Au revoir Affaire to Remember.
It’s the end of an era at the Center of Anna Maria Island.
After a disappointing 2016 Grand Affaire, the center’s board decided to do away with its black-tie gala in favor of smaller, more community-centered events, where the focus will not be on fundraising.
“We’re focusing on hosting events for our residents as a social gathering, not primarily as a fundraiser,” said executive director Kristen Lessig during a July 14 budget meeting with the three island mayors. “We want to host events that meet our mission to serve as the community’s gathering place.”
During the meeting, Lessig said the 2016 event drew 191 guests, some who received complimentary tickets. Attendance was down from previous years and only 42 percent of those who attended were island residents, the center’s target audience.
“We continue to have challenges with perception in the community,” Lessig said.
The gala, for many years promoted as an “Affaire to Remember,” previously served as a major fundraiser for the nonprofit, raising a record $726,000 in 2005, including donations to the capital project that resulted in a new building.
In its earliest incarnation, beginning in 1989, the event was an auction fundraiser under previous executive director Pierrette Kelly. In the early years, the event was a casual affair with ticket prices at $18-20.
The event transitioned to a formal gala under the leadership of longtime chairperson Trudy Moon in the mid-1990s. Hosted at St. Bernard Catholic Church, 248 S. Harbor Drive, Holmes Beach, until the new building was completed at 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria. Ticket prices rose and the gala became a popular event, often raising more than $200,000 for the center in a single evening from ticket sales, cash calls and auction items.
The center celebrated the gala’s 25th year with a Silver Affaire in 2015. That event drew a crowd of 317 and resulted in $147,000 after $35,000 in expenses.
The center’s board of directors was optimistic for the 2016 event, ending what was expected to be the highest grossing month of the fiscal year with a deficit.
The 2016 gala raised only $61,896 for the center after $43,320 in expenses, falling short of expectations by about $70,000.
During an April board meeting, Ed Chiles suggested doing a post-mortem analysis to see why the gala failed and determine if it would be in the center’s best interest to continue the Affaire.
In the July meeting with the island mayors, Lessig said the analysis resulted in dropping the event. She said the determination was based on the amount of return versus the time and expense, including staff time involved in producing the event.
Filling the void will involve tapping into some popular events, such as the murder-mystery dinner theater, which Lessig said will be expanded to two nights.
The center also plans to add more intimate events, including dinners, throughout the year.
Lessig planned to meet with Moon and Kelly to discuss the potential for replacing the gala.
“I still need to meet with the Affaire committee to decide what we are going to do in place of the event and how we are going to honor it,” Lessig said in a July 21 email.
The center’s fiscal year began July 1, but the board has yet to approve a budget. The center hosted a town hall-style meeting Monday, July 25, after press time for The Islander.
For more information, contact the center at 941-778-1908.