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Jester
19th-February-2007, 07:43 PM
The FAQ of the Ceroc Champs 07 website contains info about bringing drinks into the venue. I emailed the address on their 'contact us' page to ask if tap water would be freely available and it immediately bounced back, so here's hoping somebody in the know sees this and will answer.

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Can I bring food and drink into the Venue?

The management of the venue does not allow drink, including bottled water, to be brought into the venue. The venue management has security on the front doors and they will stop you if they think that you are bringing your drink into the venue. We run the Cafe ourselves which means we can allow you to bring your own food in but as the venue run the bars they do not want drink being brought into the venue. A wide selection of Food and Drink is available all day at the venue. You can also leave and re-enter the venue at any time during the day which allows you to eat and drink in any of the many pubs, cafes and coffee shops within easy walking distance of the venue.
- -

Does this strike anyone else as being just a little bit over the top? Fair enough a venue should be able to charge for drinks as that's its business, and if people choose to pay for mineral water all power to them, but hands up if who likes being forced to buy bottled water when the venue refuses to give you tap for free?

I stopped going to Ashton's a last year when I got fed up of them charging me for a glass tap water. No thanks! Worth saying Ceroc at ISH and Jive Nation at the Hippodrome (both London) give tap water out free so why isn't this standard?

C'mon, dehydration is a serious concern, we have to drink gallons of the stuff constantly or our health is at risk. Venues know this and I for one object to being bled like the captive market I am. 15 hours of dancing, a bottle of water at least every two hours (or more), £1.50 a bottle (or more) equals early retirement for the barman...

Mythical
19th-February-2007, 07:51 PM
Where makes you PAY for tap water???
I can see what they're trying to pull....that it costs money to wash the glasses and make the ice and pay the server, but honestly.....PAY for tap water?

I'm afraid I'd go into the loos and drink out of the tap!!
(or...maybe not....but in principle, at least!)

David Bailey
19th-February-2007, 08:01 PM
{ yet another water thread }.
:tears: :tears: :tears:
*DJ collapses sobbing over his monitor, whimpering "Oh not, not again"... *

Ahem.

This topic's been discussed. A lot.

For example: The water thing (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showthread.php?t=974) and Is £1 a pint too much for tap water? (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4424)

Jester
19th-February-2007, 08:02 PM
Where makes you PAY for tap water???


Ashton's in London.

Last time I went there on the way out I picked up an empty 2ltr bottle someone had left on the stairs so there wouldn't be an accident. I then copped a load of abuse off the Neanderthal on the door about barring me if I ever tried to bring in my own water again!

Wow, what a lovely welcoming atmosphere.

Jester
19th-February-2007, 08:08 PM
:tears: :tears: :tears:
*DJ collapses sobbing over his monitor, whimpering "Oh not, not again"... *

Ahem.

This topic's been discussed. A lot.

For example: The water thing (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showthread.php?t=974) and Is £1 a pint too much for tap water? (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4424)


Well, David, at the risk of boring you those discussions were last active July 04 and July 05 respectively, well before I even started dancing, and neither thread appeared in the search results when I looked to see if anyone had posted about his before.

Having skimmed the thread links (thanks for the links) it appears nothing has changed. Why? Are we all such suckers?

Little Yellow Fish
19th-February-2007, 08:08 PM
Tap water should be free. End of arguement. And don't even get me started on the whole "60p to rent a glass" thing :what:

My water stays in my bag and trust me - no neanderthal spotty little barman/bouncer is gonna be touching my bag.

Can you tell this upsets me!!

Vicki xx

David Bailey
19th-February-2007, 08:15 PM
Well, David, at the risk of boring you those discussions were last active July 04 and July 05 respectively
There's definitely been a lot of others recently, I just lost the will to search.

But OK, I'll contribute:
Water's a drink. It costs money to provide, like any other drink does. Clean glasses have to be provided, washed, stored and so on. The water itself has to be bought. Bar staff, even miserable Ashtons bar staff, need to be paid. And so on.

There's no "right" to free water, in England at least. It's an urban myth. Some organisers provide free water as a perk. Some don't. Some organisers get very stroppy about you bringing in your own water. Some don't.

It's all part and parcel of the great dancing experience - you pays your money and you makes your choice.

Oh, and:

End of arguement.
Has that ever, in the entire history of arguments, worked? :na:

Little Yellow Fish
19th-February-2007, 08:20 PM
Has that ever, in the entire history of arguments, worked? :na:

Hee hee hee hee heee :grin:

Yes it does. I may be small, but don't let that fool you :wink:

Lounge Lizard
19th-February-2007, 08:25 PM
yes tap water should be free, but if the venue has a bar and pays someone to staff the bar the management would expect to cover the cost of this.

Dancers, whether MJ. R&R, Salsa etc. are well known for not buying drinks, and some venues do not want dance clubs because all they get is the room hire (and grief)

As an organiser I get complaints from dancers if a venue does not have a bar and complaints from venue managers if the bar is not used.

you may not paying for the water, you are perhaps paying for the bar to be open.
If we all brought more drinks the tap water would probably be free.

The other alternative for the venue manager is to hike up the room hire charge, when this happens It can put the club in jeopardy

Peter

ducasi
19th-February-2007, 08:27 PM
I've probably said everything I'm about to say before in other water-related threads...

In Scotland, in all licenced premises "tap water fit for drinking must be provided free of charge on request."

I will still take water to venues where I know I cannot get decent chilled water – even if I'm prepared to pay.


C'mon, dehydration is a serious concern, we have to drink gallons of the stuff constantly or our health is at risk. Venues know this and I for one object to being bled like the captive market I am. 15 hours of dancing, a bottle of water at least every two hours (or more), £1.50 a bottle (or more) equals early retirement for the barman... Drinking "gallons" of the stuff is likely to *put* your health at risk.

I don't think it's the barman who's making the big bucks...

ducasi
19th-February-2007, 08:32 PM
Here's a more recently active thread (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4136) about water...

Dreadful Scathe
19th-February-2007, 08:46 PM
In Scotland, in all licenced premises "tap water fit for drinking must be provided free of charge on request."

Indeed. They only thing they know of "civilization" down South is the PC game by Sid Meirs :)

Lynn
19th-February-2007, 09:26 PM
An aside (as its not about a dance venue) but I was out for dinner with family and friends last week and discovered that the restaurant (which is a 'posh pub' type one in the grounds of a well known local hotel) didn't serve tap water. I know how I feel about this (I don't think I've ever been back to any restaurant that has refused to serve me tap water, I'm already paying for service and ordering food) but was surprised at the strength of feeling of the others - which was such, that if that fact was known in advance we wouldn't have made a reservation in the first place.

TheTramp
19th-February-2007, 09:52 PM
This is all true regarding providing free water, it's in the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 (if anyone is interested).

However, as LL has said, it's hard enough finding venues anyhow. And most of those hired, expect to make money on drinks sales. Which, if they are providing free water, they don't make. Lots of venues have been lost to MJ, because they don't make enough on the bar, so they make the hire of the hall cost so much that the organiser can't afford to hire it.

I'm not quite sure however why people moan about paying 60p for a pint of tap water. I'd much rather moan about paying £2 for a pint of coke. On a pint of water, the bar makes 60p. On a pint of coke, the bar makes about £1.80. Which do you think they'd prefer you to buy?

Mythical
19th-February-2007, 11:39 PM
I always wondered why soft drinks are more expensive than beer! They aren't taxed nearly as much, and they're supposed to be making it asier for us not to drink al-k-hol, aren't they?

JiveLad
20th-February-2007, 12:21 AM
At FunkyLush, I paid £2.20 for a pint of orange squash (made with orange juice and tap water, 20-80).

Momentarily, I considered commenting to the bar staff, then I held off - this was the Peace/Memorial Hall after all - and some of the bar staff looked as if they had fought for our country - so this wasn't the right time to bang on about expensive soft drinks.

I just find it interesting - still it's cheaper than going to a pub.........overall

DavidY
20th-February-2007, 08:26 AM
The FAQ of the Ceroc Champs 07 website contains info about bringing drinks into the venue.
- -
Can I bring food and drink into the Venue?

The management of the venue does not allow drink, including bottled water, to be brought into the venue. The venue management has security on the front doors and they will stop you if they think that you are bringing your drink into the venue.Leaving aside the debate on the rights and wrongs of it... the info on the Champs website said this last year for the Palais. I seem to remember there was some reaosn for searching bags etc. at the Palais. Does anyone know if:
(a) it's still true of the new venue or
(b) they haven't updated the website yet?

Shodan
20th-February-2007, 02:13 PM
15 hours of dancing, a bottle of water at least every two hours (or more), £1.50 a bottle (or more) equals early retirement for the barman...
An easy way to not break their rules:
1) Buy your bottle of water on the premises at their bar.
2) When it becomes empty, nip to the loos and fill it up.
3) Repeat all night.

You are following their rules - you didn't bring any food or drink into the venue and everything you drank all night has come from the venue. :nice::wink:

If you want to get really cheap, keep said bottle from that venue. Re-use it again when visiting that venue. Also saves on recycling and rubbish etc. :waycool:

Russell Saxby
21st-February-2007, 12:49 AM
We run our own bar at Greenwich (paying someone to serve) and provide free tap water. We get over 100 people through the door each week.

Anyone want to hazard a guess what the average spend per person at the bar is??

:cheers: :rolleyes:

WittyBird
21st-February-2007, 01:03 AM
Anyone want to hazard a guess what the average spend per person at the bar is??

:cheers: :rolleyes:

Between £FA & £2.20 :D

Dan Hudson
21st-February-2007, 09:55 AM
Less:tears:

Dan Hudson
21st-February-2007, 09:57 AM
The information on the champs website seems to be from last year.

Before any more anti Ceroc rants.. lets wait and see if it will be similar this year:mad:

then we can bash 'em:devil: :rofl:

Lynn
21st-February-2007, 10:35 AM
The information on the champs website seems to be from last year.

Before any more anti Ceroc rants.. lets wait and see if it will be similar this year:mad:

then we can bash 'em:devil: :rofl:Oh please, can't we start now?

Though I'm very impressed, as according to an email I got yesterday about Storm, people will have been on site preparing for the event next weekend from last September. :worthy:

Russell Saxby
23rd-February-2007, 09:02 AM
Between £FA & £2.20 :D

Most weeks nearer to £FA than £2.20... Our venue closed the bar over a year ago because it was not profitable. We took on running it to provide a service to our customers, but still pay staff, tax and then there is the weekly trip to the wholesaler or supermarket, and the corner my dining room that is taken over by bar stock :tears:

Providing free tap water has a direct effect on takings and I am guessing that Venue Bars have far higher overheads than we do.

So those of you that voted for free tap water, don't be such tight wads :rolleyes: By all means make use of the free tap water but the odd trip to the bar in between wouldn't go a miss :whistle:

:cheers: or not as the case seems to be :D