I was wondering if it would be possible to just rent vacant commercial space for about a week/a few days at a time, to have parties in.
Event security is no problem at all, but I’m concerned about insurance, for example, fires/breaking windows, etc.. if that happens, am I screwed? Should I have a lot of security so nothing happens, and opt out of insurance?
One lot I have in mind is an old bowling alley, would be fitted out with a sound system, lights, fog, lazers, the works.. Bar might be opened, serving non alcoholic beverages. Keep in mind this is a non-permanent thing, so i can throw a rave with an underground feel on the cheap
The only places I can think of is warehouses and stuff. But the bowling alley is decked out already with a bar area, bathrooms, lots of space (I could also do multiple “rooms” 1 for partying 1 for chilling) neon, and I could replace the light bulb fittings with blacklights, etc.
Anyone here have experience with this type of thing? Any advice about getting short term rent (as thats my main concern)
Thanks!
A lot of what you are asking depends on local laws.
With regards to insurance, again depending on local laws, if you have business liability insurance (every actively gigging DJ should), it should cover the venue. You just need an “additionally insured” rider prior to the event.
All other stuff with regards to zoning, beverages, permits etc. is going to based on local laws. Trying to get advice on the internet where the audience is from different locales is can be costly for you. I would suggest contact local governmental office to see what permits and requirements are for your area.
^this
DJTT may not be the place to ask this, considering if you follow what we say and get busted, you can’t get DJTT in jail. Call your cityhall, they will have more/better advice for you
im not really able to offer much help, but i can say that contacting city hall may not be the best idea, do you have a lawyer? find one to consult with would be my advice.
It depends on the commercial space you are renting. how many people does the building/space legally permit? You’ll need permits too. I know in certain cities like NY, you need a cabaret permit/license. Some municipalities will not allow this type of thing either simply due to the fact that they are not interested in the risk a cut and run business brings with it. I’m not saying you are, but put yourself in the cities AND building owners shoes…
Here’s some guy who wants to rent VERY short term, do his thing and take off. He won’t be putting down any roots, so comes in with no motivation to keep things on the up and up and be responsible. Perfect opportunity for a bad situation to arise.
Not all things will be all doom and gloom though. You could have lax municipal laws, and the owner could possibly give two shits what you do. Best advice anyone can give you is to make sure you have rock solid contracts signed with the venue owner. This prevents him from deciding to come in during a show, change his mind on what your doing, and shut everything down on the spot. The other part is to check into your local laws. Go down to city hall, find out about what permits you’ll need, if any, and get that taken care of.
The worst thing you can do is spend your hard earned money on presenting a night, and only have it, along with your reputation, taken away due to a lack of diligence on your own part.
Good luck! Trying to get proper zoning for anything like that in a warehouse or other commercial space is tough in a year for permanent usage. City code would require insurance to be filed, inspections for safety, and a bunch of other nuances. The cost would be far above what you could afford without a business loan. Getting one of those would require a business model and proper filings as a business. Insurance also requires you to be a business.
I have a bit of experience with this sort of thing.
What you want to do firstly it so setup an event management business.
This is to protect yourself from certain liabilities in case things go wrong.
It also gives you a bit of credibility instead of being some random guy.
You need to then research the local laws of where you are in regards to these things
If you plan to have alcohol available then you need to look into alcohol license/permits. Not having alcohol available makes things much much easier in a lot of cases.
Fire safety, you cannot just have a party in any commercial space. The space must have adequate fire safety “features”, “escape plans”, etc.
Zoned use. If you want to throw a party in an industrial warehouse for instance, some local laws may prevent you from doing so as the use of the building is not for such a purpose.
Insurance/professional liability. You can run a big risk if you don’t have this. A risk my friends often take, but I wouldn’t.
I think your idea of using an old bowling alley is a good idea. A place already established as a place where people are allowed to congregate and be entertained is much easier to sort out than a warehouse.
As most people have said, a lot of these things depends on where you are based.
what if it was going to be designated as a music venue (stage)? i know some local talent that could rap for a bit, and then i could mix some danceable music.
And as far as fire safety goes, if the warehouse was appropriately sized for the amount of people showing, and exits are marked, and we have exit routes marked with glow in the dark paint/tape (like lazer tag places), fire extinguishers, emergency lights, etc. would we be in the clear?
I don’t understand your first question regarding a music venue? If you booked a music venue then I presume it would make a lot of things easier for you depending on your local laws.
I have a friend who puts on a few gigs every year and often what we do is we hire out a local bar/club, pay the owner a fee for the place and then throw a party.
How we get away with negotiating this is that we throw these parties on sunday, on weekends where the monday is a public holiday. Sundays for some places are quiet and our fee + the income from increased bar sales is attractive for owners.
We claw back our costs by charging a door charge.
Fire safety is not something I want to give advice on. It is so complicated, you need to talk to an expert. I don’t mean a lawyer. You can probably ask a fire service company for advice, they may or may not charge you.
Even if you followed the law to the letter, you may still need to contract a fire service company to evaluate what you have done and issue you something which confirms that your efforts meet the local laws?
Again, this depends on where buddha131 is, but in the states, a company is the place you go to only after you’ve gotten the building coded by the fire marshal. Then the companies supply you with whatever the fire marshal has deemed necessary to install. Going to a fire safety supply store will most likely result in them trying to sell you loads of what will make it safe, but might not actually hit on what you legally NEED.
For the record, I’m no expert, but I did help a good friend run a club, and this was a building that he rented and brought up to code himself. Sounds similar to what you are trying to do, Buddha.
In the country where I am from, there are companies which provide fire inspection services.
They may or may not be in the business of selling fire safety equipment. However their primary purpose is in the inspection and compliance of a building to fire safety standards.
They often provide advice as well. Although usually they will charge for it.