5 things I learned… Throwing parties in Ibiza

In another life I was a DJ and promoter who ran club nights in the UK and Ibiza. Despite spending 15 years at the BBC it’s the learnings I gained from clubland have served me best. Here are 5 things I learned…

1. Give people the tools to talk about your product

On the opening night of my club we spent all Saturday afternoon putting up decor. Then at about 5pm, just as the shops were shutting, we ran around the local florists and bought up any unsold flowers for a few pound. That night, as we played the last record, our entertainers climbed on stage and threw the flowers out in to the crowd — an idea I stole from the numerous early Smiths gigs I attended. That night everyone went home with bunches of flowers. Some would put them in a vase by their bed. Here’s the thing. When someone has a bunch of flowers on display you’re always going to ask “Who are they from?” So that week people across the city would be responding “I got them from a new club night in town — it was amazing!!!”

From then on everyone went home with something when they left our club. A silly wig. A toy. A 1970s Top of the Pops annual. It’s what I went on to call the Mr Benn Effect. If you’re not old enough to remember the British children’s TV show let me explain. Everyday Mr Benn would take a trip down to the local fancy dress shop. He’s go into the dressing room and try on a costume. He’d then leave the dressing room to discover he’s no longer in the shop, but in the land and time belonging to that costume. He’d have an adventure until the shopkeeper appeared telling him it was time to go home. He’d return to the dressing room, get back into his pinstriped suit and head home. As he got to the door of his house he would reach into his pocket to pull out his key. But as he did he’d find something that he had taken from his adventure into his ‘real’ life. A feather belonging to an indian chief’s head dress or a small stone from the moon’s surface. And for a brief moment he’d glow in the memory of his amazing adventure.

Our budget for giveaways each week was minimal. But you could never put a price on the impact The Mr Benn effect had. In Ibiza you would see people still wearing the wig you put on their heads two days earlier because they hadn’t gone to bed yet. That’s a walking, talking, dancing two day advertisement inside your competitors venue. You can’t do that with flyers and posters.

2. Rhythm is everything

Might seem like an obvious statement coming from an ex-DJ. But I’m talking about rhythms of human behaviour and sectors. Matt and I talk a lot about the importance of understanding the rhythms of different sectors. If you want to work across sectors, which we do, then a cookie cutter approach just isn’t going to work. Understanding and adapting is essential.

I thought I knew all the rhythms I needed to know about running clubs until I went to Ibiza. I soon found out that a typical 5 week advertising campaign that I would do in the UK can be done in 3 days when you have the captive attention of clubbers all trapped on an island. And that it takes a lot less time to warm up a crowd when your party is in the middle of a 48 hour bender than on a typical Saturday night. Be flexible enough to change your rhythms to fit with the sector or the audience. Adapt accordingly.

Then there’s the rhythm of your team. In year three I spotted a familiar pattern. I noticed that by the second week of August people would either pack it all in and head home because they couldn’t take any more. Or begin to show signs of a physical/mental breakdown. When you heard a grown adult saying they needed a hug off their mum you kinda knew. The breakdown comes because of 2 things. How hard they work and how hard they party. All workers party hard on their nights off. And because we were in peak season there was a good chance their friends from home were on the island too. Meaning they probably hadn’t slept for almost a week. Seriously.

So I soon realised that if you don’t want your staff to have a physical and mental breakdown plan your season so that you can give them nights off. Give them ‘recovery’ time. Unthinkable for most people — especially in peak season. But for me running a good team means being in tune with the mental health of your team. In particular the fluctuations that result from over work, lack of sleep and all the other temptations the Devil’s Island has to offer. And when you spot the rhythms it’s just about planning. It’s really not that complicated. So I’m still amazed by the agencies that think the way to get the best out of your team is by expecting them to do all nighters and weekends. Really.

3. A ‘fan’ is a ‘Customer X 100’

When someone walks through your door for the first time they are a customer. Your challenge is to make them leave a fan. A fan can articulate what you do for them far better than what it is you think you do for them. To quote Antonio Porchia “I know what I have given you but I don’t know what you received”. A fan is the guy that buys everything you sell. It’s the kid who collects every single thing you’ve every given them. I remember one guy whose apartment was a monument to your club — complete with a set of skis stolen from our ‘Ski Sunday’ party. They were nailed to his living room ceiling. His party piece was to hang people upside down form them at his legendary after parties.

Converting customers into fans has less to do with opening lines of communication between club and fan. It has everything to do with enabling communication between the people who choose you. Every piece of communication is a piece of art. Every piece of art should encourage an opinion. Talking to friends about Oscar Wilde, The New York Dolls and A Taste of Honey had everything to do with me being a Smiths fan without speaking to, or about, The Smiths. So I always wanted to introduce icons, heroes and new ideas to fans as a binding agent. As I said earlier… ‘Give them the tools…”

4. Making without an audience is a bit like dancing without music

Of course you can dance without music — but the result is… Well… Y’know. A bit rubbish. I learned the principles of Agile by making music. Make a track in the studio. Cut a dubplate/burn to CD/save as MP3 (my MVP). Playing it in the club that night. Watch the crowd reaction. Go back into the studio next day. Tweak. Play it out again that night. Tweak. Iterate until it is right.

DJing is a bit like being a chef. It’s about picking the right ingredients and blending them together to create something wonderful. A complete meal — or the perfect set. And in doing this the chef must continually taste as he cooks. As a DJ the data sets from the dancefloor are your tastebuds. The data comes not just from the feet on the floor. But arms in the air. The smiles on faces. The hugs. The whistles. The cheers.

Having good raw ingredients is essential. But watching crowds is how you go from being a good to great maker and curator. No two sets are ever the same because crowds change for many reasons. How busy it is. How quiet it is. Who is in. Room temperature. Then you have to get to know what external factors might impact behaviours — no matter how big or small. Weather. Time of year. Proximity to pay day. The death of a celebrity. A change in the law. The cloakroom queue. All create differing behaviours that impact on how the audience receives what you deliver.

5. A good partner is priceless

It just makes sense to have a partner. I’ve always worked in teams of two. I know my strengths. And my ego has no qualms in reminding me of my weaknesses. A good partner will not only plug the gaps but will inspire you to be even better at the things you’re good at. If you have a good partner you never want to let them down. And if you have a partner but don’t feel that way, then maybe you don’t have the right partner.

Good ideas come from diverse view points bumping against each other. As part of a DJ duo our sets always benefited from the depth of two historical record collections coming together as one. It’s no surprise that Daft Punk and The Chemical Brothers succeeded in making brilliant albums where solo DJs attempts often failed to land. Business is a continuous series of highs and lows. And whilst most people will point to the importance of having someone to pick you up during the lows, I believe it’s more important to have a hand waiting on the other side of the high five when things are going well. I’ve always found my solo successes quite empty experiences.