TL;DR: THE is giving the WF hotel $8000 to rescue that event. In exchange THE is getting GKE and GKENE. We'll be shelving the names and running a new event in Nov appealing to the same audience. More details soon. Don't cancel your rooms or your tickets yet, please! GKENE plans are still being formulated.

Longer version with PR guy insights:

Turtle Hill Events Paying $8,000 to Stabilize Wicked Faire 2018

In Exchange for One-Time Payment, Turtle Hill Events Obtains Exclusive Rights to Geeky Kink Events

DARLINGTON, MD (Feb. 2, 2018) -- Turtle Hill Events, Inc., a small-event business producing alternative-lifestyle gatherings, today reached an agreement with Widdershins, Inc, the parent company of Jeff Mach Events, to help stabilize Wicked Faire 2018. The following statement can be attributed to Cat C., president of Turtle Hill Events:

"Recent turmoil surrounding Wicked Faire 2018 has called into question the viability of this year's gathering, which is scheduled to begin Feb. 2 at the Hyatt Regency Princeton in Princeton, New Jersey. I am announcing today that Turtle Hill Events is taking the extraordinary step of helping stabilize Wicked Faire 2018.

"As the president of Turtle Hill Events, I'm sensitive to the strong feelings that exist on all sides regarding Wicked Faire and its founder. At the same time, I also recognize that many businesses would be irreparably harmed by the cancellation of this year's Wicked Faire gathering. To that end, and because I have great love for the world of alternative lifestyle events, Turtle Hill Events has reached an agreement with Widdershins to help ensure Wicked Faire 2018 opens as scheduled.

"In essence, Turtle Hill Events has agreed to pay $8,000 to the Hyatt Regency Princeton to prevent the cancellation of Wicked Faire 2018. In exchange for this payment, Turtle Hill Events will receive exclusive rights to the Geeky Kink Events (GKE) brand, including Geeky Kink Events New England (GKENE) and all related intellectual property. Data regarding previous GKE vendors and registrants is included in this agreement, and Turtle Hill Events is committed to handling this data with the utmost respect and discretion. We will continue to use the same registration company, Coil Registration, which has been safeguarding attendee privacy since the first GKE. As a business specializing in alternative-lifestyle events, Turtle Hill Events vows to always do right by our many customers.

"A key component of our agreement is that Widdershins and its affiliated companies will be held to a non-compete clause that precludes these companies from producing another kink or fetish event until at least 2021. Furthermore, Widdershins owner Jeff Mach as an individual is signing a non-compete contract that precludes him from personally promoting or financially supporting any kink or fetish event for 10 years.

"Through this agreement, Turtle Hill Events is investing strongly in the future of all alternative-lifestyle events and helping the community create safer spaces. The agreement, which is expected to be finalized shortly, will be executed in such a way where money is given directly to a debtor of Widdershins. None of the $8,000 exchanging hands will be touched by Jeff Mach himself.

"All of us at Turtle Hill Events and our business partners, including Coil Registration LLC, are looking forward to a safe and enjoyable Wicked Faire 2018. While the future of the GKE brand is not yet finalized, Turtle Hill Events expects to retire the GKE and GKENE names, replacing them with topically similar events that welcome the same crowd on the same weekends in the same hotels originally scheduled. We're excited to begin planning these new events, which will be easily recognizable to past attendees, and will reveal further details at the appropriate time."

For more information, contact Turtle Hill Events President Cat C. at cat@turtlehillevents.org.