- FILE
The pig is on the spit and ready at 'French Connection: The Ultimate All-Inclusive Party', held on Saturday, June 4, 2005, at the Cable and Wireless Golf Academy in New Kingston.
Kandre McDonald, Freelance Writer
THE PARTY scene in Jamaica, especially the Corporate Area, is changing at an incredible pace. Fast fading are the days when friends go to a party and buy a few 'rounds'.
At several parties, there is no purchasing of drinks inside the venue - not that there are no beverages around. Also on the decline are the two-for-one and mixed drinks only concepts.
Currently many parties carry tags such as 'All-Inclusive', 'Ultra-Inclusive', 'Ultra All-Inclusive' and 'Premium'.
Drinks are included at the basic all-inclusive level, with food and party favours being added for the other categories.
Patrons and promoters to whom The Sunday Gleaner spoke were optimistic about this new trend and have highlighted that more than 90 per cent of parties being staged over the next five years or so will be of an all-inclusive nature.
MARKET RESEARCH
Roderick Reid of Another Level Entertainment Management (ALEM) said he and his team have done market research which suggests this is the way forward.
"We have done market research that has pointed in the direction where patrons deem drink inclusive events more feasible than going to the event and purchasing beverages," he said.
P. J. Wright, director of Wright Image Entertainment, and Brian McLaughlin of Rockwildaz.com also shared these sentiments.
"The all-inclusive concept is more widely accepted by patrons and it works out better for them because they don't have to be going constantly to a ticket booth," Mr. Wright reasoned.
Twenty-year-old party fanatic Leshawn Mendoza cemented the promoters' claims. According to her, the concept has been working well and is the ideal way forward. Despite this, however, she still attends a few regular parties.
"I rather the all-inclusive concept for parties. I just pay one money and don't have to worry about anything else. From there, it is all about having fun and visiting the bar whenever," she said. "This leaves me feeling more relaxed. Added to that is the fact that you don't really have to carry money to these parties."
For avid partygoer Leslie Bingham, it is not just about the concept, but the 'vibes' the party is known to generate.
"I attend both all-inclusive events and regular parties that you would have to pay to get in. For me it is all about who is staging the party and the crowd the party usually carries," he said. "For the all-inclusive parties it is all about who is staging it. I rather Appleton parties, because they offer a lot more variety than Smirnoff parties and I am an Appleton person. At a regular party at UWI or UTech you know that the vibes will be there despite the buy liquor concept."
COSTS RISE
However, as the concept catches on, the cost to get into the events goes up.
At the 'French Connection New Year's Eve Premium All-Inclusive' party, staged at the Cable & Wireless Golf Academy in December, patrons had to fork out a whopping $3,000 pre-sold and $4,000 at the gate to get in.
They were asked to pay $2,000 pre-sold and $2,500 for Smirnoff's 'Lose Yourself in the Experience', staged at the Palisadoes Go-Kart Track on Friday, December 23, although the event was only drinks-inclusive.
Other recent ultra-inclusive parties that have required patrons dig deep into their pockets were 'High Society Special Delivery' at $3,000 pre-sold and $4,000 at the gate, and 'Blink - The All White Holiday' at $3,000 pre-sold and $3,500 at the gate.
Mr. Reid suggests that both patrons and promoters are set to benefit handsomely from drinks-inclusive stagings.
"Drink inclusive events are more feasible, in the sense that if you get a good turnout it usually balances out itself as the average person will drink about four drinks. Others will attend the party just for the vibes and will drink one or two drinks, while there are those that will try to drink back their money," he explained. "At a normal drinks-inclusive event, the average drinking among patrons is like $500 per person, therefore if pre-sold tickets are sold at $1,000 and $1,200 is charged at the gate the promoter won't lose once there is a good turnout.
Bingham falls under the category of a person who goes to drink-inclusive parties to drink his or her money's worth.
"I usually pay $1,000 pre-sold and $1,500 at the gate to get into these parties and I am a person who averages 10 cups when I arrive at the party late. When I reach early is a different thing," Bingham asserted.
However, Mendoza, despite attending mainly drink-inclusive events, points out that even though she does not drink enough to cover the entry cost, she is almost always satisfied.
"What you tend to find is that these all-inclusive parties are at times more 'vibesy' than the regular ones," she argued.
PROMOTERS' RISKS
According to Wright, the average cost to host an ultra-inclusive party is between $600,000 and $700,000. Therefore, at an entry fee of $2,000 to $5,000 promoters will definitely benefit once they get a good turnout.
However, Wright was quick to point out the risk promoters of ultra-inclusive parties face.
"The risk is great when hosting ultra-inclusive events. As a promoter, you are bordering on the line where you don't know how many persons are going to come. Whether or not a person comes to an ultra-inclusive party or not you have to pay for the food, therefore it is really a big risk. Despite this, the all-inclusive concept is a better bargain for the patrons," Wright said.
The promoters of 'Mimosa', staged on New Year's Eve at the Chinese Benevolent Association, Hope Road, St. Andrew, felt the fallout of that risk. After preparing several delicacies and setting up a huge bar, the turnout was poor with fewer than 50 paying patrons.
Reid noted that what happened to the promoters of 'Mimosa' is the reason why he preferred keeping strictly drinks inclusive parties: "The risk of hosting ultra-inclusive events is too great. With liquor you can use them again; with the food it is not the same."
For McLaughlin, the idea of paying to get into a party and paying for drinks may become obsolete one day as most patrons are seeking all-inclusive events.
