Recession hit Lagos night clubs as big spenders evade recreation

The manager of Rumours Nightclub, Tobi Ashiru, has complained about the slow pace of business and the near absence of big spenders at the leisure facility.

Ashiru told newsmen on Tuesday in Lagos that the lull had made most club owners to explore more creative approaches to boost their businesses.

“One of the biggest challenges for nightclub owners is not just attracting crowd, but getting the biggest spenders through the door.

“The difficulty comes though, not only from getting customers in the door, but maintaining profitable margins at the same time.

 “There is an old saying in the club business, which I’m sure, applies to most businesses, turnover is vanity, margins are sanity,’’ he said.

The manager told newsmen that payment of salaries and other expenses are being affected by the slow pace of business. “We have to worry about the health of the businesses, and managing all of our employees, while also trying to find new ways to attract the best crowds and the biggest spenders.

“With so much going on, it can be very easy for things to fall out of place or to get overlooked. “Re-invention and thinking outside the box in order to drive up falling sales is certainly the best and possibly the only way to survive in the hospitality business at the moment,’’ he said.

He told pressmen that the prevailing situation had made it mandatory for nightclub owners to continuously adopt bold and creative measures to build profit margins. “I believe that having repeat guests or regulars; can help build one’s profit margin because there is no incremental advertising or marketing expense to bring them in.

“Additionally, providing valuable word-of-mouth advertising, asking customers to sign up for online newsletter to notify clients about special upcoming events at the club. “Sending them discount coupons with each edition of the newsletter and tracking how many of these are redeemed can help profit margin.

“You can have one of the hottest venues in your city by consistently providing an exceptional guest experience,’’ Ashiru said.

SOURCE:Vanguardngr