JustCircuit suspends production of "Five Ring Circuit" for Winter Party Festival; Exclusivity agreement entered into by the Task Force made the planned party "impossible"
The JustCircuit co-produced "Five Ring Circuit" event will not be happening this year during Winter Party Festival. In a letter sent last month (January 19, 2010) to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, presenter of Winter Party Festival 2010, JustCircuit advised party organizers that all Five Ring Circuit event production will be suspended in lieu of the Task Force's decision to enter into "exclusivity" agreements, which specifically prevent the Task Force from accepting any sponsorship agreement from JustCircuit.
The letter advises, "In regards to Winter Party Festival weekend, and in keeping with JustCircuit’s consistent goals of not capitalizing on the success of a fundraising weekend for personal goals, we would like to let you know that we will NOT be producing, advertising or suggesting “Five Ring Circuit” during Winter Party Week in competition with your planned events."
Last year's event, held at the mega-nightclub "Metropolis" (now called "Mekka"), featured eleven DJs in five rooms in a "carnival" atmosphere and served as the officially sanctioned Friday night event. The successful event was favored by many during the weekend as "an exciting new event, full of talent and amazing value." This year's production plans were proposed to feature the same venue, featuring its new, multi-million dollar renovations, exciting Circuit DJs and special performances in each of the five connected venues, with an even lower door price than last year's party.
"We are certainly disappointed that Five Ring Circuit won't be back this year," states Victor Mauro, JustCircuit owner and Executive Publisher. "Our plans ground to a halt when we were told by the Task Force that they were unable to work with us due to an exclusive arrangement with a Los Angeles based magazine that specifically prevented our involvement with Winter Party Festival. Our productions have and will always be created to help build the weekend and by only using sanctioned events. We would not produce an event that competes against a non-profit weekend. Our goals are visible in everything we do and we've been consistent partners with Winter Party for over a decade. Unfortunately, we will not be a part of this year's promotions due to their accepting a deal which locks us out and prevents our assistance."
The letter below was sent to The Task Force and is reproduced in its entirety below:
From: Shane Rogers
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 07:26:13 -0500
To: Dave Cook, Alex Breitman, Rea Carey, Janice Thom
Cc: Victor Mauro
Subject: JustCircuit / Five Ring Circuit
JustCircuit, LLC
JustCircuit.com
JustCircuitMAG.com
JustCircuitLIVE.com
Post Office Box 23505
Ft Lauderdale, FL 33307
JustCircuit has been a consistent, 11-year sponsor and supporter of Winter Party Festival. Nearly every single product in our means has been used to provide superior promotions of Winter Party Festival, even before the Task Force arrived on the scene. Whether it has been website promotions, productions of your events, providing live webcasts, sharing information with you in order to obtain other sponsors, offering cross-promotions valued at tens of thousands of dollars each year and all year long or even simply spending over $10,000 of our own money, as we did last year, to make your Friday night event successful, we have been a very, very good friend to you.
This Fall, and without explanation and without given the ability to offer any rebuttal, we were told by Alex Breitman that due to an exclusivity arrangement with one of your current partners, JustCircuit’s decade-long relationship with Winter Party would have to end and that this arrangement prevented not only placing advertising in our magazine, but even accepting our sponsorship. We were assured this applied to all other publication media as well.
As JustCircuit continues to grow our reach and develop fantastic new products, and as we encompass other popular media outlets in yet-to-be-announced consolidation, we have redirected the vast support we would normally give to your Winter Party Festival to go to other 501c3 organizations, who have rejected the idea of a fundraiser turning its back on good friends. As disappointed as we have been to have been “shut out” of your organization, without explanation or discussion after so many years of support, we have and will continue to move forward.
Having been duped into exclusivity by big promises of success and dragged into our competitor’s attempts to “block-to-compete” only serves to further isolate The Task Force and all you have attempted to accomplish. Those who have heard the story have been shocked and many will not be returning to Winter Party this year as a result. Every dollar lost is a dollar not in your benefit. This number, including lost matching funds, now unfortunately stands at over $100,000 in cash sales during the weekend and over $50,000 in promotions. (We have kept track of these figures, which continue to grow.) We hope that in the future the term “exclusivity” will not be part of your vernacular and that you will practice the fair and equal suggestions you publicly preach.
In regards to Winter Party Festival weekend, and in keeping with JustCircuit’s consistent goals of not capitalizing on the success of a fundraising weekend for personal goals, we would like to let you know that we will NOT be producing, advertising or suggesting “Five Ring Circuit” during Winter Party Week in competition with your planned events. Regardless, our original goals to create the event in a bigger and better way for the Task Force would not have been possible nor desirable under the current exclusivity terms you have signed with others and as described by Alex Breitman. We believe this event would have been much more successful this year, with the venue improvements, planned talent and overall experience with the production. The event had a tremendous and positive buzz and could have been a big, big success for everyone.
We wish you all a Happy New Year and encourage each of you to explore new options for success in the coming months, which do not include exclusivity that will block creative ideas, free promotions and end long-term friendships, and not for any amount of money or empty promotional promises.
Shane Rogers
Owner/Executive Editor
JustCircuit, LLC
