ConFusion over event success

This past weekend saw Fusion@London, an event budgeted to raise £78,897.50 in aid of the charity Cancer Research UK, take place. The main aim of the event was “to foster a closer relationship between the capital’s student population“. However, the success of the event is yet to be established. It remains to be revealed the exact gain or loss from the event, which was a joint student venture between the unions of Imperial College London, King’s College London, and University College London.

As of writing, the number of tickets sold for the first time London event is unknown. After numerous attempts to contact the event organiser, founder, and President, Angela Udemba, Felix was unable to gain any information pertaining to the financial state of the event. Angela went on to respond: “I don’t yet know exactly how many tickets were sold and how much money we made”. The treasurer of the event, Heather Jones, echoed these sentiments, saying that, at the present time, “it’s basically impossible to give an accurate gain/loss figure”. When questioned, Michael Foster, Deputy President (Finance & Services), did not have any details on the matter.

The current loss (as reported via eActivities, the Union’s Club and Society live financial reporting system) of the event stands at £23,473.70. This includes the successful launch event (generating a surplus of £4,548.46) but does not include the income generated by ticket sales.

The event spanning the weekend of 25 and 26 Feburary was held at Troxy, a well established venue situated in Limehouse, and had a maximum capacity of approximately 4,000. At the time of publication the ticket income has yet to appear on the Union system.

When seeking clarity from the Students’ Union of University College London (one of the joint partners of the Fusion@London), Felix received a reply stating that “UCLU was not involved in the planning or financial responsibility for the event.” King’s College London Students’ Union gave no statement. Following reports to the Union’s Executive Committee, it is now know that no financial liability was placed on any party other than Imperial College Union.

Update [10:22 – 18/07/2011] – Fusion@London have issued the following statement regarding the event:

Fusion @ London 2012 event has come to a close – and it was a highly celebrated event. The designers who attended were pleased and impressed by the fresh and unique show and the interesting use of their collections. Audiences were blown away by the incredible music acts and Made In Chelsea fans cheered for Hugo and Spencer. No one expected to see a show of such high standards. The cast and committee all feel immensely proud of the beautiful show that we spent almost a year putting together. Yet tickets did not sell out and we did not achieve our fundraising aim for Cancer Research UK. It is true that we do not have the financial facts yet because there are a lot of loose ends to tie up. It will be a few weeks before we can say exactly where Fusion stands financially. However from rough calculations it is now clear that we are expecting a financial deficit.

Yet it is difficult to view this outcome as a failure. We did not set out simply to raise money for Cancer Research. We created an organisation dedicated to our friends, family, and loved ones who have passed away from the disease. We wanted to create an event that would increase awareness and serve as a beautiful memorial to those who have succumbed to the disease. Angela Udemba brought the event to London for this very reason. During her time as Creative Director of York Fusion in 2008, her time with dear friend and fellow student Jojo (who later passed away from cancer) strengthened her desire to activate further fund-raising and awareness for Cancer Research UK. Working on a PhD in Cancer Research has only strengthened her ambition and dedication. Members of the Fusion @ London committee have battled cancer themselves. Everyone involved in this venture, cast and committee alike can testify to the immense hard work, dedication and passion that went into organising the event and it is difficult to see their efforts marred by the focus on a financial deficit.

We also intended to unite students from different Universities and foster closer relationships between institutions. The cast, crew and committee aka the Fusionites have formed long lasting friendships. It is difficult to accept that the money months of rehearsals, meetings, planning, tears and sweat is all over and most have pledged to do Fusion again. In the process we also forged relationships between students and professionals and provided career-building experiences.

So we were ambitious, perhaps too ambitious. Our focus was on creating an event that would last. The quality of the show had to be good enough that designers, choreographers, and promoters would work with us. We wanted to create a unique event of a high standard that would entertain, mesmerise, be remembered and recur. According to Ramil Makinano, one of the designers featured in the event; ‘...I have been to hundreds of fashion shows around the world and never seen anything quite like Fusion before...it’s exciting!’ Please bear in mind that this is the first year of Fusion @ London. In its first year, the event sold over 1,500 tickets and boasted a cast of over 130 students from different institutions. Acclaimed designers lent their collections, top hair and makeup teams styled the models, widely recognized choreographers worked with the dancers, and incredible music acts entertained the masses. The financial outcome of year one will not prevent the re-currence of Fusion @ London. The professional artists who worked closely with students to create the event have seen the potential and are excited about what the future holds.

Onto the finances

Tickets were sold via Troxy box office, on KGB, TimeOut, face to face through the cast and committee and on the door during both event nights. We are still collecting income from all these avenues. There are claims to be made and expenses to be paid so we expect that it will be a few weeks before we know the exact financial status of fusion. It is now apparent that ticket sales were not sufficient to cover our budget and the show has ended with a deficit. The exact amount of this deficit will not be known until all the accounts are finalised.

So how do we plan to cover the deficit?

The deficit is recoverable because it is not quite the end for Fusion @ London 2012. We are expecting more income from a wrap party expected to take place at the end of this month as well as from show DVD sales. We have the audience and the ability to make back the deficit through a wrap party – we made a substantial sum from the launch event and we can do it again. We hope Imperial students will turn up in full force to the wrap party and support us. Imperial College Union will not bear any deficit nor would it default to other societies. Should Fusion not break even from the wrap party, the debt will default to future Fusion events. Yes, Fusion @ London has a future. And many changes will be made to ensure that ticket sales and financial status only improve from here on out. One thing is certain, Imperial College Union will not be solely financially responsible for Fusion if at all responsible. Fusion will continue to seek to unite London’s youth – especially University and college students.

So what went wrong?

We did everything in our power right in creating the event. An experience and committed committee met regularly with Imperial College Union to review the progress of the event and consulted the experienced York Fusion Alumni along the way. But many of the affiliations such as with London Fashion Weekend and Beach Break Live expected to raise the profile of the event and ticket sales unfortunately took place in the final week – too late to secure a large number of ticket sales. Contractual issues prevented Made in Chelsea stars from promoting the event. Cancer Research UK were also unable to promote the event due to ongoing campaigns which took priority. Rule changes meant that we could not advertise in UCLU. The event ended up being attended largely by Kings College students.

We have learned many valuable lessons from this year and can only improve from here on.

Thank you

If we had set a much lower goal, we would have been congratulated – so we ask that readers lend us their support and their good will.

We are very grateful to everyone who have supported Fusion @ London and attended our events. Without you none of the successes would have been possible. The financial deficit is incredibly disappointing and heartbreaking to some but we hope for your continued support.

We will continue to attempt to raise as much money as possible for Cancer Research UK and are accepting donations sent directly to the charity on a dedicated justgiving site; https://www.justgiving.com/fusionatlondon. Please visit the website and donate any amount that you able to spare.