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Break the Barrier
Are you Prepared for Spring Break Success?
Every year an event occurs
that shakes the foundation of the nightlife industry. Books are
dropped, bags are packed and for a few weeks in spring, students flee
the classrooms and flood cities, beaches and ski resorts to take part
in the Spring Break festivities that occur around the country.
Party-starved patrons with pockets full of money shake off the shackles
of everyday responsibility to partake in the revelry.
And this spirit-soaked fiesta gives operators the perfect chance to bask in the glory of big profits — but only if the party is planned just right.
Successful Balancing Act
With spirit supplies, possible promotions and unpredictable crowds to consider, the spring break season can be a tricky time of year for operators. Large establishments often choose to hire marketing companies, which handle the advertising and promotions during the break, but the overall cost can overshadow the benefits in some cases.
Keeping capital in mind, some smaller establishments choose to face the voracious crowds alone, relying on word of mouth, cheap beer and a wet T-shirt contest or two. Either method might work, but at the end of the day it’s all about smart marketing, stellar management and overall customer satisfaction.
One establishment that has perfected the spring break process is Kokomo Havasu located on the Colorado River along the Arizona border. Every year, Kokomo emerges as the club in this spring break hot spot that attracts hoards of credit-card-bearing college kids from around the Southwest.
With 16 successful seasons under his belt, General Manager Dallas Finch has mastered the art of marketing by partnering with the Clear Channel radio stations that broadcast to Kokomo’s major markets, including Phoenix, Las Vegas and southern California.
Of course, making pals with a major radio station isn’t as easy as inviting someone to be a friend on MySpace. To seal the deal, Finch offers the radio stations free reign of his club throughout the spring break season.
“For example, I’ll go to Kiss FM in Phoenix and tell them, ‘It’s your club during spring break. Promote it however you want it, and when your people come out for spring break, you take over the club,’” Finch says. “The radio stations will come out and do live broadcast, bring in artists and send down party buses. They are marketing to their people; therefore, they can go out and sell sponsors for me.”
It’s a win-win situation for both parties involved. The radio stations are in the mix with one of the biggest spring break parties in the Southwest, and Kokomo receives an extensive amount of free advertising in all of the major markets. In return for the use of the club, Kokomo’s management request that the radio stations provide a “value sheet” that totals the amount it would have cost the club in advertisement expenses. By the end of March, the overall cost usually exceeds $500,000 for each station, Finch says.
“Basically, I have $1.5 million in radio advertising in the three major markets, which attracts a lot of sponsorship opportunities,” he says. “Now, Coca-Cola, Budweiser and the other big corporations can spend a large amount of money at one time and hit all of the important markets.”
Promo Gold
With every establishment block competing for customers, it is vital to have more than a few promotional parties that grab the attention of possible spring break patrons. While dollar-off domestic beer and half-price appetizers might fly during any other month, March is time to kick it up a notch.
Staying current is key, so throwing a party that highlights the hottest celebrity news is always a chic and cheap way to keep star-obsessed customers coming back for more.
“You have to adapt with the times, so if something big happens in the news, we’re all over it,” Finch says. But there are some tried-and-true promotions that bring in cash-carrying customers no matter what. “We always have our famous pick-up line contest and Chihuahua drag-racing. Real Chihuahuas — we drag race ‘em. But the big thing we’ve been doing for 11 years is Hot Wheels drag-racing,” Finch says. This simple concept costs practically nothing to run, and it keeps customers at Kokomo all night long.
“It’s absolutely a traffic-building promotion, because they stay the club until all the races are over,” he says.
And don’t underestimate the power of daytime promotions. Kokomo offers spring breakers free day trips on its 48-foot floating dance floor.
“We pass out all kinds of sponsored promotional items — beach balls, hats, beads — and then the DJ party comes all day, driving that product.”
The only thing not taking a break is the flow of revenue. NCB
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