The words “There isn’t anything to do in St. Louis” are dead and probably won’t be resurrected anytime soon.
That statement was born out of a scarcity of regular special events, black-owned clubs and welcoming white-owned venues to provide a variety of nightlife options.
While there remains a scarcity of African American-owned nightclubs here, the reactionary emergence of party and special-event promoters continues to grow, sustaining vitality on St. Louis’ social scene.
The production and promotion of special events has been so pacifying to nightlife seekers that it has evolved into a viable business venture that has added to the livelihood of the promoters.
As with free enterprise, competition has entered the house of promoting parties, which can sometimes fall on the same date.
But this Memorial Day Weekend has brought four of St. Louis’ top party promoters together to produce three consecutive red carpet parties Friday, Saturday and Sunday at separate venues.
The promoters are 1st Friday-STL, Koncepts, MPAC and Free Time. They pop the weekend off at 8 p.m. Friday with Flaunt Your Taste with special celebrity host Terrence J, host of BET’s 106th & Park at The Loft.
On Saturday, they’re taking the party to Lumen with national recording artist Amerie for an All Black Affair at 8 p.m.
Then they’re capping off the weekend at 7 p.m. Sunday with Elevate Your Night, which includes a NBA semi-finals watch party, featuring host Will Witherspoon of the St. Louis Rams at the Sky Box on the Landing.
St. Louis promoters merging for an event isn’t unprecedented, but the collaboration did take some partygoers and fellow promoters by surprise since each of the four have the following to have done their own thing.
But Koncept’s Keith Harris, who works for the St. Louis Rams, had something bigger and better in mind.
“I decided to get with these guys and put something together,” said Harris, known for well-arranged, upscale events that sometimes feature Rams players.
Harris said his Koncepts company focuses on strategic partnering.
“It isn’t just about throwing events – it’s about taking it to the next level, acquiring sponsorships, different resources and partners, doing hot events and continuing them in the future,” Harris said.
There were certainly other promoters to choose from such as SYGU (Step Your Game Up), Precision, Monopoly, Loose Cannon, So Diverse, Power Couple, Close To Famous, LME, 2Jos ENT and a few more.
“There was a relationship already in place from years past and we felt comfortable,” Harris said.
Mo Spoon of MPACT, which throws the popular, monthly Eye Candy Model Party competitions, said hooking up with the other three promoters helps to build his image, since he sometimes has to choose venues based on runway space.
“Everybody’s bringing a niche market to the table and there’s value in that,” Harry Michel of 1st Friday said.
“And, let’s get down to it – everybody in St. Louis knows Mo Spoon is doing his thing and brings a crowd, so we were really happy to have the opportunity to work with him.”
Roy Robinson of Free Time said, “I was very excited for Free Time because we’re the youngest (since 2005) and it gave us a chance to get our feet wet with some veterans.”
1st Friday, the eldest of the events, was ready to jump in with both feet.
“We’ve had our eyes on different promoters that have been in the game for a minute, and we want to be associated with new, young energy that’s getting it done,” said 1st Friday’s Michel.
Fred Finley, the other half of 1st Friday, said, “We thought it was long overdue, and it’s beautiful to see brothers come together and support one another.” The two will be opening an new urban hang suite later this summer in Midtown.
‘Friendly competition’
As for those promoters who weren’t included, Michel said, “Our coming together wasn’t meant to be exclusionary to other promoters – we all have respect for them.”
Mocha Latte of Monopoly Promotions said she wasn’t offended by her exclusion because you can’t include everyone.
“I love to see black men working together,” Mocha Latte said, adding that she was too busy with three weekly events of her own to have time to have accepted the offer.
“I’ve worked with all of them – except Free Time – sending emails and supporting, so they obviously think I’m capable,” said Moch Latte, pointing out that she has been deemed, “Queen of Promotions” in St. Louis, challenging their “top promoters” status.
Mocha Latte also said the four may be countering a multi-promoter New Year’s Eve ’07 celebration by Slim of Loose Cannon that didn’t include the four of them, though some declined.
Eddie Holman of SYGU said the exclusion of his company didn’t make them salty.
“It shows that collaborations work when you have credible people working together and pushing the envelope,” said Holman, whose SYGU events company is throwing a Teese (graphic t-shirt) Memorial Day party Sunday at the Old Rock House.
“We did it last year with Soul Styles and it was a big success, so people sometimes bump heads,” Holman said.
“But it’s friendly competition, so if someone has a good concept, I say let them take a crack at it.”
Tickets to the Memorial Day Weekend event are available at www.stlmemorialday.com.
