After 23 years of helping the Northland ring in the New Year, SDMC is calling it quits. The city's largest health-care provider announced Tuesday that it would not hold a New Year's Eve Ball this year.
The party, a semi-formal event attended by 2,500 people last year, has become a significant cost in time and effort for SMDC. The budget for the event exceeds $125,000.
"This decision wasn't made by one person in particular," said Mary Thompson Bode, SDMC spokeswoman. "Decisions like these are reviewed at a number of different administrative levels, all the way up to our senior administration. A lot of people were involved in reviewing this and making the decision."
Bode said four reasons stand out in the decision. The main reason was the massive effort and sizable resources required to host the party.
"We have been going through some cost-cutting, and we really just decided that this wasn't the optimal use of our resources," she said. "We really have to focus on our top priority, which is patient care."
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Another reason is that the health-care provider lost the opportunity to broadcast the party on live TV, which made it possible for all Northland residents to enjoy it, even if they couldn't attend.
"WDIO had traditionally broadcast the party for eternities," Bode said. "We learned earlier this year that WDIO had decided not to broadcast the party."
WDIO officials could not be reached Tuesday night to comment on their decision.
Another reason SDMC canceled the celebration is declining attendance.
"We had a peak in attendance at the millennium celebration," Bode said. "Since then we have seen a decline."
A final reason is that Duluth nightlife has changed since SDMC started organizing New Year's parties 23 years ago. With a lot more going on, Bode said SMDC doesn't want to compete with local businesses that offer entertainment that night.
