell me that its very straight wich I think is sad.
Wow! RE: the Price
Mind you many Gay friends of mine Loooove the Horden Pavillion as a Venue, so this will be interesting to see what members of the LGBT Community say on this topic.
Me thinks there will be some Disco Bunnies out there who may be a bit upset.
awwwww :P
The Dome is NOT the iconic Sleaze landmark. Its just a small overflow venue that gets terribly hot. Sleaze at its peak was held in the RHI, Hordern and Dome and then after the downfall of old Mardi Gras it was downgraded to the Hordern plus sometimes the Dome and/or Forum.
The problem with Sleaze is one of vision and consistency (or lack of it). New Mardi Gras don’t know what to do with it so they constrain it financially. Every year they let people take it in a completely different direction from the last and it just confuses people what Sleaze, the party, the brand, the music stands for. People know what music and atmosphere etc to expect at parties like Toybox, Daywash and Mardi Gras Party but one would be hard pressed to describe Sleaze other than that its a dress up party.
After a shaky few years New Mardi Gras absolutely got it right at the amazing Zirkus party… only to have to have all that good will destroyed the following year by the insane decision to allow the Potbelleez do a one hour live set on stage… a band at a gay dance party!?
Sleaze therefore = risky purchase decision.
Unfortunately this is the same board the brought us the parade and party split decision. And while I understand they are charged with making financial decisions do they really think that changing the party direction yet again is going to excite the punters? Particulary as they have already started using the ticket sales deathnell… “come because its a fundraiser”.
New Mardi Gras need to decide what Sleaze, the brand, the party, the music stands for. They need to invest in the future. They need to be consistent with the party experience.
This is a bad decision and I can only hope the party doesn’t deteriorate further in future years if this becomes yet another failure.