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Monday, January 11, 2010

Dealing With Venue Management

I've been working with bar/restaurant management for about fourteen years. As a group, they are tough and fair. If you deliver, they will treat you right.

What happens when they don't 'do the right thing?'

I recently had a venue owner tell me that they were going to reduce the fee paid for an open mic that I run, because I wasn't going to be there. They thought the 'take' for the night would be lower, and therefore their fee should be lower.

Of course, the 'take' for the night was right in the 'normal' range for the open mic, despite my absence.

My options were as follows:

1) Tell the owner that the fee is set and it's not negotiable
2) Suck it up and consider the 'big picture'

I chose option 2.

I could have 'stood my ground,' but if it led to my losing that venue as a client, it would have been a terrible financial decision.

I accepted a little less money on one night, kept the owner happy, and dealt with a slightly bruised ego.

It's easy to get frustrated and 'fly off the handle' when dealing with venue management. Just remember to take a deep breath and consider the 'big picture' before you get in their face!