How To Be A Night Club Promoter… (for Dummies)
ABOVE: VIP parking. A Lamborghini sits parked outside Dream night club in Miami Beach, Florida. Photo by South Beach bad boy, Miami Fever.
Nightclubs are the draw of the South Florida night life with music, mingling, alcohol and fun lasting well into the early morning hours. Table service and covers can get costly when you’re partying with friends but who cares when you’re having fun and can afford it, right?
What if you didn’t have to pay for it though? Or better yet, what if you were the one making the money instead of spending it? It’s common knowledge that promoters ‘party’ for free. Depending upon their following, a successful party can yield as much as thousands for a promoter in just a single night.
A promoter is basically just someone that is paid by a club or bar to fill the place to capacity. They usually partner with clubs to host events or recurring parties. He or she always knows the hot spots. They also know lots of party goers and how to get them to spend money at clubs and bars. It’s certainly fun and while it may look easy, promoting requires planning and a game plan to be successful. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
What does it take?
For starters, you must love clubbing. Strike that- you must have a passion for it. Not only will you need to know about the hot spots, but you’ll have to frequent them and play the part of the ultimate host on a regular basis. If hot, standing room only dance floors and loud music aren’t ‘your things,’ then neither is being a club promoter. It’s that simple.
You’ll also need to be outgoing- very outgoing. While being popular with scores of friends helps, the act of promoting itself is what will make you well-known. You’ll be remembered and liked if you are charismatic. You’ll need to be friendly with anyone and everyone you meet. These are the people who will fill your pockets. As you continue to party, you’ll make many new contacts. This is an industry were who you know counts the most.
How to begin…
- Scope out the field. Like with any other career, when you’re ready to jump in, you’ll need to do a little research. You need to know what will draw a crowd before you can throw a party. Hit the clubs. What works for them? Research the crowds and venues which seem to have better draws. You’ll want to target the crowds that spend most at the bar. Since clubs normally keep the monies from the bar, they welcome promoters that can bring in big spenders. Research successful promoters in the area to see how they handle their parties. You need to know the party scene like the proverbial back of your hand. If you can get a successful promoter to take you under their wing, try to see if you can get tips or contacts from him/her or even sub-promote for them. Sub-promoting is word of mouth street promoting. The payouts are generally smaller and based on guest-list head counts. It may not be the lucrative idea you first dream of but is your foot in the door and a great way to learn the (velvet) ropes.
- Tally up the bill. While promoting can allow you to party for free, you do have to spend a little. Generally, to start up, you’ll need your own marketing plan. Decide what your budget is and draw out a plan. Figure things like flyers or other networking expenses. Clubs may agree to pay the fees associated with flyers once you have established a following. Also, people will associate better with you if you have business cards or promotional items. These expenses should all be planned for.
- Network. Since your success is directly related to the quantity and quality of the contacts you make, you’ll want to hit as many people as you possibly can that fit the bill of the research you’ve done. The key to being a mainstay is contacts. Depending upon the type of clientele you want to attract, you’ll want to join associations and league. Make contacts with any online/print photography services as well. Many people frequent events where club patrons are photographed, paparazzi style, and then displayed online or in monthly publications. Other internet tools like social websites, forums, blogging and even e-mail lists are great ways to spread the word about yourself and your events. These are all vast reaching tools which are available to you for little to no cost. Social networking sites can allow you to target mass audiences and send bulk communications with minimal effort. Many times the contacts made from internet tools like community forums can bring you unsolicited business and since you will have some expenses to start up, you should never turn away free business.
The Big Day
On the night of the party, make sure to be well rested. A successful party can last well into the next day and you’ll need to be at your best and of course, wear your best. You’ll need to be Mr. Popularity tonight. Arrive early and make sure to have a payment plan already worked out. It is customary for a promoter to keep the monies made at the door while the club keeps the monies made from drink sales. Payment can be a per person dollar figure, a flat fee, and sometimes even a percentage of sales. Often, promoters are allowed to set their cover charge. Once you become established and well-known, venues will offer you a percentage of the bar sales as well.
There are rare occasions when a club owner may attempt to get you to agree to a bar guarantee. A bar guarantee is when the promoter leaves a deposit or guarantee that the club will sell a specific amount of alcohol. There’s never really a need to place a guarantee.
Once at the club, make sure to meet and greet your guests. Encourage them to spend lots of money at the bar. Also, remember as many people as you can- especially club staff. Remembering a person’s name always makes them feel special. Also, treat this as any other job; after all, it is. Just because everyone around you is drinking or drugging up a storm doesn’t mean you have to as well. Remember: you are there to work.
The next day, think about the things that worked and the things that didn’t. Start with your research again. Now that you have an event under your belt, you’ll know what areas need to be tweaked. The more parties you produce, the easier it will get. Lastly, as a promoter, the flexibility of your schedule will require that you be responsible, dedicated and have the ability to manage your time wisely. On the average, you’ll only have six days to plan your next party.
What are you waiting for? Stop standing in line and go party for free while making an income.
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"How To Be A Night Club Promoter… (for Dummies)"
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Joseph says:
I just want to repeat the whole you better love parting thing if you want to be a promoter lol. I used to promote for Empire Ballroom in Las Vegas and i love going out and partying but when it turns into a job, and promoting is a job, it lost all its fun for me. The whole going out every single night from one club to another gets old and tiring quick.
But i will admit the whole free bottle service, entrence and the girls that come with the job are pretty kick ass lol.
Posted on 08/21/2008 at 2:56 PM