Ideas for a dance bar

I'm buying a cocktail dance bar and I was wondering if people would share with me some of the great and unusual ideas in bars they've experienced to help me. Especially I'm looking for ideas to draw more patronage on quieter weeknights.

Any unusual ideas out there ?

Seriously...

A place where older couples can go and dance, have a drink or two and socialize would be fantastic..

We had a little place that was just like that where we used to live, now that we have moved away and live in a tourist area, we miss that place so much.

There was sometimes Piano Music (Live), other times just soft 70's, 60's and even 50's stuff playing and MAN it was great..

Offer rides home to your patrons that want to drink and I bet you will have a HIT!!!

Semper

double post. :S

[edit on 12/2/2009 by lepracornman]

Is this gonna be in Wellington?

Or somewhere else?

Not at liberty to discuss it at present LC man but you can guess.

I've been told the ladies like pole dancing ?

[edit on 12-2-2009 by sy.gunson]

Get some up and coming local talent DJs in. maybe hold a mid week competition (that could run for months) Get some well known DJ/s in to judge it. Maybe see if you can score some studio time for the winner to get a professional DAT recording made or something. Maybe even get a live internet stream on the go during the competitions.

Drink pro mos are always good for getting the mid week punters in. My local, on a monday and tuesday have a raffle type thing. During the week, if you buy a drink you get a raffle ticket go into a jar with your name on it. Then, on Mondays and tuesdays. At 7pm 8pm 9pm and 10 pm a name gets drawn out. And IF that person is in, they get 5 free drinks. (land lady put my name down on half the raffle tickets, cos I'm never in on a monday or tuesday )

Pub type acts might also be good for getting mid week drinkers in. Hypnotists and comedy musical stage type stuff.

Good luck, it must be quite daunting buying into something like that, not knowing how it's going to turn out. I wish you all the best.

Edit- Pay my way over from the UK, and i'll bang out some London acid techno for ya

[edit on 12/2/2009 by Acidtastic]

Being a Londoner i see many bars lol,

Hmm what seems to work on weeknights here are themed nights,

1, Gay nights, Here loads will turn out for it Gay and straight alike, Its held midweek here in London and gets packed, and is a regular weekly thing,

2, live bands nights,

3 Karaoke and cocktail night,

4, Singles night, You could let some speed dating use your bar,

5, Allow others to pay to use your bar, Salsa classes, they will want drinks!

6, Decor to me makes me want to come back, and friendly staff,

[edit on 12-2-2009 by asala]

Originally posted by sy.gunson
Not at liberty to discuss it at present LC man but you can guess.

I've been told the ladies like pole dancing ?

[edit on 12-2-2009 by sy.gunson]

Alright, fair enough. I think I can make a plausible guess. ^^

Well, the ones I've been to around the area are alright.
I really do, myself, admire lighting in a bar. cool blues and greens. or firey reds, oranges.

I guess I'm really into a cool, calm atmosphere. Most of the ideas I'm thinking of are here anyway.

Don't forget Student nights either! ^^

Apart from what everyone has said IMHO I think lighting, furnishing and decor will be the difference between one time visitors and patrons to your club.

Remember also if you have a promoter thats going to host their own events at your club, make sure they mix and match there nights to make it as exciting as possible. I'm sick of going to nights where the same djs, same guests are playing every weekend.

If there going to charge a large amount on door fee. Ask for a cut of each sale and use that percentage to provide free drinks for each guest.

Get a couple of a girls to go around on the busy nights getting people to sign up to a mailing list. Great way of promoting other nights people might be interested in.

Also look into hosting corporate events or luncheons as this area is sometimes never tapped into.