How to save Exit

[Alexandra]

First of all, this post was inspired by vixenfoxxy's quest to change Exit for the better, so props to her.

I've been thinking about it, and it seems silly that we are all hoping and praying for, and gossiping and fighting about a new club for NYC when there already exists one that has LOTS of potential, NO "regular" crowd and LOTS of problems: Exit.

I know -- and agree with -- the bad reputation Exit has on this board. But I also think it can be redeemed be following a few simple steps. So, here is my proposed plan to "save" Exit:

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 that's just for the sake of illustration -- 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!

What does anyone think? Any other suggestions? What kind of crowd do you think they should go for? Or do you think everyone will think of it as "cheesy old Exit" no matter what they try to do with it? Just curious....

xoxo

Alexandra

[kaydup]

Wow thats long, I will just pretend I read it:D

[liqidxtc]

are u a promoter?

[chris817]

Originally posted by kaydup

Wow thats long, I will just pretend I read it:D

well you should of read it. That makes the most sense out of anything else i have read here.

[PinkFloyd40]

Originally posted by Alexandra

First of all, this post was inspired by vixenfoxxy's quest to change Exit for the better, so props to her.

I've been thinking about it, and it seems silly that we are all hoping and praying for, and gossiping and fighting about a new club for NYC when there already exists one that has LOTS of potential, NO "regular" crowd and LOTS of problems: Exit.

I know -- and agree with -- the bad reputation Exit has on this board. But I also think it can be redeemed be following a few simple steps. So, here is my proposed plan to "save" Exit:

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 that's just for the sake of illustration -- 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!

What does anyone think? Any other suggestions? What kind of crowd do you think they should go for? Or do you think everyone will think of it as "cheesy old Exit" no matter what they try to do with it? Just curious....

xoxo

Alexandra

us nyu cats are so smart

[Alexandra]

Originally posted by liqidxtc

are u a promoter?

Not at all... just a club goer. I used to be, back in the day, but now going out is all pleasure -- not business.

Originally posted by PFloyd40

us nyu cats are so smart

NYU, Represent!

xoxo

Alexandra

[Alexandra]

Come on... no one has any opinions about Exit?! I find that hard to believe!

xoxo

Alexandra

[scoob-e]

they must have read your post then cuz last night was a 180 degree turnaround at exit.

[crxtacy]

i'll be honest.. i didn't read the whole thing, but i got the gist of it..

here's my opinion... but first my background... got into clubbing big time about a year and a half ago.. and was a big time exit head... then exit fell apart.. and was the shit hole it' sbeen for a while... i've been looking for a new place to call "home" (never got a chance to call twilo home)... but the closest thing so far was Roxy... bleh... i finally made my way back to exit last night... FERRY FUCKIN CORSTON!!!! i can say that though the security were still major pains and assholes... i still love the place as a venue... and if they can repeatedly bring in talent on at least a biweekly basis .. they've won me back... the only time i've listened to better music than ferry was the week before at pvd... whcich brings me to my next point... Exit can pioneer a musical genre that the city is lacking.. TRANCE. NYC is a scene that likes their music hard... a very housy city.. at least from my experience... I'd like to see the likes of pvd, ferry, acosta etc on a regular basis if for the simple fact that nyc does not have any other club like that. I may be wrong (please correct me if i am) but i really love trance, not the commercial cheese but good quality ish.. okay this is gettin glong and i wanna get messed up already so.. yeah.. if anybody out there really wants to see exit succeed like i do GO TO EXIT THIS TUESDAY AT 8 FOR AN OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE DIRECTION EXIT SHOULD TAKE please please go i hear they're thinking o fbringing back draper as resident on fridays:blown:

[Bebby]

you thought way too much about this.. sounds good tho...write a letter and give it to greedy marvisi.. no one here can do anythign abotu changing exit.. we dont run or own it...

[siceone]

I think Im in love

[crobra]

I agree with you alex, but I think Exit must also act swiftly on deciding on the crowd they want. The longer all the rumors fly around, there worse it is for their rep.

[Alexandra]

Glad to hear so many people had a better than expected time at Exit for Ferry Corsten last Friday... hey, maybe someone there read my post!

No, seriously, if it went so well, I hope they follow my advice and keep it that way and keep the good DJs coming!

xoxo

Alexandra

[xgirlie037]

i agree;) good thinking!!!!

[dirtycash18]

Book only top DJs only! Exit is a big enuff venue to accomodate the crowd. Bring PVD, oaky, Tiesto, system f, acosta, to exit!!!!! dont allow places like the world to get acosta, sasha, digweed cuz it aint just worth it! The sound system sux and it closes too damn early!!!!!!!!

[reachnyc]

Alexandra,

Thanks for your comments (this is Aly aka Vixen). Just a few things:

1 - Dress code thing was supposed to be abolished as of last week. Whether or not it was, I am not positive and I don't want to tell everyone something and have it be a misunderstanding. So I will leave at this for the moment - The dress code issue is on its way out so long as we have say over the party.

2 - Getting rid of *all* the present promoters won't be good - There are a handful that are the ones who brought you this whole party to begin with, and throwing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater isn't going to be productive. Rather, note that there are several partners in the party and their respective promoters who disagree with our present steps towards revitalizing that venue, and it *those* people whose departure would most highly benefit the party and scene as a whole.

3 - We would like to keep our party as consistent as possible, but unfortunately, those decisions are being dangled over heads like metaphorical catnip at the moment. For now, we have to be patient and work with this as best we can. We definitely have the next 9 weeks in the current format and will announce the future plans soon. We hope it will all work out for the better.

4 - The security issue is being worked on, and I'll toss in a personal opinion here - I would love to hire new staff with a friendly attitude. In the meantime, we are working on the personability of the staff and trying to create amicable relations between security and patrons. The way I see it, the party would not exist if wasn't for all of you, and I want to see the customers receiving the treatment they deserve.

5 - In an effort to accomodate the suggestions of people from what I like to call the "clubbing elite", we have instated a policy against the removal of shirts and, should the situation arise, other necessary garments I don't think you'll see the stage go though - it's part of the structure itself, it's huge... but it's not like it's restricted, and it can be used for dance space by anyone who pleases.

6 - Last one, I promise - We are working hard to book the best DJ's and do so consistently. One way or another, we're quite determined to see it happen. Stay tuned...

Thanks again for your suggestions, and please keep them coming Also, thanks for your support about this party - myself, the partners and my associates really appreciate all that.

REMINDER: the meeting tonight has been returned to a promoter meeting only - the vote was cancelled - see the STICKY THREAD for details!!!