111 Private Club, the group behind the infamous Sunwing party flight, made nonstop headlines for days after the story broke.

During an interview with Narcity, James William Awad, the man behind the club, claimed that the controversy hasn't hurt the appeal of the private club, which has 1,082 Quebec members. Rather, he said it's had quite the opposite effect.

According to Awad, "thousands" of people have contacted the private club during the last week with the aim of joining it. Meanwhile, there are already "hundreds of people waiting for approval."

Awad, who also goes by the stage name Senior, explained that in order to join the club, you have to get an invitation from someone in the group.

The club is letting in new members as of February 2022 if they pass the video interview and are selected by Awad, who conducts the interviews himself.

What is asked during this interview?

Awad said that during the interview, he wants to assess "personality, energy, vibe, make sure they understand the rules, know their age, background, and general status in society."

When asked about this last point, the club founder explained that he wants to know about one's employment and education and ensure they have no criminal record.

Active members can't just hand out invitations like candy on Halloween, though.

"Members all have invitation codes. They earn invitation codes by coming to events, etc. With those invitation codes, they can invite people," Awad explained.

However, people have to be careful who they choose to invite, because if they invite the wrong person, there are consequences: "If they invite someone who gets banned, they can't invite anyone else." In fact, the founder says that this happens regularly: "At every event we ban people."

What events has 111 Private Club hosted?

Although the Mexico saga is the first event to have such a high profile, Awad confirmed that this was not the first gathering for its members.

He mentioned a few events that took place in 2021: "Chalet in Trois-Rivières" on June 4, "Pool Party" on July 3, "The Wolf of Wall Street" on August 28, "Tulum Montreal" on September 24 and "Halloween (Part I)" on October 30.

Courtesy of 111 Private Club

The event organizer said all of the above-mentioned events have been successful and more are to come.

So why do private events and not open parties to attract more people? He explained that he wants to control the quality, the ratio of men to women and "have events that are safe and successful."

For now, it's safe to assume that all of the club's events in Quebec will be suspended as gatherings are banned until further notice in Quebec under the Public Health Act.

Another trip is already planned being planned. "We are going to Greece for the next trip," Awad confirmed.

According to the Journal de Québec, he could face a $100,000 fine for the trip to Mexico because he does not have a travel agent's licence. The Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC) is currently conducting audits.

Awad, for his part, denied this information: "It's fake media. I deal with travel agencies, I don't need a licence."

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.