Making a fuss about nothing or do I have a point?

[Double Trouble]

There’s a new venue I’ve been going to over the last few weeks in Ware (Independent Modern Jive, not Ceroc). It’s a nice little venue in a sports bar with a separate seating area leading straight onto the dance floor. Friendly dancers and only 15 minutes down the road.

The problem is that the organiser lets the sports club members in to use the bar and seating area. It wasn’t too bad last week as there were only a few sitting and having a drink, but last night it was really irritating. About 10 lads and a few of their girlfriends came in and completely took over the biggest table right in front of the dance floor. There’s only room for about 5 tables as it is, so they were right in the way. Also, one of the lads got up and started “dancing” with one of the ladies and started picking her up, throwing her around, chucking her over his shoulders, etc, thinking he was joining in the fun, but actually monopolising half the dance floor with his dangerous non-dancing and half arsed muggle “drunk at a wedding” aerials.

I had a word with the organiser but he said it’s their sports club and he can’t stop them coming in, but that he’d have a word with the barman. Surely if he’s paid for the use of the room, he can insist on exclusivity? More importantly, we’d paid for the night and they hadn’t….I also felt uncomfortable about leaving my bag on the table when I went for a dance where I would usually worry about that when it’s exclusively dancers (I know it’s still a risk, but it felt more risky with muggles there).

Does anyone else have this problem at their local venue?

[David Bailey]

It's definitely you. Everyone else is fine with it.

Stop fussing, you wuss.

[Lory]

I had a word with the organiser but he said it’s their sports club and he can’t stop them coming in, but that he’d have a word with the barman. Surely if he’s paid for the use of the room, he can insist on exclusivity?

Maybe not, if it was the terms he agreed to?

More importantly, we’d paid for the night and they hadn’t….

Now there, I definitely think you have a point..
As what's to stop anyone just turning up to have a drink and getting up for a dance?

I also felt uncomfortable about leaving my bag on the table when I went for a dance where I would usually worry about that when it’s exclusively dancers

I think the organiser should at least cordon off one or two tables for the dancers bags.

[Rocky]

....Does anyone else have this problem at their local venue?

That sounds like a bizarre set up and I can't imagine any organizer would put up with precisely for the reasons you mention. Ceroc's PL insurance is based around it being a members only dance night, that's why the majority of Ceroc venues (should be all...) are anal about taking peoples details and about issuing membership cards.

It gives members some peace of mind to know that everyone's details are logged and stops randoms entering the room who maybe more interested in stealing or creating mischief than actually dancing.

I can't believe any event organizer, or venue manager for that matter, would ever let it happen...

[Rocky]

It's definitely you. Everyone else is fine with it.

Stop fussing, you wuss.

Yeah, I'm sure you'd be absolutely fine with it at a Tango venue.. drunken youths doing aerials

[Andy McGregor]

Does anyone else have this problem at their local venue?

We have 2 venues that have "members". One of them we use every week and the other one is used occasionally.

The one we use every week is a GSK Sports and Social Club. It's open to all employees. When we arrive to set up there's usually a football match going on outside. At the time our classes are starting the guys are usually having a post-match drink before going home. There is a folding door we can pull across between the dance floor and the bar: mostly we do that. However, those times we've left the door open we've never had any trouble apart from one woman speaking very loudly because she was drunk!

When we first set up the classes we thought we might recruit a few new dancers from the membership. We have had the odd tipsy woman do a muggle dance, but that's all. If there was a guy behaving in a way that put people in danger I'd turn off the music immediately so that the danger went away.

My advice is to ask the organsers to get a sign made to reserve a couple of tables for dancers/jivers.

[sunnybunny]

I've experience similar things at Jive Nation events before.

Not much fun - certainly takes the enjoyment out of a dance if you are looking out for muggles walking across the dancefloor with drinks, taking the p*** or lurking near your handbag.

[David Bailey]

OK, OK, on a slightly more serious note:

I had a word with the organiser but he said it’s their sports club and he can’t stop them coming in, but that he’d have a word with the barman.

Rubbish.

It's not up to the barman to control behaviour of people at the venue. It's up to the venue manager to do this. That's why he's called the venue manager, the name's a bit of a giveaway. He's simply trying to escape his reponsibility.

I assume he's got the venue at a discount if he lets others use the area - but that means that you're not getting exclusive use of the venue, which you'd expect to get for your money.

I'd be very surprised if the T&Cs of the venue genuinely don't allow exclusive use of the function room. That'd be quite unusual.

All that said, fundamentally, you've made your complaint. If he still does nothing about it, then you have to vote with your feet (it might be worth emailing him to tell him why you're leaving, of course, but that's on the optimistic assumption that he'll pay a blind bit of notice to customer feedback).

And no, I absolutely wouldn't accept that at a AT venue. With the exception of "open air venues" like the summer freebies of course - but even then it's never been a problem.