With the 25th Anniversary of the Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show behind us, we can now fondly look back on what was a great show with quite possibly our strongest schedule of nighttime events ever. We hope you got a chance to rest up after the show floor and the conference sessions to attend our evening events and enjoy some of the biggest and best nightclubs on the planet.
It started inconspicously enough at three-month-old Vanity Nightclub at the Hard Rock Hotel, where hundreds of NCB attendees mixed and mingled with industry locals at the ‘Local Launch’ of Nightclub & Bar. With local celebrity spinster DJ 5ive on the turntables, the party got going quickly and didn’t let up. For the second year in a row, the Hard Rock Hotel helped launch what would be a frantic and fun week of festivities.
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The next night, the Light Group’s HAZE Nightclub took center stage at the brand new CityCenter complex. Billed as the Cocktails & Dreams 25th Anniversary Party, thousands of attendees came dressed in their best to join the celebration. The cutting-edge technology of HAZE was on full display as photos and magazine covers from Nightclub & Bar’s last 25 years flashed across the screen. Seattle spinster DJ Scene laid down an ’80s-heavy mash-up set that took attendees for a musical tour of the past quarter decade. As the club reached capacity, the lights dimmed and the music stopped as the bearded mug of superstar Justin Timberlake took over the high-definition screens. The former ‘N Sync star cracked some jokes before getting serious and wishing the NCB convention a happy anniversary and raising a glass of his 901 Tequila for a toast — all from the comfort of the “throne.” Immediately after, one of this year’s most talked about up-and-coming hip-hop artists, Jay Electronica, took the stage. With his first single “Exhibit C” getting airtime on everything from Sirius Radio to the local FM station, we couldn’t have been more excited to host Jay’s first-ever appearance on the West Coast. Jay dropped three tracks that had the room dancing and then handed the main stage back to DJ Scene. Thanks to Tito’s Handmade Vodka, 901 Tequila and Anheuser-Busch for keeping the bar flowing!
Tuesday night, XS Nightclub once again hosted the now legendary Top 100 party. After grabbing the top spot in the revenue-based list of the Top 100 nightclubs in the country as well as winning the titles of New Club of the Year and Mega Club of the Year, it was only natural that XS played host. The venue took center stage once again as attendees were floored by the club’s luxurious brillance. As representatives from the Top 100 clubs surrounded the dancefloor and filled the VIP tables, multi-platinum rapper Too Short grabbed the mic for an impromptu performance from inside Victor Drai’s owner’s table. After several live tracks, Too Short congratulated XS on its top spot on the list and challenged any nightclub in the world to go up against it. The pinnacle event of the convention lasted well into the wee hours of the morning. Thankfully, as more than one attendee noted, the convention floor didn’t open until noon the next day. Special thanks to the entire crew at XS Nightclub and to the ABSOLUT Vodka team, who hosted the sponsored bar with some delectable cocktails including new surprise hit, ABSOLUT BERRI AÇAÍ.
Last but certainly not least, TAO hosted the 10th annual installment of the DJ Spin-Off with a blow-out closing party packed with entertainment and talent. The night started with a dynamic performance from Canadian upstarts Keys N’ Krates before turning the DJ booth over to old-school master DJ Kid Capri. Capri dropped hit after hit and brought the energy through the roof. As celebrities, attendees and nightclub hounds piled into the room (Justin Timberlake, tennis superstar Venus Williams and reality TV’s Pauly D among them), Las Vegas locals Crystal Method took the stage and delivered a powerful and heavy house-music session that didn’t end until after 4 a.m. It was the perfect way to close out a busy and successful convention. Special thanks to the team at TAO, who helped make the event such a huge success and, of course, our sponsors 901 Silver Tequila, EFFEN Vodka and MillerCoors.
If you came home hurting or completely sleep-deprived, blame it on us — and we’ll consider our goals met! Until next year ….