'Thirsty Thursdays' tackles debut blues

Hasani Walters, Gleaner Writer

If a promoter is hosting a party for the first time, there are sure to be a few problems along the way. The glitches may be so tricky that they get in the way of delivering the intended quality event to patrons.

This is exactly the case for Entertainment Fusion, promoters of the new fortnightly party series Thirsty Thursdays, which started last night at Devon House, St Andrew. The organisers are, however, trying to iron out the problems to ensure that their plans are not interrupted or affected in any way.

Ricardo Francis and Anthony Cranston of Knox Koncept, Kemar Grant of GHK Big Boyz Entertainment, O'neil Blair of Cherry Hill Entertainment and Kamau Janai of Janai Production, all known promoters within Kingston, make up Entertainment Fusion.

With their party being fresh on the scene, it might take a while for them to get the full support of party-goers - or it might be successful almost from the start. To achieve the latter, the group tries to keep everything in perfect running order.

Getting a good crowd turnout is fundamental to the success of every party, but this might be difficult for first-time events due to several reasons. The party might just be simply boring and poorly organised, or it may be due to insufficient promotion. The latter was one of the problems Entertainment Fusion faced, as they received the Thirsty Thursdays flyers from the printing company late, so they had to find other means to keep up with promotions. They flooded social networking sites with information about the party, a move which proved to be successful, as Francis said they got a lot of prospective patrons that way.

They also sought to use other methods, like word of mouth and mix tapes, to aid in making Thirsty Thursdays known.

Target market

Identifying the target market is another key element, as one then knows how to pitch promotions and it also facilitates shaping the event, such as the disc jockeys' selections.

"In our target market, we're trying to attract demographics of between 18 and 30 years old. But mainly college students, so we know what they expect when they come to Thirsty Thursdays and we'll aim to satisfy that," said Francis.

Focusing and strategising to maximise profit is also important in getting the most from first-time events. According to Francis, "we're not looking to get a major profit from the gate, so we're then looking to capitalise on the bar - hence the name Thirsty Thursdays. A first-time event is not guaranteed a good turnout, so you have to find other ways to make up for that possible loss."

Choosing a venue for the party might also prove challenging. "This is an event that was being planned from last year. We were in search of a venue that was easily accessible and close to the market area, so in time we settled on Devonshire. Devonshire seemed like a good choice as well, because the feedback we've been getting from prospective patrons is wonderful," explained Francis.

"The venue appeals to the concepts that we have planned and it also adds class and sophistication to the event," he added.

Thirsty Thursdays began yesterday (February 17) and will run until April 28, with six different themed nights. The next Thirsty Thursday will be held on March 3 and will be themed 'Welcome to LaLa Land'. It will be followed by themes such as 'Get Illuminated', 'Stop Light', 'Bourbon Streak' and end in fine style with 'Club Pacha - The Grand Finale'.