Life and Times of a Bar Promoter

I can’t recall if Dan mentioned this in a previous blog, but this winter we (as in ‘we, the hotel management’) took over management of Elixir restaurant and Opus Bar. To date, it’s been a lot of work. My previous restaurant experience was comprised simply of eating in them. Occasionally critiquing them. But certainly never promoting them. That all changed a couple of months ago.

Some of my new responsibilities have closely mirrored that which I already do on the hotel side, but no one ever told me about the serious business of bar promotion. You see, while one part of the job is the very civilized marketing of the fabulous French-inspired cuisine of our Chef Don Letendre the other is frankly all consuming: creating more buzz for Opus Bar. Since opening five years ago, it’s been Vancouver’s hot spot. But, it’s a competitive market, and Vancouverites can be a fickle bunch. In the last year alone Vancouver has witnessed the emergence of a half dozen hot new lounges. But Opus Bar has a cache no other venue in town can offer: it’s resides within Opus Hotel. There’s something aspirational about sipping a martini in the bar –if you can’t stay at Opus, you can certainly always drink at Opus. Anyhow. In my quest to keep the lounge buzzing every weekend, I’ve had to break out of my ‘early to bed’ habits and start living la vida loca as a bar promoter.

My first foray into club-land involved the aptly named Tall Paul. Heard of him? If you’ve danced ‘til dawn in London or Ibiza, the answer is an emphatic yes. If, like me, the last time you shook your groove thang was to Madonna’s ‘Vogue’, the chances are less likely. He is one of the world’s hottest DJs, and he comes by his name honestly: he’s over 6 foot 7. In town to play a crowd of over 3000 in Whistler, we snagged him for a hush hush VIP invite-only event at Opus. With under a week to promote the event, we sent out hundreds of e-vites and text messages (who actually prints invitations nowadays?) not knowing whether we’d have 20 or 2000 responses. I confess I was anxious at featuring a DJ who’s used to playing outdoor venues for up to 20 000 semi-lucid ravers in our 1000 square foot lounge. Wearing my ‘hotel hat’ I worried about how our hotel guests might react. Throughout the night I kept approaching the DJ stand like a school dance monitor asking (OK, shouting) ‘could you please keep the bass to a dull roar’? At 9pm doors opened and a crowd of two stampeded in. Hm. Where were the hordes of beautiful people? I started to panic. Would this be my first and last event? Should have know better…Fashionably late, crowds started to pour in by 10. Murphy’s Law, the liquor inspectors also chose to drop in that night. Us, over capacity? Never. The night was a big success: three DJ’s including the headline act, line ups down the street, a steady flow of Grey Goose and Moet, and throngs of fabulous people with smiles on their faces. One event down…many more to go. In the three weeks since, we’ve held a launch for Rickards Original White Beer and a Grey Goose themed “Joie de Vivre” party (featuring DJ Mlle. Fleur de Lys and the Burlesque Beauties), next week we're throwing a Champagne party to launch our Thursday “Bubble Lounge” concept. Next month we’ll welcome another celebrity DJ, and host another party. My beauty sleep is diminishing, but hey, liquor sales are up!

The coup de grace this summer will be our Fifth Annual Summer Street Party. Over 500 invitees join us on the street outside of Opus for the city’s largest private street party. This year’s theme is Out of Africa, complete with throbbing drum circles, electric African bands, and fire eaters. If you want to be there, you’ll have to snag a spot on our invite list.

To say this role requires versatility is a mild understatement. It demands the capacity to engage in strategic planning with high level execs to chasing down errant 20-something nose-ringed DJs. I was joking in a café with someone the other day about my new job as Bar Promoter Extraordinaire. A snappily dressed guy in front of me turned around and asked if I was the new promoter he’d heard about in Yaletown. He was the head of a chain of hot bars and wanted to talk to me if I was. While I couldn’t have looked less the part in my conservative suit and heels, I’m clearly learning to talk the lingo. I guess if things don’t work out for me in the luxury hotel industry, I can always pursue my newfound promoting career.