Well yeah, that sounds like fun.
And you're assuming that the organiser:
A/ Knows the answer
B/ Will reply promptly
C/ Will reply accurately ("Actually, no, you're right, the floor's crap, don't come"?)
Apart from that...
Or, like a normal human being, I could decide to go somewhere on the day, with the expectation that the venue managers will provide a good environment to dance in.
Thing is............would you know who to contact for these venues? (Chiswick, Hammersmith?)......is it a clearly identifiable person like Gary Glooman for Chiswick or Terry Tarflaw for Hammersmith?
For ijig and for St. Albans - I know who to contact, I can email or speak in person - and for ijig via mobile if I really want to................ Maybe that is one difference: accessibility to someone who you know is going to be the 'responsible' person for that venue.
I think David Bradley is the person that should be contacted concerning both these venues
This is my thinking. You email an organiser to alert them to a problem with the floor at their venue. They reply telling you something is going to be done/it's fixed/etc.
You print off the email and attend the event. The floor is the same old sticky floor. In this circumstance you should be able to reclaim all your expenses associated with the night as well as compensation for having your night ruined. It's no different to a holiday that doesn't measure up to it's marketing.
If I'd driven up to London from Brighton that would be at least 35p a mile plus a very reasonable £30 compensation each for an 8 hour night ruined. Assuming there's 4 in the car and a 160 mile round trip that's £176. For that sum it's well worth getting a solicitor on the job if they didn't respond positively to your first email. One solicitors letter would increase the bill to £300!
I would say it's worth the organiser sorting the floor or at least responding truthfully to enquiries about it's condition.
Good grief the day Andy and I start sounding like each other is the day I'll start wearing women's clothing!
I think it's hormonal...
Just on the subject of floors.. It is a difficult one. You need to remember that there are very, very few true dance halls left where the hall is just used for dancing – in fact the only one I know of is the Liberty Ballroom in Newbury where the floor is ONLY used for dancing and nothing else. As such Steve takes great pride in his floor and I’ve never known it to be anything other than perfect for dancing on. Just saying that organizers should refuse to use venues where the floor is not cleaned properly is far too simplistic too. There are so few venues around these days that will allow dancers in where they get virtually no revenue from the bar means that organizers have their hands effectively tied – if they issue an ultimatum to a venue regarding floor cleaning and the venue continues not to comply they actually rarely have the option of finding an alternative venue as cost, location and availability are massive issues.
In my mind organizers have the responsibility to make sure that they get to their venue early and therefore have time to deal with any floor issues with the management before the night opens. But that said, if a floor is not sealed properly adding moisture to it when it won’t have time to dry out could actually exacerbate the problem rather than solve it. Floors with a seal problem can also be fine at the start of the evening but absorb moisture from humidity as the night progresses, and there really isn’t a lot an organizer can do about that (other than look for another venue, which as I’ve explained, is not as easy as it sounds). As for organizers having the kit available to clean a 400 sqm floor prior to an event... seriously??
If a floor is undanceable then of course dancers have a right to ask for their money back and I do think that is completely justified – and if it continues, then dancers should vote with their feet and go elsewhere..
The other thing to consider for some events is of course temporary dance floors. I think at Lux that was the case wasn't it? - at least for one of the rooms as I recall. Voila! - sticky floor issue gone.......
What would it take to (say) get a temporary floor laid in the Blues room at Chiswick? Is it just too expensive?
Yes it is the venue manager’s responsibility to ensure that floor is fit for purpose.
It sadly looks like I will have to vote with my feet and not go to Chiswick anymore, which I a shame as I have had some great nights there
Last Saturday the floor was sticky at the beginning of the evening, which suggests to me that it was dirty and that it was then exacerbated by body heat as the evening went on.
I doubt it is a problem with the seals as I have been there on a number of occasions when it is perfectly ok
We laid 800 sqm of flooring at LUX in all 3 rooms plus the balcony and it's not that the floor is very expensive to buy, but it is expensive to store and transport - and then of course you have the time to lay it and then take it up at the end of the evening - so it's not really a practical solution.
Sure, he's the guy in charge, but will he have inspected the floors? Will he be there on the night? Or will he have to pass the message on to the venue manager?
I think Jivelad's right. If the Berko floor is rubbish, I can whinge directly to Ian - and I have - he's there, and he runs the place. Similarly, the Harpenden blues room floor at iJig got pretty bad last time - and I told Pat directly; again, he's there, and he's part of the iJig management. If Utopia floor is rubbish, you can whinge to Rocky. And so on.
For all of these, if they lose customers it impacts their own pockets, so they have a direct interest in ensuring customer satisfaction. Similarly, I imagine Andy McG has the same level of direct, immediate involvement.
But if a Ceroc London floor is rubbish, then you can:
- Say something there and then - but you're just complaining to an employee - he doesn't have a direct interest in ensuring you have a good time. He may (hopefully will) pass on the complaint, but by then it's second-hand.
- Complain directly to the management / owners after the fact - but then obviously it's to late for something to be done about it, and the owner has no first-hand knowledge of what the venue was like.
(Ceroc London are just an example - other large franchisees would probably be the same)
So, with these indirect-feedback setups, you need to shout louder to be heard. Which is why I think some form of group action may be more effective than individual comments.
I feel the spirit of Arthur Scargill inside me as I type...
Well I'm very pleased to report, the floors in both rooms were fine last night
It was a busy night and it was hot, (hotter than it needed to be, due to the fact the radiators were on ) so it just goes to prove, the problems of the past haven't really been down to it being particularly susceptible to humidity. I think its more of a case its just been really dirty and the humidity's re-hydrated the sticky dirt.
All in all, last night was good, much helped by Marc and Rachel Djing in the Blues room
MODERATOR AT YOUR SERVICE
"If you're going to do something tonight, that you know you'll be sorry for in the morning, plan a lie in." Lorraine
MODERATOR AT YOUR SERVICE
"If you're going to do something tonight, that you know you'll be sorry for in the morning, plan a lie in." Lorraine
Yes, The annoying thing is that it's only been down for a few months. Still, they can't blame dancers, it was poorly-laid down, and it had started to develop gaps in between the boards.
I think they're still working on it, but hopefully it'll be fixed on Sunday.
Mind you, I don't care, I won't be there
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