Focus on Nightlife

The idea of an ecologically-friendly nightclub is coming to fruition in London. Dubbed the “most ecological dance venue on the planet”, Surya has started multiple initiatives to keep their venue and patrons environmentally aware, while creating a self-sufficient club. Here are a few of the things owner Andrew Charalambous has implemented to keep his club green:

• Customers who can prove they arrived by foot, bicycle, or public transportation are granted free cover (as opposed to paying a £10 cover).
• They will be asked to sign a pledge promising to help curb climate change upon entry.
• Surya sells organic spirits in polycarbon cups.
• Charalambous has started plans to start a recycled water system.
• The dancefloor is being designed to generate energy from customer movement.
• Plans to erect a wind turbine on the roof are on their way.

While this is just one example of a “green” nightclub, a few others have started pushing an environmental message to help clean up the world and, just as importantly, drive customers through their doors. For example, Greenhouse in New York collects rainwater, is built from Earth-friendly materials, and uses lighting that will last for 20 years. Hollywood’s first eco-friendly club, Ecco Ultra Lounge, offers free valet for hybrid cars, has power supplied by the LA Department of Water & Power’s Green Power resources and provides superior organic cuisines and liquors.

Of course, there are costs associated with ‘going green’, and every club owner has to look at the financial impact on the business. Luckily, “green” is increasingly becoming a lifestyle issue for clubbers and, within reason, they are often willing to pay a premium for eco-friendly solutions. Building legitimate eco-friendly characteristics into the marketing plan can be a useful point of differentiation and can drive new business through the doors. Done right, going green can be an investment, not just a cost — while also making a real difference on the environment.

Any club owners interested in environmental tips for their own clubs should visit these sites:

club4climate.com

greenhouseusa.com

eccohollywood.com

Sense Networks recently debuted two highly sophisticated software tools that will give businesses and their clients a new perspective on nightlife. The new technology uses mobile location data to pinpoint high traffic locations in real-time, allowing consumers to see what location is popular on any given night. Essentially, if your cell phone is turned on, you’re anonymously contributing to your location’s “traffic”.

“Just as Google indexed pages on the Internet to optimize web discovery, Sense Networks has indexed the real places in a city and characterized them by activity, versus proximity or demographics, to better understand the context of consumers’ offline behavior,” said Tony Jebara, Chief Scientist and co-founder of Sense Networks.

Described as a social navigation and nightlife discovery application, CitySense will show BlackBerry and iPhone users nightlife hotspots in real-time. Clubbers will now have the option of dropping in on the hottest party of the year or spending some quiet time at an old haunt, without the guessing.

MacroSense is the flipside of Sense Networks’ technology. Businesses can use the software to analyze, in real-time, consumer trends and adjust accordingly. Put to good use, business owners won’t have to rely on dated facts and figures. One quick look will show them where their target market is spending their money at any given moment.

For nightlife venue operators, this technology should change the way businesses adapt to a rapidly-changing industry.

Getting more customers in the door usually requires entertainment in one form or another. Whether you’re the owner or a promotions manager, you need to find tasteful talent that will compliment your club and drive revenues. Hiring entertainment is a great way to bring energy to a venue and introduce new faces to your business. Depending on your club, there are many different options available to mix-up your nightly events.

Many venues prefer to hire DJs to add ambiance to a small space or a pulsing beat to a club with a larger dancefloor. Hiring a DJ is great for several reasons. For one, their setup is usually very compact so space is never a problem. Also, costs are relatively low because you’re often just dealing with them one-on-one. Another reason is that you’re not only paying the DJ for entertainment, you’re also getting free promotion. DJs come with a built-in fanbase that you get free access to. Online resources like The DJ List can give you an idea of what artists live in your area and how to get in touch with them.

Some owners reap the benefits of hiring celebrities to come in and, well, be celebrated. Depending on your talent budget, their are a variety of different personalities that clubs can bring in a few times a year. The financial benefits of these events are huge. Companies like RealityRox organize celebrity events with reality television stars, while other entertainment groups have no problem finding Hollywood talent if you’re willing to spend the money. It’s also a good idea to hire local celebrities (athletes, public figures, etc.) to bring in a crowd.

Musicians tend to fall in the same category as DJs but usually the logistics are a little trickier because you end up dealing with more people. One of the things an owner can always count on is that bands are constantly touring through their city and looking for a space to play. This works in the owner’s favor because it gives them the ability to negotiate a fair cost that will benefit both sides. Depending on the popularity of a given band, it’s often up to the owner or promoter to make sure customers get to the door.

Talented new visual artists can also pull people out to a small to medium sized venue. Leveraging the art or photography exhibit trends is an inexpensive way to draw people to your club. Most new artists are just happy to have a place to display their work and that means no cost to the venue owner. Press for these shows can usually be obtained in local weeklies and daily newspapers.

Club owners must constantly adapt to stay competitive in the nightlife industry. When you focus too heavily on one aspect of the business, you can be losing out on another important area. That’s why balancing your responsibilities becomes so crucial.

One quick (and free) way of promoting your business is by creating Facebook events. By creating a company account on Facebook you can easily gather information on your customers and let them know what’s happening by creating events.

Here’s why you should consider using Facebook events to market your nightclub:

• It’s free and takes very little time. If you are hosting a certain DJ or a theme night you just plug in the details.
• Guests can become “fans” of your club. This will show up on their Facebook profile and inevitably spread to their friends.
• You can instantly send your guests updates about a specific night.
• It’s a great excuse to engage in conversation with your guests. You’ll get to know them.
• Posting flyers was never so easy. Just post them to your profile and invite your customers to do the same.
• It’s the start of a great database of information.

Once you start using these events, you’ll get a better understanding of your customers and learn when heavy online promotions are useful or when you should hold back to really drive another night.