We asked six promoters how to start a successful party in Ibiza

Have you ever been to a rave at Amnesia, Pacha or Privilege and thought, “I can do better than this”? Right now, Ibiza is rammed with hundreds of young newbie promoters who reckon just that. The truth is, of course, that nailing an illusive superclub residency takes years of hard work. But that’s not to say it can’t be done.

We asked six top promoters with decades’ worth of White Isle experience how they worked their way up the industry ladder. When it comes to booking DJs, creating concepts, building brands, dealing with new legislative proposals, implementing social media strategies and networking, these are the people you should be listening to if you want to start your own party in Ibiza.

I started promoting student events in Leeds back in 2002. I think the worst thing that ever happened to me was that I made money on the first three shows I ever did! Then I got my student loan in, staged a party during Freshers’ Week and lost the lot on one party. I was probably being cocky, going up against other big promoters that had worked in the city for years. But I didn’t think about that at the time. I just thought, “okay, I’ve got some money, I’m going to book all my favourite DJs and I’m going to smash it.” Instead, I woke up the next day with no student loan, knowing that I would have to get a full-time job, even though I was studying full-time at uni. But I looked at it as a learning experience. After that, it was at least 18 months of little losses or break evens until I started making a profit.

Ibiza is a great place to start your journey as a promoter. For five months straight, every artist, agent, manager and journalist worth their salt will visit the island at some point. And there are parties every night of the week rather than just at the weekend. If you are there, if you are enthusiastic, if you have ideas, something will happen.

Be sure to tap in to the worker base. If you’re selling tickets, you can always say to people, “make sure you pop down to this bar beforehand.” You’re not going to be able to charge entry for bar parties, but you might be able to negotiate a drinks offer with the owner. But even so, thinking back to when I first started, it wasn’t about the money; my primary concern was looking for somewhere to hold a party. If you’re approaching this purely from a financial perspective you’re probably not going into it with the right frame of mind. If you’re going into it because you love music and you want to put a party on for your friends then you’ll have more success. So come up with a brand, speak to people, pack out a shitty little 50-capacity bar in the West End, then people at the larger bar across the street that holds 150 people will hear about what you’re doing and offer you a spot. That’s when things really start to snowball.

I came out to Ibiza in 2013 with ambitions of becoming a DJ. There was a place called Viva in the West End that really suited my music. Every time I played there all my friends would come along and support me, which made it look like I had a bit of a following. I started DJing more and more. Then the manager asked me to return the following summer to run events. That’s how things started. There’s so little money at the bottom end of the DJ world that I literally had to start throwing parties to survive.

When I went back in 2014, I was very ambitious and did everything I could to make it work. We did a really good job and in 2016 we got hold of the main room at Eden. When it comes to booking DJs there, we always try to find people who are ahead of their time. Some DJs are obviously a little bit in front of what’s going on in the West End and you just know they’re going to grow into bigger venues. DJs like Will Taylor at Abode, for instance. I could see right away that he was really talented and destined for big things. Spot those kinds of DJs early on in their career and they’ll look after you further down the road.

And don’t forget social media; it’s absolutely paramount. You can put posters up and hand out flyers, but social media is more immersive. People can’t interact with posters and flyers. A FaceBook post, on the other hand, can be liked, shared and tagged.

I don’t think you can just decide, “right, today I’m going to be a promoter.” Instead, it’s more of a development. You might find yourself in a club one day; you’ve invited all your friends, one of your mates is DJing and you know the venue owner. That’s when you suddenly realise: you can throw the party yourself.

It’s often a good idea to develop these things in the UK, before coming over to Ibiza to implement everything you’ve learned on a much bigger scale. Take a year to prepare and make a plan. You need to know concisely what you are going to do. Then get to the island in early May at the very latest. You have to be settled, you need accommodation. Then there are the legalities – NIE numbers and things like that. It’s essential to get your base sorted in May. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to go out and meet everyone you can; bar owners, venue managers, fellow workers who will support whatever it is you’re going to do. If you’re partying at one of the big superclubs and you find yourself standing next to the promoter, make sure you introduce yourself and shake his hand. Get to know the DJs, the other promoters. This is how you build a network around you, people you can say hello to or call upon if you need advice. Once you’ve created that base, it’s time to start throwing free parties in small backrooms. If you’re able to move people through the door, one of the smaller superclubs like Eden or Es Paradis will definitely want you.

I also think social media is essential. You can grow a brand so quickly nowadays. In the beginning, we were reliant on print media, posters, flyers, word of mouth, bodies on the street. But that can be quite expensive and it’s also illegal now in certain parts of the island. It’s much easier to reach people online and you can be more reactive. You can control your market and your marketing to a much greater extent without having to plan so far ahead in terms of printing posters and distributing them around the island.

The thing with Ibiza is, if you’re going to try to get into a superclub straight off the bat, all I would say is: money talks. You need to make sure your concept is fresh and be realistic with who you book. I’ve seen new promoters come out here like a firework and in two weeks they are gone, 50k out of pocket.

I think it’s more realistic for young party promoters to score a slot at one of the bar venues. There are so many spaces in San Antonio where you can hold small parties, either that or a boat party. When you approach these venues, always ask to speak to the manager. I think you have to be a bit cheeky and upfront; let these people know what you can bring to the table. They have bills to pay like everyone else. You’re going to hear the word “no” quite a lot at first. And it’s a pain in the arse. But just keep at it! Hard work counts for a lot. People who are organised and willing to work hard tend to rise through the ranks in Ibiza.

When it comes to booking DJs, obviously SoundCloud is an easy way to listen to music. But a lot of people who work for me are people I’ve heard playing in clubs. There are a lot of DJs out there who are keen, but you really need to go and see them perform because online mixes can be misleading.

In terms of promotion, social media is huge. It is the easiest way to reach people; you just have to put the time in. But you still can’t beat getting out on the ground in Ibiza with your promo material. Networking is also huge. You need to have good ideas, but you also need people to hear those ideas. Always take everyone’s number. That is something I was told once and I’ve always stuck to that.

If I sat down and I booked the artists I wanted to book to suit my musical taste, I don’t think anyone would turn up! They’d be amazing names to me; a mix of old and new talent, but the people that come to Ibiza just wouldn’t know who they were. As a promoter, right from the outset, you have to make the decision, either to run with your heart or to run with your head.

When it comes to hosting your party, you should be able to find somewhere in the West End or maybe a bar like Itaca. But I would recommend hitting the best venue you can at that point. Why not walk into Café Mambo and ask if you can do something there or in the backroom at Savannah? Think outside of the box. A lot of newbies resign themselves to the West End, but I think there are other places as well. There’s Santos and the beach hotels in Playa d’en Bossa. Don’t just assume these venues are out of your reach. If you’re doing a club night back home and you think you can bring your 500-strong crowd to Ibiza on any given weekend during the summer, why not work out a way to bring them over?

It’s also very important for promoters to live in Ibiza all year round. Ibiza is not somewhere you can dip in and out of, although people think they can. You need to lay down your roots, immerse yourself in the scene. Otherwise you’ll end up getting ripped off when it comes to getting t-shirts, flyers and banners manufactured. These kinds of connections are made in the winter. I’m already discussing new events and projects now, in June. These will be finalised at ADE in October. By Christmas, our plans for 2018 will be wrapped up. People that come out to the island in May with the idea of being a promoter really need to think about it a little bit harder.

One of the more traditional ways to start out in the industry is as a street PR for one of the small businesses in San Antonio. Loads of top DJs and promoters have started out that way. But don’t forget you can also apply for a job at one of the bigger clubs. Check out the Facebook workers groups to find out when the recruitment days are scheduled. If you get the job, you’ll instantly start moving in circles you haven’t had access to before. Eventually, you’ll get to meet the promoter who owns the brand you’re selling tickets for. Now you have a chance to make an impression on someone who already has a slot at one of Ibiza’s biggest superclubs.

But if you really want to start your own party, rather than just helping out at an established event, you need go into all the bars that interest you and maybe even some of the ones that don’t. Speak to the manager. Show them what you have to offer. Eventually someone will give you a slot. Now it’s your chance to start spreading the word – and a big way to spread party news in Ibiza is to catch the attention of the workers. The worker crews are so influential. Wherever the workers go, their tourist customers usually follow. They move like a wave, going to whatever happens to be hot. It doesn’t even have to be a massive event, but they’ll soon turn it into one.

If you don’t have a massive budget, book the local DJ the rest of the workers are talking about. At that level, you need DJs who are going to bring their friends with them. Now you have your audience through the door, it’s up to you to turn them into long-term fans. You want them to leave thinking, “wow, what was that!” Then, in-between events, keep engaging your market, maintaining their interest via social media.

Johnny Lee is Mixmag's Ibiza correspondent