URGENT MESSAGE for anyone who CARES about the SCENE!!!

[vixenfoxxy]

Originally posted by crobra

There is nothing wrong with trying to change the scene, I don't understand why people are attacking someone who is trying to do something positive!!! If you don't think Exit will change, then keep it to yourself!! The girl is trying to do something positive, I think we should all try to get behind this & show support. Think of it as voting - we all have a vote and we should definitely make our voices heard!!! If exit keeps draper out for good and gets some world class talent in, then we can all benefit from it. I don't see how sitting on our asses and waiting for change is going to do anything. Twilo has been gone for almost a year now and all the rumors are have turned out to be just rumors!!! We can make a difference and it starts with thinking positive!!

Thanks, Crobra!!! This is EXACTLY the kind of response that I was hoping to hear. Thanks for the support - please please everyone, work with me here

[Alexandra]

Originally posted by vixenfoxxy

Alexandra - Thanks for the reply. Here's a question for you. If the party were to move to another locale (it would have to be something at least decently sizeable, like Limelight size or so...maybe a little smaller) even if it wasn't quite a new space or maybe even not that nice of a space... would you go? Do you think the rest of club land would go? Just pondering over here...

Well, here's the thing: if Sasha & Digweed or Paul Van Dyk played at Exit, I WOULD go to see them there. BUT, I wouldn’t be happy about it, and I’d only go because I’m a diehard fan and I can’t stand to miss them. And I’d probably be the exception because I’m pretty sure most of their fans would still stay away simply because its Exit – just read the board to see how many people are opting not to go see S&D at the World next weekend!

So, on to your question -- would I (and other clubbers) be more likely to see them at a smaller or lesser-known venue that didn't have the same stigma attached to it as Exit? Yes, almost definitely. Although Limelight is too small and not set up to accommodate the kind of crowd international DJs attract, I think their fans would still be more accepting of seeing them there because of Limelight's reputation of a legendary club. Likewise, more people might be open to going to a smaller or less-established venue because there is no "regular" crowd there to contend with.

BUT, that is all a moot point because I can't think of any existing clubs that are even halfway big enough to accommodate huge DJs and their followings, so that again brings us back to the matter of Exit.

Its really ironic, because Exit is probably the biggest and best laid out of all the existing NYC clubs and in that sense is definitely the best place for DJs with huge followings to play. Unfortunately, Exit is also probably the most reviled club in recent history. I really can't think of any NYC club or even particular party that had as bad a reputation as Exit does right now.

So how do we remedy Exit's bad reputation? I don't have any guaranteed solutions, but here are some things to consider:

FIRST and most importantly, Exit needs to decide once and for all what kind of crowd it wants to attract. Is it the current B&T crowd that likes Exit, SF and Roxy? The ex-Twilo crowd that is now split between Vinyl and Centro-Fly but is still largely displaced? A more "upscale" crowd like at Spa or Saci? No club can succeed by trying to be all things to all people, so Exit needs to pick a crowd once and for all, court it and cater to it.

Once the crowd is determined -- and lets say in this case that Exit decides they want to woo the old Twilo crowd – book the appropriate DJs. Figuring out who those DJs are should be pretty easy because each “type” of crowd has a very distinctive taste in music. The next step is to book those DJs BOTH nights, and more importantly, GIVE THEM RESIDENCIES!!! Exit has booked some awesome DJs that even Twilo never had (Ferry Corsten!), but it is confusing if one night is KTU-style house spun by a 2nd rate DJ and the next night is progressive house spun by an international superstar DJ. That is going to confuse the crowd and compromise Exit's reputation, so do what Twilo did and have, for instance, a huge DJ with a monthly residency every Friday night (S&D, PVD, Deep Dish, etc), and on Saturdays have an equally good DJ with a lightly smaller fan base (Ferry Corsten, Steve Lawler, Seb Fontaine, Nick Warren, etc) open up for Junior.

Yes, that would be exactly like Twilo, but whatever DJs Exit chooses to book or whichever crowd it chooses to cater to, my point is that in order to be successful, it has to have THE SAME TYPE OF MUSIC BOTH NIGHTS and have RESIDENT DJS at least once a month for the sake of continuity and to firmly establish Exit’s reputation as a certain "type" of club that caters to a very specific crowd.

Okay, so now we've got the DJs all lined up. What now? KNOW YOUR CROWD! What do they like to wear? What kind of $$ do they typically spend? What else is important to them? For example, if its the old Twilo crowd, relax the dress code -- they aren't there to "see and be seen," they're there to dance. Likewise, if Exit wanted to attract a classier crowd, they should have a much stricter dress code and hire bouncers who would truly enforce it. But since we're using the old Twilo crowd for example, lets keep going with that. Relax the dress code, and think about other factors like having as big a dance floor as possible (get rid of any extraneous platforms with dancers and that huge stage that takes up half the dance floor), getting rid of all the “VIP rooms,” having some “chill out” areas with working water fountains and keeping the bars stocked with water and Gatorade. All of those things may seem incidental but they make a huge difference depending on the type of crowd you are catering to!

Finally, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, depending on what crowd Exit wants to attract, GET RID OF ALL THE CURRENT PROMOTERS! Figure out if you really need promoters at all and if so, get the same promoters who promote for other places the “new” Exit crowd wants to attract. Even if everything about Exit changes, the crowd will NEVER change if you keep the same promoters! After all, as with any big club, the promoters attract the crowd as much as the DJs do, and if you wanted to attract a Twilo-esque crowd, having the people who promote SF or Spa are not the best people to do that.

Along those lines, get door people who have worked at Twilo, Centro-Fly or whatever type of club has the same type of crowd Exit wants to attract. They are the ones who ultimately determine the crowd, so make sure they understand what “type” of crowd they are going for.

Also related: pay attention to branding, like fliers, posters and the Exit web site. Redo it according to what the type of crowd the “new” Exit wants to attract. For example, if you’re trying to cater to the old Twilo crowd, look at their old fliers – no pictures of half naked dancers or gimmicky shit was necessary, because ultimately, top-level DJs sell themselves.

So there you have it – my suggestions on how to overhaul Exit. And keep in mind that I am not suggesting you make Exit into “the new Twilo” – I was simply using that crowd as an example, and those are the same steps that should be followed no matter what kind of crowd Exit ultimately chooses to attract.

One final note: whatever crowd Exit finally decides to cater to – RESPECT THEM. Make sure everyone from door people to security guards to bartenders treats them with respect and courtesy – these are your patrons and they are the ones who will make and break Exit. Treat them well and not only will they come back again, they’ll tell their friends. Treat them badly and risk losing their loyalty and your hard-earned reputation.

So, that’s my suggestion. Call me crazy but I think if you build it…they will come!

Good luck with the vote on Tuesday & I hope they hear you out.

xoxo

Alexandra

(btw, this post is getting really long so I'm going to post this as a new thread, too)