Finally Friday's at the Gibson

The smart thing to do on Friday would have been to stay home and get some rest. Instead, I joined a couple of friends at the first Gibson Rooftop party. The evening started out slow at The Flyer Saucer. I've made a pact with myself that when at the Saucer, I will only drink the fire sale brews. Saving a couple of bucks a drink isn't a bad thing...right?

That being said, I had a few Abita Purple Haze's to start out the evening, then ventured to Beale Street where I proceeded to have a "Big Ass Beer." I hadn't been out on Beale in about a month, so I noticed a few places that hadn't been there. Coyote Ugly has opened near the New Daisy. It looked like a good time, but it was too early in the night to watch the staff dancing on the bar. Plus, I've already been to the Coyote Ugly in New Orleans. I'm sure its the same here. I also noticed the police museum is now a pool hall. Not a surprise...I often wondered how the museum was able to stay open.

After a quick stroll down Beale, we made our way to the Gibson Guitar Factory. It didn't look that busy, but it was still early. We paid the $10 cover and the girl working the door told us we would like it upstairs. A good thing..right? We get to the top and notice that we are one of 20-30 people in attendance. As 2 to 3 people would arrive, 3 to 4 would leave. If there was anything positive about the attendance, it was probably a 2.5:1 female to male ratio. This ratio worked well for my buddies. Being a taken man, I assumed the wing man role to support my friends.

I left disappointed. Sure this was the first event, but this could have been so much better. The entertainment was okay, DJ Tree played some fun tunes, but the lack of attendees kind of ruined the atmosphere. Another thing that was missing was a live band. To me, this was a natural, especially since the event was at the Gibson Guitar Factory.

I blame the lack of attendance on poor marketing. From what I could assertain, the media mix included local print and radio spots on The Buzz. No problems with the print. I question the choice of The Buzz. The station is already partnered with the largest (in attendance) rooftop party in the city at the Peabody. The station has been pushing its listeners to head downtown on Thursday nights for years and the loyal listeners have followed. They have been told that the Peabody rooftop is the best, why should they now go to the Gibson. Word of mouth or viral e-mail campaigns seem to be the next natural fit. Other events may have contributed to poor attendance as well. The market had 2 concerts that night that could have pulled people away, but Beale Street was plenty packed when I headed home.

I'm not writing the Gibson rooftop off. I'm sure they will get better with an improved marketing plan and entertainment. 3-6 Mafia is supposed to be there on July 7 along with the usual entertainment. Maybe they will get smart and book a live band or two, along with the DJ.