The OnTrade Show Podcast - Berlinkys

The first show of the new podcast for the hospitality sector by the hospitality sector where we discuss the news , challenges and subjects effecting the industry across the uk as well as welcoming fantastic guests from venues , suppliers and brands from world class nightclubs to niche and emerging brands to stimulate discussion and debate.

In this episode Justin speaks to two of the amazing team behind Berlinkys in Glasgow.

Laura Smilie the Sales Manager and Lisa Kennedy  the choreographer chat about the venue , the importance of the "experience " dancing in the toilets and getting Justin into one of the show costumes for the OnTrade Awards 2026 .

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hello and welcome to the first On-Trade Show podcast coming from our new location and our fantasy news studios. The show itself, I'm going to be one of the hosts, Justin Wingatehead of OnTrade Magazine, and our new co-host will be joining us in one of the coming episodes. So that will be staying a secret for the moment, but it's somebody I'm sure you'll all really love and love hearing from. The show itself is about the hospitality industry by the hospitality industry to discuss all of the challenges, the news, encourage, debate, and inspire from all across the industry. And we're also going to be welcoming some fantastic guests onto the show to talk about their venues, to talk about their experience, and to talk about the industry as a whole and how we move it forward. Talking about outstanding guests, we have the amazing duo in the studio with us today of Laura and Lisa from the world-famous Berlinkeys in Glasgow. How are we doing, ladies?

SPEAKER_03 1:08

We're fine. Thank you very much for having us.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

Thank you for joining us on the first show.

SPEAKER_03 1:14

I know.

SPEAKER_01 1:15

As I said, this is going to be the calm one because as you still think that. Well, kind of. What am I doing in the battle? Exactly. No pressure. No pressure. But um obviously our other co-host who's remaining a bit of a secret at the moment. We'll also liven things up as I'm sure we as we go along. So you guys are the the entry for the game fixes, haven't we? If you want to put it that way, but I would I would just say more the the leaders.

SPEAKER_04 1:44

Okay. Leading the way this go with that. Leading the way. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

So just to kick off, well, probably one of the easiest ways to do that would be for those who aren't aware of Berlinkeys, obviously, which can't be many, let's be honest. Um, tell us about the venue.

SPEAKER_00 2:03

Where will we start?

SPEAKER_04 2:05

There's a lot to tell about Berlinkeys, and I think that's what makes it special and unique. Um, we're not just a straightforward bar, we're not just a restaurant, we're not just entertainment and live music where everything rolled into one on Suckey Hall Street. And I think Suckey Hall Street makes it even more special because it is a special street in Glasgow. It's a street that has history. Um, hospitality-wise, I think has deep-rooted hospitality that's coming back, and we're really proud to be part of that, and having something special that it's making it a location for people to come to Suckey Hall Street, and I'm really proud of that.

SPEAKER_01 2:42

Yeah. No, I mean, like you said, Suckey Hall Street has a long history um going back many, many years of iconic venues being in, you know, Suckey Hall Street is a destination um for nightclubs, bars, uh all manner of entertainment venues, um, which had been kind of lacking for for a period of time. It be to probably be fair, it became a bit of a student destination for student venues, which is a bad thing, but it became quite a sectioned area of the city. Would that be fair? You know, the kind of city kind of broke into Merchant City, the the city centre, and then Sucky Hall Street was more an out-of-the-way thought. Would that be fair?

SPEAKER_04 3:24

And people often say that we've not been up this part of Glasgow for ages, and and again, they've made their destination to come to Berlinkeys, which is great, and we're all about the development of Suckey Hall Street and not just development of the pavements and the roads, which are you know a factor, but of other hospitality businesses being born around us. And a lot of people, again, we've got some great places that are opening around us, and people are saying, Oh, you've got so-and-so. No, bring it on. The more people that are coming up this end of Suckey Hall Street, the better. We want to create that vibe that we knew that we, when I was young, we went to Suckey Hall Street, you had a choice. You were walking down Suckey Hall Street, I'm gonna go in there, I'm gonna go in there, and you always had a great night. That's what we want.

SPEAKER_01 4:06

Well, I mean, you you mentioned choice, and we'll we'll touch on that canal later on. But from a from the venue's perspective, yeah, what prompted the investment in Succo Hill Street? Why why Bernicke's in in in Succo Hill Street? Why was that the choice? Because obviously it's very different to anything else that is in Succo Hill Street, or essentially in Glasgow, to be fair.

SPEAKER_04 4:30

Yeah, I I think that's been uh uh a decision that was made by our owner of having a vision, and that vision has and is still held very high of what he wants, what he sees, what's happening around of other locations, not just in Scotland, but in the UK and actually abroad as well, of let's bring a bit of the glamour and the bit of the fun that is needed now. People don't want to go out now and just have a having a beer and I'm sitting at the bar. They want something to look at, they want something to listen to, they want to engage, they want to talk to the person next to them that's saying, Did you just see that last in the table dancing? Do you know we can get up on the benches and dance? You know, like all these things we want to then bring talent of the musicians that we're talk that we're with and that play with us, that they're now at that we're now their home. Um, and developing that. So there's lots of branches that people don't realise when they come in and they say we're going up to Suggy Hall Street, and they walk in, and usually it's like, whoa, what what have we walked into? Because it's fun.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:29

You know, and that's what we want.

SPEAKER_03 5:30

The the It's not uh it's not just an eye out, it's an experience. You experience Berlin Keys. Yeah. You don't just have an eye out there.

SPEAKER_01 5:37

No, I I I totally agree, and it's something that we've talked about in other aspects. It's what we talk about through the magazine. Yeah. Is that's key to everything there's experience? It's nobody wants that I sell it cheap. No. Um everybody's everybody's a customer, right? And and when you go out, everybody wants everything now. They want the great surroundings, they want the nice atmosphere, they want the good drinks, the good cocktails, the quality food. And if that's not there, or if it's getting done in the cheap, for want of a better word, they vote with their feet and go elsewhere.

SPEAKER_04 6:10

And that's often what happens is venues will focus on that one thing, the amazing food, or the amazing music, or that really specific cocktail drinks. But what we're trying to do at Berlinkeys is bring all that together and be very good at everything. That's pressure though. That means that we have to make sure that our venue is up to scratch because we all know that there'll be judgment on when you go to the toilet. You know, all that toilet door is all, you know, we have a button in the toilet that plays music. Well, you're you know, it's wee things like that where going to the toilet, you've got a glitter ball and a uh a button that you press to honk a right good dance tune. That that's the kind of thing that you come back from the toilet to say discussion. I've just been flippy and I press that button and you know be boogie and I was I was honking a glitter ball in the toilet everywhere all the time. The discussions about our great food, that's something that people don't expect. They kind of come in and they'll go, We're gone, we know that it's music, we know that we've got a show team, we know that they've got Arielacs, but they sit down, they look at our menu and they go, Whoa, I didn't so we feel as if we've wrapped it all up in one. Burlinke's is the kind of essence of what would what we're doing.

SPEAKER_01 7:18

I mean something we get feedback a lot from venues that we work with across across the UK. And we get a lot of feedback that venues are struggling, venues are challenged to try and come up with solutions and ideas how to drive footfall. Right. One of the things that we've been talking about as a magazine uh and kind of quite vocal about is as much as there is challenges across the industry, which we're all more than aware of uh from external sources, we've also talked about the importance of understanding what we as an industry can do better to to move the industry forward. Um and one of the things that's been really kind of key for us is talking about having an identity of your own as a venue, as opposed to just trying to replicate what seems to be the trend at the time or what seems successful somewhere else. Um and kind of case in point, you you have very successful venue in Glasgow, Wonder Bluff, um that's been operating fantastically well as a as a team in the guys uh for a period of time, but that became the go-to place. If it was live acoustic music, a kind of beer hall theme, all of a sudden within a kind of the next twelve months since they launch and they invest in what they're doing as a venue, you got other venues starting to replicate the same thing. Um but not replicating it to the same maybe standard and kind of cut corners and just kind of focusing, like you said, earlier on on one element of it of getting acoustic singer. But rather than having a really high quality acoustic singer, we're going for somebody that's a hundred quid for four hours and the experience is then diluted for the customer. Yeah. Does that have you found it difficult to to expand on the experience part of it and constantly remain kind of fresh and and different? That's probably something that that's directed at you as well, Elisa, because obviously you're a big part of the Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:22

I mean, from our perspective in terms of so we have the show team that are resident in Berlinkeys um and I so I'm very lucky to head up that as choreographer and come up with the concepts for the dancers and what their um their track is for the evening for a Friday or Saturday. And then of course we've got our Sunday events which are different again. We've got our musicals, mania um event that happens every so often, um, and various other events, you know, special occasions like Mother's Days, Father's Days, that kind of thing. Um, but what I feel as choreographer and base there is that I'm always surprised because when we get in our aerial acts or circus acts, I'm like, this is are we all aware that this is world class? Yeah, but we're what what we're watching, I mean, the people that we've been able to get the talent, the yeah, and the the kind of diversity in terms of acts that Berlinkeys has brought so far is just it wows me. Um and as an artistic person, as someone who is always trying to because you're in a venue, excuse me, you're in a venue, you're trying to make things different all the time because you know that you're going to get that repeat customer as well as you're gonna get the person who's never been in Berlinkeys before. So you've kind of you're trying to touch all bases, but it's lovely to see that we're getting that newness all the time. Yeah, um, and it's very inspiring because if I'm at that venue, I want to be putting out new stuff all the time. So what's coming into Berlinke's is inspiring me as much as we were putting it out to give it to the customer, it is a cycle.

SPEAKER_01 10:45

If it's if it's something you guys have a clear passion in, and this is something that I've again I've always been really vocal about, it's it's why you do what you do matters just as much as what you do. Um you can see anything I've been to volunteers, I mean I've constantly sorry uh what's up and I'm gonna be able to do it.

SPEAKER_03 11:10

Have you got a table flat now?

SPEAKER_01 11:13

I'd love to see I'd love to see every special treatment, but I usually the answer is no, to be honest. Um but in the number of times and and I've got a kind of a collective group of friends who are all a wee bit mad. Um but when we're in the venue, there's things that really stand out and really kind of come to the fore for me that sometimes that I think people would miss. And it's three things like the table service, I think, is one of the venues that the table service has done right uh for me. Yeah. Because many times we've sat as a group at the table um or a booth if we manage to get one. Never and we'll sat and we don't have to scan a few upgrades because the the person that's passing by comes across and goes, same again. Yeah, it's easier.

SPEAKER_04 12:06

And and that's all about not just we're talking about the creative, we're talking about the venue. You can have all that and see if you've not got the right staff on the ground means nothing because you're going to walk away saying, Do you know I had to wait, I had to get through the 20 bar, or you know, we're all about eye contact, speaking to them, speaking to the staff and saying because obviously for them, the more they sell, you know, the more they have, the better. They're on tips and everything else. So we want to motivate them, we want to make sure that they are looked after and they're harnessed. Because if we don't have them, doesn't matter what our venue looks like, how much money we bring in or you know, spend on acts coming up. If you can't get a drink and you're annoyed that you've not got a drink or you've not got your chicken tenders that are served, um, or know of the possibility of chicken tenders or what champagne we have, then it that means nothing.

SPEAKER_01 12:54

100% agree. It's it's all part of that experience. Whereas if you solely focus on one element of it, um you can lose the rest, they're all as important as each other. And what you said, it's great having phenomenal entertainment where people are wild, uh but if that soon wears off if you've if the something as simple as the toilets are a mess, or you kinda get a drink at the bar, or you're searching for somebody, or you're having to scan a QR code as well.

SPEAKER_03 13:31

You came to get some drink and some nice food and a seat or 100%.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

Everybody talks about a a cost of living, which is a a phrase I hate the the the word there shouldn't be a cost to living, as far as I'm concerned. Um for us it's a a cost of what you choose to spend your money on and what you choose to entertain yourself with. And at the moment, as I say, for us, there's a lot of obstacles to going out on a night out. Yeah. You know, you've got the normal WhatsApp groups and the few WhatsApp groups around. The it's hard work trying to organise somebody, oh I've got this that night and I'll get my hair and normal and that's just a guide. Um so there's number of reasons for people to go, you know what, we'll just forget it, we'll just stay a night. We'll just say this. What we've been really vocal about is trying to encourage venues to look at as many possible ways to give a customer what they want and give them a reason to get off the couch, get their ass out the door, and go and enjoy something with a friend, family, or whoever it may be, um in different ways. And it's something I think you've got a really s sweet spot on in the fact that you the offering is there if you're a group of people two, three, four or more that has different age groups to that group that have different tastes, whether it be food, drink, entertainment, it's an an easy decision to make because you're ticking a lot of boxes. That might be the initial that might be the initial reason for going because it ticks a lot of boxes. But I think on walking through the door, having the wow factor, having the experience that they have across all the elements of the venue. I think people then well certainly friends that I know will are are almost changed to this is great. They've been in dates to it because and they've been in in different ways because of the experience they had if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_04 15:38

And but it's because of the different offerings, you know. We we know people and have people that come in that want to come in and be away for eight, nine o'clock. They want to be out in the afternoon, they want to get that train, we glass of you know, something in the train, walk up to Sucky Hill Street and they're with us for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Most of them don't want to leave. The tables that we have are for three hours, and you know, when you're responding to saying, Are you sure you just want three hours? No, all three hours is fine. You know, and it's about but this is amazing. I wasn't expecting this, and I wasn't expecting that level of we've got an you know, an aerial act, we've got the dancers, we've got a great musician, table server, all the rest of it. Um, but you can have that option on a Saturday afternoon, or then the transition of what a Saturday, taking that an example, is you know, our entertainment starts at three o'clock on a Saturday, and that starts all the way through. So, you know, we just have it's just a big journey on a Saturday of what we can give to whoever sits in front of us, but we have so many different groups on a Saturday. Same on a Friday, Friday night, you know, our our entertainment starts at six o'clock, you know, the show team are on what time does our show team start? Eight o'clock on a Friday. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

Right.

SPEAKER_04 16:47

You know.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

I mean, that that was gonna be one of my questions. So I I constantly hear and constantly get conversations with venues about oh, we're having to change our model because people aren't going out at night anymore, they want to go out during the day, and you see a lot of um, you know, the the emergence of a discourse or areas and people buying tickets or you know, kind of standalone guns and stuff like that. I'm always maybe it's the old school part of me, or maybe it's the the kind of wider aspect. I th I think that becomes a bit of a knee-jerk reaction. Yes, there's gonna be maybe people that want to do that. You know that want to come out during the day, have an experience during the day and be home for seven, eight o'clock. But if everybody for me, and this is maybe a question to you is it for us if that's the way all of the venues operate and they push everything towards just their aspects or day experiences, yeah. You're almost culturalising if that's a word. I don't even know if it is, but I think I've just made one up. But you're almost, you know, putting people into a box where that's the only option they've got.

SPEAKER_04 17:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:57

Uh I don't think that's the right way. I don't know what your thoughts are yourself.

SPEAKER_04 18:00

But I would agree. Uh you know, we get asked for tables within arrival time at 11 pm. You know, it it's so there's not that is one side of a group or a bunch of people. We've also got people who have gone out for dinner, have done a bit of the I'm going here, then everywhere, and then we're going to end our night in Berlinke's because we don't till three, you know. So it's about making sure that you're ticking all the boxes and you're covering all that, the entertainment being on that late, we've got a DJ on that late, you know. So it's it's a constant spinning plates. You're constantly trying to make sure that you're doing everything, but you're doing it well. And you're making sure that you are speaking to the people who want to come in during the day, but you're also speaking to people who want to arrive at 11 o'clock.

SPEAKER_03 18:37

Yeah. You know, so we do offer that in terms of the our Sunday events because they are daytime events. So if that's your kind of bag, if you want to be out, then that there is that option.

SPEAKER_01 18:47

There are solutions for it, but it's not kind of full from the customer base. That's the new way of being is obviously.

SPEAKER_04 18:56

You know, a lot of emphasis is on and and as a hospitality is, you know, a lot of it is about Friday, Saturday. But you know, now people don't work Monday to Friday. You know, like they are out, they're working shifts, they're off on a Wednesday night, they're off on a Thursday night. You know, we have an offering of you know, Wednesday night's open mic night, Thursday night is bandioke, which is the m the greatest night. If I didn't have to go out any night of the week, it would be a Thursday that I would want to go. It is just fun, old school fun.

SPEAKER_01 19:23

Any night of the week? No, I I don't think we are in the house.

SPEAKER_04 19:27

No, I'm never um so yeah, it's you know people walk in again a Thursday thinking, oh, I'll just have a wee wander and see what's up here. And you walk into people singing with a live band on stage, singing Dolly Parton 9 to 5 and having their best life and everybody hyping them up, and that's what it's about. It's not about you know, you're rotten, it's about you're singing that, you know, and you're all singing along. It is a great atmosphere that that is created on a Thursday night. Thursday night used to be my night where that's where you went out, you know. It was always a Thursday. Friday and a Saturday were with your friends, Thursday were with was with work, you know. So again, it's that's part of my job as being sales manager, is making sure that you're not just talking to people who are coming through the door on a Friday and a Saturday, you're talking to the groups of shift workers that are coming out on a Wednesday night or a Thursday night and making sure that that we are aware that that is their weekend and we get an offering.

SPEAKER_01 20:21

One of the one of the things that I have a huge amount of respect for you guys on, and something I think these do very well is the team at the Linkeys are not wearing hundreds of hats at the one time. And what what I mean by that, right, before you start televisions at me. But you've not got one person trying to do all of those different roles. You've not got one person trying to manage the bar, manage the stock, manage the entertainment, manage everything else that's there. It is a team effort. And then that comes across anytime you speak to anybody from from the venue or the group, that it is I don't know if it says really cheesy, but a kind of family and engagement I like I like everyone that works at Berlinkeys and I've not worked in that kind of environment as much as I've been in the performing arts for over 20 years, like it's I've not worked in this scenario before.

SPEAKER_03 21:34

Um, and what I like about coming to Berlinkeys is the bar staff, the waiting staff, the the the kitchen staff, like I can speak to them all, they're all lovely people. It feels quite collaborative, like just the minute you walk in. Um and there's a respect there for all the different jobs. Like, you know, the the show team are held in high regard, which obviously for me is lovely.

SPEAKER_01 21:54

Yeah, but so should cause the divas, no, but social.

SPEAKER_03 22:00

You know, it it's really important like that we all realise how hard everybody works. And I hear it from the show team all the time, like the or the staff are brilliant, or that was really helpful, or the you know, or even like our um bouncers, they'll help with equipment and you know with props and things like it takes a village, yeah, yeah, and everybody's great, like I they genuinely are.

SPEAKER_01 22:21

And that's that that I think again is part of the reason for the success of the venue that nobody's trying to you would probably disagree with me, but nobody's trying to do too much. Does that make sense? Or everybody's really focused on what they're good at to make it better for everybody.

SPEAKER_04 22:39

That's important to to not stay in your lane, but do what you're good at, and because you've got the collaboration of operational, I kind of sit and flow, I have my I'm on my own wee island to be fair, and I pull on resources of I need the show team, then I need Gavin, our general manager, and Abby are our you know, our we need our management team, but then I might be talking to the chefs because I'm putting on an event where you know we're we're providing 200 with food, you know. It's it's all about making sure that you're pulling in when you need, and that's what we're very good at.

SPEAKER_01 23:09

Yeah. That was why I was kind of reverting back to it, because it I think there's a lot of venues out there, and that and I think that it's almost a bit of a false economy at times. And as I say, I know there's a chat for challenges out there for costs and things like that staffing.

SPEAKER_00 23:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:23

But it can almost be a false economy to cut back and staff to a point where you've having a a general manager, for example, or somebody running a venue that's wearing that many hats that they can only see the wood for the trees, or they're just ticking boxes to try and get to where they think they need to be as a venue. And then it comes back to the cycle and then try to do everything in the cheap because they don't have the contacts or they don't have the access to the entertainment or resources or funding or sponsorship for some of the brands that they have, which makes it more difficult rather than you know, kind of bringing somebody in that specialises in that area that can help them move forward with it and focus more. Would that be fairly?

SPEAKER_04 24:05

Yeah, and I know I'm sure people in the venue ask what on earth I do, because I'm um I'm in and out, I float in and out. But that and a big part of my job or made it really important is, and we've talked about this, is collaboration and partnership. Um and internally within hospitality, you know, I'm really tight with lots of people that do my job in other venues. We help each other out when, you know, there's been an electrical shortage and they've got a group of 25 sitting, you know, it's a phone call, it's a WhatsApp to say, do you have this but you of course we do that, you know, it's not a we've done that, it it's about we all help each other but equally. There are opportunities that we are maybe given that we can't accommodate, or vice versa, or somebody's phone to phone us or phoned me and said, Laura, I've got the opportunity of working with and I can't do it. We're full that day. Do you have and and we go in as a team of I'm working and and I feel that's based on shown hospitality instead of that, what a lot of people will think is, you know, when we go to the example your award show, you know, we're sitting around all these people that it's not their so-and-so. It's a complete I I think it should always be like that. It's a complete opposite. It's like we all know what we have to do, we all do a turn, we all, you know, it it's good to sit with somebody and people who understand what we're going through. Yeah. Um and well uh absolutely, and it makes such a big difference. Such a huge difference, I think, and it's certainly in what I do. And I think that also reflects in the venue because then there will be times where people will say, We've got our you know, our works night out, you know, the team will bring their hospitality team to us because you reach out and say, What are you doing for Christmas night out? You know, what are you doing? And vice versa, we will phone them and say, We're coming down to you. Can you get it's it's the way it should be.

SPEAKER_01 25:49

You get you get just on that, you get glowing praise from one of the venues that we work very closely with. Okay. Uh the team at the team at Bucks and Thundercats.

SPEAKER_00 25:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:59

Um and Michael, who yeah, we will be involved in some point with the kind of tip. But um and the team, uh, you know, Simone and uh Ashley and stuff like that, couldn't they speak highly enough when they came to the venue? Um and that's from a a venue that again I think very similarly to you guys about the service, the quality of the offering, and being individual and of offering an experience to people. And that's that that's the thing that we hopefully want to try and inspire. It's not about teaching people how to suck eggs, it's not about saying the whole thing is not about saying to venues you're doing what you're doing wrong. It's about how can you do it better, how can you collaborate more, how can you tweak things, or how can you look at what's a lot of venues doing, not to copy it, but to pull you bits from what's successful and help your own venue move forward no matter what.

SPEAKER_04 26:58

People tend to be scared of that. You know, as a oh, you were at that venue? I'll speak to the bar, I'm just back from whatever I was, and they'll say, Where are you? Or we all have nights out where well, you know, we had a great night where a lot of the local hotels and local um restaurants and bars were like right, come to Berlinkeys and they come to bandio best night of the week, or it's like half past eight. Um but it it's just about bringing them in and showing them what we do, not as a we do that, but and joy then going to their venues and enjoy seeing what they offer because again it's it should be it's the way it should be.

SPEAKER_01 27:36

It's something another good friend of the show and a good friend of the magazine, Louise McLean at Signature Pubs, um, she does exactly the same thing. Um, she is very passionate about spending time in other venues, she'll she'll go out in Glasgow, she'll go out all over the UK.

SPEAKER_03 27:53

Yep. Um you have to get that inspiration, it's the same in my game. Like I still go to the theatre, I still go and see shows, I'm still and as a freelancer, I'm working in other venues and uh in other scenarios, right? You're just pulling you even when you don't realise it, you're pulling just inspiration from that. Like you you have to be in it to understand, and I guess that this industry is changing and evolving all the time. So if you're just in your bubble and you're only seeing what you do, yeah, then you're never gonna grow or expand. You know, it's a every day should be a school day. You should learn something.

SPEAKER_01 28:23

Couldn't agree more. Talking about every day being a school day and the the experience you guys have been involved in talk about the awards, as you mentioned them. These were bubble winners last year at our awards. Um can you remember what they were for? Yes.

SPEAKER_04 28:47

And we were so proud to have won Venue of the Year nighttime venue last year. We're we're a year and a half old, you know, so we're uh we opened October last year, um, and we've hit the ground running. And equally, that does create pressure as well because when you hit that hard, there's a high expectation of, you know, you know, what's next? What are you going to do? I've been I've seen that act, I've been, you know, what's new that's so looking at the reason. And that's where Lisa is amazing now, coming up with the creative ideas of, you know, we'll sit in meetings and there'll be something run, but and I think, wow, I can't wait to see that. You know, again, I'll need to come in and I start tonight.

SPEAKER_01 29:26

Or the job.

SPEAKER_04 29:28

Um but we were so thrilled about being acknowledged within the hospitality awards, but also just not what's the word I'm looking for? Not just acknowledged, but people have been in, people have taken the time to come in and felt it. Because that's what we're all about. It's about again going back to experience. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:49

Well the th the thing for our awards is not a lot of people seem to understand because the the industry has been a certain way for a long time, and people's perceptions sometimes of awards are that their own way, the awards only go to, you know, the people that spend money with them or the advertising or whatever, which is absolutely nothing to do with that. Uh I have had emails and requests from people about, oh, how much could we buy the award or what do we need to do to win the award? And as I keep constantly saying to people, it's not my decision, it's got nothing to do with me. Um the awards, the award, and it's something that going back to the integrity or the why you do what you do, it's been important from us right from the start that the voting is open, it's transparent, and we give everybody the opportunity to nominate for those few months before we announce the top five as it has been this year because of the volume, it's going to be top six in each category. Um and then we turn it over to the venues themselves to say, right, you're in the top six, it's up to you, the one with the most votes wins. We don't decide the vote, all we do is count them and the one with the most votes wins. It's as simple as that. Um we've had venues, you know, offering shots for votes and stuff like that. It's interesting to see how how serious or how important it is, not from a point of view of an ego or an arrogance point of view, but the work being recognised, if that makes sense. And it's not a I presume it's not an ego thing about, well, look what we've won. It's almost for the teams to be going, look, this is something that the hard work it's being appreciated. Does that make sense that that's something that's really important to us to recognise the hard work that goes in? The awards themselves are are kinda going back to exactly what you guys were saying, is you know, we've all been to award ceremonies across multiple industries, and for us they were always quite similar. You know, you could pretty much do the same event with different badges of the door that's black tie, three coast meal, and you're sitting trying to cut a hard carrot that's fire across, you're a wee bit tipsy and a bit cloudy and all that kind of stuff. What was really important to us was that I don't for me, it doesn't reflect the hospitality industry, it doesn't reflect the characters, the personality of people in the industry. It's more formal corporate some venues are, yes. But for us, the vast majority of people in the industry, we want to put on a night where they can be entertained, a night where they can let loose and enjoy being entertained with somebody else. Because as I say, sometimes certain aspects and venues maybe don't feel as appreciated as they do, maybe with somebody that works behind the bar or or whatever else. And having them involved as much as we can and putting on a night where they can be entertained and really enjoy themselves is really, really important to us. One of the things I was I was kind of keen to ask you guys, certainly, because last year was the first year you guys were obviously performing on stage in Natalie last year as well.

SPEAKER_03 33:03

Awesome, we had a great time.

SPEAKER_01 33:04

We had an absolutely um massive amount of of comments on on you guys opening the show last year, which was phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal. But how did you find it as an award? The the first kind of experience of of our awards and aspects, how did you find it? Was it what you guys were expecting or well?

SPEAKER_03 33:27

It was lovely just to bring that the team. You know, it was the first time we brought the team out of the linkies. Yeah. There was a lot of you there.

SPEAKER_01 33:34

The stage was full, Sasha when it was present, Sasha Lord, when it was presenting one of the world teams kind of ground and kind of it was like all these people are coming for the powerful.

SPEAKER_03 33:43

They've got the village. Totally, I just said um, yeah, it was lovely for for our aspect to be involved from the start of the night right through to the end, actually, as you know, front and centre performing, but also experienced in it like all the other venues and being at the table, yeah, and all everybody all suited and booted up and ready for a good night out. So it really was quite an experience for us to be part of that and to showcase Burlinki's on that stage, yeah, it was really something quite special. That it was just really a it was a really special night for us, and I think just obviously winning the awards was just like cherry on the cake kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_01 34:18

He's certainly done very, very well. Um first year, first year open, taking two awards. That was um unheard of before. That's that's a first to be honest with you. Um most of the venues that have been kind of multiple winners of of venues that have been operating for a period of time, Radson Red, I think there's most that they've won three in one night. Um but they were operating for a while. Bucks have one, multiple awards, uh signature of one, quite a few. But as a venue that's in its first year opening to to pick up through the kind of main awards of the night, it would uh was impressive.

SPEAKER_03 34:53

I guess it's sort of like stamping your identity of like who you are and what you're doing, what the offering is, like people understand, oh you know, you might not know it until you really experience it until you get there, but you understand like that for Lincoln's is in now where you're going to experience it. It gives a flavour for it, right?

SPEAKER_01 35:10

And and I think that was something that it kind of fed back to a lot and commented on. One of the things that we try to do, um, and like you said, it's like a constant learning curve even for us, for the awards with the different types of entertainment and I probably appreciate your challenges quite a lot, which is trying to cater for a room that has venues from the Balmoral Hotel to Calm and House to you know uh the guides and to to all the aspects of different types of offering and different types of stuff or or thought processes. The thing for us is that can't be any arrogance or stereotypes. For us, it's just enjoy your night. Let your head around just enjoy it. Aye, exactly. So from our point of view, uh it is hard, however, and trying to get that balance between you know wild, which we are. Um but I mean we've had the the the one that stands out for me more than most um is we had Sandar Nation, the boys who are brilliant, uh I love them to death, and East 17 on the the year before the year three years ago.

SPEAKER_00 36:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:24

And I was thinking, right, w we need to put we need to put Zandarnation on first because I don't know how they're going to go down. I don't know if that's too long, even for us, for people, with the the down spingle and stuff like that. We'll put East 17 on at the end and you know, sort of uh and I remember Natalie James, the host who's who's brilliant, come over to me uh while Xander Nation were on. Um and she went thanks for that. And she went, I need Cam dinner for that. What the fuck was going on there? Um because it again the thing for me was standing back and watching uh Edward Roman was saying the the GM uh Dutton Waffle uh in Edinburgh, you know, a very nice, prestigious restaurant in Edinburgh, um up on a table, stringing his teeth up around the top of his head while you know saying here we're here, we're here, we fucking go, it's up to his own. And that's no w that meant a lot to me.

SPEAKER_03 37:28

As daft as it may sound because it's just embracing the fun of it.

SPEAKER_01 37:32

It's people dropping the stereotypes, it's people dropping the you know, we have to be, you know, and looking at it's something that's really, really important to us. And seeing a room, you know, essentially 800 people in a room, yeah, just letting go and enjoying it. And even the guys, even Terry and the guys from E17 who were standing at the back of the room were going, I don't know how to follow that. You know, and these are guys that are seasoned professionals that are performing in lab stadiums, and he's like, I don't know how we follow that. So having that that's where I've kind of added appreciation for what you guys do to trying to keep that fresh and how to pick those things.

SPEAKER_03 38:10

Yeah, you do have to be reactive, and even though like on the night of a Friday and Saturday we have a plan, we are always aware that we might have to change it, we might have to react to the I mean just but or it's like oh this group are coming in, or oh, being phoned, this group are coming into the PDR bar, can you just go up? Can you give them shots? Can you do the feathers? Right, two people are going on that, right?

SPEAKER_04 38:30

If we go downstairs, right, you've got the sparklers, like you know, it's sort of and I think that's quite nice is that you we have a plan of the girls have all rehearsed, they've got these amazing costumes, the costumes and Berlinkeys we need to take a moment for.

SPEAKER_01 38:43

I was impressed with the costumes that there was at the feathers and yeah, Venice.

SPEAKER_04 38:51

And uh yeah, you if it has a it has a whole podcast in itself, I think, about our costumes. And but again, it's not just a we don't just buy them of just oh that'll look nice. It's about the creative aspect and about the quality and how things sparkle, and it's just insane. There's so much importance put on in what you guys wear, and and of course then.

SPEAKER_03 39:15

It's for the Linke's like each and every dance is a concept in my head, yeah, you know, and I pitch that concept to the owner, okay. Um, down to the music choices and how long the tracks are and entrances and exits, and using the space to the best of our ability, knowing that we still have an audience there who can move and walk about. It's not a sit-down watch or show venue. Yeah, so there's a lot of challenges there as well, and we have adapted along the way of like how does that work? And can they come through the audience? Can we interact? Can we get up on a table doing a dance? Yeah, is the table going to be free? And I'll whitened it. Do you mean like there's a lot of things? I mean, somebody did say to me last week, because sometimes I perform still at Berlin Key City. I said to this gentleman, can I just jump up on your table? And he was like, What? And I was like, I'm gonna do a dance and went, Don't fall. I have no intention of mental dance at school. I was just being kind of smiling. Um so yeah, there is there there is a lot of thought that goes into each and every single performance. As you know, the bands, of course, they've got their sets and they've they've created that as well for Berlinkeys and also our aerial and circus acts that come in, they have very special attacks that you know they they have requirements that are going to make it make it the best it can be. But as resident team, we are always going right that works, and and a lot of the time we're not getting to rehearse in the space. So yeah, there's a lot of challenges, but we we make it work.

SPEAKER_01 40:40

But those th those attend attends into detail and that matters, right? So you can you can have the the best choreographer and you can have the best routine in place. But again, going back to the thing I was talking about earlier on, whereas a lot of people would go, I'll just create whatever outlets we can. It cheapens the experience. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_03 41:08

Absolutely. We get a lot of comments on yeah, just how we look. Yeah, and I think because we break the fourth wall, so the the dance finishes, rounds of applause, and we immediately go into the crowd and we start getting people up, we start talking to people. And I like that from my aspect of being a professional dancer for over 20 years. I've been out involved in a lot of you know events like around trade the rooms or whatever, where it's been very much us and them. And I I like the the aspect of Berlin's going into the audience and speaking to people because they're like, Oh, you're a real person. You know, and it's and it's like, Are you having a good night? Oh, it's your birthday, you've got a birthday crying on, oh happy birthday, welcome to the club, or you know, and it's people warm to that, yeah. It's not just like, oh, they're the dancers and we don't talk to them.

SPEAKER_04 41:54

And people are still shocked about that when you're standing and amongst them or you're sitting down saying, Thanks for letting me dance on your table, and there's some guy going, Ah, you're welcome. You know, like that's it. You know, but it you know, then you're encouraging women to get up and dance, and you know, it it's just again that unexpected for people that haven't been in before, thinking, I've got to speak to the team tonight, and the girls are coming round and and uh, you know, can I try on the hat or you know, lots of pictures, and that's what you want.

SPEAKER_01 42:25

It makes them feel perfect, and that's exactly it's the same thought process we we have awards would be because the awards for us are essentially not just to recognise the the people in the industry, but it's to showcase what we uh are trying to promote from the industry about the experience because there's no point in for me, there's no point in being a hypocrite and saying we think this is what you should do from an experience point of view, this is what I used to do, and then not do it. Try to do it yourself and try to kind of say, well, this if this is what we can do, yeah What can you guys do? You have got venues, you have got access to the same sort of stuff that we've got. You guys should obviously be able to kind of look at how to do that and and and and create it.

SPEAKER_04 43:09

But then you do well because you are again, it's about collaboration partnership. You know, we all know you guys, we all know them the magazine, we all know what you do, and that makes it easier for us and you to be able to pull on, you know, I know they do that well, or let's do that, or let's because that also makes us want to go to the awards because we know we're not going to be sitting, you know, in a suit itching going, ah, I should even do in this podcast. Yeah. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03 43:36

Like a behind the scenes, like people like to know more and they like to know the people behind it. Like we're all just wanting to be understood more and we want to understand each other more. So I think like the fact you're doing this podcast that like helps massively. Just that kind of it's not behind closed doors. It's not, you know, you're opening yourself up to like this is how we exactly it's it wouldn't be accessible because essentially you know, hospitality for

SPEAKER_01 44:00

For us, and it it's always been a a thing for me, is this is it's not just about a drink, it's not just about food, it's it's not just even about entertainment. For for me and a lot of people I know, it's where people have met their partners, it's where memories are created, it's where people's friendships have grown and established and and and became something. It's it's a a social people's social experience and and their own personalities grown. You know, for for us, uh my daughter works in hospitality um and she very strongly got a a job on her own, working in a bar, she knows she's an assistant manager in a really well-known bar in the town. Um she worked with Ellen, uh Eugene, um stuff like that, because she loves what she does. And my daughter my youngest daughter was quite quiet and quite shy out with the family circle as a as a person. She looks really confused with her daughter. But she was she was, you know, fellow to have carry on, which is uh an extension of my personality, but quite shy. And she's quite vocally now said that she's her personality's totally changed through working and hospitality because it gives her more confidence, it gives her better people skills, she she knows what she wants to do, she can adapt it and stuff like that. And I think that's an avenue that sometimes is missed in the industry, whether you see it as a job or just working behind a bar. So there's so many opportunities in the industry to do so many different things. Um I think you guys are a really strong kind of advocate of that because of the the different experiences or the different offerings that that you have as a venue and what and what can be done if you pick your mind to it. Um and just look at the box a few bit. So um that's a round of applause for you. It's uh it it genuinely it helps to love what you do.

SPEAKER_04 46:07

Yes. And I think that if you're passionate about what you do, and you know, I I smile on the inside when I talk about Berlinkeys and I, you know, uh am I a salesperson? Yes, but I don't need to be because I just talk about what we do and it makes me smile because if I didn't work for Berlinkeys, I would want to be in Berlinkeys. I would want to because time's precious for people, you know, when you when you're organising out in those WhatsApp groups and you go and you get to that destination, you think this is boring. You know, great. I've got to sit and you know talk to Sandra for a while and I don't really want to, you know, yeah, I don't think I'll tell you that Sandra. Um but you know if you're sitting with Sandra from account, you then say, gosh, look at that, it's a great tune. That that you know, acoustic guy was great. Then we've got you guys on, you know, doing a great a great dance and on the table, then we've got somebody coming on a ring with fire tours, and it is the most random place that even Sandra or before you know Sandra first is up the table with them while dancing. Yeah, more than you don't have so that's what makes it easier for us.

SPEAKER_03 47:20

I think you know, it's been I mean it's been a gift for me, you know, to have a venue, to have I mean, we have our own dance to do upstairs that we heard in, to have my own team as a freelancer. I have been very much like all over the country, up and down, working on my own a lot of time. As much as I'm working with groups of people and you come away with that, it's what has been really special for me is to have a team and be also part of a wider team. Yeah, yeah, and to bring these ideas to fruition. It isn't just me going, oh, this would be great, and we'll add this. You know, that it does take the village, like I said before, it you know, it's it's everybody's opinions and everybody's ideas coming together to make a must it must mean a lot to you and you must get a lot of satisfaction as well from uh an artist's point of view, 100% to to see this is the closest I'm getting to like you know, choreographing Coachella. So and that's but that that's how I think that that big that sounds silly, but that's my platform, that's my stage, that's that that's what I'm working with. And the amount of pride and the energy and effort isn't you don't just go, oh, it's just a bar in Glasgow, it's not. No, no, it isn't. And if the minute you start thinking about that, and it's like, oh just put we'll just do whatever, or we'll repeat that, or we'll shove that on, that's where you this battle dulls.

SPEAKER_01 48:34

I mean, a similar conversation, one of the guests that's going to be on the show uh coming very soon is Caitlin McAllister from Ministry Sound, CEO from Ministry of South. And it's something that I spoke to her about recently as well, is about the experience and obviously when ministry started as a a club in Elephant Castle in London to being a you know a kind of world leader. If he'd have said to somebody at the ministry 25 years ago, um that this night club in Elephant Castle, London, was going to be a an icon globally for you know, an experience, they would have probably laughed at you, you know, but that's where they are now. So having that passion and that focus and that attention to detail I I I'm a big advocate of as most people that know me um kind of know. I don't like saying no to things. Uh I'm a boss who's always saying say yes and then find a reason. I find a way to do it.

SPEAKER_00 49:32

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 49:32

Because you never know where that'll take you. Um I mean, over the last five years we've been involved from making movies to all manner of things and as I say, sitting here doing podcasts today. Um because you never know where life or what avenue is going to take you unless you actually experience it or try to do something as best you can. It might lead you somewhere else, you might find a passion or a an angle or an insight that you know force a boat or lights a spark or whatever it may be. But I think there's a lot of people not just in the industry but across the board that are for one reason closing themselves off for me. But I think, you know, the the doom that around the industry sometimes, it's kind of easy for them to go, oh no, that's um, you know, and be kind of penned down by it.

SPEAKER_04 50:26

You know, there is a blame culture, people will blame a lot of things that w we have to fight against. We are fighting against, you know, the the the traffic, the road works in Glasgow, all the things that stop people thinking, I'm going to come into Glasgow and go whether it's to Berlinkeys, whether it's the theatre, whether it's for something to eat. There is a dial there is a a hurdle now where people are are is put in front of them. And it's hard to make that go away and to change people's minds on that. Um and that's why the destination experience is so important because it's like we know we're going to have a great night and we're going to we're going to laugh and we're going to um there's a lot fighting against us and you you can focus in on that and you can blame it.

SPEAKER_01 51:06

It can it can consume you and caustic. It can get overwhelming. Um if it asked us if we'd the ones to be having conversations with, you know, um political leaders and stuff like that, it wouldn't have been where my thought process was. But as I say, we just want to champion the industry in as many areas as we can. But the focus for us is always positive versus negative. I is always I would rather look at the positives and everything and look what can be done, look what how we can go over it, because there's always going to be challenges, right? It maybe not to the extent that it is over the last five years, but there's always going to be a hurdle. There's always going to be something in the background that will prove challenging because it's just the way life is. But unless you look at how you can make it better, as opposed to oh it's it's their fault that we try and do that. Well, what have we tried to do to make it better?

SPEAKER_04 52:02

It's trying to box thinking in it, being creative and working around the box, you know, working around it because it'll always gonna be there, there's always gonna be some road work, some you know, the L E Z, the everything we've we've always got some hurdle in front of us, and and yet we could sit here and fill a whole show full of that.

SPEAKER_01 52:22

100% and I'm sure one of our uh our our co-hosts from from moving forward will be looking at that very easily. Yeah. But uh you're 100% right. And for us, as I say, you guys are a testament to what can be done if you look at not the negative side of it, look at how you can make it better. How you can drive your venue to be the best at what they do and the offering for you guys, because you're not trying to be everything to everybody, and you're not trying to be anybody else or another venue. You're happy and proud to be the venues and the offering that you guys have, and that that's genuinely um from us uh a massive round of applause for that. It's it's something that should be celebrated at every given opportunity because these are doing a fantastic job.

SPEAKER_04 53:14

Um we'll pass that on because it's all very well I've said here, but you know, again, it's not important of like you know, passing that one telling again. I have the pleasure of being around people a lot of the time during the week telling me that and saying, but I'll come back into the venue and saying I was at this event today or I was at that, and they said because again, it wasn't me that poured the drink, it wasn't me that put the champagne in the fridge, it wasn't me that's standing on stage in an amazing costume and just standing there going, I've brought somebody. Um that wasn't me either.

SPEAKER_01 53:42

It was good for time. It was always this game of it.

SPEAKER_03 53:48

Yeah, um, but and and it's to be platformed and to be showcased at this level, you know, and doing the podcast, like it's really appreciated because it's you know it's putting us on the map all the time to let people know that they are welcome at Berlinkeys. Like if you've not experienced Berlinkeys yet, then now.

SPEAKER_01 54:03

So that's the that that's the the way I'll I'll we'll probably end the show. So I'll I'll ask these both well two things, right? Two final things for for each of you. One is a question I ask a lot of people, right? If you weren't in the role that you're in just now and and what you're doing just now, what would you what would you see yourself being doing this if for example if you weren't a current correlate for a battery? What would you see yourself being? Um and the same to you.

unknown 54:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 54:33

You got one up your sleeve on it.

SPEAKER_04 54:36

I have a sleeve, but I don't really know what's in it. Um anything around people for me. I I'm a magnet, I talk, and uh I'm drawn to people, and uh I'm always positive. Uh there's nothing fake about a bit like yourself, I'm maybe not as blunt as you. But overwhelming I think I'll be probably um but I always say I think it's really important, and and I think that anything around people I I will do. Um I don't think I've changed. So yeah, I'm quite adaptable to as long as I'm talking to people and speaking to people and looking at I'm really aware of I go out a lot of, I go to networking events, I'll go um so and again the staff will say, Oh, you're walking into that event by yourself today. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. But again, I, you know, I'm going to start bringing some of our staff to these things because they're not used to that. That next generation are not used to walking into somewhere where there's a hundred people that you don't know and you're sitting down talking about what you do for a living. Um, it's alien to them because I'm not typing it. I'm not sitting on a phone doing it. And I there is an extent of that as well. So sorry, back to question. I would be doing something around people, whatever it may be. I know that's a bit of a not really giving you an answer. That was a non-committal answer, so to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_01 55:55

I can get it. I can I can see you being a what a teacher.

SPEAKER_04 56:00

No, no, no, no, I don't absolutely intolerance over that no. Not that you can say what I need to say.

SPEAKER_00 56:09

No, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_03 56:11

Okay, that was that was that you can see what you're gonna say about me, okay? No, I I I think I'll I will I'll I'll let you formulate a lot of people. I'm a people person as well. I don't do very well on my own and I like collaborations, but it definitely would have to be with other people, it's not a solitary job. Um, I do wear other hats as a freelancer, I do wear other hats. Um I also have a podcast.

SPEAKER_01 56:33

You do?

SPEAKER_03 56:34

I mean I was I was that was almost a an opportunity for a team was probably no so yeah, over the last couple of years I've been lucky enough to build uh podcast The Broad and the Brave. And um so yeah, probably more in kind of presenting and hosting opportunities, which I've been doing over the last couple of years, and I get a lot from that. So taking the the podcast out of the studio in in front of a live audience and then hosting events and stuff is something that I can kind of see in my future when I'm not focused back with watch them on anymore. Sometimes you could have combined the most important thing. I mean to have like you know I am and I coach them with a microphone in my hand, but we still just do that, you know, okay. So uh yeah, so it definitely would have to be people centric. Like uh yeah, people are great and people of Scotland are great.

SPEAKER_01 57:22

Yeah, and I mean it it it's it again, I've I would have said that because I've I've watched the podcast on many times and it's very entertaining and very informative as well. Um and as I say, this isn't my day job. This is this is uh uh it's not even a uh what how would I put it? It's not even a necessity. No, it's not a hobby. I don't get time for hobbies, you can be on. Um no, this is a a a necessity for for some people. Uh the the plan was never for me to be one of the hosts of the podcast because it I sometimes get the feeling that um it comes across as a bit egotistical as if it's you know I'm hosting a a show because we've got the magazine. But a lot of the feedback that we've had is no, you've got to be involved because you're the face of it, you're passionate about what you do and and the industry matters to you, so why would you shy away from that?

SPEAKER_03 58:15

But it's a conversation, it's not you coming on just to wax lyrical, you're getting other guests on to have a conversation.

SPEAKER_01 58:20

Yeah. It's about it's about I think there's a there's a a platform needed to be to give the venues a voice and to give the industry a voice without it feeling restrained, if that makes sense. Because a a lot of over the last five years, a lot of the feedback that we've had in certain situations from the industry is that oh you can't say that, or be uh we'll get into trouble if we say that, or that's not the you know, the PC thing or the whatever it would have to be toad line. Which uh for me isn't a genuine. For me, everything has to be genuine. I mean, like you talk to Lauren about personality and people and stuff like that, and me being loud, which I am. Um my mum used to always say to me, Justin, you know, you don't have to be the loudest person in the room because you're the tallest and everybody sees you anyway. You don't happen to be the classical low and fill up here on but uh obviously I took note of that. But um for for me it has to be genuine. The reason people engage with you is or don't in certain situations is because you can be false, you can not be you. And I think people see that very quickly that if you're not being genuine or it's the you know the whole thing. Well, hi kind of chat that you get sometimes. People see through that very quickly, that there's no genuineness about it.

SPEAKER_04 59:43

I think also that's an a reason why I was feeling quite proud that you'd said to me to come on from a sales management point of view in hospitality. That's something that we'll hear from the GMs and we'll hear from lots of people that are really important voices. But from what I do within hospitality, we're all the we working ants, we're the ones that are and and it's nice for somebody to have to have a voice for us that often are the one that wear lots of hats because we're doing lots of things and we're running events and we're speaking to people in the venue and we're tying things up. That um I'm really proud to be part of that. And and it's nice that there's a voice.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:20

100%. And it it's great to have you guys on, and it's been a pleasure for you to join us today. And certainly the the first show.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:29

Um you're not gonna be without telling us what you would be if you weren't doing this job.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:35

I I know a lot of people would probably rather I was doing. Um no, I I think I was always quite sport-oriented, so uh before I get far too fat and and far too old, um I was I was uh football was was my thing. Um but for one reason or another on the old violin come out in the soft stories, my knee did take it and stuff like that. Some probably wouldn't think it was good enough, but I was alright. Um but yeah, but more like you guys, I just I I don't really tend to put myself in a kind of box. Like if you'd asked me five years ago, you're gonna be running a trade title for the hospitality industry that's UK wide, you're gonna be doing a podcast, you're gonna have one of the biggest awards events in the hospitality industry. I'd been like, nah. You're gonna be sitting. I sometimes sit I've had this conversation with with Michael, uh person, I've had a conversation with a few people. We sat up recently and had a a meeting with some of the political leaders. Um and I've I kind of took a sit back for a minute and was looking around this table at 25 people. I'm like, I'm just a boy for Glasgow. Yeah. I'm just a boy for Glasgow. These are all really senior people in their industry, their industry leaders or groups and venues and political leaders. And I sometimes get imposter things in those situations because I think I don't own a venue. And it's something I it's you know, maybe critical of myself where I think I don't own a venue. We don't operate a venue. But I care about the industry a lot, and we speak to hundreds of people across the industry on a weekly, monthly basis, not just Scotland but across the UK and the the conversations that we're having in that collaborative approach about how can we help, how can we make it easier, how can we showcase things that are going well as well as highlighting problems or or issues that need to be addressed in the industry. But again, the the theme for us has taken a very consistent where there's no hidden agenda, there's no falseness, it's we are the way we are, we're transparent, we're not perfect, we're maybe sometimes a bit overly vocal. But we we do what we say in the tin, if that makes sense. There's no hidden agenda or arrogance of this, we just want better for the industry. Um and again, one of the reasons why we're we're really keen to have you guys on is the whole ethos of what you guys deliver as a venue. Epitomises all the you know the hard work, the togetherness, the collaboration, the looking at things, excuse me, differently is all exactly what you guys are about. And again, for the um teen towns it won't be the last time because you guys are involved in the old dispute as well. That's not allowed.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:36

Um, we're talking about you being in a costume.

unknown 1:03:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:41

I don't know if me and roller boots and hot pants have only worked to be well.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:44

Come on, right. Squeeze myself in.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:48

Um, but yes, today, girls, thank you very, very much for joining us. Thank you for being involved.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:54

Oh thanks for the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:56

Thank you very much. Yes, it's uh it'll be interesting when we have our other co-host planning some of the debate and stuff like that we have. We're gonna be looking at um some of the news articles that are there, discussing them. We're gonna be looking at some of the challenges, some of the aspects that's there. Uh, and we've got a a huge list of um inspiring people to come on and venues to come on. Um and it'll be half active follow after you've been.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:23

Well, very, very well done.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:26

So that's all for this edition of the One Trade Show podcast. Thank you to Lisa and Laura from the Team at Balanke's for joining us.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:36

And we look forward to having a chat with you on the next one. Stay soon. That's us. Thank you, ladies. Thank you so much.