CHANGE OF SCENERY

If you’ve been flicking through the pages of your Scene Magazine over the last month or so, you no doubt have been seeing the big white question mark asking Are You It? So what the f&%k is it all about? Well the folks at Boom Entertainment, who run and operate Planet Nightclub, are overseeing a venue makeover for their other club, located next door to Planet, on Warner St in The Valley. Boom’s General Manager Hollie Paterson spoke to Scene about the changes taking place at 25 Warner St.

So you guys have some developments happening at the moment - what's the lowdown on what you're creating at the venue?
We are really trying to create an inclusive atmosphere, the crowd has recently had a fantastic shift and with R&B crossing genres, it really opens up the patronage mix. We have noticed since we swung our doors open in May last year that the Valley music fans have been often popping their heads in and we  have become a part of their nightly spots to check out and enjoy.

What's your vision for the club? Is there a particular vibe/atmosphere you want to instill for your patrons?
Being focused on entertainment, we are sourcing some of the best local, interstate and international DJs including a contract with DJ CXL; the (former) New Zealand DMC Champion. An interactive music experience is something we like to achieve. We had Chris Brown and Rihanna make a guest appearance and partied Halloween away with us last year; it was a great chance for their fans to see them up close and personal. We have Jessica Mauboy appearing next month for a live performance also, exciting stuff!!

How important is it for you to have the punters actively involved with the creation of the club's new image?
Well, we have a good idea already about what the punters want, as we are offering that now, but as we see the shift in the crowd we want to specialise our service to cater for all these new patrons.

The competitions you're running for the resident DJ, MC, dance crew - what will the winners be walking away with?
The winner from each of these categories will be offered a contract to perform regularly at the club and we will help market them with our affiliates to help kickstart their career; our focus will be using the club to help showcase some really great,  undiscovered, local talent and teaming them with some of the veterans and mentoring them.

You also have The Face - what is this all about?
This will be the face of the club. This is a quirky category that we created for fun. It’s not all about looks, this is about discovering a personality or character that encapsulates the essence of what we believe our club stands for. It's a fun campaign to bring out some of the faces of our loyalists and recognise their efforts in supporting the club weekly and giving the crowd a chance to vote for these people they see each weekend. It's a campaign we may visit a few times a year; the patrons are having fun with it at the moment as it’s novelty to come in and have them and their mates hook up in the photo booth and make the cut, we have been overwhelmed by the response so far!

Let’s take a trip in the Delorean - 12 months from now, where do you predict this club will be positioned within the marketplace?
In 12 months we believe that we will still be sustaining the title as Brisbane #1 R&B club; we may not be the biggest but most definitely the best!!

As we draw closer to a new decade, do you think the clubbing scene is ready for a change of pace in terms of what venues/clubs offer their clientele?
There is always room for change, staying on top means evolving naturally. Some people get stuck on continuity but in the entertainment industry this can be detrimental. Taking a few risks can speed up your evolution and as we are experiencing, take things to a whole new and better level.

For more information jump aboard the web and visit www.areyouit.com.au