Today’s nightlife scene combines food, beverage, and talent. Are you keeping up with the changing, social media-fueled environment?
Five industry authorities (Philip Loomis of Drai’s Beachclub, Mike Snedegar of Mike Snedegar Consulting, Christopher LaPorte of RESET, Michael Waltman of Fontainebleau Development, and Jennie Yip of Jenjuice Hospitality and COHJO) weighed in on exactly where the industry is headed at HD Expo + Conference 2024 during the I Love the Nightlife: Shifts in Cocktailing and Afterhours session.
Here are six takeaways from the conversation:
1. Guests are looking for an all-in-one experience
More people are being drawn to venues where they can have multiple experiences under one roof. “What you’re starting to see now is ‘How can I do everything in one night?’” says Waltman. “How can I get a great meal, dance, and have great cocktails? How can I get that bottle experience all while at one table? At Papi Steak, for instance, we’ve taken components from nightlife and trickled them down into the restaurant. People are gravitating towards that—they appreciate having their space at the table, and even if the music is loud, they can still have a conversation.”
2. Maintain a long-term ecosystem with clients
“When college kids come into town, they might be coming through a guest list or buying a GA ticket, but we wrap our arms around them because staying at Fontainebleau or Wynn is aspirational,” Waltman says. “At that point, in college, they might be four to a room at a motel, but we keep them in our ecosystem with a promoter. They graduate college, they get a job. Next thing you know, they might be a fourth tier table. We’ve seen it happen over the years. Then that person ends up working on Wall Street and becomes a $20,000 a night customer. Having appreciation for everybody that comes in here, and knowing that it’s a long-term play, is something that we’ve learned over the course of time to be successful.”
3. Design capturable moments
Whether it’s younger partygoers or older guests, everyone is looking for a memorable experience. Younger clientele tend to look for “that camera phone type moment,” says Snedegar. “Many are less interested in bottle service and more about the experience.”
Meanwhile, “the nightlife-educated customer is maturing into a higher net worth, so they’re going to go after a more luxe experience,” says Loomis. “But people still want to be in a place where they can be seen and post on social media because social media is working its way up into the older generations as well. So it is about a moment.”
4. Find your brand ambassadors
Know your audience and they’ll do the talking for you. “We’re seeing more and more individualized experiences and venues, where you have to be creative in knowing who your customer is and bring something special to that unique segment,” says LaPorte.
Whether it’s guests looking for non-alcoholic options or cannabis lounges, know your niche and cater to them. “It’s just a matter of finding who that consumer is,” LaPorte adds. “Know who you are, know what your product is, find your same people, let those people be your ambassadors.”
Brand ambassadors are not only limited to guests, but also extend to staff. “It’s hiring individuals that understand operations and what we want,” says Yip. “It’s about creating a culture and then within that, create ambassadors—your managers are your ambassadors.”
5. Create touchpoints and personalized experiences
“The entire experience matters,” Yip says. “From the time guests make a reservation to the time they come through the door, who are they going to see? How are they going to remember this space? How does a drink feel and taste?”
These touchpoints will only need to become more personalized in the future. “Today, we have Resy and OpenTable, but the future will be more one-on-one,” Yip adds. “There will be influencer apps. People want to find their own passionate communities, their own people that like a particular martini that can be created within Fontainebleau or Drai’s. And the customization of technology is going to change that.”
6. Embrace exclusivity
“A lot of people want to do things with like-minded people, but they don’t want to go to a huge nightclub—they want something that’s going to be their own,” says LaPorte. “So I’m very confident in the members-only model. We’re seeing one open up in downtown Las Vegas very soon, and I have a lot of confidence in that being successful.”
Waltman expands on this by calling out Fontainebleau’s private club, Poodle Room. “We have a really long list of people trying to get in, but all we’re doing is curating who’s up there,” he says. “People love the fact that it’s not full, and that they can recognize the person across the room. There are no cameras. There’s definitely a niche where people are willing to pay just to be in something that’s exclusive that they can hang their hat on.”
The no-camera policy is gaining popularity. “What’s interesting is that along with the rise of the members club, are also spaces that do not allow photo and video,” adds Snedegar. “Pinky Ring at Bellagio, for instance, has a no phone policy, which adds to the experience because everybody is connected to the energy of the room.”
Panelists Michael Waltman, Mike Snedegar, Philip Loomis, Christopher LaPorte, and Jennie Yip, and moderator Alissa Ponchione
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