Weedmaps’ Post

It was 2002, I was an undergraduate student at Kansas State University. I went to a terrible party, and thought to myself, I can through a better party then this, so I started a party company, by that I mean throwing college parties. My business partner and I, were broke college students, so we needed to find a way to get enough money to print up fliers and find a place to throw the party. We walked into a local business, and told them we were printing up 5,000 flyers for an event that we were having, and we were selling ad space on our flyer for $100 and the business would be promoted all over town. The business owner gave us $100, no questions asked. So it had begun. I designed the flyers, we got them printed up, grabbed a group of other college students to help us pass out the flyers. My business partner knew someone with DJ equipment and a connection with the Holiday Inn that could get us a meeting room to have the party in. The first party we had about 78 people ($5 per) who showed up. The DJ equipment and Holiday Inn rental cost us a total of about $300. So we had about $90 left, which was enough for us to print up our next batch of flyers for our next party. Next party, we had 150 people show up, our cost was $400, so we walked away with $350, enough for more flyers and the next party. From there we kept growing, very rapidly. Eventually we made our own deal with the Holiday Inn. We would get the ballrooms for free, Holiday Inn would keep the liquor sells, and we would keep the door fee. We were using all four of their ballrooms. They used to call us and check to see if we were going to throw a party on a weekend, before they allowed someone else to book an event. We grew to hosting parties of a 1,000 to 2,000 people everytime. After every party at about 3 or 4 am, my partner and I would sit and talk about what went right, what went wrong, what we could do better, how do we make changes so no one could compete with us. Eventually we moved to a warehouse to host our events, and we had our own offices, with employees, and a street team. We formed a DJ Company to host other people’s events, we had a Techno Festival, a Rock Festival, a Promotions and Marketing Company for other businesses and events, and we were on the verge of open a jazz club called the Trumpet Club, before I called it quits. The point of all this. 1. Sometimes you need to just do it, and develop consistent habits of improving your processes and systems as you go along. You don’t have to start with having everything figured out. 2. Constant and consistent improvement, beats doing nothing, trying to figure it out in your head. 3. If you don’t have the capital, find a way to provide value to someone else, in order to get the capital you need. 4. Stay hungry, or as we would say hongre. In the future, I will talk more about how we built this company from the ground up, and some of the little details that made it work so well. #hongremannpromotions

Quick update: I just passed the very tough community board in Manhattan to open a new venue/cafe/bar in the previous Rockwood Music Hall space at 192 Allen. The deal came up very quickly and I need financial partners to get the lease signed in the next week or so. Looking to do a combo of my other places: Cake Shop, Baker Falls, The Library Bar, alt.coffee. I got CB3 approval for bands, DJs and 3AM, 7 days per week. Can get this done for 250K. Anyone interested or know any people who are comfortable with this type of investment? Please no Sales calls at this time... i've been doing this for 30 years and do not need a dishwasher lease from you right now, I need funding to get this place open. Let me know and thank you for your time. Nicknextdoor@bakerfalls.com 917-687-0296 All Points Bulletin for Founders/Investors:  Have you ever dreamt of being an owner of a venue in New York City? After good news last night, we are looking for Founders Club investors to push the new live venue and community gathering space over the line to secure the space in downtown New York City at 192 Allen Street. Those who know me know that I have successfully launched and operated multiple money-making venues in New York City, from the Lower East Side’s beloved Cake Shop, to the still going strong Library Bar in the East Village, to the pioneering coffee shop alt.coffee. It’s now time for the next big venture. Riding the wave of saving the Pyramid Club space with Baker Falls at 101 Ave A last year, my partners and I are looking to create a second, more intimate version of what we built. A place where people of all generations can come out, see each other face-to-face, and gather around the hearth of music, experience, performance, and discovery. We are  creating a different kind of social club… an alternative to SoHo House… a safe space to rock out, experiment, and build something special over time through residencies and regular live events like a weekly curated retail Maker Fair. We will be all about artist collaborations, from T-shirts to to-go coffee cups.    We will have a full service cafe with plenty of space and outlets to get some work done, meet new friends, have a meeting, and hang out drinking coffee.  And let’s not forget amazing cocktails, beer & wine programs, and lots of Non-Alcoholic options during the night time. I love everyone who has ever walked in our doors over the last 30 years, let’s do this together. Nick and the Baker Falls Enterprises team And Remember: Downtown is a State of Mind (™)

🎶 Concerts are back, and post-COVID events are on the rise, bringing communities together again through shared experiences! But what if the magic could start before the lights even go up? In our latest blog, we dive into how event concessions can engage with attendees before the show starts, offering a more personalized experience and streamlining the night for everyone. From giving fans the chance to pre-select their favorite drinks and snacks to tailoring unique experiences based on feedback, there are so many ways to create a memorable, smooth event. Check it out to see how concessions can make each concert not just a night out, but an unforgettable experience that resonates before, during, and after! 🎤🍿 #EventPlanning #Concerts #CustomerEngagement #EventMarketing #MarketMatch #Events #concessions #Market #MarketMatch #livemusic #liveevents

Mixed Entertainment Food Halls - Yesterday, I shared news about the opening of BoxPark and Blackstock Market in Liverpool. Both sites are exciting and exemplify a growing trend within food halls: mixed entertainment offerings. While the initial wave of UK food halls focused primarily on food, the industry has undergone significant evolution. Nowadays, food halls are incorporating music, entertainment, competitive socialising, and various other activities to enhance their appeal and broaden their reach. In many instances, food halls can fill the void left in our towns and cities by the closure of local music venues and clubs. As Generation Z moves away from traditional clubbing, food and experience-driven food halls present an enticing alternative. From a regional perspective, this development has an intriguing aspect. Having worked on projects across the north and northwest over the past few years, I've observed that audiences in these regions are notably more interested and receptive to entertainment, especially music than in the south. When planning Feast at the Mills, a meanwhile project in Wigan for The Heaton Group, music played a pivotal role in our thinking. The town boasts a rich musical heritage, proven by the success of the "Casino Shed" stage, a homage to the famous Wigan Casino. This aspect will be further expanded upon in the permanent food hall opening next year and later on the reimagining of the historic roller rink that has graced the site for the last forty years. Looking ahead, I predict that in the coming years, the capital will see more mixed-entertainment food halls and venues similar to Freight Island and Blackstock. #foodhalls #mixeduse #entertainment #hospitality #music #regeneration #nextphase

Singles events are taking off. And companies are cashing in. From 2022 to 2023, attendance at dating and singles events grew by 42 percent, according to a recent Eventbrite report. This year, attendance has increased by 49 percent compared to last year.  I spoke to three companies that have seen success from hosting singles events, including a pickleball club, a rooftop movie company, and a brewery. Read more about what they learned from putting their own spin on singles events here at Inc. Magazine: #singles #dating #events #smallbusiness #marketing #promotion https://lnkd.in/eE4q22Fe

Keeping K-Pop Fans Hydrated and Healthy at Concerts 🎶 As someone passionate about both K-Pop and community well-being, it was quite worrisome to see so many reports of fans having had some type of reaction because of lack of hydration. That being said, I would love the opportunity to work on a project focused on keeping K-Pop fans hydrated and healthy during concerts and festivals. We all know how high-energy these events can be, with fans giving their all to support their favorite artists. But in the midst of all the excitement, it's easy to forget the importance of staying hydrated and looking after our health. That's where I would love to step in, to continue helping fans of all ages, to stay hydrated so they can enjoy watching their favorite idol on stage. Before I attended a recent summer K-pop concert, I had made sure to hydrate properly at least 48 hours before the day of the event. This concert was the ATEEZ concert in Arlington, Texas, where the heat was pushing towards almost 95 degrees that day. I personally saw several fans present dehydration signs, as the long lines and no coverage from the sun, was heavily effecting fans. Although I have taken to my platforms to give warning and tips for fans facing the hot temperatures, I believe working together with renowned brands that push the important message of proper hydration, can help with ensuring the safety of fans attending these events. From setting up hydration stations to providing quick wellness tips, the goal is simple: ensuring everyone has the best experience without compromising their well-being. Seeing fans enjoy themselves while also staying safe can be incredibly rewarding! Let's work together and make sure the K-pop community are able to enjoy these events to the fullest—hydrated, healthy, and happy! 💧✨ Liquid I.V. BODYARMOR Sports Nutrition PepsiCo The Coca-Cola Company #Kpop #ConcertSafety #Wellness #EventManagement #FanExperience

With festival season on the horizon, brands are gearing up for strategic marketing at events like Coachella. 🎡✨ As they prepare to invest significantly in setting up booths, offering free samples, exclusive giveaways, or sponsoring unique experiences or lounges, it's crucial to assess the effectiveness of these efforts. How can brands measure the impact of their festival promotions on sales afterward? Do they truly understand their festival audience to reconnect with them for future promotions? This is where platforms like VTAGZ step in, enhancing festival marketing strategies. By incorporating QR codes on products or at booths, brands can offer exclusive deals to interested attendees. This enables brands to track engagement, gather customer data, and analyze sales conversions. This level of insight provides clarity on the effectiveness of marketing efforts at festivals. It helps brands determine the worthiness of these endeavors and offers insights for optimizing offers, messaging, and more for future events. #FestivalSeason #Coachella #Stagecoach

Welcome to the Our Street NGT MKT. This event started as a celebration of our late mentor Ali Youssefi. He built the Warehouse Artist Lofts (WAL) which provided us a home and hope for a better future. His vision for WAL was that if he could make a place where creatives could spend less time making ends meet, they would spend more time making our city a more beautiful place. When he passed away in 2018 we decided we needed to prove him right. This was the beginning of an ambitious plan. We conceptualized a free night market that would take place in front of WAL. We called it the Our Street NGT MKT. This market intended to serve our creative community as well as shine the light on the other side of Sacramento's food scene. While our Farm-to-Fork movement is a needed celebration of our regions bounty, there is another story to be told. One that includes the mom-and-pop restaurants, hidden gems, the food trucks and food carts etc. The event kicked off with one city block on Rst. We expected maybe a few hundred people to show up. We saw 11k that first night. We knew then that we needed to expand our footprint and the concept itself. Fast forward to 2023 and 5 editions of the market later and we saw 18,000 people attend the event. We hosted around 100 vendors who were ALL LOCAL. The event put over $250,000 back into the local economy in one night. All different types of cultural food was enjoyed by the masses, we celebrated Central American Independence with our friends at Casa De Español, live art was created by 9 different local artists, dance battles and showcases took place by the Night Walkers, people bought and traded records at our Record Swap hosted by local record store: Twelves Wax, attendees danced into the night at "Sacramento's largest Silent Disco" hosted by local DJs, kids and adults played arcade games side by side, and much much more. However, the thing we are most proud of is the level of diversity at the NGT MKT. People of all ages, all social classes, all races, all genders, etc. all come together to create something truly beautiful. We believe this is one of, if not the most diverse event in the city. Unfortunately for us and the many people who benefit from this event we have had to put a pause to the NGT MKT this year. In 2023, we had an internal misstep in overlooking a single vendors behavior that caused us to face the music with the City. This has been truly devastating for us. But with that said, we are responsible and need to be accountable for everything that happens at our events. It is our promise to you and ourselves that we will rectify our mistakes and do what ever it takes to bring back this event in 2025. We hope to see you there.

I'm all for surge pricing as it benefits people like me who plan months in advance: "Surge pricing for theme parks, concerts: How real-time demand may affect fun time – and your wallet". It's upfront and honest and rewards people who plan and who go off peak and penalises those who are more entitled and think that they can just show up and get in at normal rates. It's the difference between people who book restaurants and those who just turn up with an entitled view that they should be allowed in even if they are full! "A spokesperson for KidZania Singapore said the dynamic pricing model allows the theme park to “manage demand more effectively”. “By adjusting prices based on demand, we can balance visitor flow, avoid overcrowding and optimise the experience for everyone,” the spokesperson added. “It also provides flexibility for visitors to choose less crowded times at potentially lower prices. Visitors have the option to choose times that fit their budget, making it fair for everyone. “The pricing will be clearly indicated during the purchase process to ensure transparency.” Dynamic pricing can help improve customer experience if done well, but high prices during peak periods might turn some away, experts told ST. With dynamic pricing, more people will be able to afford the product, said Professor Ioana Popescu of graduate business school Insead. “If a company were to charge a single price, that price might be so high that it would exclude certain people,” she said. With off-peak prices, those who would not typically pay for the product or service at its regular price can then get it for cheaper, she added. Lowering the prices along with demand will also increase the revenue of a business while satisfying customers, said Associate Professor Hu Zhenyu of NUS Business School. “On days when demand is low, the facilities in the (KidZania) theme park are underutilised. At the same time, there may be customers who would like to go to the theme park but think the regular price is too expensive. In such cases, lowering the price can both improve the utilisation of the facilities and make the customers happier,” he added." I'm all for it, what do you think? If you’re an entrepreneur and would like help finding new clients our Ultimate LinkedIn marketing and personal branding services can do this for you, our premium and highly recommended service details are here on this LinkedIn SmartLink: https://lnkd.in/dqWRi6EZ https://lnkd.in/gv95JPkB