EXCLUSIVE: An inside source has confirmed this year’s gathering of the International Association of Scientologists (IAS) is set to be the smallest yet, with just 2,000 people on the invite list.
The IAS event, which is widely publicised as Scientology’s “greatest gathering”, is the only event held in Europe led by reclusive leader David Miscavige and is set to take place later this month at their UK headquarters near East Grinstead, Sussex.
It involves a full weekend of activities, including a three-hour speech expected to take place on Friday 31st October, a “global salvage seminar” and black-tie “Patrons Ball” on Saturday 1st November and a charity concert on Sunday 2nd November at which £50,000 cheques will be handed out to the RNLI, Age UK and two local sports clubs. Scientologists travel from across the world to attend the extravaganza including celebrities like Tom Cruise, Jenna Elfman and millionaire Tom Cummins, with Mid-Sussex District Council noting last year that the event causes major disruption on the local highways network.
The IAS is Scientology’s official membership body, with the church claiming to be the “fastest growing religion on planet earth” with “millions” of followers worldwide. In a 2006 interview with the London Evening Standard, spokesperson Janet Laveau claimed the organisation had “200,000 adherents” in the United Kingdom, a number which has significantly dropped over the years. Eleven years later another spokesperson admitted the number had dropped to “118,000” in 2017, though even these figures are understood to be greatly inflated.
Nonetheless, Scientology has claimed up to 10,000 people attend the annual IAS event at Saint Hill, their UK headquarters, though the 45,000 square foot temporary marquee used to host the gathering has a legal capacity of around 3,500.
Now, an inside source has told Scientology Business this year’s target for number of “confirms” is just 2,000, meaning the attendance figure is expected to be much less.
In a recent planning application submitted by the Church for a major redevelopment of their Saint Hill compound, Scientology’s architects state a total of 900 car parking spaces are required in order to host the event, with an average of two passengers per car. Coaches are also provided for attendees visiting from Orgs in Europe, however these often arrive half empty and cannot account for more than a couple of hundred additional attendees.
Meanwhile, multi-millionaire Scientologist and mega donor Tom Cummins yesterday released a short video asking parishioners to attend this year’s gala in which he claims the event draws in “4 or 5 thousand” people.
The invitation comes amid rising concern about this year’s event taking place in an illegal structure, with local residents asking Mid-Sussex District Council to take enforcement action based on the church’s failure to apply for planning permission for the erection of a mammoth marquee used to host the gathering.
Last year, Scientology were issued a Planning Contravention Notice and warned they “must apply” for permission ahead of the 2025 event. Instead, they submitted plans for the construction of a giant car park and infrastructure related to the tent, but the application falls short of asking for permission for the tent itself.
Although there is no doubt thousands of parishioners flock to Saint Hill for the IAS event, their target of confirming just 2,000 attendees is a sure sign of Scientology’s slow decline in its worldwide following.
This year’s IAS event is expected to be met by protestors gathering outside the Scientology property, who aim to raise awareness of abuse they claim is prevalent throughout the organisation. More information can be found on the protest website.
