Tampa strip clubs preparing for bonanza from Republican National Convention
jackslash
Detroit strip clubs
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/ec…
I'm skeptical. The GOP convention is not the Superbowl or NASCAR. Many delegates represent religious conservatives and "family values" voters. They want nothing to do with strip clubs. The hypocrites among them and the wilder spirits in the Republican Party will be afraid that journalists and political opponents will expose any strip club activities. Cell phones and digital cameras make it impossible to keep activities anonymous. The candidates and the RNC will issue warnings not to engage in any fun that could be used to create a scandal.
Businesses don't always benefit from political conventions. Hotels are the big winners because of low vacancies. I worked in the downtowns of two cities that hosted political conventions, and many restaurants and entertainment venues were disappointed in the business they got. I suspect that few convention goers will hit the strip clubs and many local regular customers will stay away because they expect crowds and higher prices.
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On the other, the Mons Venus plans no new renovations - they just plan on hiring more dancers - "anyone that is a 10"
I think I know what club I'm going to. (if I was going)
One estimate puts total media (reporters, "experts," researchers, producers, directors, camera crews, gophers, assistants, make up crews, drivers, etc.) at about six times the number of delegates. There will be less than 2,500 RNC delegates, but some people expect 15,000 media workers. There will be protestors. Again just estimates - I hear the Tampa police are preparing for as many as 50,000, though they actually expect less than 5,000.
Finally, there will be a number of the "movers and shakers" - from both sides - who are not officially part of the convention, but want to be there, "for the party." This group WILL have money to burn and time to spend it. Many of them WILL want more private rooms in the clubs and an excess of the hotter girls.
I expect some of the Tampa clubs will be disappointed by the RNC but most will see a boom. Remember, most of the media and the protesters will be very liberal and very away from home.
As with any large event the clubs will be busy. I'd bet money they get busy when the Southern Baptist convention comes to town. This Feb when the super bowl was in INdy the clubs were packed. The only thing the Republican State and city administration did was to beef up the anti white slavery laws to help prevent organized crime from bringing in underage and forced prostitutes. The strip clubs raked it in from what I heard from friend that live there.
My guess is, to the contrary of the story, that Tampa's power structure may try to clean up some of the adult-oriented neighborhoods and strips of businesses if they are going to be visible to television cameras and to other major national media outlets covering the convention. My other guess is, that Redner will make a killing because it's a convention and it's in town. The delegates who don't approve and don't want to be caught approving will avoid the strip clubs. The traveling men who can figure out how to get away from their wives or their entourages for a nice private night alone with some single mothers will go to Mons Venus because they've heard of it.
As far as what the Republican convention "represents"? Well, the American right wing is oddly split on the subject of things like strip clubs. On the one hand, that's where most of the Libertarian voters go -- people who value less government, and therefore would probably support a non-restricted adult industry and might, also, have a willingness to patronize that industry because they don't like being personally fettered by traditional moral restrictions like "family values" or "small town style living." On the other hand, the right wing is also where most of the "socially conservative" and Christian Fundamentalist voters go -- people who value more government restrictions on private life, and who wish to tell you, me, and your girlfriend the position you're allowed to use when you fuck.
They won't (overtly) approve of strip clubs, though "methinks he doth protest too much" may be the case -- they talk so much about how they hate sex and adult businesses, precisely because they like them so much and on-the-sly patronize them so much. Ideally, the close juxtaposition of that-which-they-say-they-hate and the haters may give us a chance to catch some of them in their hypocrisy -- at the noon press conference they pontificate about what they call family values, at the midnight photo-op they get caught sneaking out of Mons Venus with lipstick stains on their khakis ...
Lookin' forward to a Swaggart moment!
My thinking is:
1) it will be super-busy but there will be lots of freelancers dancing there and likely more hot women than normal as a result
2) Redner will indeed raise the cover (as he's suggested) to $50
3) Because of the action and the high rollers in town, I see dances being $30 minimum and less deals to be had (not sure the usual 3-for-$60 is gonna fly when the girls have rich Republicans around willing to spend lots of cash...thinking they will be able to net $30 per dance
4) it might be hard to wrangle the girl you want since the crowds will be so dense
5) quality of lap dances is a real interesting question: I sense the grinding and mileage if anything will be down somewhat since there will be a few non-Mons girls around who aren't used to giving the great dances common to the place but this one could go either way
I'm curious what other tuscl members think Tampa strip clubs and Mons in particular will be like during the convention Aug 27-30 but also the weekend Aug 31-Sept 1 as I'd guess the weekend should still retain some post-convention buzz...