My name is Lindsey Doe. I'm a doctor of human sexuality and a Japanese American. The Polytana Sushi Social / SushiX is essentially the lovechild of my Japanese heritage and passion for sexuality.
This year will be the event's third run. The first year it was held in my office building and included and aerial view of the models, about 80 attendees, and two models lying feet-to-feet under the sky-light stars.
The second year we went bigger to give attendees more space, feature more models, and express the imagination of Chris Nagata. Nagata is a Japanese sushi chef and a mastermind with the social. While it seems necessary to reign in his majestic ideas, the outcome of letting his creativity unfold is breath-taking. It really was. The second year he built a stage for the models, with a choreographed unveiling. He hired local hair-dressers and make-up artists to elaborate the beauty of the models and while we planned for four models, Nagata went and surprised me with six. Three sets,e ash completely tasteful, unique, and exquisite. That year there were close to 200 people in attendance. With the catering staff we were beyond capacity and a little too close for quarters.
So this year when Nagata and I sat down to plan the Sushi Social's third year the most important factor for us was to create a social space where guests could comfortably mingle and enjoy the artistic component of the cuisine without a rush to eat before it was gone. We decided to host the event at his restaurant for ambiance and convenience, and halved the amount of tickets available. Instead of a 200+, the evening would be reserved for the first 100 people.
This seemed very practical and romantic but it felt like we would be leaving out another 100 or so guests. If the event had shown a trend of doubling in size, was it possible 400 people would want the Sushi Social experience? Yes, of course! So with that, Nagata and I reinforced our decision to have lower attendance by offering a second night of the event the following evening.
This of course meant taking away two full days of restaurant business for our semi-private social party so it was important to set a price which could compensate for the revenue loss. We did so. We casted the models. We planned the sets. We even trained the staff in non-monogamy.
Indiegogo is our humble effort to bring Nagata's imagination to life and incredibly valuable sexual and relationship education to Missoula, Montana.
Our hope with this Indiegogo project is to situate the event so it doesn't rely on ticket sales. People who want to come, but can't afford the cost, can apply for scholarships, and the event will be possible regardless of attendance quotas.
The purpose of the event itself is to celebrate relationship diversity and bring more awareness and more understanding to our community about it. While Missoula, Montana is home to a liberal arts university and much of the state's forward-thinkers, it is also a part of a very conservative environment with rigid ideas about monogamy and sexuality.
The sushi socials are not just celebrations they are educational opportunities and cultural engagement. They teach participants about Japanese tradition and cuisine. They share the stories of poly relationships and involve people in safe conversation about the many consensual ways humans express sexuality.
People who are unable to attend the event can still participate and support the celebration. People who are financially positioned for the cost of tickets can subsidize the cost for others.
Compersion.
If we don't meet campaign goals, no worries. People still get their perks, the event still runs beautifully, and the funds raised are sent to us by Indiegogo.
Win-win-win.
Note: An additional awesome benefit of this Indiegogo campaign is that it allows me to practice navigating this platform of crowd-sourcing for a Sexplanations Live tour!!!
