The party with heart is back

Having started off in 2009 as a small fund-raising event at the Fraser Suites Sukhumvit poolside with just 250 guests, Lush has evolved into “Bangkok’s Green Night Out” held in various interesting spots with at least 1,000 people on hand. The latest edition is tonight at the upper end of Sukhumvit Soi 11.
We chatted with the mastermind behind Lush, Benjamin Baskin, who runs marketing for the Eclipse Group that oversees some of the best clubs, bars and restaurants in town. Julien Wallet-Houget and Deyan Raykov fill out his team.

What is the Lush concept?
We promote positive social and environmental change through affordable quality events. Lush has become one of the city’s most recognised and long-running brands among nightlife events.
Taking place usually on a Friday evening, on average three times per year, Lush events host between 1,000 and 4,000 guests and feature multiple dance floors, DJs and live musical and visual artists.
One of the key elements making the events unique is that each one is set up a location where no event of that size ever took place before, like on hotel rooftops and helicopter pads and in high-end malls.
In four years, Lush has hosted 12 events and transparently raised and donated more than Bt1.1 million to 12 different social and environmental projects in Thailand. Thirty per cent of net profits are donated to carefully selected charitable projects. And several months after each event, Lush goes to the project sites to assess their success and reports back to its guests through the social media.

What’s in store at tonight’s party?
This will be the most nightlife- and club-oriented event so far. The concept is to let guests discover more than 36 international and local DJs and artists on eight different dance floors. It will be a celebration of quality clubbing music, ranging from house to dubstep to hip-hop. All the artists have been chosen for the quality and variety of the music they play.
It’s not every day you can see fire-shows, mimes and DJs while crossing the street from one dance floor to another in Bangkok.

 So the party spreads across Soi 11?
Yes, the concept is to create the feel of a music festival. To be able to offer such a large variety, it was necessary to take over multiple venues. We’ve been thinking about this kind of event for four years, but it hasn’t been possible to organise an event of such scale until now. Lush finally has the notoriety and the team to make it happen.

It must cost a bundle to organise.
Each event costs between Bt500,000 and Bt2 million. This one is costing Bt500,000, not including beverages. That might seem high, but, in focusing on high-quality visual, sound and artistic features, Lush has opted for a strategy based on sustainability. We put customer satisfaction first and ensure that each event holds some surprises.
 
How has Bangkok’s fast-changing nightlife scene affected you?
The nightlife scene is becoming increasingly sophisticated and mature. It’s not enough anymore to just open a club or organise a party. People respond to the concepts, the decoration and the quality of the features offered.
Lush is a strong player, though somewhat on the outside. It happens where and when you don’t expect it, with innovative concepts and features. And there’s a growing demand for such events as people get more adventurous.
And, with Facebook, the way venues and events are marketed now has drastically changed. Word of mouth still plays a big role, but now everyone can advertise online and the audience can compare events. It makes the competition fiercer because the barriers to getting into the field are lower, but it also makes sure that the best events and venues are rewarded with the most guests.

What’s next for Lush?
First and foremost is continuing with what Lush does best. The team has also been expanding into other markets. Dine in the Dark – where you eat in a pitch-dark restaurant staffed by visually impaired persons – is a direct result of the social-enterprise model adopted by Lush. It’s a trendy and unique concept that has both a sustainable social and financial purpose.

Fun with funding
Tonight’s Lush bash on Sukhumvit Soi 11 starts at 9pm.
Tickets are available from www.Amiando.com/Lush-Soi11, the Pronto Denim shop at Terminal 21, Q Bar and the Nest Rooftop Lounge.
Find out more at www.Facebook.com/LushParty/Events.