Running a top-performing nightclub is a lot of work, and almost all operators and owners take the responsibility seriously. However, many take it a bit too seriously – so much so that the club’s atmosphere loses its luster. It’s critical for your club’s success to find a balance between serious operations and an enjoyable atmosphere.
The area we see most nightclubs get inundated is within the boring operations, such as guestlist management, inventory management, processes and procedures. It’s common for these areas to be stressful and overwhelming, but it shouldn’t take away from your club’s energy and vibe. Here are 3 ways to fix that:
1. Identify your identity
What do you want your club to be known for? What type of vibe do you want to portray? Once you discover this, engrain it in your day-to-day business and have it be the cornerstone of your operations. Your staff, partners, distributors and customers will all feel better connected to your existence and will be more likely to enjoy their time at your venue.
2. Streamline operations
There’s a lot of nitty-gritty work that needs to get done in daily operations, which is the core of unnecessary stress. Look for solutions that help streamline tedious operations – such as technology – so you can spend more time on bigger, more beneficial tasks. There are technology platforms available that handle guestlists, VIP bottle service reservations, customer relationship management, text-message marketing, point of sale, and even ID scanning, all from one central spot. This type of solution lets you and your team get out of the operations weeds and into more exciting and fun projects.
3. Communicate effectively
You can’t operate your club as a one-man team. You have to get people on board, from staff to customers. The best way to do this is through effective communication. Train all staff members and contractors on not only your new identity, but also your new operations. Make sure they understand your systems, especially if it involves new technology. The time it takes on the front-end drastically outweighs the lost time on the back-end if you don’t train them properly.
Get out of your stiff, overly serious phase and become the place employees want to work and customers want to go.
Whitney Johnson is the global director of marketing for BookBottles. Contact her at whitney.johnson@bookbottles.com.
