Approaching/Convincing Venues

dannycorona

Hi

I live in a town where there are 3 nightclubs, 1 is successful and open all weekend, 2nd is open sat nights only and not generally good, the third is closed completely.

I have an idea to open a friday night club for teens every second week.

I wrote a letter to the owner of the third club outlining my idea and proposal where, I do all the organising promoting, and supervising, and we do a 50:50 spilt on all profits after expenses. which i thought was fair as all he would have to do was open and close the venue door. but got no reply.

i have very little experience in this type of thing, but was writing a letter the right thing to do or how should i approach the venue owner?

the plan is good and should be very profitable if i can get a venue to agree

medicsie

Have you done a SWOT Analysis and research within the local community to see if there is an actual demand for this sort of thing?.

Fair enough you are looking to make some money in a bad economic time, but make sure you have done your homework and always ensure safety is the number one priority.

The audience is who will ultimately make or break the event, and you need to ensure that there is adequate security and/or Gardaí present to manage the resulting crowd problems and traffic problems.

How large is the venue, and what is the capacity of it?. Be aware of the legislation surrounding indoor events and fire safety legislation.

Gambler

In my experience venues aren't really willing to take a risk for a percentage split unless you have a VERY convincing plan in place.

You would have better luck trying to agree a fixed fee for hiring the place on the basis of using it at an off peak time. They will need to put in staff and cover other misc costs and there may be a concern about having under age people in a licensed premises (for example I amn't sure what the risks are if a teenager consumes their own alcohol on their premises and is discovered by the Gardaí - might they put their license at risk?) but if you can put together a reasonable plan and offer them a reasonable price to hire the venue then you should be able to work something out.

Gambler

Oh and there is no substitute for having a conversation. Letters are all well and good but pick up the phone and try to talk to someone directly who can make a deal for use of the venue.