StraightVibes.com

By Mark Dixon

A couple weeks ago I received an email from a business associate of mines who I’d worked with on a few projects asking for advice on how to promote a successful party. It was his first party and because of that he wanted me to offer him my expertise in the area of online and offline marketing. Needless to say, a few minutes later I gave him a call to discuss in more details ways he could go about attracting people to come to his event. Our phone conversation lasted for approximately forty-five minutes during which we covered topics relating to selecting a good club location, limiting the amount of booked DJs, encouraging DJs to setup on time, encouraging partygoers to come out early, taking pictures at the event, hiring students to distribute flyers and the consequences of lying to partygoers.

Selecting A Perfect Club Location – If you are in the business of making money I strongly believe that you should see to it that your business does not conflict with state laws. It is without question that there is a lot of money to be made as a result of promoting a good party; however, the club that you select to host your event should, with no exception comply with safety regulations. For example, correct placement of emergency exits, clean restrooms, adequate space, and proper ventilation. In addition, your club location should be easily accessible by public transportation and emergency vehicles. People like to feel safe and comfortable whenever they go out to party so it your duty to ensure that the environment in which you host your event allows people to feel that way.

Limit the Amount of DJs – A lot of promoters are guilty of booking three to five DJs to play at their party in a desperate effort to increase the hype surrounding their event. The average party promoter should at least book two well known DJs in order to reduce the chances of creating major confusion when one DJ takes too long to turn over the turntables. By creating such confusion you are in actuality “killing” the vibes of the individuals that came out to support your event. Also, limiting the amount of DJs will give the booked DJ enough time to feel the vibes of the crowd and play music accordingly.

Encourage DJs to setup on time – Business is business and there is nothing that looks more unprofessional than a DJ arriving 2Am in the morning at the club to set-up. Economically it does not make sense to pay a DJ $500 to $2000 to play for 2 hours and expect him/her to deliver a good service. In my opinion, a DJ should arrive 9:00pm the latest, set up, test his equipments and begin to play a little old school reggae or R&B to greet partygoers with music that takes them back a few years when those music just came out. In addition, you should consider creating a written contract or simply download a generic one from the internet for them to read and sign. In this contract make sure to include a penalty for every 30 minutes it takes them to arrive after the scheduled time. For example, for every 30 minutes you are late $20 will be deducted from the total cost to play at the event.

Encourage Partygoers to come out early – It is extremely important to encourage party goers to come out early by offering incentives such as giveaways, and a discount on the actual cost to enter the event. The earlier they come is the more time they will have to purchase drinks at the bar and the more people spend at the bar is the more financially rewarding it will be for you.

Take Pictures at Your Event – Fact! People love to take pictures of them self when they know that they look good in their new outfits. With that said, I would recommend that instead of spending hundreds of dollars booking a photographer to take pictures at your event. Ask a friend or family member that has access to a simple point-shoot digital camera that has 3 or more mega pixels to take pictures and post them on your website. If over a period of time you become notorious for taking quality pictures people will make an extra effort to not only come to your event but to have their pictures taken as well.

Hire students to distribute flyers – I’m sure you could find two or three high school or college students in your neighborhood that would love to make a few extra cash on the side. Scorer your neighborhood for the students you feel would be mature about the job at hand and pay them at least $10 dollars an hour plus lunch to distribute flyers. This marketing tactic will not only help you to attract more people to your event, but it will also serve as a vital learning experience for them about the importance of making an honest living. In addition, it is important that you inform them to ONLY hand flyers to individuals that look 21 years or older.

Never Lie To Partygoers – In an effort to boost ticket sales dishonest promoters often make false claims that celebrities will be in attendance. Never under any circumstances should you make claims that popular celebrities will be at your event or performing without knowing for a fact that they will be there. By doing so you are in fact damaging your reputation as a promoter and consequently give people a reason why they should never support your parties. Like any business that involves making money it is always important that you are 100% honest with each client you come in contact with. If you are known for promoting quality parties’ people will tell their friends and family members to support any party you promote. Money is out there to be made in promoting parties so be honest in the way you go about making it because it will be financial beneficial to you in the long run.

Mark Dixon is the Senior Webmaster of WeJamaicans.com, JamaicaPressRealease.com and StraightVibes.com. In addition, he is also a web design and online marketing consultant, poet, and freelance writer. Email him at markd9@gmail or visit his page at http://www.myspace.com/mr718