Mark Baker Events hosts "Wonderland" this June during Gay Day weekend
Orlando, May 14: Mark Baker Events announced today that the 323-room host hotel for its Gay Day weekend events is finally "sold out". The Holiday Inn, which recently underwent a reported $35-million renovation, and located in the Hotel Plaza area of the Walt Disney Resort, is billed as the “center of all Wonderland action.” The Wonderland parties consist of events Baker announced in his “return to save the Gay Day weekend” marketing campaign touted by his supporters. Promoter Johnny Chisholm and One Mighty Reunion Events pulled out of the weekend just weeks ago, having sold less than 650 rooms of their 1100 room block, with no guarantee of selling out the hotel. The Buena Vista Palace Hotel and Spa is offering Gay Day weekend rates as low as $89.00 with limited availablity left. The Reunion pool parties have remained the favorite part of the Gay Day weekend for many long-time attendees and is considered the staple of the "Circuit" weekend of events.
The Reunion Pool Parties, One Mighty Weekend
Despite a disputed “non-compete” agreement that Baker suggests is null and void due to promoter Johnny Chisholm’s recent financial troubles and bankruptcy, Baker is returning to many of the venues he left with his exit five years ago . It was allegedly his own financial collapse that required him to sell his Gay Day weekend products to Chisholm in a multi-million dollar package, which included the now infamous six-year non-compete. Baker’s attempt to return to Orlando last year with World Vibe events proved futile, as World Vibe collapsed only days prior to the planned events, with none of the events taking place during Memorial Day weekend. EnVibe Orlando events, planned to compete with One Mighty Weekend 2009, also became a simple Sunday night party, which had "high costs and poor attendance" according to enVibe promoter Steve Milo.
In recent days, Baker has struggled to find promotional partners for his 2010 events, and has sought the help of smaller promoters to help sell the host hotel and Wonderland weekend. Those with interests in Baker’s park events were seeking requests for cross-promotional agreements from potential partners as late as May 1, signaling an apparent urgent need to increase ticket sales for the Baker-produced events. After partnering with a variety of non-profit organizations, Baker was able to obtain venues at Universal Studios and Universal Hard Rock Live for his Gay Day weekend parties. Disney parks reportedly were not willing to work with Baker or any other producer this year and Disney has instead focused on the Friday night Typhoon Lagoon event "Let's Go Play", which in 2009 saw less than half of the 7,000 guests who attended the 2008 One Mighty Weekend event return the following year.
2010 MBE Host Hotel disclaimer
Promoter Mark Baker has also publicly partnered with Tony Hayden, the controversial Circuit Dog blogger and One Mighty Weekend distractor, who has produced a variety of promotional videos for Baker. The Orlando hairdresser has continued his libelous and defaming attacks against Johnny Chisholm, JustCircuit and others who don’t conform to the Mark Baker “comeback” despite his own public run-in with Baker following the much publicized "2004 Colosseum Party lock out" collapse referenced in JustCircuit's recent series "History Repeating: Part 1". Hayden’s spin has continuously criticized the financial faults and difficulties of others despite Hayden's own financial filings recently discovered in State of Florida archives. Hayden’s and other's constant negativity towards the Gay Day weekend over the past two years is credited with much of the current collapse of interest in the 2010 weekend, apparently now causing ticket sales for Baker’s events to be lower than projected. At least two lawsuits are planned against Hayden and others, whose attempts at defamation and violations of trademark/copyright law on their own personal blogs are known throughout the industry. A police report was filed in South Florida in early 2010 against Hayden for online threats and harassment made via Facebook against two individuals who supported last year’s One Mighty Weekend. Charges are pending and investigations continue in the matter.
