Biversity parties - where to from here?
I'm still astounded that I've been involved with the running of 13 Biversity parties given that I knew absolutely nothing about the organisational side before Michael W. took the bull by the horns and made it happen.
Biversity 13 was held at Rogues which seems to be a great venue but it needs at least 300 people to be there to make a go of it. Unfortunately we only got around 200. Of course that still rates as the biggest gathering of openly Bi and Bi-friendly folk you'll find in Oz so as a community event it was a success, but financially we made a loss.
So here's the forum to give some feedback on what you think. There are a whole lot of variables to take into account and believe me the various Biversity organisers have thought them through but of course what really counts is what the partygoers and the Bi community think of the parties.
Should they be bigger or smaller?
Should they be more frequent or less?
Should they be more widely marketed or kept within the Bi community?
Should we vary the music/DJs or concentrate on one genre?
What is an acceptable ticket price?
When should they start and end?
Should we continue to rely on volunteer effort?
Do we want more shows/entertainment or less?
Is Oxford St the right locale?
How do we keep the party something special for Bi folk?
Have your say.
Biversity 13 was held at Rogues which seems to be a great venue but it needs at least 300 people to be there to make a go of it. Unfortunately we only got around 200. Of course that still rates as the biggest gathering of openly Bi and Bi-friendly folk you'll find in Oz so as a community event it was a success, but financially we made a loss.
So here's the forum to give some feedback on what you think. There are a whole lot of variables to take into account and believe me the various Biversity organisers have thought them through but of course what really counts is what the partygoers and the Bi community think of the parties.
Should they be bigger or smaller?
Should they be more frequent or less?
Should they be more widely marketed or kept within the Bi community?
Should we vary the music/DJs or concentrate on one genre?
What is an acceptable ticket price?
When should they start and end?
Should we continue to rely on volunteer effort?
Do we want more shows/entertainment or less?
Is Oxford St the right locale?
How do we keep the party something special for Bi folk?
Have your say.
posted by Graham at 22:30
4 Comments:
Should they be more widely marketed or kept within the Bi community?
If we need 300 to show up and only 200 do I feel they should be marketed more widely.
What is an acceptable ticket price?
I felt the curent pricing has been fine. I guess the question is are many people paying on the night?
Should we continue to rely on volunteer effort?
I would suggest that if they are not making lots of money, there is a strong need for volunteers
Is Oxford St the right locale?
Yes. Though Newtown could also be good, but I am not sure the event would work outside the inner city.
How do we keep the party something special for Bi folk?
Keep advertising it as a bi event. I would also say there should only be a few biversitys each year. Keep them special. I love Hellfire but given its on *every* month its not a "must not miss event"
Looking at the little potted history of Biversity on the Bi-NSW site, it seems that the parties which coincide (and are advertised as part of)with another queer event such as Pride or Mardi Gras are the bigger parties.
Obviously getting in an official events guide is helpful, tho I realise hitching on a festival wagon also has drawbacks.
I actually enjoy a smaller 'occasional' party myself, and I think if the parties are going to run on a volunteer basis, smaller is probably a good bet.
The DJs and shows were great at Rogues, and I thought the crowd was good too. In fact, I had intended to just 'pop in', but stayed til 3 :)I didn't get the impression there were a lot of comps - tho as a volunteer, I was happy to get one.
As for venues, SLPA ran a good party recently at the Abercrombie Hotel on Broadway. It's smaller, & not terribly glam, but very easy to get to, transport-wise. And I think the license is pretty flexible in terms of hours.
But it would be more of a 'family & friends' party at the Abercrombie, by necessity. Which is not always a bad thing, either...
cheers, Kath
The Biversity Parties started going wrong when the bi-movement and the parties began aligning themselves so closely with the Swingers community.
For many, biversity and bi.org are a first step into socialising thier sexuality amongst friends, this is somewhat harder when the focus became so focused on alignment with sex on premisis and sensual ball.
I agree with Kaths comments on size as well, 300 people plus is a different type of event to go to than the more exclusive and homely smaller bi events
Iceborg was one of the best events, then the whole conversation started changing towards sex driven events
Biversity needs to identify what it wants to be so that this image is clearer to it's community and they know what to expect . . . or perhaps split into 2 smaller events (Biversity and Biversity ++) with different themes and audiences.
If I am wrong, flame me, but if you agre, then add a comment.
dear friends the phoenix bar maybe a good chance,been to a party there started at 3pm finish 9pm then people can move on to play else were it has a back lane to enter and go and can be warm for all,and can hold all of us that has been before
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