Dinner with Colin Powell isn't cheap By Sharon Boase
The Hamilton Spectator
(May 26, 2007)
Former U.S. General Colin Powell will pay a visit to Steeltown next week and
$36,000 will get you and nine friends a table at the exclusive event.
Well, two weeks ago it would have. But the appeal of the one-time secretary
of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff means all 1,200 tickets were
snapped up in no time. Several dozen names are already on a waiting list.
While individual ticket prices for the annual Negev Dinner have held steady
for the event at $180 a pop, organizers decided to double corporate table
prices to take advantage of their high-profile keynote speaker.
The local Jewish National Fund (JNF) committee booked Powell after he
appeared at a dinner hosted by the organization's Montreal chapter last year
that did "very, very well," said Frank Simkevitz, executive director of the
Ontario region of the JNF.
In the past, corporate tables at the dinner have gone for $5,000 to $18,000.
Nevertheless, it typically raises something "in the six figures," he said.
This year, corporate tables ran from $10,000 to $36,000. A dozen corporate
tables were sold, including two for $36,000 a piece, said Simkevitz.
"A lot of the people who come to the dinner are average people in this
community," he added. Guests dressed in business attire -- not black tie --
will dine on "a normal event dinner," of kosher chicken.
Powell is rumoured to earn between $100,000 and $200,000 per speaking
engagement. Not as much as former president Bill Clinton who gets between
$100,000 to $400,000 per speech. Tickets to hear Clinton in Hamilton last month
went for $175-$200 -- without dinner.
This year, the Negev Dinner will honour Hamilton business leader Tom Weisz
and his wife, Sasha, a prolific volunteer.
The project they've chosen to support with the proceeds from this year's
event is the repair and development of the Biriyya forest.
The 2,000-hectare forest, heavily damaged by rocket fire last summer, is a
recreational and financial centrepiece of northern Israel.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
905-526-2452
Colin Powell will speak at the 2007 Negev Dinner on Sunday June 3.
The dinner is at Hamilton Convention Centre.
The 2007 Negev Dinner is a tribute to Tom and Sasha Weisz and their projects
with the Jewish National Fund.
Susan's English as a Second Language Blog http://suzansesl.blogspot.com
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