Miami’s Carnival Center: Grande Dame of the Arts or Rigoletto in Drag
Evidently the photo on the left is a far more accurate representation of the Miami Carnival Center than we first imagined—especially the empty seats.
After opening years behind schedule in October 2006 and almost $100 million over budget, the Center ended its first year with a $2.5 million operating deficit, largely due to lackluster ticket sales, which is another way of saying: We threw a party and nobody came.
In a city where legions of club promoters routinely pack 20,000 people into Miami nightclubs week-in and week-out using nothing more than a free email account and a picture of a DJ with his hat on sideways, we find it somewhat astonishing that the Carnival Center can do no better than a 64 percent occupancy rate.
Not a fair comparison, we know, but still one wonders when a good portion of the operating deficit is attributed to reality-stretching reasons such as “operating costs that soared far above projections due to incorrect estimates for electricity, security and maintenance,” things that typical Miami nightclub and restaurant operators routinely deal with every day without the benefit of public money.
With the Carnival Center’s self-produced shows running at a dismal 43 percent occupancy rate, maybe it’s time for interim chief Lawrence J. Wilker to take a lesson from the old-time hucksters that populated Miami during the early days and “give’em what they want.”
Alternatively, we’d suggest handing management of the Center over to Eric Milon, Luis Puig and Gerry Kelly—at least the joint would be full…
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