The Church of Scientology have begun preparations for the return of its annual International Association of Scientologists (IAS) event later this year, with Scientologists invited to purchase tickets for $1,000 to attend their ‘Patrons Ball’. A seating plan leaked to Scientology Business reveals the event is expected to generate $1.25 million in ticket sales alone.
The IAS weekender returned in November 2023 after a four-year hiatus at Scientology’s UK headquarters near East Grinstead. It was met with fierce opposition from local residents and former parishioners, who gathered at the gates of Saint Hill in what became the UK’s largest demonstration against Scientology abuse since the Anonymous movement, 15 years prior.
Although Scientology claimed the event was attended by 6,000 people, we analysed images of the temporary structure used as the venue to estimate the legal capacity could not have been more than about 3,400.
The weekend is typically split into three separate events: the IAS event on the Friday, at which leader David Miscavige addresses parishioners from across Europe to update them on the Church’s activities over the previous year; the ‘Patrons Ball’ on Saturday, which is a black-tie dinner where high-paying donors are wined and dined in order to encourage further contributions to the cause; and the ‘Charity Concert’ on Sunday, which is touted as a community event where local officials such as the East Grinstead Mayor and Member of Parliament Mims Davies are invited to hear about Scientology’s ‘good work’ in the local area.
The IAS event and Charity Concert are usually free events, although donations are strongly encouraged. However, the Patrons Ball is reserved for high-paying parishioners only. Earlier this week, Scientology Business saw an internal promotional message sent to European Scientologists inviting them to reserve their seats for the 2024 Patrons Ball, which confirms the event will once again be taking place at Saint Hill. Tickets start at $600, with seats at the ‘Premier Tier’ tables going for $1,000 a piece. A 10% discount is offered for those wishing to purchase a full table, which seats 12 people.
The promotional message was accompanied by a seating plan, which reveals 148 tables are up for grabs – just 1,776 seats. The graphic shows a large space at the front of the venue which is large enough to fit an additional 18 tables, likely reserved for Church executives and celebrities such as Tom Cruise, which could bring the total event capacity to around 2,000.
This is in-line with our estimation that the total capacity for the larger IAS event, held on the Friday, is in the region of 3,000 – 3,400. In an auditorium-style setting, the legal capacity of an event space is greater than when a banquet-style seating arrangement is used, such as for the Patrons Ball.
By using an online room capacity calculator, it’s possible to work out that a space capable of holding 2,000 seated guests around tables of 12 in a dining arrangement, the legal capacity would increase to 3,000 if seating was arranged in auditorium-style rows – which is used for Miscavige’s speech at the Friday gathering.
The marquee itself measures 50 metres x 85 metres, and after subtracting fire escape routes, back of house areas and staging areas, we estimated Scientology were left with a seating area of about 1,700m2, which would limit seated capacity to 3,400 under health and safety regulations.
The leaked seating plan shows 42 tables in the ‘Second Tier’, for which tickets cost $600 each (or $6,480 for a table of 12, with a 10% discount); 54 tables in the ‘First Tier’, which is priced at $800 a seat (or $8,640 for a table of 12) and 50 tables in the $1,000-a-seat ‘Premier Tier’.
Assuming all tables will be reserved as group bookings (and thus taking advantage of the 10% discount), that gives us the following breakdown of expected revenue generated by the event:
Second Tier – 42 tables = $272,160
First Tier – 54 tables = $466,560
Premier Tier – 50 tables = $540,000TOTAL = $1,248,810 USD (£983,198 GBP)
It is unclear whether the income from seat reservations is collected by one of Scientology’s UK-registered corporate bodies or the US-based International Association of Scientologists Administrations (IASA), and therefore what the tax implications would mean. Either way, parishioners are expected to make hefty donations to the Church’s activities and local causes in addition to the price of their ticket.
This year’s event will be the 40th anniversary of the International Association of Scientologists, and will no doubt be met once again by protestors wishing to offer help to those looking to leave. The property is guarded by 24 hour security with dogs, and the perimeter is lined with motion sensors and CCTV cameras.
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