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Press Release: * * * * * Mr. Gay Europe 2010 in Geneva is cancelled. * * * * *
In an email received late Friday October 15 the Grand Hotel Kempinski in Geneva informs us that the event Mr. Gay Europe 2010 has not brought the expected income to the hotel and therefore the Grand Hotel Kempinski pulls out of the sponsor deal with the Mr. Gay Europe organization. This is only three days before the event is about to take place.
Financially Mr. Gay Europe is a small organization where most of the job is based on voluntary work though our extensive network throughout Europe. The hotel has given us the option to buy a block of rooms for the event but we are in no position to change our budget this close to the event dates.
Even though we feel this is a breach of contract we have no possibility to take this through the Swiss legal system at this short notice, and also this would mean considerable expenses which will burden the organization.
The Mr. Gay Europe organization wants to stress that we have never promised any specific number of rooms to be sold and we also want to inform that financially we do not have any pending bills or invoices from the hotel.
The tickets sold for the Grand Finale on Saturday 23 will be refunded immediately.
The Delegates who have paid their tickets to Geneva will have their airfares refunded. A special team including our Executive Producer and the Delegates’ Liaison will be at the Delegate’s and Producer’s disposal in the week to come. This is a sad and crucial time for Mr. Gay Europe.
All the Delegates that were to experience and participate in Mr. Gay Europe 2010 are invited to Mr. Gay World 2011 in Manila. Normally the European Delegation would have counted maximum ten Delegates, right now this number can be as many as 20. Along with other European countries that couldn’t take part in MGE 2010 will also be invited to Manila.
The Delegate from Europe that gets the highest rank in Mr. Gay World 2011 will be given the title of Mr. Gay Europe. And if it happens to be that an European wins the Mr. Gay World title, the second highest ranking European will take home the title MGE.
The preparations with Mr. Gay World 2011 are going extremely well thanks to our amazing team in the Philippines. We are going to make sure that the Europeans get an extra special value out of their stay in Manila.
The Executive Producer of Mr. Gay Europe will intensify the effort to prepare and groom the European delegation for their trip till Mr. Gay World. We will amongst other things work with different airlines to offer attractive airfares for the Delegates who will to take part in MGW 2011.
We want to express our frustration and despair to all those who have been looking forward to the event in Geneva, the local gay community who have been so helpful, the artists that were going to take part in the finale show, our team in Oslo who have been working so hard for this to happen and most important of all – the Delegates – we really don’t have words to describe what we feel right now.
On a closing note we want to thank Mr. Gay Europe 2009, Sergio Lara, for an unforgettable year, his reign comes to an end today. We at Mr. Gay Europe wish him the best in his future endeavors – may his dreams come true!
On behalf of the whole Mr. Gay Europe Team
Eric Butter
President of Mr. Gay Europe &
President of Mr. Gay World
Vandaag een correctie.
Press Release: Mr. Gay Europe 2010: A correction
The Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneva has in an email to the Mr. Gay Europe organization expressed that they feel that the previous press release sent out by the organization is “totally wrong and very unfair” and the hotel feels the text paints a wrong impression of what has taken place prior to the cancellation of Mr. Gay Europe 2010.
Fact: After receiving an email from the hotel Friday October 15th the management of Mr. Gay Europe saw no other solution than to cancel the event and made this public in a press release.
Reaction: General Manager Thierry Lavalley writes: “(The email) was to voice our serious concern with regard to the very small number of bookings received to date, be it for contestants, press, etc., just one week prior the event.”
Mr. Lavalley states: “(…) apart from the ten rooms generously offered, no other paying bookings were forthcoming.”
Clarification: The Mr. Gay Europe organization wants to make it perfectly clear that the final decision on cancelling the event was made by us and no one else, and based on financial reality and a series of factors and dealings that has taken place during the last weeks and months.
The decision on the cancellation of the event was made by our management, and not enforced on us by anyone else in any way.
Any accusations or claims that suggest that we felt that we had to make the decision based on threats or pressure of any kind, any hints of discrimination or anti-gay attitude is totally false and with no ground in reality.
Mr. Gay Europe is – especially on behalf of our Delegates – truly sorry that we felt we could not go through with the event, and we still feel that the Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneva would have been the perfect location for Mr. Gay Europe 2010.
Mr. Lavalley writes “(…) the hotel (was) hoping to contribute in a small measure to the success of this event.”
We want to stress that the Mr. Gay Europe organization and our staff has been treated with utmost respect and professionally by everyone on the staff at the Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneva.
Fact: Mr. Gay Europe 2010 is cancelled and nothing can change that. The organization is now focusing on the follow-up of the Delegates and the organizers throughout Europe.
We have no further comments on this matter, but we are extremely thankful for the support and constructive feedback we have got from all over Europe, including the people at the Kempinski and the local gay community in the Geneva district. Sometimes you just have to face reality, make a decision and look ahead – and that it what we have chosen to do this time.
On behalf of the Mr. Gay Europe Team
Eric Butter
President of Mr. Gay Europe
Zulke mensen moeten dringend professionaliseren.
Benjamin
Lacquemant 
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