Making a deal? Join the club

THINK gentlemen’s club and you immediately conjure up an image of a smoke-filled, oak-panelled room filled with greying, be-suited captains of industry.

Not the sort of place you’d expect today’s thrusting young entrepreneurs to frequent.

Which is why the Capital’s newest, and biggest, nightclub has established a private members’ lounge as part of its multi-million pound push into Edinburgh’s expanding leisure market.

Due to open officially this evening, City occupies a vast 30,000sq ft site on Market Street, in the basement of the former Scotsman newspaper offices.

In addition to the £1.2 million members’ lounge, which is being billed as the first of its kind in the area, the venue offers a dance floor capable of accommodating 1500 revellers, upmarket restaurant and a sports bar.

City also marks the first move into Edinburgh by Castle Leisure Group, the Scottish pubs and clubs operator, which has ploughed some £4m into the overall venture.

The decision to create an exclusive area within the superclub follows a similar initiative at the firm’s City-branded complex in Perth, and Castle is hopeful of emulating its success here.

Barrie Brown, manager of the private members’ lounge, claims the latest breed of businessmen and women in their 20s and 30s have been looking for a vibrant yet exclusive environment in which to meet.

He says: "Edinburgh has been crying out for this type of fresh new approach. Gone are the days of stuffy gentlemen’s clubs. Today’s go-ahead business people want something different - somewhere contemporary, younger in outlook, yet at the same time comfortable, select and discreet."

He continues: "We piloted our ideas in Perth and found that the kudos of membership attracted a range of business backgrounds, from chauffeur to kilt-maker, footballer to engineer.

"However, City Edinburgh will be very different to anything that’s gone before."

Even before its formal launch, the members’ lounge has attracted interest from a number of well-known corporate names, including Gleneagles, champagne-maker Moet & Chandon and Cheynes, the city hairdressing chain.

The concept of somewhere select and discrete in which to develop contacts, discuss deals and generally press the flesh appears to have the backing of the local business community.

Richard O’Connor, a founding director of Ambergreen, the Edinburgh-based internet marketing firm, and the brains behind a new networking initiative called WeEntrepreneurs, says he is impressed with the look of City, and will "almost definitely do an event there" in the near future.

"It’s quite difficult to find suitable venues for WeEntrepreneurs. You can eat but afterwards you also need a space that you can go into and drink," he says.

"To date, we have used Beluga and the Opal Lounge because they offer a combination of restaurant and bar. When you have dozens of people and try to move them to a pub after eating in a restaurant you lose the momentum.

"Chatting to business people, I think there is a demand for a more modern gentlemen’s-type club - something away from the normal hard-core networking event."

Mr O’Connor believes most busy professionals are likely to congregate in the evenings over dinner and drinks, but is less certain about networking during daylight hours.

"Lunch can be more difficult if you’re trying to get a bunch of people together," he says. "During the day there will be a demand, but probably for smaller groups."

Tamlin Roberts, the founder and managing director of Leith-based web consultancy MercuryTide, is also making positive noises about the VIP-style lounge.

"Entrepreneurship is all about going out there and not only doing the business that needs to be done but actually enjoying what you’re doing at the same time.

"One of the problems with clubs and many pubs is that there isn’t an area where you can talk to someone quietly and get to the bar easily.

"It’s not something we’re trying to be snobby about - entrepreneurs are simply looking for somewhere they can do business in that’s a little bit more social."

After touring the new members’ club facility, Mr Roberts places City towards the top of the tree.

"From a design point of view there are probably even classier places," he says. "But they typically cost five times the price."

Another prospective member is Callum Macdonald, the 21-year-old founder of Edinburgh e-mail publishing specialist Crimson Cog. The young entrepreneur has yet to cast an eye over the venue personally, but describes it as an interesting idea, providing it can distance itself from the dowdy image associated with a traditional gentlemen’s club.

"It sounds useful as a meeting venue in which to impress clients," he adds.

Castle plans to cash in on City outwith clubbing hours by using it as a conference venue. The huge dance floor area could also be used as an extension to the adjoining sports bar for major rugby and football games, while the restaurant will offer "fine dining", with evening meals in the £30 to £40 range.

Despite fierce competition on a number of fronts, Castle’s joint managing director, Paul Smith, has high expectations for the firm’s first foray into the Lothian region.

"City will revolutionise the Capital’s entertainment scene," he boasts. "It will offer a unique blend of styles and environments in one location - something very different to the Capital’s existing bars, cafes and nightclubs.

"We have added many new features to our winning formula for the Edinburgh club, but one of the most important areas will be the private members’ lounge.

"Edinburgh is very similar to London in the sense that people are no longer interested in being members of the exclusive archaic gentlemen’s clubs. Their stuffy image has meant executives now look elsewhere, and the club environment is perfect. The lounge allows executives to meet in a relaxed, quiet atmosphere during the day, but will also give them an ideal vantage point to enjoy the evening’s entertainment."

Membership is likely to be capped at about 200.

Having successfully developed its business model in Perth, where Castle opened the first City venue a year ago this month, the company operates a "good neighbours policy", involving the cross- promotion of services between businesses, complimentary and concessionary tickets and special one-off events.

It has brought the group into partnerships with local retailers, hotels and tourist destinations.

Now, Castle is seeking to establish similar agreements with Edinburgh-based businesses and organisations to provide reciprocal benefits for staff and customers. Mr Smith says: "The partnership programme we want to establish in Edinburgh aims to provide a framework in which all related businesses can benefit from the City concept. Working with other businesses is part of the philosophy.

"Working with other local businesses ensures our longevity and relevance to the diverse nature of Scotland’s capital.

"It also means providing a service to our club members and our staff that goes beyond purely serving a drink."

Stirling-based Castle will be hoping for a favourable response to City Edinburgh from clubbers and entrepreneurs alike, after earmarking more than £13m for new venues across Scotland.

However, Mr Smith stresses his company is not in the numbers game.

That amount of cash could have bought 20 or so pubs, but, he adds, Castle decided "to take a different tack from the rest of the pack".

Ambitious move upmarket

AFTER more than 20 years in the licensed trade, Castle Leisure is firmly established as one of Scotland’s leading independent operators.

Founded in 1981 by brothers Paul and Stephen Smith, the firm employs some 550 staff in bars and clubs across the Central Belt, including venues in Falkirk, Perth and its home town of Stirling.

City Edinburgh, which hosts an official champagne opening this evening, forms part of an ambitious multi-million-pound expansion plan.

More than 170 jobs are set to be created at City, for which Castle has secured a seven-days-a-week 3am licence. Castle’s investment in the club is estimated to be about twice the average for a licensed leisure complex north of the Border.

A key element of the so-called "day-into-night" venue will be its exclusive private members’ lounge, pitched at the city’s young business people.

Castle claims its concept is different in that it centres around a separate private members lounge with no general access.

Membership clubs in Edinburgh have tended to be confined to Festival time, when a couple of the bigger venues host their own members-only lounges where the stars can relax away from the masses.