Summer Guide 2017: The King of Chill


Summer Guide 2017: The King of Chill — Chillounge’s Rainer Scheer may be heading north for a while

Creative Loafing Article – Click here to read

Rainer Scheer chilling out

Rainer Scheer believes that event promoters have one of the hardest jobs in the world. When the Chillounge founder is not organizing one of the many parties he’s given birth to, or walking 22 odometer-recorded miles on the day of an event, he’ll indulge himself a little.

“I try to sleep,” he says.

He’s only working this hard to make sure people have a good time. In 2008, when he just owned an art gallery on Palm Avenue, Scheer put together the inaugural Chillounge Night in his resident Sarasota “to bring life and lifestyle and people to the downtown area” after the Great Recession hit the year before.

He and his team, which includes his wife and friends, have hosted 39 parties throughout the state of Florida, from Fort Lauderdale all the way up to Amelia Island. Now he’s looking to take the gig around the country.

“I had to grow and find a way to go nationwide,” he says. “I need the power to clone myself.”

Scheer has “very good relationships with all of the big city-event people” locally, and he’s made friends with Full Moon Promotions President Tim Mitten. Mitten lives in Sarasota now, but he’s originally from Buffalo, NY. Familiar with the community there, both men are “taking the risk” and, like snowbirds in reverse, transporting the party up north for the summer.

“Tampa Bay promoters,” he says. “They help each other out.”

It won’t be easy though, and as of right now, the official status of the Buffalo event has yet to be determined. Scheer and Mitten still need a cash sponsor as accommodating as the BMW dealerships of Sarasota and the Tampa Bay area. Typically, events also involve a charitable organization, a tradition neither man wants to scrap for the big move.

Lucky for us, the move isn’t full-time. The Sunset Lounge Experience will return to St. Pete Beach on Oct. 14, sponsored by TradeWinds Island Resorts.

Mood lighting. An eclectic mix of people. High-quality wicker canopies and daybeds specially imported from Indonesia by Scheer himself. A DJ spinning actual vinyl. These ingredients combine create a climate of inner calm, fulfilling Scheer’s ultimate vision of chill.

“I just want people to come and enjoy the nice atmosphere and the environment,” he says. “I mean, where else do you have this in the world?”

On Nov. 18, Chillounge Night will be back in St. Pete for its 10th anniversary. Scheer plans to do something a little different this time around, and he couldn’t resist sharing a key detail about this milestone occasion: He hopes to transform the field at the Tampa Bay Rowdies’ Al Lang Stadium into a magnificent outdoor lounge.

“Now, everyone [can feel] like, I’m a soccer king, I’m a soccer player,” he says.

Of course, Scheer feels on top of his game when everyone is having fun at one of his uniquely designed experiences. He sacrifices his chill so you can lounge, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

    Leave Your Comment Here