We’re gearing up for fall, which is a great time to reflect on emerging industry trends for the new season. Now that the hot summer trends have died down, we can start to focus on how to provide the best experience leading up to the much anticipated holiday season. Here are 4 fall trends for you to follow to stay relevant in an ever-evolving nightclub industry.
1. Improved door policies
Rules, regulations and policies are sometimes what makes or breaks a venue’s business. As Nightclub & Bar pointed out, “whatever door policy you implement will ultimately gauge the clientele that walks through the door and adds to the perception of your establishment.” Where previously nightclub door policies were moreso aligned with dress code and gender ratio, nightclubs are now turning their attention to focus more on behavioral conduct. Any guest who arrives in an unstable condition is a liability to your venue, so turning these folks away (even if they’re VIP) will maintain the experience every other paying guest in your venue expects and deserves.
2. Increased use of technology
Technology continues to grow in the nightclub industry quarter over quarter. More and more nightclubs are turning to it to track results, effectively communicate across all staff members, and offer exceptional client experience. This year alone, we’ve seen top nightclubs make better use of platforms that are available to streamline operations and maximize profits, and it isn’t going to slow down anytime soon. The solutions they’re seeking are ones that offer the whole gamut in one spot, including guestlist management, VIP reservation management, client relationship management, point of sale, ticketing, marketing solutions and, most importantly, analytics. Using this type of technology gives you better insight, increases efficiency and revenue, and ultimately leads to a better customer experience to keep them coming back for more.
3. Planning ahead for big events
Hosting events is one of the best ways to get people through your door. In the past, many venues would rush through the planning process and piece their events together with no strategy in place. But with increasing use of technology, nightclubs now have access to their data and are able to plan ahead for their events. This means they’re able to incorporate ticketing into the rest of their efforts, giving them that full 360-degree look at how their event is performing. On top of this, they’re able to:
• Create and manage an online event page
• Sell tickets to consumers right through the page via an e-commerce system
• Get access to a white-labeled widget so their online ticketing page looks identical to the rest of their website
• Integrate the event with a mobile app for promoters to sell tickets directly from their devices
• Track ticket sales and results along the way
With this type of strategy, venues can now synch their promoters and marketing efforts together to maximize ticket sales and revenue before the night of the event and are able to ensure that their event lives up to what their guests expect.
4. Delicious fall drinks
Summer was all about complex refreshing cocktails, but those are getting swapped out for comforting fall drinks. Spices are the name of the game this fall, featuring cocktails such as butternut & falernum, ginger smash and Madagascar, the honey dove, big apple cobbler, pumpkin pie martini, and spiced pear cocktail. All of these drinks encompass the deliciously-craved fall fruits combined with the comforting yet zesty spices that make the crisp fall that much more enjoyable.
Whitney Johnson is the global director of BookBottles. Contact her at whitney.johnson@bookbottles.com.
