How "NOT TO" run a Nightclub Salsa competition..

One of the main reasons for having a competition is to attract a crowd, which brings publicity and dollars to the club. We’ve all experienced new clubs opening up. One sure-fire way of getting people to a new club is by having a "huge contest with thousands in cash prizes...". Unfortunately, all too often, after the competition, there is either no cash available, or they change the rules THAT NIGHT and tell you the cash is being "saved for the ultimate winner at the Grand Finals…" 

Then, you find out the club shut down a few weeks later.  

This has happened many, many times to my partner and I. One time in particular was at the 1996 Latin Music Awards. To attract a large number of people, they advertised a "Huge, $10,000 cash Salsa Competition" - not unlike the Mayan. All the competitors and winners from other nightclubs would represent their nightclub at this "Open Competition". This was supposedly going to be the "Biggest Competition of the Year". It was advertised so well, that many of the clubs were sponsoring their past winners by sending them to the contest in stretch limousines. I couldn’t believe it until I saw it! Angel and I barely made it in my beat-up car, when suddenly we saw two or three beautiful, while stretch limos pulling up behind us! Out stepped our friends who had won at other clubs! We just looked at each other in disbelief.  

The promoters made several mistakes at this competition. To get the story right, I’m going to list all his mistakes in the order in which they occurred:  

1. The promoters held the preliminaries at a club which normally does not have Salsa dancing on that night. That night, only half the club filled up with dancers, and everybody - including the competitors - had to pay to get in.  
2. The promoters had to call people at their homes and tell them they were "invited" to this competition. This supposedly was incentive enough to get people to show up.  
3. Some of the professional judges were hand-picked from the crowd that night (did they not have enough?). 
4. After the competitors competed (Amateur and Pro divisions), they did not announce the winners of the contest that evening. They said that a video would be taken of the competitors, and the judges would watch it in grave detail later on (when?). So everybody left that evening, no knowing who won or not! (my partner found out later on that week who won, only because he was friends with one of the promoters).  
5. With the $10,000 carrot, they told all the competitors that the competition was going to be held during the Latin Music Awards at the Hollywood Palladium - but they didn’t know the date yet. We thought this was rather odd because NOBODY normally goes to the Palladium for Salsa dancing - EVER. We all knew that attracting a regular Salsa crowd there would be a monumental task.  
6. Because of the tremendous cost of renting the Palladium, the employees, and the band, the promoter charged $28 per person to go. The tickets were being sold in advance and $35 at the door.  
7. Once the competitors got there, instead of the promised $10,000 the promoter told us that a small trophy and $500 cash rebate toward the purchase of a new car would be the prize.  

This upset the dancers so much to the point of virtual mutiny. At the last minute we all agreed to just walk out - without competing (and to the disappointment of the small crowd that DID show up) We, along with everyone else in that place, were in complete disbelief. Many people asked for their money back, and most of us just ended up at the Mayan to dance out their frustrations. What an experience!  

Fortunately, the Mayan and the Sportsman’s Lodge competitions are the only true reputable and "big" Salsa Competition events of the year. Both clubs have come through with $10,000 for us every time, have never taken back any of the money, nor what they say. Lastly, both competitions are a guaranteed money-making, crowd-pleaser.