ideas for contest?

[Tyler]

Hi, I'm starting a temporary nightclub for teens. I need some ideas for some contests to do to attract people, and keep them having fun. If you have any ideas, please let me know. Also what are some other things I could do to make some more money? I'm going to sell bottled water & energy drinks, some neon necklaces, and the Henna tats are a good idea, but I don't know who to contact locally.What about theme nights and diff. themes? Also during the planned run of this is Spring Break do you think that will hurt my attendance, what could I do to make people come for Spring Break? Your answers are greatly appreciated.Thanks! Tyler McGauley

[jbrett]

Erm, I don't have much experiance with Teen Nights, but I would imagine that most would want to experiance the whole real night out life, instead of a "birthday party" style night with contensts.

Teens listen to music, and probably have a lot more musical knowlege than most over 21's and definatly over most over 25's. So I would say the quality of the DJ is the single most important factor. Choice of drinks, well ok energy drinks are fine, and so is water, but energy drinks are expensive to purchase (or they are in the uk). What about other canned soft drinks.

Give the teens what you would give the adults but with more control.

Hope this helps a little.

[Tyler]

Jbrett, thanks for your help sorry ittook me so long to reply, I've got alot of stuff going on. Anyway, you think I should sell sodas? I was thinking that Red Bull or something would sell pretty well & be more profitable. I have been to teen clubs before and all they sold was water. And they sold the hell out of them. Any ideas about contests. How much of a pain in the ass is it to do a foam party? And how expensive?Thanks!!!

[Andrew]

This has been brought up before but how about supplying Sports Drinks (Gatorade etc.) as well as caffeinated drinks? They are useful at preventing cramps and yield energy...

[jbrett]

Yes I think you should sell sodas. If you went in to a bar and they had one type of drink, and you didn't like it, then your wouldn't stay long.

If you have say 100 kids through the door, but each only stayed 10mins, over a night you might only actually have say 20 people in the building at the same time. And with a 100 people in, its far easier to make an atmosphere than 20.

Also get in touch with local police and youth crime people in the area, and see if they wil offer help and suport. Younger Teenagers oftern need permission to go to places like this, so with backing from these people you might convince parents and schools and colleges that its a good thing.

Plus, look in to draught Soda drinks, becasue the Gross Profit would be a lot higher on that then cans of red bull.

Foam partys, when I do it I get a company who supplys the equipment, the people to use the machine and the insurance incase of acident or damage. I do't know how much they cost in your area, as I am in the UK. A Foam party in the UK with one foam cannon and enoght foam for a few hours is about £350 + VAT. But foam partys to appeal to the younger end.

Hope this helps.

Justin



Originally posted by Tyler
Jbrett, thanks for your help sorry ittook me so long to reply, I've got alot of stuff going on. Anyway, you think I should sell sodas? I was thinking that Red Bull or something would sell pretty well & be more profitable. I have been to teen clubs before and all they sold was water. And they sold the hell out of them. Any ideas about contests. How much of a pain in the ass is it to do a foam party? And how expensive?Thanks!!!

[Tyler]

Thanks for you input andrew.:)

[Tyler]

jbrett,
thanks for answering me again, what is draught soda?

[David]

Tyler:

As for contests, there is a very successful Teen Club in my market. They will usually have live music on the weekends and DJ's during the week. Their hours of operation are 5pm to 10pm Sunday thru Thursday, 3pm to midnight on Friday and noon to midnight on Saturday. They have a true bar set up in the building, the only difference is that they don't serve alcohol. You might ask why they did it this way? It's easy. The kids really think that they are in a Nightclub. There's a stage, cool lighting on the dance floor, a real bar to sit at and all sorts of Mixed Drinks. They do the Red Bull thing along with adding it to juice and sodas. They have a complete Mocktail Menu. You can order a drink that sounds like it has alcohol but it doesn't. It makes them all feel like they are adults. Once a month, they have a Battle of the Bands. They will charge $10 at the door. The teens will usually spend an additional $10 to $20 each once they are in the club. As you can see, their numbers will parallel or even beat some of the clubs that serve alcohol. The target age group of 14 to 20 has a lot of expendable income. Most still live at home, have jobs and don't really have any bills. So, they will normally spend their money on entertainment. You just have to give them the entertainment venue that they are looking for.

I help them from time to time with promos and etc. They actually help condition these kids for our club and others in our town. They are teaching them to maintain and behave when you are in a club and that if you don't, you will be asked to leave. They are also training their staff to move up into our business. I think that there is a huge opportunity in the teen market, just don't treat them like children.

Other contests that you can do>
* Karaoke
* Star Search
* Any game that is played at a family picnic
* Guzzling contests with juice or Red Bull
* Twister
* and on and on

[Tyler]

david,
thanks for your long reply. The mocktail bar idea is a realy good idea. Do you know how much they charge for the drinks? Thanks for help!

[David]

Tyler:

They charge $1 for a soda off of the gun, $2.50 for a Red Bull, $2 for bottled water and $2.50 to $3.50 for the Mocktails and infused drinks. They also have fruit smoothies (20 ounce) that start at $2.50 and go up to $5.00 depending on what you have added to them. Their smoothie bar is set up similar to a store called Junja Juice. You can get all types of exotic healing and healthy ingredients added to them. The club is located on a street where there are four other liquor serving establishments. When ever I venture out to that area of town, I see a lot of people over 21 drinking the teen clubs smoothies. The funny thing is that the over 21 people have to have one of the under 21 people purchase the drink. No one over 21 is allowed to enter. Isn't that funny?????

If you are really serious about setting up this teen club, post all of your questions here and we will see what we can do.

[Tyler]

david,
Thanks for keeping in touch & answering all my ?'s. I am serious about opening something. But everything is falling apart. My dj backed out on me, because I think he stole my idea and is going to do something similiar on his own. Also the location that it was going to be held at backed out on me too. Then starting last night feb. 15, a already established club announced that they are going to have teen nights every Saturday night. He has got backing from the city and has been in the paper. Should I still do something on Friday nights? I'm having trouble finding a location though. All the sports centers are booked, or are too worried about their floor. Any ideas on buildings that I could rent to hold something like this? Private ballrooms & stuff are outregeous in the cost. I was hoping to get a city building or sports centers. Also would people come on Fridays if they know about the place the next night? They also have a good location downtown. Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it.

[Tyler]

The thing were they have kids buy them drinks is funny! This club your talking about, is it a full-time teen club? Or just once a week? Thanks again!

[steffen]

Originally posted by Tyler
The thing were they have kids buy them drinks is funny! This club your talking about, is it a full-time teen club? Or just once a week? Thanks again!


I don't know what club it is, but I think it'd be REALLY hard to do a full time Teen Club in Missouri. There just isn't the bench stregnth of teens to go 4/5 nights out of the week. But, that's just my humble opinion.

:-)

[David]

Yes Tyler, it is a teen club all week. They call it a Young Adult Club, not a teen club. They are somewhat busy during the week but do most of their business on the weekends.

As for protecting your project, you need to have some type of legal binding contract between you and those that you share your ideas with. Here's a copy of a Nondisclosure Agreement that I have used many times. Cut and paste it to your computer and change it to meet your needs. If anyone else needs to use it, go ahead.

Nondisclosure Agreement

Re: Excalibur Entertainment Group. dba Jimi Love's Liquid Lounge.

I agree that any information disclosed to me by Excalibur Entertainment Group, known from this point forward as the Company, in connection with my review of the Company will be considered proprietary and confidential, including all such information relating to the Company’s past, present, or future business activities, research, product design or development, personnel, and business opportunities.

Confidential information shall not include information previously known to me, the general public, or previously recognized as standard practice in the field.

I agree that for a period of five years, I will hold all confidential and proprietary information in confidence and will not use such information except as may be authorized by the Company and will prevent its unauthorized dissemination. I acknowledge that unauthorized disclosure could cause irreparable harm and significant injury to the Company. I agree that upon request, I will return all written or descriptive matter, including the business plan and supporting documents to the Company.

Accepted and Agreed to:


Signature


Printed Name


Company/Title


Date



Back when I was a teen, I played in a Rock and Roll band. We use to rent old warehouses and buildings in the old town area and throw a big party. We got the local soda pop dealer to sponsor the party. They provided the pop and we provided the entertainment. I think that you might be able to do something similar. Maybe only on the weekends. As a teen, I would think that they would like the warehouse idea over the guy's bar that is running a teen night on Saturday. Also, why would a alcohol serving establishment want to take one of their major nights and open it up to teens? I sure wouldn't do that. Maybe a Sunday or Tuesday but never a weekend.

By having it only one or two nights a week, you limit your expenses. Go small now and big later. It will be a good learning experience. Another thing, don't go at this alone. There are just too many things to pay attention too for one person.

[Tyler]

Thanks for the post. I dont think that it would do good at all during the week because of school.

[Tyler]

Thanks again man. You think I should partner up with someone? That means I'm going to have to split my profits. I can get everything set-up myself, but if I got a partner and it doesn't workout then I woulnd't loose as much money I know. But if it does then I'm going to loose money to in a way. How can they run a full-time young adult club? Is this club in a big city? What time is the club open on, on weeknights and weekends? Also do you have any idea what they make, say in a week. I am starting this just to make some money fast. What do big popular clubs usally make in a year? How much would it take to start a nice club? Thanks for all your help david and the agreement.

[David]

The city that they are located in is around 150,000. I don't know what they do for numbers but it must be good. As for what it would cost you to start up a club, I'd be foolish to even try and venture a guess. I suppose it will cost as much as you are willing to pay. If I were to guess, I would say around $100K for a good one. But, if you only do it on a small scale, maybe $25K. Sorry I can't give you concrete answers, there are just too many variables.

[Tyler]

The city I live in is around 150,000 peeps too. I wonder how they get customers during the week, maybe just good marketing. Thanks for your help.

[edk3335]

Tyler, keep in mind that you only have to pay your partner a % depending on what he puts in...its always nice to have some1 help out , its alot to do by yourself. Also if there is more than 2 of you, get registered as a small business and incorporate it, that way if anything goes wrong you wont be responsible because the business itself assumes an identity, or something like that..sorry its been a while since school..anyways look into it. Im starting a same thing out here in LA area...so far there is 2 teen clubs because they lost their liquer licenses for whatever reason, but theyre still making $$$ and alot of it.. so there is alot of potential in the all ages biz..just make sure you have real tight security because they tend to fight more than adults, and its real easy to get sued. Also look into getting liability insurance for just that night, it shouldnt be more than 100 bucks, but it could save you in the long run.

[edk3335]

Oh yea one more thing...get "sponsors", like clothing companies,upcoming energy drinks, etc.. they will provide you with free merchandise you can give away to make the night better ..also you can use it as "prizes" in contests....I never throw a party without sponsors. Also make sure you have good sound/lighting if youre just "renting" out a place..because that will make or break it. For white walls is not that appealing...also look into making a "portable bar" which you can assemble , makes it look more professional than setting up a table and some trashcans to hold the ice ..haha..also "go go cages"..all of this can be very inexpensive...do it yourself or find a good carpetner or whatever..just make sure it looks good. I have a group working for me..doing all the lighting and sound for about 500 bucks for the night..and than a really good DJ who already works at a teen club..about 200 a nite. Also you wanna play hits off of "MTV" or whatever because Ive noticed spinning house/tekno kills it because they cant dance to it and most teens are really not familiar or into that kind of music. All these factors make it come together quite nicely, do it a few nights a month, save your money up, and lease a place after that.

-Laterzzz

[Tyler]

edk3335
Yea I know, but most peeps that are going to put in money, want half. I had one guy tell me, a dj that he expected to get more, right! I don't think I'm going to incorporate it, because I'm just trying this out for 4 nights in a row. About the insurance, I was quoted $1500-2000. Anything special about this type of insurance. I told them I wanted personal injury liability in cased someone got hurt. What are go go cages? Do girls dance in them? What are they made out of ? Do you build the bar just out of wood? Also you don't think techno is a good idea? A club that was hoppin in Arizona that's all they played. And it was packed. The sponsor idea is a really good idea. Thanks for all your help man!!!

[Tyler]

Hey I'm wanting to know if it would be legal to auction dances with poeple off. Like get a group or just 1 at a time up on stage & get the crowd involved, & have them bid to get a dance up on stage with that person. Maybe this is a dumbass ?. But I'm new in the Biz.

[edk3335]

yea I dont know anything about that question, I dont see why it would be illegal, they do it at charity events all the time. As far as the bar you build it up with wood/metal frames..and its covered by marble tile with a wood top..you can really use your imagiantion..its full size but not as heave..and mine separates in parts so I can easyli assemble it. go go cages are a must...theyre only for girls..its like a "small boxong ring"..its fits n omore than 4 girls at a time...you can also use your imagination on this one..hmm Its weird u havent seen this if youre a club goer..anyways...tekno is cool but my crowd doesnt respond to it well because theyre anywhere form 14-18..and arent really familiar for some reason..II mean you can spinn it but they usually leave the dancefloor..weird I know.... was just giving you heads up...and that about the liability insurance is really weird...because they were gunna charge me a lil bit over a 100 bucks for the night last time I did this..so double check on that..well let me know if u have anymore questions..I dont mind giving my opinon...or write an email or whatever..later

[Music Man]

David, I would like to know more about this full time teen club. I currently operate only fridays and saturdays, but would like to do more. Could you email their name and location to me?
Thanks

[David]

I PM'ed you.

[Tyler]

PM'ed ? thanks!