They therefore get to know the customers better and gain superior skills in satisfying their needs. This is mainly useful for the already consolidated customer base. Given that the club promoter is familiar with the preferences of a loyal client, he will be able to offer him his favorite beverage on the house. This will further increase the client's satisfaction and make him even more loyal to the club. A vital aspect of customer communications is that of knowing every customer by name. However this is rather impossible, it can be achieved in the case of loyal clients. "Sounds kind of stupid but remember this, people really feel special when you know their name...especially when you just met them or when you've only met them once. Everyone likes to feel important and knowing people's name makes them feel important. it's not always easy to remember everyone's name when you meet them (especially if you've been doing a lot of partying that night) but try your best to work at this...it'll only benefit you" (Squidoo, 2008).

Aside interactions with the already formed customer base, the club promoter also engages in communications with the potential customer. In this instance, they create fliers and hand them out on the street. Promoters often design these fliers by themselves and they contain references and advertisements to the club, but also at least one specification of an issue which will attract the individuals to go to the club. It could refer to a promotional offer, the guarantee of a good time or a concert to be organized.

Besides fliers and street banners, club promoters also design advertisements which will be aired on numerous media channels, including television, radio or the internet. Online marketing has become an extremely popular technique of addressing the clients and this can be achieve through emails or advertisements hosted on tertiary websites, as well as the development of a club website. Promoters will also encourage club managers and owners to engage in conversations with the customers. This will make the clients feel welcome. Foremost, the ability to talk to the owner will better allow the customers to identify and associate with the successful figure of the club, further increasing their satisfaction, the chances of their return and the future sustainability of the club's profits.

Ultimately then, club promoters implement all promotional and customer communication strategies presented by the economics and marketing textbooks. All these endeavors could be considered as promotional strategies, but have been included in this section as they play a vital role in communicating with the customer, getting him familiarized with the club and raising his interest.

Events

Another means of attracting customers is through the organization of special events. To successfully achieve this, the promoter has to once again use his relationship with the clients. In this instance, he would engage in conversations with the clients and find out the bands or singers they prefer. He can also retrieve the necessary information by conducting a poll. The process has to be discreet as not to disturb the guests. An efficient way of achieving it is by offering customers piece of paper with the bill, asking them if they would like to state their musical preferences.

The promoter will then be able to contract the band or singer which is most requested and organize a concert within the club. This strategy is useful in two meanings:

It further increases the satisfaction of the loyal customer base, who feel cherished as the club has organized a concert with their desired band

The concert will attract new clients.

However it is less common, some promoters organize other events outside concerts. They could refer to acts of stand-up comedy or special celebrations. These would however have to occur in comfortable rooms, separated from the rest of the club, also known as snugs. This strategy has a dual benefit. First of all, it attracts customers by allowing them to celebrate birthdays or other occasions within the club, where they can have drinks and dance in an intimate setting. Then, the snug is also useful as the special occasion does not interfere with the average night of clubbing and does not disturb the rest of the customers.

Entertainment

However the acts of stand-up comedy could be considered as entertainment, they are better catalogued as special events. In the category of entertainment then, club promoters generally include the contracting of hostesses. They are beautiful young women...

Without being misogynistic, it is a fact that beautiful women attract the attention of men, and they are also pleasant for the eyes of the female customers.
The hostesses hired by the club promoter dance on the dance floor to create a pleasant atmosphere and invite clients to join them. They must however be properly trained in order to not be intrusive or to insistent and bother the clientele. They would smile at all times, be polite and engage in short and trivial conversations.

Connections successful club promoter has to possess numerous and various acquaintances within the industry. However this is not directly linked to his ability to attract and retain customers, it is useful in creating a better relation with both customers and club management.

Take for instance the situation in which a party may seem slow within a club and the promoters feel that some hostesses would be able to create a better atmosphere and motivate the clients to have a good time. It would be rather inefficient and unprofessional for him to start browsing through the Yellow Pages at that time. But if he has connections and knowledge of professional and skilled hostesses, he can contact them and ensure the success of the party. This would mean that the customers are satisfied and will return to the club.

Another example of how the promoters' connections are relevant for the success of his operations could be given by a situation in which the club runs out of a highly popular wine. It could be that the wine was just the introduced in low quantities for testing purposes, but it generated a high demand, and the club is at that time in an impossibility to satisfy the demand. The fact that customers will not be served the beverage they requested could result in their dissatisfaction. In this instance then, a promoter with connections can make a call to a familiar provider and ask him to quickly deliver the desired wine.

Then, the club promoter must have access to a music store which offers quick releases of the latest songs on the market (Kent, 2002). Clubbers are seldom fans of old music and they generally like to listen to the new tunes. Ensuring this music is a plus in creating a pleasant atmosphere and generating customer satisfaction. Also, the promoter must have access to stores which sell the latest gears. Given the technological developments of the recent years, the requirements of the customers have significantly increased (Website of the Official Trade Organization of the Nightlife and Club Industry, 2008). They desire an increased sound quality, lighting effects and even larger displays. Their satisfaction can be increased by presenting them with these technological innovations, which can be realized through a capable club promoter with extensive connections.

The list of such examples is endless and so are the benefits for both promoter and club owner. And however these may be considered as secondary benefits, they have the capability of creating primary advantages which attract and satisfy the customer, generating as such increased profits - the initial purpose of promoter and club management.

The reliability of the connections strategy, as well as the rest of the approaches implemented by the club promoter, is based however on the personal features of the promoter. He has to be serious, trustworthy, fair and with high morals. The partners and acquaintances would not run to help him in a time of need if he is unreliable. Nor will his knowledge serve him any good if he does not possess high morals and people skills. Ultimately then, the success of a promoter also depends on his individuality and personal traits.

4. Negotiating with the Club Management / Owner

There are two distinctive issues which have to be discussed by the manager of the club and the promoter. They refer to the remuneration of the promoter and to the expenses to which the manager will agree in order for the promoter to be able to implement his strategies.

The payment arrangement is generally simple - the promoter receives a percentage of what the club had earned through an event. The negotiation part refers to the actual percentage. This is often fixed, but it can be changed. The outcome depends on the negotiation skills of each party. The system does however present some advantages. The percentage payment then means that the promoter will be directly interested in having the event succeed and bringing money to the club. Then, since the club management does not have to pay the promoter upfront but as…