person and will be $50 at the door. To purchase in advance, visit tampamasquerade.com. I spoke with Balance Tampa Bay president Scott Kligmann about this year's Masquerade Ball and how it will build on last year's successful turnout in this interview for Hotspots Central.
will be able to donate $30,000 to Francis House. We raised $10,000 last year for ASAP.
Tell us about Francis House and why Balance Tampa Bay picked them as the beneficiary organization this year.
they're a smaller organization. we do one or two service events with
Are more businesses showing interest in partnering with Balance Tampa Bay for the Masquerade Ball this year?
We're at double the support we had last year. We have billboards up on the highway, from Out Front Media and from Clear Channel, and we have radio and TV spots on Bright House Networks. The upgraded advertising has brought in a lot more people who didn't know about us last year. This year we've added a host of new sponsors, such as Quench Lounge, the Tampa Bay Rays, TECO Energy, Smith and Associates, Ernst and Young, and more.
What kind of response have you received from the local community in the run-up to the event?
I'm overwhelmed by the generosity and the across-alllines support from the Tampa Bay community at large...truly, it shows that they are behind the LGBT cause. They're there for us when we need them and I can't thank them enough. We think we
A Hotspots Central Chat with Scott Kligmann
them every year, everything from painting buildings to helping them open their new bulding and sponsoring their food shelf, you name it, we've helped. we can't think of a better sponsor to help. we talked about it after last year's event and we know asap is very well funded, and we thought it would be a no brainer. we love joy, the executive director, she's a great person.
How did people like District 3 as the event's venue last year? Was it easy to have the Masquerade Ball there again this year?
Everyone thought it was a great venue. People liked the location and