Throughout each week, droves of Dallasites enjoy the plethora of clubs, lounges, bars and restaurants that our city has to offer.
It seems simple enough, no? Call up your friends, choose a spot, get dressed up and commence an evening of drunken memories accompanied by elaborate lighting systems and good music.
But most partygoers aren't aware that there is a well-oiled machine behind the nightlife that brings you so much joy. There is, in fact -- and the task of consistently enticing droves of people to come out and spend money is an art form.
So we set out to prove as much, meeting up with the people behind this scene.
Last Saturday at Thrive, we spent sometime with Ata Edriss, Panama
Contreras and Binh Vo, who collectively make up the executive team of AP
Rhino. They set aside some time for a photo op after they were finished
meeting with their staff for what turned out to be another packed
house. AP Rhino is currently gearing of for their 9th Anniversary party
next month. They, of course, say it will be epic.
Ron King, Rob Howard, and Deville Burns head up Trinary Media
Group/Partychaser. A staple in the industry for eight years now, they not only
organize their own events but they offer event planning, marketing
strategies and web design for other companies as well. During our visit
to their office, they spoke on topics ranging from new technical advancements to
their website to advance planning for the upcoming holiday party
season.
In our trip to the offices of IEG Nation and Latino Lifestyle, their
respective leaders Tony Dao (IEG), and George Lopez (Latino Lifestyle) offered us access to their boardroom meeting, where they discussed plans
for a recent venture, the downtown Privado Nightclub. Meanwhile, the
promotion staff was working hard in the main office on booking tables
for upcoming events.
We also hung out with members from 12 Inch Pimps at Mantus during
soundcheck before their weekly industry event, "Naked Sundays" at Mantus.
The 12 Inch Pimps, crew comprised of DJs & photographers, is unique
because the group also markets and promotes their own events. And they're
without a doubt pioneers of the Dallas EDM scene.
If you frequent
downtown, you know about Club Plush -- it's pretty much a landmark of
Dallas nightlife. GM Ross Edinboro and marketing director Matt
Jones allowed us access to their staff meeting as they prepared for
several events on the schedule next week.
We definitely wanted to access
the behind activities of some of the new blood in the industry, too.
And there's plenty of that to be found. One such newcomer, Christopher Blue founder of Segue Events, has carved out a significant
share of the market for his company over the last year and is working on
ways to solidify that position. He had a meeting with graphic
designer/photographer Rashard Dabney at the RDD Media Network office
downtown to go over new flyer designs and event concepts.
The crew from the fledgling limo/concierge servcice company Flash Drive also allowed us to hang out at their Uptown headquarters while they discussed potential clients they could obtain to grown their business. Currently servicing Uptown, Downtown, and University Park, Flash Drive plans to expand their operations to Fort Worth in the near future.