Improving Customer Traffic at Clubs: What Can I Do?

I am finishing my first week of hosting duties at the Upside Down Club this week (I do have many more to come); and ever since my first hosting gig this past Wednesday, I have only seen heavier traffic at the clubs on my first gig as hostess.

Here's the pattern I see with the low volume of customer traffic:

1. The club I work at plays mainly streaming music (The 80s Channel). When I do attend parties at The Chilli Pot whenever I am not working, there almost always is a DJ playing music on a regular basis.

2. The themes. It may possibly be the themes that may not appeal to many users at the club. Even though I never worked a gig last Thursday, I did find out that there was a low volume of traffic - might be due to the theme being "Country and Western", or "Cowboy theme", and I heard there may have been a horse (avatar) at the club, but it may not have been enough to attract users to the club.

This past Wednesday, my first gig was themed "Devils and Horns" - and there was a live DJ that night. He did a good job indeed, I kid you not. But the traffic was just so darn lower than normal in the days since - though Sunday night being "Formal Sunday", there was a higher volume despite the lack of DJ, maybe due to many users having no problem digging out a fancy dress or tuxedo).

Any suggestions on how to improve user traffic at the club I work at? Would more users go to a club event that involves a DJ?

if you are going to try using events to get people there the prizes are most likely what will get them there..good themes help too.
if you are looking for people to spend you need something for them to enjoy spending on..legal sploders or some kind of game while they are there..also a lot of places fail to put in couches and places for people that just want to come and relax..

open up more options for them to do there that will have them killing time with friends..
board games like checkers or whatever..

there are thousands of clubs throwing events at any given time in sl..
give people a place they can hang out if they want or dance if they want or enter an event if they want or play a game of some kind..

having a friendly staff that feels like they are friendly more than all buisiness and that will help also..
keeping it sort of real makes people feel at home..
i hope this helps in some way

Close it down!

It will give a tiny bit of extra attendance to the tousand of existing clubs.

Creating a membership base of new players is very important. It is worth the time to check profiles of people that attend and offer membership to new players. Also hosts join open-enrollment event groups to spam their events to people looking for parties. Go to your GROUPS area and search for event groups. A well-known one is ANNOUNCEIT!

You can easily double as a DJ and offer to take requests. I will throw you an invite to CLUB SCHOOL with SAM Broadcaster info and class schedules (if your on a PC).

Remember to post your event twodays in advance.

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Millions of avatars and thousands of venues. The most visited place of new avatars is a nightclub. I do not remember the name of the club I wandered into when i was a noob - but I do remember people welcoming me, teaching me a little bit about SL and offering friendship.

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Oh come on, think bigger!

Clearly the strategy would be a Doomsday Weapon that would shutter *all* other clubs... perhaps something like the Ruthinator (reduces your avatar to a wonky noob) or the Nude Bomb (okay that one might backfire).

Or maybe unleash an innocent free game that at the appointed hour, turns into the Megasploder...

...at which point you could take over the Shoutcast streams and demand one beeeellion $L. With appropriately small but snarling pet in your arms. Write the evil monologue in advance, and practise it - it cuts down on embarrassing gaffes.

Oh this is sounding delightful... what was the original point again?

*logs into the grid, cackling evilly*

'course, Des, you'll have to download required version 1.20.17.98669 before you can actually log in and finish your cackling.

ooh. i didn't previously experience this side of you. i like it. more more MORE!!!!

Why do people attend clubs? Answer that question, and you can figure out what you need to be doing.

I think it's a simple answer: People want something to do.

And yet, most clubs do not give visitors something to do.

What do most clubs offer? Prizes for standing around dressed in a costume. Automated gestures. Automated dances.

None of these things demand a great deal of attentiveness or interaction from the visitors.

Most clubs struggle not because they are unable to attract people to visit. Getting someone there initially is the easy part. Clubs struggle because the visitors don't stay.

Give people something to do when they arrive, and they are more likely to stay.

The one event type that I see most often that at least gives visitors something to do is trivia. It at least requires me to think and pay attention. And sometimes interaction among attendees follows as they talk about questions and answers.

I once went to a place that had a joke night, in which attendees where invited to tell a joke, and everyone would vote on the best joke to win a prize. The prize wasn't the important thing; what the event did was got people talking and paying attention.

Give people who arrive reasons to pay attention, use their brains, and interact with others. They will be more likely to stay.

Classified Ads.

Contests with Lindens - and do NOT let the club's staff enter the contest to win! (my big pet peeve about clubs, grr) They are there to work, and the guests are the ones you want to come back. One club I like, often gives prize money to everyone who got votes. That is kinda nice. Even if it's $25L, that can mean something to somebody who has $1L.

Enforce rules strictly - such as well whatever your rules are, about no nudity etc., and enforce them quickly (giving ppl a fair chance to address the issue but not 2 or more songs' time). People don't want drama they just want to unwind/have fun. If you wouldn't allow it in a real club don't allow it in a virtual one. This includes harassment of staff (happened to a friend of mine). Eject the creeps. Staff matter too.

Pay people something to be there just dancing at various times, at least in the beginning til the place becomes really popular and maybe even then. Then if someone pops in they won't be there dancing alone, although that can be fun too...

Give freebies for your theme nights. Pay something - however small - to a designer (there are lots of new ones just starting out who'd love the exposure/even work for free, cough cough) to make basic clothing that fits the theme, so that no one feels left out. They may not have to or want to dress to theme, but with a freebie they can. Freebies also draw in people in themselves.

Make everyone feel welcome, talk to them but dont allow spamming like constant butt slaps etc., address that in an IM to the offender who may think it's funny and mean no harm and/or may have been other places everyone does that. I find it annoying though when the screen jumps w/constant spam.

if you read through all that then you really are interested in what people had to say to improve your club. LOL

ETA:

Oh, and...



YES. I can listen to lame streaming music in my car, no offense. A really good set with some thought behind it, some flow, songs I wouldn't have heard or had forgotten but loved, is a great thing to tune into and watch my little av dance her heart out. The same way I will stay in my car once I get to the store in RL if there is a really great set on the radio (cough, Jim Ladd, cough).

It's frustrating to be in the mood/have time to go to an SL club to 'dance' and have to turn on itunes cos the music sucks so bad.

I think breasts are the answer.

This is a "family friendly" club I work at in SL and what you mentioned defeats that purpose.

And to Lisa Leandros, I got my answers from Clarissa already (short and to the point), and thanks for the help, but I declined the offer for the schooling. It's not worth my time and effort, as I have RL commitments to take care of during the daytime.

Besides, there may be a YouTube tutorial out there that I may consult for assistance.

And don't use contest boards. This usually ends up with a parade of alts walking into your club, voting and leaving again. Once this pattern is seen by the others, then there is drama, hurt feelings and an empty club

^ Good idea. Voting to the hostess by IM would be a better option. Or maybe have a panel of judges (like I could be the lone judge myself).

One idea of a contest that gives away lindens (and I may be the creator of such contest)... a question and answer game, "Family Feud" style. Remember the game show of that name? I could ask a question based on a survey of 100 people, and if the patron gives the number one answer, that person would receive some linden cash. Think that may work in SL? One user did host a "Match Game" simulation at Club Eternal, and it may have worked wonders.

Maybe such "one-of-a-kind" trivia event would be a good way to attract guests, possibly give away lindens, and even earn some "Linden Love" (in short, "tips".

I did earn enough lindens to possibly host some trivia event at the club I work at, and hopefully it will attract users.

I think the two key elements to entice users to the club would be the DJ and Linden "giveaways." Agree?

oh my goodness!!!! an I thought a club was something people clobbered baby seals with !!!!

Actually, that idea works great but the one I saw is the host gives out a math question and the first one to answer it, get 5L. Something like 23 - 2 + 7 - 5 =

The more difficult the more money 10L question is like 22/2 * 10 + 5 =

Anyways, I noticed that the +/- questions are usually 5L and the / * questions are usually 10L

Focus Toy, Focus... Save the kid stuff for in-world!

Like a "skill-testing question" in many sweepstakes, right?

A really cool idea! Maybe have that kind of math game to start - 10 "plus/minus" questions @ 5L each, and 5 multiply/divide questions @ 10L apiece. I could start with a "prize pool" of 100L, and if I am at it long enough, I may increase the "trivia budget" to accommodate 15 questions @ 10L apiece - by working my way to general knowledge questions, music trivia, and maybe even geography. History, don't count on it as an individual category. If any history questions should prevail, it may be included in the general knowledge category. That contest idea may work.

But then again, people should have a chance to win lindens by being fast, thinking on their feet, or even using their brains. I say I would award 10L no matter what the questions. Equal prizes, equal chances, and equal opportunities. Consistency should prevail, IMO.

Believe it or not there is a "Club Baby Seals" nightclub in SL ......

Have also seen it where you have to have a group tag to enter or vote. which cuts down the Alt's some. and also keeping the prizes fairly small in the 2-400 Linden range helps too, when you get up to the 1000+ range is when you see the Bots showing up.

Trivia nights are fun too, its easy to find movie or TV trivia question on the internet and like you say give out 5 or 10L prizes... people do seem to like the interaction.

For someone that does not know what do to - your blunt response to a question you asked the public is quite odd. If Clarissa answered the question why are you still responding to people offering information?

If you have too many RL commitments to improve the music WHILE your greeting there anyway - then why even take your precious time to log onto SL and be bothered with the club? A simple (short and to the point) DJ tutorial in-world takes no more than 90 minutes (about the same time it will take you to watch a YouTube and figure it out).



You still need to make members and announce your events to as many people as you can and in a timely manner. Good luck I guess.

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Club Baby Seals. That's Dancien Graves' place. I've been meaning to get over there.

The weekly SLU forum thingie is there tonight.

Can't make it.