What makes for a good night out? What's happening on the club scene today? What's new and in what direction are the main marketers moving?
An example of a bar succeeding very well in the nightclub space is West in Blanchardstown which has a capacity of over 1,600 people, has a dance floor and serves alcohol until 1:30am.
Pub and nightclub designer Conor Kenny describes premises like West as ‘chameleon’ or ‘hybrid’ bars, changing their ambience from pub to nightclub as the night wears on. He says Scottish and Newcastle is developing a range of outlets on the outskirts of major towns in the UK under the brand name City Limits where there is a café bar, a restaurant, a regular bar and a nightclub under one roof. Cutting-edge nightclubs now offer many different zones that customers can wander through during the course of the night.
"Tiger, Tiger in London now has five or six spaces where you can fill up, chill out or go mad on the dance floor as your mood or your night change. The chill out area has premium spirits which sell well because it’s where the lads take the girls when they want to chat them up and lads are less price-conscious when they are trying to win a girl’s heart," observes Conor.
This article was published in Drinks Industry Ireland, October 2002.
