LAS VEGAS GUESTLIST - FREE SERVICE
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So, you're coming out to Vegas, and you want to go clubbing? When you think of the Vegas chaos, you think of massive pool parties and world-class nightclubs. If you landed on this page, then you're probably thinking about getting on a Guest List at one of the Vegas venues on the menu. Well, you’ve come to the right place; we can definitely assist you. In my Ultimate Guide to Las Vegas Guest Lists, we go over every detail you need to know.
But before we begin, just so you know I'm credible, my name is Brian Pfeiffer and I am the owner of Surrealnightlife.com and several other websites. I have been In the industry for over 20 years. I started in Chicago and moved to Vegas in February of 2013 to help open Hakkasan Nightclub. From there, I started as the promotions manager in charge of thirty Guest List promoters at Hakkasan and Wet Republic. I know the system and all the tricks of the trade. These days, I focus more on Bottle Service and packages; however, we have a connection for every Guest List at every venue in the City as well.
How Does the Guest List Work in Las Vegas?
Some people come to Las Vegas and have a fantasy that being on the Guest List is for a VIP (Very Important Person). They assume that getting on a list might include free entry and potentially free drinks, and in some cases, that might be true. But to truly understand how the club list system works, you need to know what's going on behind the scenes. Over the years, we have focused more on Bottle Service and shied away from the list due in part to many disappointing situations and issues that customers encounter. When I was a promotion manager, I saw some of the tactics these clubs use to maximize their revenue, and it was frustrating. In this A to Z guide, I want to show you The Good, The Bad and The Ugly when it comes to the list and let you decide if it's the right option for you.
By definition, the list is just that, a list of people who have been invited to the club by a promoter. Before we dig deep, I want to clarify six different ways you can get into one of these clubs.
Paying a minimum spend to reserve real estate in the club which also includes VIP entry.
The majority of people get put on the list the weekend they're in town or the day of the event they're trying to attend. Some of the ways you can get put on the list is via a website like mine, or you get referred to a promoter, or you happen to meet a promoter on The Strip. The list will either get you free entry into the club, a reduced cover, and in some cases for the ladies, some free drinks. For some of the older clubs, they have to offer incentives to get people to attend.
Why Clubs Offer a List?
Most of the clubs in Las Vegas are considered Mega-Clubs and require a lot of people to make them look busy. As I mentioned above, there are six ways to get into the club, and all the systems are a little different and designed to help get people in the door. The Guest List is one of the primary ways to fill the room with mostly tourists from the Las Vega Strip. Each club has a team of promoters who are typically assigned to promote areas of The Strip. The entire focus of a promoter's job is to convince the potential customer to come to that nightclub and in return, the promoter makes a small commission per person. Without a Guest List, most of the venues would seem quite empty. In many cases, the guest list can bring in 50% or more of the people.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
The Good
The advantage of a Guest List is that you can get entry into the club for free or a reduced cover. There are also a handful of venues, like Marquee and Tao, that offer ladies free drinks for specific hours. Indeed, there's nothing better than getting into a club without paying any cover. Also, the majority of promoters in Las Vegas are professional and helpful when it comes to giving you instructions on what to do and what time to arrive. It’s a great filler crowd for the venue to have a strong showing on the list. Without the extra people, there wouldn't be much of a party. The clubs will still make money off people spending dollars at the bar. Back in my Chicago days, the average spend per person was around $20. In Las Vegas, with the high drink prices, it's closer $40.
The Bad
The bad part about the Guest List are the long waits. Nobody wants to pay the full cover charge, so it's relatively easy to get on a Guest List which makes the demand incredibly high. When you have 1500 people all trying to come in through one entrance, and all a customer has to do is check-in with a list girl to confirm they are on the list, you can expect quite a delay. The list wait times is no joke in Las Vegas. We've heard horror stories of 3 and 4 hour waits but I have never waited more than 15 minutes to get into any club. I cannot imagine what it must be like to wait on-line for hours. That’s a lot of valuable time wasted! Keep in mind, for big events with artists like Tiesto, Migos, Calvin Harris, Meek Mill and The Chainsmokers, they are in high demand and have a huge following so there may not be a Guest List on those massive artist nights.
The next option would be to buy tickets, and as you would expect on nights with high demand artists, they sell a lot of tickets and the line is incredibly long for those as well. The best thing to do would be to pay the extra money for expedited entry tickets or even better, consider our VIP Entry or Bottle Service. In Vegas, it's kind of a "get what you pay for” scenario.
The Ugly
On some nights, the clubs want people from the Guest List to help fill the venue, but on other nights when they sell enough tickets and have a high demand artist, they only use the list to fill in the gaps in the room. Let me give you an example of how this works and how it used to bother me. Say you have a larger-than-life DJ like Calvin Harris and the club decides to have a Guest List for ladies for free and guys reduced. The promoters work their tail off all day filling up the list with all kinds of people since just about everybody in town wants to check out Calvin Harris. On the night of, some 2,000 people show up for the Guest List and now you have an enormous line that stretches for miles! Do you think all these people are going to get in? The answer is a big NO.
Let me explain the shenanigans taking place behind the scenes. The club probably has a capacity of 4000 people, they sold 2500 tickets and about 1000 people will come in on the tables for Bottle Service. They have to save space for those 3500 people who already paid for tickets and have Bottle Service reservations. That only leaves room for about 500 people on the Guest List to come in between 10 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. Are you seeing the problem? The club only needed 500 people to hit their numbers, but now 2000 people are standing in line thinking they are getting in for free or at a reduced cover. WAKE UP CALL, the club is going to slow down the line and only let in about 500 to 700 people. So, all you people thinking you're getting a deal, are going to wait multiple hours and then once 1:00 a.m. rolls around and the Guest List ends, they'll start letting you in quicker for a high cover charge. CHA-CHING FOR THE CLUB!!
We call this “maximizing revenue” in the club business. You've already wasted 2-3 hours of your night standing in line, so you might as well just pay the damn cover and go in and have a drink. I know firsthand this is how it goes because I was a promotion manager and I used to get paid on the numbers we would generate from the list. I distinctly remember getting chewed out for not hitting our numbers on many big DJ nights, and I would wonder how it was possible that we didn't hit our numbers when the line was 2 miles long.
This is how the ball bounces in Las Vegas on high demand nights. For a better experience, I highly recommend you buy tickets, use expedited entry, or consider one of our services.
How Do You Get on the Guest List?
Getting on the list is extremely easy, all you have to do is click on the club you're interested in, submit their form and it will automatically connect you to a promoter. One caveat we'd like to mention is that in no way, shape or form do we get compensated for making the connection to the promoter. Whatever happens between you and the promoter, the nightclub, and the list, is not a reflection of my company; we are only doing this as a favor in appreciation for visiting a website.
What is a Free Guest List?
The FREE Guest List is relatively simple, it doesn't cost any money to get on the Guest List. If someone is charging you to get on the list, they are ripping you off. Charging for a free list will highly jeopardize a promoter's relationship with the venue, and in many cases, is it considered stealing.
DO NOT PAY TO GET ON ANY LISTS
Just because it's free to get on the Guest List, does not mean the club may not charge you at the door, that's an entirely different story, as mentioned above in the Good, Bad and Ugly Section.
Does the Guest List Cost Money?
Again, it’s free to get on the list but if someone is charging for submission, they are simply ripping you off.
What Time Should I Arrive at the Venue?
Every event is different based on the demand and the artist. Your professional promoter will know the answer to this question based on variable circumstances but we recommend as early as possible!
What's the Difference Between Guest List and VIP entry?
Getting on the list for no cover or a reduced cover will get you entry through the Guest List line. As previously mentioned, that line could be extremely long and slow. VIP Entry is a paid service where you agree to a fee to get walked in, usually through the table area.
What's the Difference Between Guest List and Tickets?
Tickets are usually bought in advance and will take precedence over people on the Guest List. By law, the club has to leave room for all paying ticket holders if capacity were to become an issue. The clubs would much rather sell tickets and have that money in the bank in advance of the event; therefore, ticket holders will get precedence over people on the Guest List.
What's the Difference Between Guest List and Expedited Entry?
At most clubs, there are two forms of expedited entry. One purchased via the ticket link in advance, and there's usually a separate line to bring expedited ticket holders in quickly. Also, several clubs offer an expedited general admission area for people who are willing to pay a premium to bypass the lines and get in quickly. There's usually a heavy surcharge to pay on the spot for expedited entry, but it beats waiting in a ridiculously long line. An example would be if the cover for males is $40, on the spot expedited entry would be $80.
How Do Promoters Get Paid?
Promoter pay is relatively straightforward; most of them get a low hourly rate or small salary. They also get a commission based on the number of people they bring in. Many of the clubs will pay more for women than they will for men, and some events, they will not pay for men at all. A typical promoter payout might be $5 per girl and $3 per guy. These payoffs can change based on the artist and the demand for the evening.
Stealing from a Promoter
Having worked as a promotion manager, I know all the tricks of the trade. I've seen it so many times where a group of guys are on the list, but they need to have an even ratio of ladies to men. To get in for free, reduced or to get in at all, some clubs, on some nights, require an even ratio. So, they play this trick where they troll the casino for women to bring back to the club. In other words, they use these women to get the benefits of the list. Unfortunately, guys, more than likely those girls are already on some promoters list.
A promoter has already talked to them and worked hard to get them to come to the club and by you trying to recruit them, you are taking money out of someone's pocket. Essentially, this is stealing from that promoter! If security catches you in a recruit pursuit in the casino, more than likely they are going to kick you out and you might not get the chance to go to that club. If you're a group of guys and the list is free or reduced with even ratio, and you don't have any ladies, then you need to buy tickets. PLEASE, do not steal from a hard-working promoter.
Is there a Dress Code?
All pools and clubs have a dress code in Las Vegas, and if you don't follow it, you will be turned away. You will then waste time returning to your room to change. We’ve written an Ultimate Guide to the Las Vegas Dress Code; just click here to learn more.
What about Holidays/Fight Weekends?
Holidays and fight weekends can be tricky, especially at the more popular EDM and Hip-Hop Clubs. Many of the high demand places eliminate the Guest List so you will have to buy tickets, get a table, or pay the crazy cover price via general admission. Even on big weekends, the mid-level clubs still need help filling the room, so usually you can find some free list at the deal clubs.
Where Do I Go to Get in the List Line?
Every club and pool has a different setup, but that setup will change depending on the artist on certain events. The best thing to do is look for signage or ask a security guard or your promoter and they will tell you exactly where to go.
Pre-Gaming and Respect
Keep in mind the workers at the club are working in a high-pressure environment, so being respectful is important. We have seen it on many occasions where people pregame in the room or come to a club after a long day at the pool and they are intoxicated. The club reserves the right not to let anybody in who has been over-served and trust us, they will not let you in. Like all clubs in Vegas, there is a security checkpoint and you will have to empty your pockets and get scanned by a metal detector. Use common sense and you will be fine.
Do I have to Be Good Looking for the Guest List?
There have been situations in Vegas that have made national headlines where promoters were asking for pictures before they would put guests on the list. After some legal issues and discrimination lawsuits, the clubs have loosened up the quality of crowd restrictions. That's not to say there's still not some funny business going on behind the scenes. Most of the promoters who work for these clubs know if they bring in bad quality people, they will not get paid for them, not to mention they will get yelled at and potentially fired if the quality of the crowd is not good.
Even though it's not advertised that you have to be good-looking to get on the Guest List doesn't mean there aren't some underlying issues going on behind the scenes. If the quality of the crowd is less than desirable, the promoter has no incentive to put you on the list. On certain high-demand events, you'll find clubs that are only interested in listing attractive women because they know they will sell enough tickets and Bottle Service to fill the club without any list. If you're in doubt, I would highly recommend buying tickets. By law there's absolutely no way they can deny you a ticket.
The Final Word
Hopefully, we have answered all your questions about the list. With over seven years in Vegas and running a promotional team of over 30 people at Hakkasan and Wet, I pretty much have seen and heard it all. The promoter who is putting you on the list works hard for a living, and it’s not an easy job. I would encourage you to deliver on your promises, if you say you're going to be somewhere, then please show up.
If you would like a quote for a package, VIP Entry or Bottle Service, please fill out our form.
Call or Text 702-550-2566 for Guest List or Reserve Online On The Main Surreal Night Life Page for The Night Club, Day Club, Strip Club, or male strip club you choose. Some clubs with big DJs will not have a guest list and we strongly encourage getting tickets through us there also may be a long wait for guest list and capacity issues, we do not have control over these circumstances.
