The nightlife industry is ever evolving. That’s why it’s crucial to stay up-to-date on industry trends and offer the best experience in the biz. Here are four trends to watch to stay ahead of the curve in 2015.
1. Segmentation
Marketing is an important aspect of building a successful nightclub, yet many venues don’t put a lot of emphasis on their marketing efforts. This is all going to change in 2015. Many nightclubs stated a goal in 2015 is to improve marketing efforts, and industry experts state the best way to do this is through segmentation. Segmentation allows you to capture the right audience at the right time with the right message – essentially leading to a higher conversion rate. The best way to do this is through a CRM system that’s tied to every area of your venue to track customer habits. This is what we call interconnectivity, and it’s what allows a venue to uncover key information about themselves and their customers to offer 100% relevant marketing.
2. Themed promotions
Last year was all about exclusive promotions. This year is all about themed promotions. There are the obvious holidays that have an easy theme, such as Halloween, Valentine’s Day, and St. Patrick’s Day. But there are also pop-culture happenings that, when planned appropriately, lend itself to a great themed-party opportunity. After all, everyone focuses on the big holidays, but not everyone seizes the non-obvious opportunities. Whether you throw a party in line with a popular TV show or film (Downton Abbey, perhaps?), a bar-industry holiday (national tequila day anyone?), or a climate you wish your city had (who doesn’t love a tropical paradise in a frozen January), the possibilities are endless.
3. Digital systems
Technology has come a long way in the nightclub industry in the past couple years. In fact, more and more clubs are turning to it to track results, effectively communicate across all staff members, and offer exceptional client experience. In 2014, many clubs turned to digital guestlist and reservation management systems. And in 2015, companies like Vēmos are pushing the digital envelope and offering even better digital systems. Now, venues can guarantee revenue before an event through digital event and ticketing systems. Promoters can sell tickets on the street and have the sale sync directly to the in-house system. Venues can track all areas of their business from one centralized spot. And all of this ties to a centralized analytics platform to give better insight on how the venue is running and who their best guests are. All of this translates to increased efficiency and revenue.
4. New drinks
Drink trends are ever changing. They change with the month, season, holiday, or for no good reason at all. That’s why it’s crucial to always be on the lookout for the next new fad. But for 2015, drinkers want more body and sales are reflecting just that. Brown whiskey outperformed vodka in sales dollars at the end of last year, and bourbon, rye, and scotch are all enjoying this time in the spotlight by whiskey’s side. Beer is getting creative between the craft beer surge, the cider beer trend, and the re-introduction of beer cocktails. And even punches are making a comeback as liberated mixologists in fancy places are concocting large-format punches that serve a multitude of guests with no limit to servings or ingredients.
Whitney Larson is the president and director of marketing at Vēmos. Contact her at whitney.larson@vemos.io.
