Dear Tiki People

I work for SLV Management, an entertainment management and events producer here in Monterey, CA. I've suggested to my boss that we organize some sort of Tiki event similar to Hukilau and Tiki Oasis here in our beautiful city. Maybe a one day event just to get our feet wet.

Monterey is close to the bay area, has the tourist and convention facilities, along with A) a wonderful beach party catering service, B) a great local Tiki bar/restaurant (Hulas), and C) some fun local bands. We even have the home of D) Munktiki, which is listed as giving tours, in our area.

As far as I know, and I'm just a Tiki Central lurker so forgive me if I'm wrong, there is no other organized event like this happening in Northern California.

My questions are simple. Is there interest in having an event like this here? If so, could you give me some idea as to what would bring people in? I know most events are home grown by the Tiki community itself, but if there are people that want to see something like this get off the ground we’d definitely be working with ya’ll to make sure it’s done right.

I'm attending, for the second year now, Tiki Oasis so I have a pretty good idea of the large amount of work involved in putting together a quality event. But I've also seen the dedication many of you have to Tiki culture. Is it true that “if you build it, they will come”???

Any and all feedback would be appreciated.
Your opinions, please.

A) http://www.adventuresbythesea.com/beach-party.html

B) http://www.hulastiki.com/about/

C) http://kelleyandthebeachcombers.com/

D) http://www.critiki.com/cgi-bin/location.cgi?loc_id=489

Mahalo nui loa,

‘Okolehao’
a.k.a. Keith Hayes
SLV MUSIC MANAGEMENT
Steven L. Vagnini
PO BOX 101 Monterey, CA 93942
831.372.1955

I think that one of the most important considerations is to put together an event that doesnt feel like its "put together".....

Personally I think that the success of events like Oasis and Hukilau is because they started off as a gathering of friends. Yes they were coordinated but they didnt have the feel of a Business Conference.

They had a free floating feel to them where many of the fun activities werent organized at all. Just people being together acting spontaneous.

The danger of putting together an event for the purpose of having an "event" is that it feels over produced and every way you turn costs money...

Its a frugal crowd. I think Monterey would be lots of fun but I know that just about everything there is pretty pricey.

There have been a couple of events in the past couple years that had people buying tickets to specific seating areas for the music and entertainment... Usually the tiki music venues tend not to have seats.... or seating charts either..

Not sure what you have in mind but Monterey has lots of potential as a destination for people who dont live in the area.

Its a nice place to visit.

Really good point about a 'produced' event. I know that most Tiki get-to-gathers are about a big network of friends. Maybe sponsoring something small and intimate, like a simple meet-up, would be a good start? I could get a room at someplace like Hulas, bring in a band, and just see what materializes. If you haven't figured it out yet, I really want to do this more for fun rather than money (don't let my boss hear that). I'm exploring this because I have a lot of resources at my disposal and I'd really, really like to see something local happen.

What my group produces are mostly street festivals with music that is free to the public, but which pay for themselves thru vendors. We've got enough vendors, especially food vendors, that sign up for all the festivals because they know there are always big crowds. It doesn't matter if it's the Monterey Squid Festival or the Italian American Heritage Festival, people turn out. That opens up the possibility of having some sort of free public Tiki festival that would pay for itself. Real Tikiophiles could network and then do their serious partying at their hotels just like it's done at Tiki Oasis.

Good feedback Moneyman. Thank you.
Please people, tell me more.

Okay, you asked for it. :)

I'm curious, other than Munktiki, and Hula's, is there other Tiki in Monterey? That's a prime consideration. Palm Springs has the mid-century modern architecture, Polynesian pop hiding in plain view everywhere, as well as Tiki...as does San Diego, as does Hukilua in FL. All of these events focus around tiki that already exists there.

A festival for the sake of a festival, with the name of Tiki attached to it, in Monterey, is a pretty far trek. This crowd is authentic and into original stuff. Without that, building it will not ensure that they will come.

As for the bands, I love music. However, that's not enough of a draw enough in my opinion. I could probably easily see bands closer to home or at any of the other established Tiki events. You mentioned a Munktiki tour. That's probably not a draw. We love them, but because many of us know them, we know they're open tours when we're visiting.

So, if the purpose is to produce a festival as a money making venture, with the name of tiki attached to it, without legitimate substance to draw people in, I'm not sure many will go for it. Since you're into Tiki, I suggest you read the boards a bit more to understand the focus and interest of this group.

The get togethers that we have are not to draw people in. They're for the pure enjoyment of our interest. That is definitely the case for larger productions like Hukiluau and Oasis. These are hardcore tikifiles. And we already network just fine thank you. :) Personally, I think Monterey is a great place, but it's not Tiki.

[ Edited by: Coco Loco 2007-07-05 17:36 ]

Looking forward to meeting you at Oasis. It is very admirable of you to offer the possibility of hosting a tiki event in Monterey. I haven't been there in years and definitely would attend. I think the posts above have some very honest points on how and why Hukilau and Oasis are successful. They are held in areas saturated with tiki and they are well organized with great entertainment steeped in tradition and supported by a wonderful group of artists. But most importantly they are held by and for a very close-knit community of friends and passionate collectors of Poly-pop. I have been to a few smaller events and have found everyone to be warm and friendly and genuine lovers of all things tiki. I am happy that it is such a diverse community with serious knowledgeable collectors that help to mentor people like me...just learning about tiki. Do take some time reading on the board...I find new and exciting threads on a regular basis. I suggest you research and network over the next year and see if you get enough interest to support a successful event in Monterey. :)

On 2007-07-05 17:21, Coco Loco wrote:
Okay, you asked for it. :)

I'm curious, other than Munktiki, and Hula's, is there other Tiki in Monterey? That's a prime consideration. Palm Springs has the mid-century modern architecture, Polynesian pop hiding in plain view everywhere, as well as Tiki...as does San Diego, as does Hukilua in FL. All of these events focus around tiki that already exists there.

[ Edited by: Coco Loco 2007-07-05 17:36 ]

I think that sums it up right there. One look at the Northeast Tiki Tour web page will verify that.
http://www.northeasttikitour.com/stops.htm
I mean, who would expect TIKI in Massachussets ? But, lo and behold, it's there. Some really great, vintage establishments like Kowloon and the Hu Ke Lau, which are longstanding,classic Tiki places.
What you're describing sounds like a Polynesian themed street fair, which would be cool too, but for something like that, it would be best to have Hula and Fire Dancing troups, Polynesian food, and a high concentration of Pacific Islanders who would attend such an event. Are there alot of Hawaii expats in the area ?

Plus, it seems that the tiki events people on TC attend usually hub around one place or a few places, and of course, the ARTISTS....One thing the Tiki community has done is given a home to a misfit art form called TIKI ART...carving painting, mug making...without the artists these events would be just a plain ole' party. Music is is important, but far less so than the actual art and artists in attendance.

That being said, I've never been to Monterey, but if there is no great temple of Tiki up there, like Coco Loco said, it might be stretch. Hell, OTTO who puts on Tiki Oasis lives in San Francisco, and TIKI Oasis is never held up there. That should say something right there....the place is everything, I guess.

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2007-07-06 07:44 ]

Down in Monterey, You say you got all kind of resources ....go for it !!!

Every year it will be become bigger !!!!

Don't be discourage by the 'tiki doesn't exist in Monterey crowd'

Good Luck and Good Day !!!!

I really appreciate the feedback, guys (gals?). I'm not a hardcore Tiki guy, but I am getting more interested all the time. I'd love to actually know some people thru this forum before I go to Oasis, unlike last year when I went. I was with a group of friends that I brought, but we did feel like we weren't part of 'the fraternity'. None the less, I had so much fun I’m coming back for another year.

I understand better how the location is an important component of having an event. Unfortunately, Monterey County is not known for its mid century Polynesian Pop architecture. There are a few apartment complexes done in the style with faux Tikis, but nothing that most cities don't already have. I used to live in San Diego so I didn't get involved with the Tiki tour at Oasis - I'd seen it all before. What was so much fun for me were the shows. I'm a musician and I've been in both a Surf band and a true Hapa Haole steel guitar band. Because I'm music centric, and I work with booking bands, my impetus to put something together has come from that direction. I know place is important because of the architecture, but isn’t it more a factor of having a warm, pseudo tropical tourist local? I’m not an expert, but as has been said, aren’t there better places to hold an event if architecture was the main appeal?

Another aspect that I know is a good idea is the important inclusion of artists and vendors. Our West End festival is a showcase of our developing ‘artist loft’ arts community. That’s often the reason for an event. I know it just wouldn’t be a real event without them. I actually envision putting an emphasis on the Tiki artists because as much as artists do what they do for the love of their art, they also want to sell things to pay the bills. An early criticism of the planning of Oasis, and this might have changed by now, was the idea of having only ticketed participants getting a day with the vendors. That might be great for some, but if you’re in business it’s not what you want to do. I’m guessing that the vendors subsidize Oasis quite a bit and that is why ticket prices are so reasonable.

The suggestion of having a more inclusive festival is a good idea. We have a very large Hawaiian and Tongan community here and there are some hard core events that already take place. http://www.alohapolynesia.net/board/board_topic/513300/158705.htm Really, with all the great bands in the bay area (Ape has played here on the beach several times and the Mermen/Shi-tones are playing next month at one of our events), the true Polynesians and their very available entertainment, the great exposure artists could get (the locals are rich and throw money around like confetti), and the tourist infrastructure, it seems like something could work here.

But I’m doing a sales pitch now and that’s supposedly not why I’m posting. I really want your input. I know from experience that unless you get support from whatever group is supposed to be served by and event, it won’t work. If it’s something that just won’t work, tell me. I sincerely mean that and won’t take offence if that’s how you feel. But if you think there is something that could work, maybe different from the Hukilau and Oasis model, give me details on how you would envision this happening.

contact [email protected]

He's a walking and talking

event planning machine!!!

I've stated my thoughts above. It's not all about architecture, it's about a love of all things PolyPop in a place that has that in existence, that has people who are really into it putting it together, then they will come to support them.

To give you a little clearer picture: Hukilua and Oasis, and even Holden's events are put on by people who are really into this stuff. Oasis: Otto is a Tiki icon and he was one of the original starters of the movement. Hukiluau: Tiki Kiliki is HUGE into tiki and polypop. Swanky, also earlier part of Hukilua is a huge tiki resource of knowledge. Both are considered with high regard in the Tiki community. Holden LOVES Tiki mugs and all things Tiki. Because of this he got involved with TikiCentral. It certainly now makes good business sense for him to be involved, but bottom line, he's into the stuff and many of us know him and are friends.

I'm not convinced that you're so much into the stuff yet, as looking for an opportuntity to produce a financial money making event. That's fine if you are, but this is not the crowd to cater it to if it's not authentically Tiki from this forum's perspective. If you're wondering what that is, simply read the threads.

So my point is, you could easily throw an event in Monterey -- epecially with your resources, but in my opinion, you'll need to make it more generalist (which this crowd is not) to attract the people you need to make it financially successful. You probably won't capture a lot of tikifiles, but you certainly can get the masses of general people who aren't into Tiki so much. Beyond that, I would really suggest that you not blatantly pitch on this site, without really being into this stuff. It will probably work against you.

P.S. Look forward to meeting you at Oasis. :)

[ Edited by: Coco Loco 2007-07-06 10:41 ]

On 2007-07-06 09:28, Okolehao wrote:
Another aspect that I know is a good idea is the important inclusion of artists and vendors. Our West End festival is a showcase of our developing ‘artist loft’ arts community. That’s often the reason for an event. I know it just wouldn’t be a real event without them. I actually envision putting an emphasis on the Tiki artists because as much as artists do what they do for the love of their art, they also want to sell things to pay the bills. An early criticism of the planning of Oasis, and this might have changed by now, was the idea of having only ticketed participants getting a day with the vendors. That might be great for some, but if you’re in business it’s not what you want to do. I’m guessing that the vendors subsidize Oasis quite a bit and that is why ticket prices are so reasonable.

I'm pretty new into this scene, but as someone who vended at Tiki Farm Event (shared a booth) and vended at Hukilau (turned it into a vacation), I like the idea of a small event in Monterey. I like the area, it makes a nice weekend getaway even if you're not there for an event, but add a day of vending and a few parties before and after, I'd definitely consider going.

If you want a lot of tiki artists to come and vend, and if you want a large variety, you need to have reasonable booth prices and a lot of attendees. One of the problems with Oasis is that the vendor spots are pretty pricey. As someone who's just starting out, it's almost impossible for me to sell enough to cover the booth costs. Tiki Farm booths were so reasonable, that it was worth it just to see what would happen.

I don't know if you'll get a large number of attendees from TC, so I think you would need to make it a broader to get a good number of attendees, but then you run the risk of not bringing in people who would actually buy the stuff we're vending.

New spokesperson for TC .... CocoLoco !!! Let's give big hand !!!!

I agree with Coco Loco 100% on this.

I would need a little more incentive than a local live band and a sunburn to make the trip.

On 2007-07-06 10:58, mieko wrote:

On 2007-07-06 09:28, Okolehao wrote:
Another aspect that I know is a good idea is the important inclusion of artists and vendors. Our West End festival is a showcase of our developing ‘artist loft’ arts community. That’s often the reason for an event. I know it just wouldn’t be a real event without them. I actually envision putting an emphasis on the Tiki artists because as much as artists do what they do for the love of their art, they also want to sell things to pay the bills. An early criticism of the planning of Oasis, and this might have changed by now, was the idea of having only ticketed participants getting a day with the vendors. That might be great for some, but if you’re in business it’s not what you want to do. I’m guessing that the vendors subsidize Oasis quite a bit and that is why ticket prices are so reasonable.

I'm pretty new into this scene, but as someone who vended at Tiki Farm Event (shared a booth) and vended at Hukilau (turned it into a vacation), I like the idea of a small event in Monterey. I like the area, it makes a nice weekend getaway even if you're not there for an event, but add a day of vending and a few parties before and after, I'd definitely consider going.

If you want a lot of tiki artists to come and vend, and if you want a large variety, you need to have reasonable booth prices and a lot of attendees. One of the problems with Oasis is that the vendor spots are pretty pricey. As someone who's just starting out, it's almost impossible for me to sell enough to cover the booth costs. Tiki Farm booths were so reasonable, that it was worth it just to see what would happen.

I don't know if you'll get a large number of attendees from TC, so I think you would need to make it a broader to get a good number of attendees, but then you run the risk of not bringing in people who would actually buy the stuff we're vending.

If your goods are worth purchasing people will beat a path to you.... If not ...well !

Some hopefully helpful comments...

It seems like the big events have a combination of a local population of tiki enthusiasts plus local attractions that draw non-locals from far and wide. By local attractions, I mean "headliners" like the Mai Kai in Ft. Lauderdale, Hala Kahiki in Chicago, Bali Hai in San Diego, etc. Also, with each of those events the local region itself is generally an attraction too, enough to spur a trip.

I'd roughly guess that Monterey is a little short on two of those things - the local enthusiasts and the headliner destinations. There's no denying it's a nice place to visit - a lot of people go to Monterey just as tourists. And there are a lot of tiki enthusiasts just over the hill in the bay area, maybe not quite local, but 90 minutes away.

I think if you wanted to make Monterey itself into the headliner for the TikiCentral crowd, you might be able to make it interesting for non-locals to make the trip. Speaking personally, I've been to Monterey a bunch of times, but there must be a lot I don't know. If you came up with a list of 10 gems in the area, my interest would probably be sparked. Where's the bar that inherited some of the remnants from Mark Thomas' Outrigger? For that matter, where was the Outrigger, and what's there now? How about some pictures from the original place? Where's the old bowling alley that still has the great googie sign from the 60s and the Eskimo themed "Igloo Room" bar? Where's the antique store whose owner keeps two live iguanas named Shields and Yarnell by the register? Those are the kinds of things that make it interesting enough to want to come and maybe even stay a night or two. Otherwise, if it's just another aloha festival with a loosely related bunch of vendors and local bands, my guess would be that others are right that you're pretty much talking a local crowd, and therefore a smallish event. But as others said, the event doesn't have to be big - no reason not to try out a small event and see who comes.

Also, some comments about other people's comments...

The fact that Otto lives in the SF bay area and is holding the Oasis in San Diego does not indicate anything much at all. While the SF bay area has a ton of tiki destinations, my guess is that the Oasis stayed in so-cal mainly because of its "fun in the sun" pedigree. Weather-wise, SF tends to be a place that you want to find an Oasis from, rather than the other way around. Chicago's like SF in terms of bad (or worse) weather, but the tiki destinations in these cities are more oriented toward the indoor escapist experience than the outdoor Palm Springs or San Diego kind of fun.

And, ahem, to any resident of Alameda protesting about a "long" 90 min driving distance to an event, I respectfully submit that your perspective is skewed by living walking distance from one of the best contemporary tiki grottos in America!

-Randy

Again, I really appreciate the feedback I've gotten so far. I hope people will keep this thread going.
I'll admit I'm an outsider here, but I have lurked a long time on Tiki Central. I'm looking forward to introducing myself at Tiki Oasis and hope that I might be accepted into the community. I'll bring my 15 year old Rhum Barbancourt and bottle of Okolehao and do shots with you.

Just to let you know a little more about me and my interest in this, I can tell you, sincerely, I'm not interested in making any money. The first event I ever planned was a Bluegrass Gospel concert series that was free to the public. I paid the bands, who were very generous with their time, with a collection that was taken up at each event. They made some more money selling their albums after their shows. I did all the planning an marketing. I actually spent my own money getting it together because it was something I wanted to do. I wasn't a part of the Gospel community. I just liked the music. I have the same attitude about doing a Tiki event. I just want to have something fun happen in my neck of the woods.

Something mentioned was cost. I just talked with a group sales agent at what I think would be a good place to hold an event where, with a small commitment of 50 people, I can make it break even. I could sell tickets at ~$40 a piece with a on site hotel rate of $99! And get this - that's on the Saturday of the Martin Luther King Holiday weekend. Now that's not going to allow me to book groups like Ape or the Blue Hawaiians, but I can get 3 local acts and maybe a D.J.(any volunteers?) If I can get 10 vendors willing to pay $50 a piece I can also get a banquet room for their sales. That's a lot for a vendor if their only buyers are the ticket holders, but I have contacts with the local press who will do some P.R. and bring in the public during the day. Here's the facility I checked into: http://www.bayparkhotel.com/
Now I know winter in Monterey isn't exactly like July in Hawaii, but a party is a party. And if I have some volunteers to decorate we could easily make their Safari Club Lounge into a nice Tiki Bar.

Again, I would want to work with you guys. I'd have to work with you guys. I'm not into boosting my ego, resume, or pockets. This is just for the fun.

I wanted to add, aquarj, that I think you have got the right idea about local history. I can't answer all your questions, but it would be fun to do the research. ; )

On 2007-07-06 14:21, Okolehao wrote:
And get this - that's on the Saturday of the Martin Luther King Holiday weekend.
.....
Now I know winter in Monterey isn't exactly like July in Hawaii, but a party is a party.

Another thing that the great tiki events have in common is the option of partying outdoors. I know you mentioned a "beach party" in your first post, but that's just not going to happen in Monterey in January! Too damned cold to even pretend in you're in a tropical locale. It's great to have an ocean nearby ... but what good is it if you'll get hypothermia just by sticking your toe in it.

On 2007-07-06 14:16, aquarj wrote:
And, ahem, to any resident of Alameda protesting about a "long" 90 min driving distance to an event, I respectfully submit that your perspective is skewed by living walking distance from one of the best contemporary tiki grottos in America!

As one of the residents of Alameda living within walking distance of Forbidden Island, I must respond to this. I believe if you poll the tikiphiles living in Alameda, you'll find that most of us are willing to drive 7-8 hours to a great tiki event ... and many of us will be doing just that in two weeks. But, yeah, 90 minutes is a bit much to ask for an event thrown together by an unknown entity, with unknown entertainment, in a less-than-tiki town.

I think your heart's in the right place, and as an event planner, I think it's in your instincts to gather--and create--a group of like-minded people for a lot of fun!

I, for one, would love a tiki event in Monterey--Santa Cruz would be even better. Sometimes it's not about the tiki that's already in a place, it's the tiki that tikiphiles bring to a place, and that can have a great effect.

Thanks for putting the idea out there!

Take care,

I.

On 2007-07-06 14:16, aquarj wrote:
And, ahem, to any resident of Alameda protesting about a "long" 90 min driving distance to an event, I respectfully submit that your perspective is skewed by living walking distance from one of the best contemporary tiki grottos in America!
-Randy

But going to an event like that would entail leaving the Island, and what Alamedan wants to do that? Just ask Midite Tiki about the long and arduous journey to Alameda.

But on a serious note, unless I missed it somewhere in the above posts, I don't hear any Alameda folks complaining about going over to the Monterey Bay area for an event like this. I know that Coco Loco and I would go (after all, we drove all the way down to Vista to attend Monkeyman's lamp making class). I'm sure it's the same for most of the folks in Alameda, as well as the East Bay and other regions in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

In fact, there's quite a pool to pull from in Northern California. We've got folks spread out from Novato down through the Peninsula to Silicon Valley and the South Bay and back up through the East Bay and all the way out to the Central Valley and Sacramento and beyond. If the event is good enough, just about all of these people will show up. Hell, if the event is just okay to lackluster, they'll probably still show up - once. And if the event looks really promising, then you'll start to pull people from the Southern California region and beyond as well. Seems to me that what I just typed is common sense, and I probably didn't need to type it, but there it is as my opinion anyways.

Also as a caveat, there have been other events that had a fairly strong pull, but turned out just okay depending on what point of view you're looking from. Take the Tiki Invasion at the Mission Tiki Drive Inn down in Montclair, for example. Several of us NorCal folks made the trip down there, at least 5 of us were from Alameda, and we had a great time. There were great bands, like the Martini Kings, and the Ghastly Ones, and vending, and B movies, and a great cross pool of folks into tiki, rockabilly, vintage cars, etc. But the vending turned out to be kind of lackluster, not due to the fault of the vendors, but no one was really buying anything. The artists that were selling their wares didn't have much success, and I wonder if most of them even covered their vending expenses and gas, especially since a couple of them were from Northern CA as well. People like Monkeyman have commented that the Tiki crowd can be a frugal bunch, even at an event like Oasis.

So from a vending standpoint, the event was kind of a flop. From a purely tiki standpoint, the tiki crowd had kind of a low turnout. But the tiki folks that were there pretty much knew each other and had a great time. We rolled out astroturf and put a white picket fence around our parking spot, scattered around some pink flamingos, and ended up getting squeezed out of our own party space!

From a tiki event standpoint, it felt more like a smaller event, like HooptyLau. Have you checked out some of the threads here on TC about the HooptyLau events? Anyone that has ever been to a HooptyLau event can argue that it just might be one of the very best tiki events evar! We have that good of a time at the event, and people come up from Southern CA to attend. But one of the things that makes the event so good is all of the planning and legwork executed by the gratious HooptyLau hosts The Drunken Hat and TikiCleen. They do a great job of tying in visits to old tiki haunts like Minnie's and the Stockton Islander that now basically reside in the 'Hood. And we have fun partying at these places while we risk getting our asses kicked, lose various members of our crew, and have the gasoline stolen out of our van at the same time. The Drunken Hat and TikiCleen use their house as the base for the event, and most of us crash at a local motel. To me, HooptyLau is an example of an event that is a great success on the fun scale for the Ohana without bands and without vending.

As a final example, Tiki Farm will be having their Big Ol' Bash pretty soon. I'm basically unemployed right now (but not complaining), yet Coco Loco and I will still find a way to make that trek down to Southern CA to attend that event. Can you create an event that will have the same kind of draw? If so, then people will come.

Thanks JT! That's exactly what I meant. I wasn't complaining, but am not going to drive to a destination that's not of interest from a Tiki perspective for tiki. That's all. Mai Tai said it all. :)

Uggg, now I have to walk to Forbidden Island. Ohhh, the pain. JUST kidding!!! It's not Weds or Thursday. And it's a good 3 minute drive ya know. :D

On 2007-07-06 14:55, JenTiki wrote:

On 2007-07-06 14:16, aquarj wrote:
And, ahem, to any resident of Alameda protesting about a "long" 90 min driving distance to an event, I respectfully submit that your perspective is skewed by living walking distance from one of the best contemporary tiki grottos in America!

As one of the residents of Alameda living within walking distance of Forbidden Island, I must respond to this. I believe if you poll the tikiphiles living in Alameda, you'll find that most of us are willing to drive 7-8 hours to a great tiki event ... and many of us will be doing just that in two weeks. But, yeah, 90 minutes is a bit much to ask for an event thrown together by an unknown entity, with unknown entertainment, in a less-than-tiki town.

[ Edited by: Coco Loco 2007-07-06 19:18 ]

I've gotten a few 'go get em' PMs from people that seem to indicate there is some interest in a small event here. I can see though that taking on something even close to Oasis is really silly for now. I can arrange it, but I see that it wouldn't be organic enough to be taken seriously.

But since I started this idea based on my love of the music, would there be interest in something really simple like a Tiki themed party at one of our clubs? I'd love to do something in a local Tiki bar like Hulas, but it's just too small; the back room only holds 34 people and there's no room for live music. Not that that couldn't be the starting point for dinner or something. What if I could book someplace like our major club, Sly McFlys on Cannery Row (where my boss is the booking agent)with a night of music that's not just a private party but one that's open to the general public? They charge a cover on the weekends to pay for their bands and a civilian crowd, besides the tikiophiles, could help pay for a quality Lounge, Hapa Haole, Surf line up.

There could be something like a preparty at Hulas, then entertainment at Slys. No one would have to buy dinner, drinks, or tickets to anything unless they wanted to. Get drunk at Hulas, get drunk at Slys, or don't get drunk at all but just hang out and meet friends. I know something small like this isn't going to get people from North Dakota flying in, but I would hope San Jose south might get fired up. And I could still get a hotel group discount, if there was enough interest, for people who'd want to spend the night and do the room party thing.
What do you think? Viable or not?? Worth it, or not???

At least you could go to the aquarium or take a whale watching tour the next day while recovering. :0

I'm afraid of Seagulls

so sorry.

I can't make it, but have fun!!!

Flock of Seagulls !!

I'd suggest starting really, really small -- why not organize a dinner at Hula's in Monterey or Hula's in Santa Cruz? It's the best way to 1) get to know your friendly neighborhood tikiphiles, 2) get a feel for the local tiki vibe and 3) get some feedback from the very people who are most likely to be interested in a larger event.

It will be hard to predict what sort of turnout you might get for a larger-than-just-dinner event. As others have mentioned, an event in Monterey may not have a ton of long-distance draw. After all, traveling all the way to Northern California and not seeing places like Forbidden Island, the Tonga Room, Trader Vic's -- I mean, that'd just be weird. You'd have to come up with a really seriously unique draw to get any sort of serious out-of-town turnout.

To give you a general idea of the kind of turnout we get for events up here in Northern California, the Hooptylau event in the Central Valley that was mentioned generally draws about 30-40 people, the annual four-day Tiki Central San Francisco Tiki Bar Crawl generally draws anywhere from a dozen or so on Thursday or Sunday to a hundred on Saturday, and every now and then there'll be a local one-off event that'll attract a good dozen or two folks.

Forget making money: you're pretty much guaranteed to lose money throwing an event. The events in this crowd are truly a labor of love, and a lot of out-of-pocket expenses are incurred by those throwing them. Really, just think of it as a party you're throwing for your friends. Which comes back around to starting small -- it's a little weird to throw a party for friends you don't know (hence some of the skepticism on this thread), so get to know us! I'm always up for a get-together at Hula's.

Well you do have the Monterrey Bay Aquarium going for you. What a draw that could be. Live fish to view. If you do something I hope you work in something with the aquarium. It's World Famous. Let's just hope they aren't playing any Jimmy Buffett that day or some people around here will lose their ''Fish Sticks''. I always root for the underdog, so I'm pulling for ya!

THE COAST IS CALLING

I think it is a great idea. Put on a good party and it doesn't matter where it is. Before oasis, Otto put on several events in venues that had no "native" Tikis, but the decore was brought in. I say go for it!

Though you may be lacking in native tiki splendor in Monterey, you are rich in Oceanic and Landscape wonders. There is no way I would go to Monterey without a visit to the aquarium or a drive along the coast. Take advantage of the Pacific and nature by offering various packages that include activities like the Aquarium, 17-mile Drive, historic Cannery Row, Fisherman's Warf, etc., for the daytime. Then we need some serious drinking, Hawaiiana, Surf & Exotica music, and a tiki marketplace with affordable booths for the many great Poly-pop/tiki artists we love so much. Don't have your weekend extravaganza on the same weekend that another tiki event is occurring, so plan ahead.

Hotels are a personal choice and there are a huge variety to choose from in Monterey or Carmel. Some folks like to be pampered and stay in a place that offers top quality amenities and others just want the basics. Maybe you can help with group rates.

Monterey and tiki.....count me in. :)

[ Edited by: WooHooWahine 2007-07-08 14:35 ]

On 2007-07-06 14:21, Okolehao wrote:
Again, I really appreciate the feedback I've gotten so far. I hope people will keep this thread going.
I'll admit I'm an outsider here, but I have lurked a long time on Tiki Central. I'm looking forward to introducing myself at Tiki Oasis and hope that I might be accepted into the community. I'll bring my 15 year old Rhum Barbancourt and bottle of Okolehao and do shots with you.

Just to let you know a little more about me and my interest in this, I can tell you, sincerely, I'm not interested in making any money. The first event I ever planned was a Bluegrass Gospel concert series that was free to the public. I paid the bands, who were very generous with their time, with a collection that was taken up at each event. They made some more money selling their albums after their shows. I did all the planning an marketing. I actually spent my own money getting it together because it was something I wanted to do. I wasn't a part of the Gospel community. I just liked the music. I have the same attitude about doing a Tiki event. I just want to have something fun happen in my neck of the woods.

Something mentioned was cost. I just talked with a group sales agent at what I think would be a good place to hold an event where, with a small commitment of 50 people, I can make it break even. I could sell tickets at ~$40 a piece with a on site hotel rate of $99! And get this - that's on the Saturday of the Martin Luther King Holiday weekend. Now that's not going to allow me to book groups like Ape or the Blue Hawaiians, but I can get 3 local acts and maybe a D.J.(any volunteers?) If I can get 10 vendors willing to pay $50 a piece I can also get a banquet room for their sales. That's a lot for a vendor if their only buyers are the ticket holders, but I have contacts with the local press who will do some P.R. and bring in the public during the day. Here's the facility I checked into: http://www.bayparkhotel.com/
Now I know winter in Monterey isn't exactly like July in Hawaii, but a party is a party. And if I have some volunteers to decorate we could easily make their Safari Club Lounge into a nice Tiki Bar.

Again, I would want to work with you guys. I'd have to work with you guys. I'm not into boosting my ego, resume, or pockets. This is just for the fun.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

40 dollar cover... 3 band and a DJ .... OUCH !!!!

Me thinks your in need of some sponsors and couple of SUGAR DADDYS.. you need to go to some events and write down cons and pros ...Your probably a good year away from turning out an event !!!!
'This is just for fun'
Having sex is fun
Throwing an event is hard work !!!