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For members who can't make the extravaganza in Giza (the estimated price tag is $10,000 a head), the society will offer satellite-linked parties at sites in all 24 time zones around the globe. Among the locations being scouted: Stonehenge, the Eiffel Tower, the Acropolis, the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China and Red Square. Who will provide the entertainment? Says society executive director Carol Treadwell: "Prince put himself on the short list with his song 1999." Sample verse: "If U didn't come 2 party/ don't bother knocking on my door." The round-the-globe revelry will go round the clock until all party-goers cross the millennium threshold. Fun apart, the hoopla will serve a worthy cause. The society aims to raise $75 million from the parties that night to fund international student exchanges. (If that sounds optimistic, remember that Live Aid brought in $72 million.)
Other millennial entrepreneurs are thinking beyond the big night. In Atlanta advertising consultant William Lower is wooing corporations and foundations in hopes of bankrolling a global election that would choose an Honorary World President for the year 2000. Philadelphia officials are trying to launch a "New Neighbors in the New Century" campaign that would promote cross- cultural communication and bring national leaders together to address Big Issues. The City of Brotherly Love also wants to call attention to the contributions made by Philadelphia inventors during the second millennium: the matchbook, the eraser-topped pencil, the computer and, most unforgettably, the revolving door.
In New York City publicists and event planners are preparing what has the potential to be the biggest New Year's extravaganza of all. Barnett Lipton, president of Eventures, which staged the welcoming party for the media at the 1992 Democratic Convention, says that by combining satellite communications with cyberspace technology, it may be possible to create a virtual-reality experience on a global scale. "Who says you can't be in two places at once?" Lipton asks. "Using virtual reality, we'll be able to celebrate with 5 billion people in a room at one time -- provided there are enough hors d'oeuvres and we don't run out of champagne."
Five billion people? All in one room? Better to invite the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to tea. If a galactic gathering isn't your speed, there are lots of cozier options. The trick is to dream early -- then act fast. As it is, 30 people with foresight have already booked New Year's reservations at Manhattan's Rainbow Room, where they will enjoy dining, dancing and romance at "well under $1,000" a person, according to managing partner Joe Baum. At the Waldorf-Astoria, 100 people have secured spots for the ballroom festivities, including a man who called all the way from Germany. Another on ^ the list, airline pilot James Hoogerwerf of Atlanta, reserved seating for eight, inspired by a novel he read in which a bunch of World War II soldiers agree to spend New Year's Eve at the Waldorf if they survive the war.
In France, Euro Disneyland's fanciest hotel is already booked solid, and word is out that the Concorde is planning to hold a New Year's party at 60,000 ft. (18,290 m). Japan's largest travel agency is hoping to sail six cruise ships into the South Pacific toward the international dateline, where passengers will be among the first humans to witness the dawning of the new millennium.