Why TwelvEighty club nights are no longer lit

By: Axel Stueckmann

McMaster Students Union Campus Events decided to reduce the number of TwelvEighty’s Thursday club nights until the end of the year. Under this new schedule, there are six dates left in the schedule for the semester: Feb. 2 and 16, March 2, 16 and 17 (St. Patrick’s Day) and April 6 (Light Up the Night).

TwelvEighty club nights used to be a staple cemented firmly in McMaster culture. With the decline of the bar’s quality over time and how few dates are left, I have serious doubts about its direction and its ability to live up to expectations. The TwelvEighty I remember begged the question of why not to go, rather than the current negative perceptions about it. It was an atmosphere that provided fun rather than insisting you create it yourself. There are a few key pitfalls that have turned the bar into the epitome of poor management, marketing and a failure to connect with a massive student body.

Aesthetics 

It is inconceivable to me that someone planned the rayless lighting system employed at this bar without the foresight to predict why and how it would be bad for the TwelvEighty experience. Numerous friends have had tense encounters with attempted drugging, creepy onlookers and unsolicited advances. Many people simply do not feel safe as the lack of light hides nefarious intentions and promotes inconspicuousness.

While the entire area is poorly lit, even seedier corners lined with black couches worsen the situation even more. It can also be petrifying to see the person you have been dancing with in actual light when they in no way resemble the image you held in your head.

Music

Who is the music at TwelvEigh-ty for? I undoubtedly have hearing loss from the loud blaring of some amateur DJ over the overly-powerful speakers. Play music people actually want to hear. While things like country nights and the annual Battle of the Bands event are good starts, TwelvEighty still needs to mix it up more from the EDM stereotypes. Every successful bar has a wide variety of musical tastes to cater to a large amount of people. TwelvEighty can easily work towards engaging more of the student population and their diverse music preferences.

Price

A few years ago, I pitched the idea of dollar beer night to a friend at the MSU. A year after that recommendation, Ora, an Italian kitchen and bar in Hess, coincidentally began to provide dollar beer nights. Why should I go to TwelvEighty instead?

Hamilton has a thriving nightclub and bar scene readily available with a bus drive. Until TwelvEighty provides experiences that are worth the price, it is simply too difficult to compete with cheaper or better alternatives. Instead of bartenders playing games on their phone in an empty bar, put them to work and have them pour some drinks. If every Thursday was just a bit cheaper, I guarantee that more students would go.

Promotion

No one likes the annoying, intrusive and often cringeworthy social media posts concocted by self-important club promoters, but people need to know that you exist.

TwelvEighty’s Facebook posts have an incredibly small amount of engagement.Unskillfully designed posters that litter an already-cluttered student center does not constitute a groundbreaking marketing strategy. Get the word out there that events are taking place, or no one will come.

It is easy to pick apart TwelvEighty’s downfall in retrospect, but I firmly believe these are all avoidable and fixable issues. If management has chosen to make changes you disagree with or remain complacent not fixing issues, voice your opinions.

If a few people strive to make change, we can all look forward to fun on campus comparable with the atmosphere found in other university towns.