Club Barcode doubles the levels

Hasani Walters, Gleaner Writer

After six stagings at various outdoor venues across the Corporate Area over previous years the name Appleton Barcode had become somewhat synonymous with fun and excitement.

At each Appleton Barcode, patrons flocked the venue expecting to have a good time. However, last September they were introduced to a new Barcode experience - Club Barcode, put on indoors. And on June 25, they will once again get that experience - and more - as the event takes a similar indoor twist but with additional flavour.

Appleton Barcode promoter Ibrahim Konteh explained the decision to stage the event indoors and the difference from an outdoor setting.

"How we do our event is that we listen to the patrons, because it's them that we're doing the event for and we have to be constantly exploring different concepts, as people will get tired of the same thing. You don't want the brand to take a dip, so we tried it (Club Barcode) out in September and it worked out well. We had an outdoor Barcode in December and people have been wondering where the next one in summer will be, outdoors or indoors," said Konteh.

EASIER TO DO

He explained that hosting an indoor event is much easier as there are several potential pitfalls in the outdoor setting. Require-ments such as police authorisation and permit woes are already taken care of and when indoors, one can go past the usual 2 a.m. lock-off time for outdoor events. Unpredictable elements such as rain do not affect the event and security is already dealt with.

According to Konteh, Club Barcode's first indoor staging lived up to expectations. The outdoor Barcode normally attracts a mixed crowd of patrons, ranging from 18 -25 years old, with some patrons older. September's Club Barcode was jam-packed, support coming mainly from college students.

"We got people from UWI, UTech, and some from Edna Manley, all coming out to enjoy Club Barcode. It was some of them first time to Barcode and they truly enjoyed the experience," he said.

For the second indoor staging, Konteh plans to improve on the first by hosting two parties in one venue at the same time. "It's Club Barcode and Ultra Club Barcode. Two floors, two events. On one floor, a mixed drink-inclusive event and on a different floor, premium food and liquor all night. So, we're catering for both the low budget and high-end patrons," he said.

"It's never been done before. Normally, parties have a VIP; this is not a VIP. It's two experiences, two parties happening at one time. Club Barcode people can't go to Ultra Club Barcode and vice-versa without paying for each event separately," he emphasised.