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LIVE AT THE ZOO MUSIC FESTIVAL
MONARTO ZOO, SOUTH AUSTRALIA 11-13 APR 2009
Acacia Circuitree, A Festival within a Festival.. 24 hrs. a day for almost 3 day
EVENT PRODUCER'S BEHIND THE SCENES REPORT CHARGES PETER ROWE, DIRECTOR AND HE AD OF THE DEFUNCT AVALON EVENTS, THE ROOT CAUSE OF ALL PROBLEMS AT LIVE AT THE ZOO.
Legal considerations have delayed release of information about the lead up to LIVE AT THE ZOO, 2009's Easter weekend music festival and campout. Now Hal Royce, the US Event Producer, speaks out in this newly released debrief-report on LIVE AT THE ZOO. This posting reveals unpleasant and disturbing behind-the-scenes details surrounding Royce's frustrated attempt to produce a successful event, and obstacles he encountered by relying on Director Peter D. Rowe of Blythe St., Parkside, South Australia, Australia.
Various blogs and emails reveal that almost all who commented about attending LIVE AT THE ZOO Campout & Music Festival held 11-13 April 2009 on the new WILD AFRICA land tract located behind Monarto Zoo, said they had a great time despite a few glitches and didn`t understand negative media reports before, during and after the event. Some said "Live At The Zoo was a great time".
Not so for Royce who struggled just to open the gates.
A few days after the event, and without proper investigation of the facts, the Advertiser's Sam Kelton wrote an article wrongly accusing Hal Royce of poor planning of Live At The Zoo. Kelston and the Advertiser had no idea about what was actually going on and that without Hal Royce`s daily fight and hard work, Live at the Zoo would never have happened at all. Kelton's article reflected that he cared little about the facts, knew nothing about behind-the-scenes operations and his article curiously left out any mention of Peter Rowe. Kelton's research seemed limited to several web postings about Royce`s involvement with inept operators of a select few US productions among his many successes in a career spanning more than thirty years. Kelton stated that he wanted to "write a positive article", "he did the opposite" says Royce. "He wrote the article because I told him he couldn`t be trusted, due to the first couple bad articles". Sam Kelton lied and missed the real story behind Live at the Zoo at Monarto Zoo. "Sam Kelton is a deceitful and hateful reporter for the Adelaide Advertiser." Royce said.
In Royce's debrief report, linked here, he states "My responsibility was to execute Rowe's concept utilizing the Monarto Zoo as a venue. With no previous experience at all, Peter Rowe agreed that he`d be assisting me in producing Live at the Zoo, that I was in charge of the production" that`s not what happened."
"In the first weeks after my arrival, I discovered that Rowe had seriously misrepresented his resources and commitment to Live At The Zoo. Combined with his extreme inexperience, this posed real problems, but worse was his progressively declining cooperation, inability to heed advice and non-concern for adherence to contractual arrangements. My first inclination was to resign and return to the US. The Zoo said if I left, they might see that as a breach of contract by Avalon Events." "I didn't leave and it didn't get easier. Instead, I chose to continue consulting for Rowe believing that as he learned more, and as outside mediators advised, my task would become easier and a successful event would result." It got much worse and Royce had to hide how bad it was from the public. Royce was for the event and very much against the way Rowe was screwing up every detail. "The guy should not be in the festival business unless you want to upset a lot of people" Royce said.
"Forcing events and daily activities to happen against the natural order of things is not always a good idea. I pushed daily to make the event a success despite its owner's efforts to kill it", Royce continues.
In violation of Royce`s contract, "Peter Rowe had total control over the checkbook, funds (which he was secretive about), and almost all major decisions. Rowe`s greed demanded the ticket price be set high for the market. We tried to talk him down on the price making it more affordable in a weak economy for kids to come to this first time multi-day event" Royce said. Peter Rowe`s communication skills were just plain absent half the time, not responding at all to important emails from all of us up top. "Though Rowe brought me halfway around the world to produce a huge festival in very little time, he repeatedly refused my advice and after pressing me with the acquisition of all services necessary for a successful operation, i.e. portaloos, security, advertising, signage, ute rental, etc., he then delayed everything he could, paying suppliers very late or not at all and then demanded cutting corners in the last few weeks, resulting in last minute cancellation of contracts and expanded costs". "Live At The Zoo should have been canceled early on." "Peter Rowe walked in my office crying that he was becoming mentally ill". he was already mentally ill, it was obvious he was just dumb and got dumber blaming a deteriorating mental state" Royce said.
"Rowe`s refusal to move fast, and his delay of early contact with the Liquor License board and prime sponsors alone was debilitating. His tendency to talk a big game up front, and then drop the ball on everything he touched to do with Live At The Zoo, became the Peter Rowe operating standard. He did what he wanted, when he wanted and didn`t care what anybody else was doing at the same time. I would have fired him from any marketing department I previously managed." Royce said.
Rowe's failure of fiduciary responsibility in the months/days/hours leading up to the Live At The Zoo resulted in Royce dealing with one mess after another, leaving Royce with no on-the-spot ability to pay bills. Emails in the debrief-report show that Peter Rowe had consistently refused to respond to supplier's emails or phone calls demanding payments. "This trail of incompetence made it impossible to produce a smooth show from the beginning to the end on almost everything." Royce said.
To date, many of the staff and many suppliers have not been paid and Rowe's Avalon Events Pty., is in the hands of Australia Business Reconstruction and Insolvency. US Producer Hal Royce himself is owed over $4,000. due from non-payment of out-of-pocket event expenses (incl. cleaning portaloos). Royce had consistently forewarned Rowe that his violation of contracts, inept administration, lack of follow through and lackadaisical payment would result in disaster. "Rowe either didn't hear or care," Royce added.
Royce, now 55, just finished promoting 12 concerts in Colorado, and is planning to produce or promote many events in the US in 2010. An independent festival and corporate marketing consultant, new projects present themselves to Hal weekly. "I turn down most festival project offers due to a new self-imposed filtering process, directly as a result of dealing with Peter Rowe. I am not going through that torture again." he said.
At 21, Royce promoted the largest Bluegrass Music Festival in US history with over 100,000 attending. A documentary about Stompin 76 near Galax, Virginia is expected to be released in 2010. Under his full name, Hal Royce Abramson, he authors the world's best-selling book on how to promote and produce concerts and music festivals, with complimentary tips available at concert-promotions.com. Hal is a successful, sought-out, music festival consultant and is a member in good standing with the IFEA, the International Festivals and Events Association. email Hal at: hal2002@starpower.net
Royce is no longer associated with Peter Rowe, Director of the defunct Avalon Events, Pty., or Live at the Zoo Music Festival. This posting is not associated with Live At The Zoo.com.
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