Lounging in luxury at the Hampton Social concert series.
Photo: Lensgirl
On the flips side of the free, hipster McCarren Park Pool concerts is this summer's Hampton Social series at the Ross School in East Hampton. Tickets for each of the five concerts—featuring Prince, Dave Matthews, Billy Joel, James Taylor, and, this Saturday, Tom Petty—cost $3,000 each. The price includes lounge seating, decor by Strategic Group, and food from celebrity chefs including Town's Geoffrey Zakarian, BBQ master Adam Perry Lang, and Top Chef season one winner Harold Dieterle. Magician David Blaine is also on hand for pre-concert entertainment. And no bathroom lines! The series was the brainchild of Joe Meli at Bulldog Entertainment Group, who says he is thrilled with the success of the series (despite negative reports of ticket sales in The New York Post). We recently emailed with Meli about the series and what luxury consumers want.
Talk about the moment you came up with the idea for the series.
I can’t say there was one moment when a light bulb went off in my head. I knew there was a need in the entertainment sector for luxury experiences and after successfully throwing a few private concerts for some of our clients, we decided to create an experience to offer to all of our clients and created Social.
Was your initial thought "brilliant" or "insane"?
I have to say since the beginning when we all thought this was a brilliant idea we’ve since thought it's pretty insane to pull off. But the concerts have surpassed any of our or our guests’ expectations. So it’s been worth the hard work.
What has the response been to the series? What percentage of available tickets have you sold?
The reaction from our guests has been great. Everybody has been blown away by all of the elements. And the artists have been pleased to play for a small but enthusiastic crowd. We don’t comment on ticket sales but can report we’re happy the way things have gone.
The Hampton Social series is all about luxury. What does "luxury" mean today?
No hassles! In a world where parking your car at a sporting event can be an ordeal, it’s a luxury not to have to deal with mundane tasks. People want to feel like they're special and Social makes everybody a V.I.P. You want to dance up front near the band? Go ahead! You want to walk 10 feet and grab a drink between songs? Do it. We’ve made it all really easy and have taken the doldrums out of attending a big name concert.
Why did you think people would be willing to pay $3,000 a concert ticket?
The secondary ticket market already supported a higher priced ticket before we even arrived. And that was without the bells and whistles we provide. We knew that if people saw the value inherent in the price they’d be willing to join us.
What are they really buying, in essence?
I’d say “access.” They’re getting to enjoy the hottest event of the summer and hear some of the greatest artists in the world.
What was the most challenging aspect of producing the series?
Making everything a win-win situation is always a priority for us and sometimes creates situations of challenge.
What does the response to the series say about the state of the high-end luxury market? Where is it headed?
I think the success of the series means that we’ll see more events of its kind.
Talk about the moment you came up with the idea for the series.
I can’t say there was one moment when a light bulb went off in my head. I knew there was a need in the entertainment sector for luxury experiences and after successfully throwing a few private concerts for some of our clients, we decided to create an experience to offer to all of our clients and created Social.
Was your initial thought "brilliant" or "insane"?
I have to say since the beginning when we all thought this was a brilliant idea we’ve since thought it's pretty insane to pull off. But the concerts have surpassed any of our or our guests’ expectations. So it’s been worth the hard work.
What has the response been to the series? What percentage of available tickets have you sold?
The reaction from our guests has been great. Everybody has been blown away by all of the elements. And the artists have been pleased to play for a small but enthusiastic crowd. We don’t comment on ticket sales but can report we’re happy the way things have gone.
The Hampton Social series is all about luxury. What does "luxury" mean today?
No hassles! In a world where parking your car at a sporting event can be an ordeal, it’s a luxury not to have to deal with mundane tasks. People want to feel like they're special and Social makes everybody a V.I.P. You want to dance up front near the band? Go ahead! You want to walk 10 feet and grab a drink between songs? Do it. We’ve made it all really easy and have taken the doldrums out of attending a big name concert.
Why did you think people would be willing to pay $3,000 a concert ticket?
The secondary ticket market already supported a higher priced ticket before we even arrived. And that was without the bells and whistles we provide. We knew that if people saw the value inherent in the price they’d be willing to join us.
What are they really buying, in essence?
I’d say “access.” They’re getting to enjoy the hottest event of the summer and hear some of the greatest artists in the world.
What was the most challenging aspect of producing the series?
Making everything a win-win situation is always a priority for us and sometimes creates situations of challenge.
What does the response to the series say about the state of the high-end luxury market? Where is it headed?
I think the success of the series means that we’ll see more events of its kind.
