Doubts raised whether New Year’s Eve Above the Harbour party may be able to hold event again after myriad complaints
IT WAS the ‘shocking’ New Year party everyone would rather forget. Now the organisers may have to find a new venue.
THE embattled organisers of a shambolic New Year’s Eve party, branded a “disaster” by disappointed revellers who paid hundreds to attend, may have to look for a new venue with Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden saying it was taking a close look at the contract for the event which still has a year to run.
Perturbed partygoers who attended New Year’s Eve Above the Harbour have complained of substandard food, queues of up to three hours, a lack of toilets and obstructed views of Sydney’s famous fireworks. While they have been offered $100 refunds by the organisers, Mothership Media, many have said they will refuse the offer in the hope of a getting their full ticket coast reimbursed.
A number have also complained about a lack of action from the event’s partners including the Shangri-La Sydney hotel, who were responsible for the food, and the Botanic Garden whose land the party was held on.
In a further blow to Mothership, NSW Fair Trading has confirmed it is investigating what punters were promised against what they actually received on the night following a number of complaints.
According to a page on the Above the Harbour website, which has since been taken down, the event would have plenty of space to move, “relax and enjoy a hassle free New Year’s Eve,” while the Shangri-La “five star hotel” would produce, “an extraordinary array of delicious Asian street food,” as well as seafood and American Smokehouse food stations and “show stopper desserts from the hotel’s own pastry kitchen,” led by the renowned Anna Polyviou.
However, in a Facebook post, Chris Lee, said “the event was a complete joke and disaster”.
“I cannot believe you charged us over $400 for an ‘all inclusive’ event with only three food stalls for thousands of people! We had to wait 2.5 hours to get fed some disgusting dried up pork buns that tasted like cardboard! I wouldn’t feed that to my dog. We didn’t pay $400 to spend NYE waiting in line.”
On Sunday, Mothership offered the partial refunds. Apologising to those who bought tickets the organisers said they were “disappointed with the issues that have arisen”.
A statement from the organisers attributed to the “contracted event caterers,” said “we attempted to create a unique food and beverage experience, but our commitment to delivering a variety of fairly complex dishes was too high.”
News.com.au has attempted on a number of occasions to contact the Shangri-La Sydney to confirm that statement is indeed from them and to explain why the food took so long to prepare, given the numbers attending would have been no surprise, but there has been no response.
Eileen Amey, from Alexandria in southern Sydney, paid $800 for two tickets to the event and is the administrator behind the ‘Refuse to be Ripped OFF-NYE Above the Harbour Scam’ Facebook page which has become a forum for people to share their sorry experiences of the evening.
She said the event was “shocking” and the Royal Botanic Garden and Domain Trust, which answers to the NSW Government and whose logo — as well as the Shangri-La and several others — appeared on the event’s marketing material, should have done more to vet the organisers beforehand.
“The Botanic Garden has a lot to answer for,” she told news.com.au. “Obviously, they’re trying to make money for the Garden but what’s the procedure for doing due diligence? Do they do checks on the organisations? Do they check on how many toilets are open or how many staff are working?,” Ms Amey said.
“Sydney is in the public eye on New Year’s Eve,” she added. “There were lots of people from all over the world and this may have been their one chance to see the Sydney fireworks and they have paid $400-$500 for a bad experience.”
The event’s partners should be “more proactive” in dealing with disgruntled punters and responding to their complaints should be the “first priority,” Ms Amey said.
The Garden’s manager of communications and public affairs, Craig Easdown, confirmed to news.com.au that it had been in contact with the organiser since the complaints arose and a two-year contract for the event was in place, meaning Above the Harbour could return this December.
He said the Garden had a, “well-deserved reputation,” and it was critical events, “be as well-received and attended as possible.” Money from events was ploughed back into the precinct’s upkeep and scientific and educational programs.
The preference was for Mothership to resolve any issues directly with patrons and it should be given that opportunity, said Mr Easdown. However, he confirmed the Garden could alter the event’s licence and would not rule out the organisation forcing changes to the event or even using a different promoter.
“We are and will continue to look at all practical and contractual options at our disposal for safeguarding the Garden’s reputation and future revenues,” Mr Easdown said.
A spokeswoman for NSW Fair Trading said it was aware of “reports of dissatisfaction” regarding Above the Harbour and the offer of a $100 refund.
“The promoter is assisting Fair Trading with its inquiries and has undertaken to provide further formal documentation in relation to the event and its planning.”
The spokeswoman said while it was “not aware of claims” that customers who opted for the partial refund would then not be allowed to pursue the matter further, they advised anyone taking up Mothership’s offer to read any terms and condition that might come with the payment before accepting payment.
Meetings and Events Australia, an events industry association, said it had been “observing with dismay the fallout of the Above the Harbour event” and encouraged the promoters to “address the customer’s complaints quickly and satisfactorily”.
Mothership declined to comment to news.com.au beyond the already released statement and could not confirm whether those people who took up the $100 refund would then be able to take any further action.