The 10 Life Lessons Learned From Being A Party Promoter

One of the most random things to ever occur during my college career was becoming a party promoter. It was just one of those moments that I would have never expected to happen.

Prior to that, I had never really cared nor thought about being a party promoter. But sure enough, the day after throwing a successful 21st birthday party at a venue, I was asked to join the promo team. It really caught me off guard at first, but I decided to see what it was all about for the sake of a new experience. It turned out to be one of the most fun experiences of my life.

I've seen it all, from the good and the bad to the craziest moments, while working with the team. I've met some really good people whom I'm still cool with to this day, especially the ladies. I've seen the club at its highest moments and its lowest moments. But overall, I enjoyed the experience. You can really learn a thing or two working as a Party Promoter.

I've learned a couple of lessons that you can apply not only to party promoting, but also to your life and how to start up a business. Here are the ten life lessons that I learned from being a Party Promoter.

People will never be satisfied

No matter what you do, the customer will always have something to complain about. They will always try to give an "expert" opinion on a matter they hardly know anything about, or can even understand. Even when you're actually doing things properly, it’s likely the customer will try to find the smallest flaw and complain about it. Some people are only good for complaining.

Complainers like these would always have something to say about their experiences partying at our club. If it wasn't one thing, it was another: problems with the DJ, security, or people assuming that they were getting ripped off. In the beginning, the constant criticism would really annoy me.

But then a friend of mine, who was the head of the promo team, would always tell me not to worry about it too much; it's just how some people are. At the end of the day, some people just are never satisfied, no matter how much good you've done.

Always hear out what the critics have to say

Despite the frustration of complaints, it doesn't hurt to listen to feedback that can help better yourself or the situation that you're in. Whenever I was with my friends, I would ask from time to time for their opinions on what could be done to improve the club atmosphere.

With the good advice I would receive, I would run the ideas back to my friend and he was always down to implement some change. Also, the group would ask for feedback from followers and peers on Twitter. It's always good to listen to criticism in order to make necessary improvements and adjustments.

Always have a strong support system

Party promoting is a team effort, and in order for it be a successful effort, you have to surround your team with strong, smart individuals, people who bring ideas and insight to the table, and people who you know will always support your cause. This also applies to life and your career path. If you have a strong support system, whether it's your inner circle of friends or family, you're bound to accomplish anything.

Believe in yourself and your product

We all have goals and aspirations, but in order to be successful, we must set our minds to accomplishing the necessary tasks leading up to the final prize. Sure, we can put in all the work, but if we can't speak to our confidence, then how will we succeed? It's a tough road to travel on in order to reach that town called "success."

You'll run into speed bumps and blocks in the road that may hold you back, but you've got to believe in your product. My homie who is in charge of running the promo team truly believes in the club.

Each and everyday, I watch him putting in hard work to make sure that the turn out is exactly what it's supposed to be. He's passionate about his vision and I respect that about him. When you have that kind of passion, you're destined to accomplish whatever you set your mind to.

Always think outside the box

The club that the team promotes for would have a different theme every Saturday evening, whether it was for a holiday or for the sake of putting a good idea to use.

Honestly, it was tough because when you run through so many party ideas, you either tend to start recycling ideas without realizing it, or you begin to start running out. When the time comes to get creative and brainstorm, it's always best to think outside the box. Now what I mean by that is to attempt to come up with an idea that differs from the competition.

One of most important skills to have in life is the ability to outthink your opponent. When you have that ability to outthink your opponent, you possess the ability to outwork the competition.

Do what’s required and you won't have to worry

One of the problems that would always come up within the team was payment distribution. My friend and boss always made it clear to the group that we should keep the people updated about upcoming parties through pushing out flyers, flooding Twitter timelines, or simply letting people know through word of mouth.

Those who were working on the most consistent basis were rewarded with payment, while those who weren't really doing their jobs would complain about not getting paid. They always tried to make it seem as if our boss was the bad guy and he wasn't being honest about the payment system.

When it boils down to it, you have to ask yourself, "Am I doing what I'm supposed to be doing?" If you feel as though you're not receiving what you deserve, then maybe you’re the problem. Put in the work to get the reward.

Never judge a book by its cover

Never underestimate your competition, or your own capabilities. The club my team promoted for was literally located in the middle of the hood. Not only that, but also the environment would be infested with a lot of locals every Saturday evening. That was one of the few top criticisms the club received.

Despite complaints, the college crowd would always make their way to the parties and outnumber the locals. Not to mention, the club was only 15 minutes away from the college campus, which was convenient to those who might not have felt like driving all the way across town to party. The point I'm making is that even with the disadvantages, we still managed to draw a crowd every Saturday night.

Never say “never.” When you weigh the positives and negatives, you will discover that positivity always outweighs the negativity in life. Where there is a downfall, there is a solution.

Handle oneself accordingly

It is your responsibility to always be prepared for what may come. You can't let difficult situations get the best of you. Never let the competition see you sweat because that's when they will strike hard against you. Even when we were ahead of the competition, we had to deal with the difficulties as they came.

Some of the losses we endured we're crucial. However, we didn't have time to dwell on the negatives. When dealing with unexpected situations in life, the best thing to do is keep moving. It is no use in spending so much time figuring out why or how things went wrong.

Sometimes we have to just take our losses and move on in order to progress. Don’t dwell on mistakes; just learn the lesson and make sure you never make them again.

Some things aren't meant for everybody

One of the most important things I’ve learned throughout my life experiences is that some things aren't meant for everybody. For example, some people just aren't meant to go to college, and some just aren’t meant to become professional athletes. The same thing goes for party promoting. Promoting parties isn’t meant for everybody.

Becoming a party promoter in college is almost equivalent to joining a fraternity or sorority. After my junior year of college, I began to notice that everybody was becoming a party promoter. I noticed there were so many people promoting our club who I had never seen before in my life, and I would question how many people were actually official promoters on the team.

Even some people who weren't on the promotion team would promote the club, whether to show support or to host a birthday party. It was almost as if everybody was saying that it was so easy to promote a party. People have a huge misconception about promoting parties. They think it's so easy that anyone could do it.

Truth be told, it's not for everybody. It's not easy to draw attention to your club, in addition to the hard work and late nights that go into planning a successful party.

There's always room for improvement

Despite the ups and downs, growths and setbacks, there will always be room for improvement in your life. Always remember that even when you're on top, there’s always more to do in order to stay ahead of the competition. If you ever feel as if you're not where you're supposed to be at any given moment, at least you'll be thankful you're not where you started.

Photos Courtesy: Kirill Was Here, he is a legend so be sure to check out the rest of his legendary photos!