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noizemagazine - Index

noizemagazine - noiZe Magazine Issue 60 May 2009 - Index

Photo by Moody Mustafa/Moodypics
Now operating under the moniker
of Mark Baker Creative,
Baker has teamed up with Envibe
Entertainment, which is run by his
good friend and House music aficionado
Steve Milo, and Groove
Travel for his World|Vibe Orlando
venture. Among the many considerations
behind the creation of this
new party weekend were the weakened
economy and what he sees as
a shift in the interests and expectations
of a key constituency: “What’s
interesting about the gay demographic
is, the younger you go, the
less interested those people are in
exclusively gay parties. It’s just not
such a big deal to anybody.”
Baker also saw World|Vibe as an
opportunity to do something new
and entirely different. “As a promoter,
when you go to Ultra and
there’s 30,000 people standing in
the middle of a field, you do kind
of go, 30,000 times $85 is...” he
says as his voice trails off, with the
unspoken question: How do the
numbers add up? “I love the creative,
but you’ve got to make it run
as a business. I think that’s why I got
sold on this project more so than
some of the other ones I’ve been
presented with. I thought, ‘Wow,
there’s a lot of potential here.’”
Photo by 360Presents.com
numbers, which are based on average
ticket prices of $45 to $55. “Everybody’s
trying to find new ways to make money.
This weekend attracts a whole different
audience that probably wouldn’t come
to Disney. So here’s a chance to bring
in some new business. We were able to
negotiate with the venues and hotels
because everybody in the entertainment
[and hospitality] business is hurting right
now. There are people now giving us
deals who two or three years ago would
not have given us the time of day.”
Baker’s “Be Here” page on his website,
WorldVibeOrlando.com, lists one- to
three-night travel packages, including
hotel and tickets, ranging from $235 to
$550.
Time and again Mark Baker has proven
himself a remarkably creative innovator
who has consistently set many of
the trends that other event producers
and party promoters will eventually follow.
With World|Vibe Orlando, he seems
destined to continue that magnificent
legacy. One can only imagine what he’ll
dream up next.
At the same time, the current economic
climate demands competitive
pricing and affordable packages.
“My gut is, we’re being very realistic,”
he says of his low break-even
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Happy Am I! Healthy Am I! holy Am I!