Club IT Competitive Advantage Strategy in Innovation
Student Name
BIS/219
January 9, 2012
Instructor

Club IT Competitive Advantage Strategy in Innovation
Music clubs and nighttime entertainment venues have been a mainstay for those that enjoyed nightlife activities for centuries. As with most other business enterprises of the past quarter century, information technology has been an integral part of attracting, servicing and maintaining an ever growing customer base who live in a digital age.

CLUBIT Innovation Strategy
In this age of mobile access of digital information, the nightclub environment can be one to indeed capitalize on recent technologies that enable the average consumer to enjoy, share and participate in entertainment activities in real-time. Digital services provided by a nightclub will provide the opportunities to the clientele to combine both a passion for night time entertainment and staying socially connected simultaneously. By offering “club connectivity”, patrons can participate in the nightclub scene in a more enhanced and safer way. By establishing a club membership program, information can be gathered on customers and used to cater to personal needs more. Though membership programs for nightclubs are not new, an innovation in how the information is used may provide better and more exciting services by CLUBIT.
Establishing a membership link on the CLUBIT website will allow potential customers to join any one of several membership levels remotely. Business travelers as well as vacationers often troll internet resources of destinations for night life entertainment. Information can be gathered in advance and used to customize and individualize the client experience. Reservations can be made for special events and band performances. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be used to join customer communities with similar interests. Information provided directly to the club or gleaned from chats and group followings on these sites will prove invaluable resources to be used for business strategy change and improvement. Recommendations and comments on customer experience and can be evaluated and used as analysis to increase customer satisfaction and patronage. Using birthday information of members can help establish a surprise birthday celebration for patrons to make them feel more of a family or community instead of a faceless customer. E-mail addresses can be used for advertisement of special events and CLUBIT information and ticket sales. E-mail addresses can also be used to establish a CLUBIT community for club night interaction with other patrons and the management.
Tables and booths can be identified electronically in an established database. Club membership cards could then be used along with credit, bank or ATM cards to order club merchandise, food and drinks without leaving the seat. Necessary information required would entail table numbers assigned digitally to the wait staff, security and management staff responsible for that area. These services and opportunities would promote CLUBIT’s business philosophy of customer satisfaction first. Personal information solicited from the clientele would greatly enhance the club’s ability to provide enhanced service and entertainment for the CLUBIT customer.
The supply chain for an innovative and fast-paced night club environment must be fluid and robust. Purchasing information and customer preferences can aid in effective and efficient restocking of club inventory including food, beverages and merchandise. Information gathered in real time through the member ID card ordering methodology can be used to track inventory levels and provide an opportunity to ensure that stocks are not depleted on extremely busy nights or during special events. This can be a problem for many other night club establishments who depend on manual monitoring and ordering. With this system, the ordering, serving and restocking processes are only as reliable as the individual responsible. Logistics information on supplier availability and delivery options can be shared immediately and provide for a faster and more efficient resupply operation.
Database information of other local nightclub establishments will aid in scheduling activities. Monitoring what events are taking place on certain nights will enable the CLUBIT management to maximize customer attraction by avoiding scheduling conflicts with concerts and band performances sponsored by competitors. Coordination with local radio stations and entertainment promoters through a shared information link can assist in the process as well.
Conclusion
Collecting and incorporating member personal information, social media reviews, supply chain and local event data will enable CLUBIT to maintain a competitive advantage over the traditional night club establishment. This information is an invaluable resource to assist in establishing a more effective innovation strategy.

Reference
Ranier, R., & Turban, E. (2008). Introduction to Information Systems (2nd ed.). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.