New Year, New Look, New Direction(s)

2007

Well, 2007 was a decisive year for Venga.

After its conception in September 2006, we would like to think we have made good progress - and have pushed on at every opportunity

-Home-

We made a decision when we began our events at Fusion, to "not hold back" and bookings from established DJs such as Micky Slim, Jon Carter, Richard Dinsdale, aswell as exclusive up and coming DJs names such as Will Bailey, Kate Lawler, Ed Kane, HiJack, Jus' Phil, Rebekah proved that mantra

For each and every DJ we featured, it was a Burnley debut - and therefore we would like to think that if it hasnt always been 100% successful we have at least given it our all, and (along with other nights) established a firm bedrock for this type of night in Burnley - on which everyone can build.

A Big Thanks must go out to Fusion, without whom this would not be possible. They have proved great hosts - and long may this continue.

The first Venga @ Fusion took place on 17th February 2007 - and our intentions were made clear when a little known WILL BAILEY gave us the sensational opening we required.

-Away-

They say never forget where you came from... well We don't.

In September 2006 we were invited by 2Kinky to host their downstairs "Cavern" Room. It was an invitation we duly accepted.

This would prove to be the BIRTH of the Venga brand.

Two successful journeys ensued, which proved that we were capable of not only doing the business behind the decks, but also had the elements required to get a decent team of clubbers together for our roadtrips.

A Chance series of calls and meetings then followed - which gave us the opportunity, and indeed PRIVILEGE of hosting Sankeys Boutique. This was a real turning point, something you really do aspire to. The date was set for 13th January 2007.

Obviously since then many trips have followed, which may have "normalised" it a bit, but in late 2006 this had NEVER been done before by a Burnley brand - moreover not many DJs from Burnley had EVER found themselves behind any decks in Sankeys. I hope that puts it in perspective a little what an achievement that was.

103 people joined us that night from Burnley - Probably in the top 2 highlights of it all for me so far.

....and the rest they say is History!

Midway through the year also, we joined the Glitz crew in Ibiza to assist them in their Eden exploits. Again, an absolute honour to play on ANY DECKS, ANY WHERE in Ibiza. Amazing stuff.

-Highlights-

There are a few, but the top three for us are:

3. Monseur Jon Carter - WOW, this man is a legend. First, his driver doesnt show so he makes his way up to Manchester by train and I went to collect him, was a great crack on the way over to Burnley... He checked into the hotel at about 8pm then was raring to go, wondering where he could start the party off! He arrived at the club early and made the time to talk to everyone that cared to natter to him. when it was time for him to make his big entrance behind the decks BOY did he do so. My favourite set of the year followed, and he left everyone (including me) eating out of the palm of his hand on that dancefloor. A real masterclass on how it should be done. Then me and him went back to back at the afterparty (another honour) and then it was on to Barry Street! Imagine world renowned DJ Jon Carter just chilling out with us having a laugh until 2pm the next day. An all round charming man and top DJ. HE WILL BE BACK!

2. Saturday 13th January 2007 : Sankeys Trip This was very much our busiest trip to date - and with the exception of our last one probably the most enjoyable. There was a humongous turnout, and the themes were going strong. There was a random object competition theme, suggested by Lynsey - so everyone took part. We couldnt have imagined it would go so well. (I am running out of superlatives now!)

1. Saturday 21st April 2007 : 23:34 - This is only 34 Minutes following the clubs doors opening, and already there are 250+ people inside, the majority of which are on the dancefloor. We had circulated the news, and indeed STRESSED that Kate Lawler would start at 12:00. It seems the message stuck in, and people arrived early in their droves. Me and Paul made our way right into the middle of the dancefloor - for the start of Kates set... and BOOM, she blew everyone away - remarkable stuff. It was the busiest I had seen the dancefloor so early so that was a highlight.

-Lowlights-

It would be biased of me not to mention the lowpoints, as there has been a few

It was, and still is related to how many people we get through the door.

Much has been said about promotion techniques, and why some nights are more successful than others. The truth is, theres no quick fix - no magical techniques that will give you 500 screaming ravers, no rent-a-crowds, no blueprint for success

It is unfortunately, a game of trial and error, the key is getting more right than you do wrong

Me and Paul have lost some amount of money getting Venga to where we are now. It would be crude of me to mention numbers, and yes maybe there are things we could have done better - and yes maybe we lacked in some areas, however when you lose your own money - its a pretty good stimulus for not making those same mistakes again!

Bottom line, we are still on a learning curve - the curve has not been broken so in my opinion we are still rising... and we will still be rising into 2008.

Which brings me nicely on to my next part

-The Future-

Big decisions have been made in Camp Venga. These revolve mainly around the frequency of our events (how often they occur).

It was concluded, that in order to continuously give 100% effort to 100% of the promotional avenues we have available it is important to have a good amount of time in beteen events.

Therefore, we have set speculative dates now already for the rest of the year, which - if we stick to them - will see us promoting events with ample spacing between the last

This has also left us wanting to get things set in concrete for these events, in order that we can plan correctly.

Which brings me onto the news pieces I have been DYING to blurt out

-New Direction(s)-

After several meetings, myself and Paul concluded that if we can get a good spread of Lancashire with reputable venues, we will be in a very strong position for the year.

Our blagging techniques were very much put to the test, and heres the result

BURNLEY - Our crucial cornerstone venue is Fusion. We will continue to operate events at Fusion for the new year. These will be limited to only 3 or 4 main room Saturday nights of the year. We need to get that X-Factor back that was lost when we were putting on events every month.

This will be padded out with back room appearances at Fusion's top nights. Retro, Trance Classics and other nights which at this stage remain undisclosed. The first of these is Saturday 26th January - Fusion Re-Opening with Retro

MANCHESTER - We still consider Sankeys to be Manchesters Number 1 Dance music venue, and we are delighted to be associated with them into 2008. We have struck a deal which will mean we will appear 4 times over the course of 2008. This is a quarterly deal. So January, then April, then so on.

PRESTON - This is brand spanking new news for 2008, weve kept this one very much close to our chests. However we can now reveal that we have done a deal to appear 3 times at 53 Degrees through the course of the year. It would have been 4, but the club closes from May-September as the students break up. These will be solely Venga events, not in co-promotion with anyone else.

We are absolutely ecstatic to be associated with such a prestigious Club.

Our Debut there is Saturday 26th April 2008. Lineup To Be Confirmed. The VengaBus will be most definately "coming" for this one.

-New Look-

As you can see with the header and footer, Venga now has a brand new look.

We felt that 2008 deserved a fresh appearance, and we now would like to make the brand more accessable, whilst keeping it at the forefront of music. The new decor is ordered, and look out for that back room on 26th January - we are gonna go to town on it!

The little character you see there is a new creation, he will join us on our merry travels - and will be a main theme through our artwork.

I think he has had a 2BR already?!

As yet, he is un-named. We are opening this up to suggestion, so the BEST NAME WINS GUESTLIST AT 2 VENGA EVENTS OF THEIR CHOOSING

My suggestion was - Vengaball or Darth Venga

-...And Finally-

It wouldn't be right to finish without mentioning the most important people of all. I think it has been a life changing year for everyone who now regularly graces the dancefloor at Fusion

The huge majority of "US" met late 2006, so its hard to think that in just a year we all know each other so well.

It has been fantastic getting to know new, like minded people in the area, which to be honest I didnt think existed. We used to frequent Sankeys more than we did XS, so to now have a "team" of 50 or so people that we all call friends is just unbelievable.

I think we all accept that most of these people will be good friends for a long time to come - maybe even friends for life

Big Shout out to what has made 2007 special... Hufling Lane, UTI After Parties, The Isa Bar, Pete From Isa Bar, Kev & Ticker, dontstayin.com Ignite for giving us something to laugh at, Phil the Coach driver, Gary Marto at 2Kinky, Them Blue Pills, Perscriptions in General, Sankeys, Magners Irish Cider, Ibiza, Jon Carter, Deadmau5, Google Images, The Warehouse Project, Youtube, Ricky Gervais, Calvin Harris....AND ALL THE NEW FRIENDS WE NOW HAVE....

Please feel free to add to that list.

LIAM