Wooing the lady

It’s ladies’ night, and the feeling’s right, crooned funk group Kool The Gang in its classic catchy hit Ladies Night.

But nowadays, when clubbers enjoy ever-increasing nightlife entertainment choices, is the concept of Ladies’ Night still a draw?

For the uninitiated, Ladies’ Night is nearly two decades old. It started in the 1980s at the now-defunct Chinoiserie club and has evolved to become a mainstay at most clubs in Singapore.

The signature must-haves are, typically, free entry and some free drinks for female patrons.

“Ladies’ Night is still very important, for sure,” Mr Dennis Foo, chief executive officer of St James Holdings, told The New Paper.

“What has changed is the fact that women of today are a lot more sophisticated than those of the past.

“If they head down to a club and you give them the same type of drink the whole night, they probably wouldn’t be interested… you have to make it more interesting and give them more reason to continue clubbing at your place.”

These days, simply offering free flow “cheapens” the value of Ladies’ Night, added Mr Foo.

Indeed, creativity and inventiveness seem to be the way to go to attract and pamper female patrons. St James Power Station has rolled out a power-packed Ladies’ Night promotion.

Every Wednesday, each female clubber receives 20 free drinks across four outlets (five at each outlet) Gallery Bar, Boiler Room, Powerhouse and Movida.

At Boiler Room, women can also indulge in free flow of Waterfall from 11pm to 3am.

This is apart from a host of other Wednesday-only free flow deals that the entertainment complex is unveiling from today, in line with its fifth anniversary. (See other report.)

Mr Stephen Davis, marketing manager of St James Power Station, described it as the “best Ladies’ Night deal in town”, and added: “The beauty of it is that ladies get a variety of music choices from Latin, RB to Mandopop, all under one roof.

“If you want to dance, you go to one of our outlets, if you want live band music, you go to another, you don’t have to go anywhere else.”

Echoing similar sentiments on the relevance of Ladies’ Night was Mr Jeremy Poh, marketing manager of Asian fusion dance nightspot Club Avatar.

“Ladies’ Night is necessary because the (nightlife) market is saturated and without it, it’s hard for us to get a slice of the clubbers’ pie,” he told The New Paper.

Like St James, Club Avatar is banking on its creativity to woo more female patrons too.

“From next Wednesday onwards, our Ladies’ Night will have a Candy Shop theme,” said Mr Poh.

“Ladies can enjoy free flow of champagne, lychee martinis and Baileys, as well as free lollipops and candy floss.

“We’ll also have topless hunks strutting outside the club, a la (fashion retailer) Abercrombie Fitch.”

Playing it down

But there are other major industry players who have decided to play down the concept.

Mr Bernard Lim, chief executive of LifeBrandz, told The New Paper that Lifebrandz’s outlets Zirca, Rebel, Coco and Aquanova have regular Ladies’ Nights promotions, which include “free entry and two to three free drinks”.

“While we understand that many operators choose to offer limitless free drinks to ladies on Ladies’ Night, we are also mindful that we are operating a business and returns are important,” said Mr Lim.

Then there are the established names on the scene like Zouk which stand out even without blatant promotions of Ladies’ Night.

“Mambo Jambo (which plays 80s pop music and falls on a Wednesday) is the night our ladies enjoy waived entry to Zouk,” said Ms Sofie Chandra, Zouk’s marketing and business development manager.

“We have always differentiated ourselves from the other clubs which brand and position their Wednesday nights as Ladies’ Nights.

“Mambo Jambo is a night for not just the ladies but also the men… it allows for a different experience from any other clubbing night.”

But Mr Foo, who is one of Singapore’s most recognised nightlife moguls, feels that Ladies’ Night is alive and kicking.

“Ladies’ Night has grown to become a third weekend night-out… More ladies are out having fun due to the increased variety in offerings,” he said.

This article was first published in The New Paper.

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