[HarveyJ]

So I was thinking, it's my 25th birthday in June. Quarter life crises time! Buy half a motorbike, get a half attractive girlfriend, etc...

But I had an idea for the party... Or specifically, turning a profit from my own party, and I want people's opinion on a) whether the idea itself is good or not and b)if it's a tad scummy to get people to not only pay to get into my party, but to actually turn a profit from it (there's a poll for that part)

The party idea itself is a Battle of the Bands thing.
I've got a lot of friends in bands, so I'd have no problem getting about 4 bands to play half hour sets, and a DJ to play while the bands aren't on.
I'd pay the bands a small performance fee (so the people in them that I don't know aren't put out).
Between the bands performance fee and the venue hire, it'll cost me about $1,000-$1,200.

I was thinking of getting the money back by having a cover charge (theoretically to cover the cost of the bands and venue) of about $10.
Now, if it was just my friends, I'd probably get 100-140 people showing up.
But I also expect that the bands will be inviting their friends, so anywhere in the region of an extra 100-200 people.
I was also thinking of putting down some promotional material for it (flyers & posters) in various Rock shops around town, which would probably net about another 100-200 people.

Now venue capacity isn't an issue here (I think), as the license is for 685 patrons.

But what do people think of the clearly profit making part on my friends and friend-o-friends?
And then there's the bit about maybe even promoting, so people I and my friends don't even know would be coming along.

[Hooman]

Why not?

I say go for it.

Besides, those aren't all your real friends. It's like those people who have 300+ friends on Facebook/Myspace. There's a difference between friends and acquaintances, but most people just call them all "friends."

To be honest, I have only 1 real friend, who is not family, who I can trust and really respect as my friend. If you think about it, you probably only have 2-3 or less of these. Friends like these are hard to come by, and they are like your brother. Those are the kinds of friends I would never do business with or never do things to jeopardize our respect or loyalty to one another. They are the kinds of friends who stick with you through thick and thin, who "got your back" so-to-speak. I doubt anyone can have more than a few of these types of friends.

So to be honest, I don't think your idea is scummy. It's cool, and I think it would make for a good time. And be sure to let your really good close friends in for free

Edit: And if you make it appear like it's worth the $10 (or whatever you decide to charge) to attend, then lots of people will come. I know night clubs that charge a lot more than that, just to get in sometimes.

If you feel iffy about it, people will be able to sense that vibe off you. If you are confident about it, people won't question you. That's something I've learned. So just be bold with and do it. I say there's nothing wrong, and hey, I wish I had thought of it! Maybe I'll do that myself next year.

[ADVERTISE HERE!]

Naw. I don't see anything wrong with it unless you made your friends feel guilty if they didn't help. Have fun with it, and happy birthday.

[pboychuk]

heh, i wish i would have read what you were doing before voting. Maybe you should say, please pay this cover instead of bringing a gift. I dont know if that defeats the purpose however.

[tazman9r]

Promote the event, but not as your birthday party. Offer your friends "passes", but everyone else gets to pay. Advertise all over where the age group you want is gonna be (school campuses).

[RLorenzen]

Sounds like a great idea to me.

[Ju3561]

Yes, go for it, not illegal is it! If it works, do it again - if it doesn't, don't.