(Reuters) – A lavish gala dinner that was a highlight of the London hedge fund industry’s social calendar and counted royalty among its guests has been quietly shelved.<\/p>\n
The ARK Gala Dinner, which started in 2002, cost as much as 10,000 pounds a ticket, with entertainment over the years ranging from singers Elton John and Prince to a giant mechanical elephant.<\/p>\n
The dinner will not take place this year as the charity it supports looks at other fundraising events, a spokeswoman for ARK (Absolute Return for Kids) said.<\/p>\n
She said that the charity instead hosted a champagne reception in January attended by London Mayor Boris Johnson.<\/p>\n
“We think we should have a variety of means of communicating (with donors),” she said. “More and more of the donors are coming to us interested in particular programmes … At the dinner, conversations (about projects) are not as detailed.”<\/p>\n
The spokeswoman said no decision had been taken about whether the event would take place in the future.<\/p>\n