Technology is impacting everything in our lives every day in numerous ways. Most of the time, we do not even realize it because our society has become so accustomed to technology. Technology is constantly evolving and becoming better. Since technology is affecting our everyday lives it should come as no surprise that it impacts bars and nightclubs as well.

There are many types of technology that impact nightclubs in different ways. Some of these forms of technology are apps (or application software) for smartphones, internet websites, social media websites, and point of sale (POS) technologies. I am going to detail what each of these forms of technology can do for the industry and how they have already changed how owners and employees should play the game.

The most obvious technology that is impacting our world is social media. Today, people can check in to places they are at, they can update their status, or even tweet from their phone. Smartphones have allowed social media to grow immensely. People can look up reviews about a business before they even go there. All of these things can be done from a smartphone at any given moment or any given time. This can be achieved through an internet browser or an app that has been downloaded on a smartphone.

So what is an app? An app is computer software designed to help the user perform certain acts. To put it in simple terms, an app can help you do almost anything on your smartphone. There is an app for pretty much anything. With apps, people can rate bars and nightclubs, talk about them with friends, post pictures and so much more. The opportunities are endless. Use this technology to your advantage!

Apps are connected to the internet, but it does not stop there. Not everyone has a smartphone yet so you may be thinking how can this technology affect everyone that you are trying to reach? It can because apps are run through the Internet. Whatever anyone updates through an app is also updated on the internet. Anyone with access to Internet can get the information but sometimes not as quickly. With apps, the information can be found in a matter of moments.

Point of Sale technologies, also called POS, are changing how bars and nightclubs are being run. With this technology, servers and bartenders can immediately ring up anything purchased through a software program and a touch screen. Sales are made faster and it makes everything run more efficiently. If your bar or nightclub does not already have this software you are missing out on money. The software will pay for itself when your sales start increasing just because of this one technology. When things run faster, more products can be sold. That is the bottom line, right?

As you can see, the game is changing every day with new technologies. These technologies can help you or hurt you if you do not stay on top of them and use them to your advantage. Learn about new technologies all the time. The game is constantly changing which means your bar or nightclub will need to do the same to stay competitive.

We all like to go to the bar once in a while and indulge in some drinks but there is something to be said for the experience of drinking with class. It raises the level of the experience to new heights. To achieve this, there are a few steps to follow.

The first step is to find a good bar, someplace that takes the drink seriously with a sophisticated feel, but the most important point of the night is what you order. It may be fun to have a sugar soaked “martini” with your friends but that’s not the drink we’re targeting tonight. Here are some tasty drinks that will get a nod of approval and a bit of respect from your bartender.

The Gin and Ginger

If you like things spicy and herbal this is for you. It will most commonly be made with dry London gin and ginger ale. But if you have the option I would opt for a nice medium bodied gin and old style ginger beer. This is a simple cocktail that has surprising complexity and drinkability. You aren’t going to find real ginger beer at a rave club dripping in LED lights.

The Whiskey Sour

Another fairly simple cocktail with a lot of history, the whiskey sour is a pretty varied from bar to bar. Some places will just throw together sour mix, some sugar and cheap whiskey. I suggest staying away from bars like that. What’s the point of being the classiest person in a dive? A real whiskey sour should be made with lemon juice, whiskey and a small amount of sugar. This is shaken and served over ice. You can usually request it sweet or dry depending on your tastes. The woody character of the whiskey and the lemon play well together. There is a variation known as the Boston sour that uses a bit of egg white to give a frothy head to the drink. Although egg was common in a lot of cocktails at one point some people will be blown off their bar stools if you suggest it today.

The Daiquiri

This isn’t what man people think of when they see “daiquiri” on a drink list. Along with the margarita, the daiquiri has been made into a joke drink filled with as many artificial flavors as exist on the planet. From apple jacks to pumpkin pie, none of them can hold a candle to their patriarch. I’ve even seen these served in glasses that use LED light bulbs to flash pretty colors in your face as you drink. Like the drink needed to be shamed more. A real daiquiri is a healthy dose of lime juice, some simple syrup and dark rum. Forget about light rum that will add little to nothing to a drink. The dark rum will blend with the lime and show you why this was the drink of naval officers dreaming of island paradise.

These are just a couple drinks that every bartender should be able to make but not every bartender can make well. Not only will you have an air of sophistication and class but you can use these to judge the skills of a bartender. Just remember the number one rule of remaining classy in a bar. Don’t get drunk. At least don’t appear to be.

In the competitive bar and nightclub industry, it is critical to consistently be able to differentiate yourself from competitors, and provide patrons with a unique experience.   A common, yet powerful way of doing this is by offering unique cocktails, as well as consistently updating the cocktail specials you offer.

Due to the virtually unlimited types of cocktails, many bars and nightclubs place significant effort in demonstrating a specialization in a particular type, or types of cocktails.  The reason unique cocktails are so powerful at increasing the number of people through the door, as well as average spend at you venue is due to the “word-of-mouth” power cocktails have.  People have a tendency to discuss unique cocktails, far more then beers and wines, due to the variety available.  By consistently striving to offer these gives your venue a unique selling proposition that potential patrons can only experience by coming to your venue.

The video below is from Funky Bar (Sydney, Australia) whom have the reputation of delivering some of the most unique cocktails in Sydney’ inner suburbs.

Location! Location! Location!

It’s an old cliché, but it’s true. For many nightclubs the location will determine success or failure. Opening a nightclub in a place that has failed before is often a big mistake. It’s also important for a nightclub to cater to the demographics of the people in their immediate area. For example, it probably isn’t too wise to open a hip-hop club in an area filled with retired senior citizens.

Marketing

A major oversight in the nightclub industry is assuming that if you build it they will come. Often nightclub owners spend heavily on decor and leave nothing in their budget for advertising. Successful nightclub owners are masters of marketing and understanding what their customers want. They also understand advertising and are often able to create events that gains them free publicity. Smart nightclub owners make contacts with local radio DJs and newspaper writers with audiences that meet the demographics of their nightclub. They also understand “frontal marketing”, which is how a nightclub looks from the outside, and includes signs, paint and can even include the type and age of vehicles in the parking lot.

Employees

Good employees are the backbone of any business in the nightclub industry. On the other hand, bad employees can bring a business down. Employee theft in a nightclub can range from a bartender not ringing up a few drinks a night and putting the money in their tip jar, to having full bottles of liquor stashed in empty boxes and placed in a dumpster, for the employee to grab later.

State and Local Laws

Not knowing and following all state and local laws and regulations can put a nightclub out of business overnight. Serving minors can be a cause for arrest, lawsuits and fines. Even things such as how big or bright your signage is can cause legal hassles. Having a good attorney on retainer is essential for any night club owner.

Over Pouring and Portion Control

Many bartenders feel an urge to over-pour. It is essential to have a system in place that can inventory how much alcohol is poured and can hold the bar help accountable. Simply pouring 1 1/2 ounces per cocktail instead of an ounce results in an increase of 50% in alcohol costs. This is often the difference between making money and losing money in the nightclub industry.

Most bar and nightclub owners are quick to put online marketing in the “too hard basket,” feeling it is an unnecessary marketing tool that adds limited value to their business, preferring to concentrate on traditional forms of marketing.  Whilst the majority of venue operators acknowledge the importance of a website, more often than not, over time websites are rarely maintained, eliminating any value they may have provided at one stage, and in instances, damaging the venue brand.

Whilst at first glance it may seem that online marketing requires years and years of experience, and is inherently quite complicated, there are a few very simple, yet powerful things that can be implemented for virtually nothing.

1.    Contact Details
Prominently place the contact details of your venue on the top right hand side of your website, on every page.  The longer it takes someone to find your venues contact details, the less likely they are to make an inquiry. By making these details immediately available, you can rapidly increase the volume on enquiries to your venue (in particular function enquiries)

2.    Video
Integrating a video of your venue into your website provides two powerful outcomes.  Firstly, this allows patrons to experience your venue before attending, which in marketing speak, reduces perceived risk associated with trialling your venue.  The second benefit however is a little less known, and that is the importance that search engines place on video.  By embedding a Youtube video in your website (which is literally a 5 minute job for any web developer), search engines are likely to rank your website higher in their search results, generating more traffic to your website.

3.    Dedicated Function Page
Creating a standalone function page is a cost effective way of improving the number of function enquiries your venue receives.  As a general rule, you should include at least 300 – 400 words of text, create relevant title tags and ensure the page URL is www.yourvenue.com/Function-Room-Details This too will provide you with search engine ranking benefits, as well as increase the likely hood of converting website browsers to enquiries.

4.    Facebook
Integrating a Facebook like button is an extremely cost effective way to ‘start a conversation’ with your patrons.  Once you acquire a reasonably large number of followers, Facebook can be used to communicate with them quickly and non-intrusively.   Many bar and nightclub venues successfully use Facebook during midweek and slower periods of the day, by offering “Facebook only” specials to encourage people through the door.

5.    Directory Listing
Almost all cities will have at least 3 bar and nightclub directories.  Listing your venue with them (which is usually free) is a simple and effective way of increasing awareness of your venue, but in many instances, improving the SEO of your website, as most will provide a backlink to your venue.

www.barsandnightclubs.com.au