Team Pink had the pleasure to meet with the Queen of Liquor, Jenn Colacion. With her knowledge of all things liquor, we received valuable insight into sales and promotion in the #LiquorPromo world. Jenn owns Events with a Twist, a liquor catering and event services company in Las Vegas. Jenn shared with us how intense the Vegas liquor world is, and how she has navigated through the past 13 years in this industry.
Norton National is known to not only roll with the punches but punch back! After coming out of quarantine alive (barely) Head Honcho, McCall Peck, decided to start a new series of Norton National; Education. It has officially blossomed into Norton National University and Team Pink is taking the time to learn, grow, and educate ourselves on topics in the event industry.
Liquor License in Las Vegas vs. Everywhere Else
Las Vegas is home to the most strict liquor licensing laws in the country. Surprised? Neither were we. With all the regulations and requirements that go along with submitting a request with the city, Jenn was just shy of one full calendar year once she finally received her license to sell and promote. Once she received her license and started conducting business, she quickly realized that the hard part was far from over.
Before Jenn is allowed to serve liquor at an event, the county where the event is being held must sign off on the contract allowing for liquor to be present. Jenn must provide exactly where, when, and for how long liquor will be served at the event. Unfortunately, many of her submissions are turned down. Jenn mentioned that 50% of the job is collaborating with the country to get an event approved, and 50% actually planning and executing the event.
While many states don’t require a license to serve alcohol, Las Vegas has a whole task force (we are going to call them the Party Police) dedicated to hunting events down and fining up to $10,000 if the event goes one minute over the four-hour timeline.
The reason that the laws in Las Vegas are so strict, even for smaller-scale businesses like Jenn’s, is that they need to hold everyone to the same accountability that the casinos are held to. An unfathomable amount of liquor consumption happens on the Las Vegas Strip, Fremont Street, and all of the local casinos, bars, and restaurants. The amount of liquor liability insurance that these casinos carry is astronomical.
Types of Events
Residential: Related to more private parties, weddings, and small catering jobs. Events With a Twist, typically refrain from events like this, unless they are hosted in million-dollar homes with 250 people in attendance. These high-end, residential, clients typically hire liquor providers so, if anything gets a little wonky, the liability is placed on the company and not the hosts personally.
Commercial: Commercial events are typically public parties and large scale events like music festivals or conferences. Public events always require at least one level of insurance. Some events require liability insurance by both the venue and the company providing the alcohol. Commercial events go full Oprah mode; you get liability! You get liability! Everyone gets liability!!
Two Ways Contracts Work With Clients
- Events With a Twist purchases all supplies (liquor, mixers, cups, etc.) and covers the risk of revenue loss if the event doesn’t perform as well. The clients will receive a smaller percentage of the profit because the company provided all their own tools.
- The client provides all supplies and Events With a Twist receives a smaller percentage of the profit.
Liquor Distribution
There are two main liquor distributors in Las Vegas. When holding a liquor license and selling alcohol for an event, you are required to purchase from a distributor. Unfortunately, distributors don’t always offer the best price, but that’s showbiz baby. Distributors also do not accept returns or exchanges of any alcohol that you purchase. So if you overbought for an event and have 20 cases of alcohol left over, you must eat that cost. Thankfully Jenn and her team know exactly how to calculate how much liquor to purchase for an event. Jenn chops it up to ‘I’ve been doing this for so long, that I could literally project the situation and give you a shopping list, try me’. And that we did. We’re pretty sure she nailed the hypothetical order on the head, too.
The Party Police, (remember them from above?), need to know exactly where you are purchasing your beverages from to ensure that the alcohol has not been contaminated. One of the biggest no-no’s from the Party Police is to “marry your bottles of alcohol.” Meaning when you have a little bit of vodka left in one bottle, you can’t pour that into another one. That’s a $10,000 fine!
Serving Responsibly
To ensure that Events With a Twist doesn’t have to take liability if someone has a little too much fun at an event, Jenn trusts and properly trains her team. She hires people that are trustworthy and familiar with when people need to be cut off. This also includes ensuring staff is well trained to know the appropriate amount of liquor to serve for each cocktail.
When serving alcohol in Las Vegas, a health card, TAM card, and sheriff’s card must be in possession when working. Training courses, followed by a test, are required in order to obtain these cards. With appropriate training and knowledge, Jenn’s bartenders & servers are aware of what an overly intoxicated guest looks like and when the time is to switch over from cocktails to coffee.
Jenn discussed how clients in Las Vegas are different than in other parts of the country. The crown jewel of this town is all about long-term relationships. Jenn told us, “Business in Vegas is all about friendly relationships with clients. If someone’s kid wants into the Neon Museum after hours, you pull the strings.” This is a statement that Norton National holds very dear to our hearts. We like sending milkshakes to our clients on bad days and congratulations when their kids have their first dance recital. The little gestures are the ones that matter.
Jenn is always a riot to catch up with. We gained a new appreciation for different perspectives of events and the configuration of the beverage industry. To get a vibe for Jenn and her team, pop over to Events With a Twist and #TeamNortonNatinoals page for any liquor promotion, or brand ambassador needs!
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