So I'm starting a cigar club with a few other fellas and we've already got the wheels turning on members and a location an out first meeting is this coming Monday! Now I've never been a member of a club like this and I was wondering if any brothers had any input or suggestions or things that should and and shouldn't be done, any ideas.. Any! Your input would be greatly appreciated
Starting a cigar club... Suggestions?
- Thread starter BKKALLDAY
- Start date
javajunkie
BoM July '12
i would imagine you would need to consider the venue. if you are at a bar, eatery, b&m, lounge, whatever, try to make it easy and profitable for them, so that they WANT to give you space. do't bring all your own smokes to a shop, buy food and drink, and tip, at a bar, whatever. just don't wear out your welcome.
good luck with it, and let us know how it goes!
good luck with it, and let us know how it goes!
How many people are you thinking about having ideally?
how big is the club so far?
Maybe group buys on boxes so everyone can smoke the same stick that day.
having 'tickets' or door fee that goes to free drinks or smokes.
pre planned topics for discussions
communal humidor with donations etc. for new members or beginner smokers.
just a few thoughts that came to mind.
Maybe group buys on boxes so everyone can smoke the same stick that day.
having 'tickets' or door fee that goes to free drinks or smokes.
pre planned topics for discussions
communal humidor with donations etc. for new members or beginner smokers.
just a few thoughts that came to mind.
Group buys always work out well, you all get to share the same experience and the savings is a plus. I hope you've got some pretty good ventilation. The lingering cigar smoke odor will definitely turn away his diners. Good luck and have fun with it.
javajunkie
BoM July '12
that's very cool, but make sure it works out in their favor. it helps everyone in the end. o)
Yeah we're gonna have a fee at the door and the place is ventilated very well and so far, the first meeting is just out club government and few others to vote on an discuss prospective club ideas and events and all sorts of stuff.
As far a grroup buys we're definitely gonna talk to our local B&M and see if he can give us a club discount on boxes in return for plugging him in our newsletters and at the meetings and hopefully we can get something. All members are gonna get a stick of each of the cigars at that event and it's totally not for profit so we'll figure that into the cost of coming so everything is covered and we're gonna try and get a sponsorship from a coffee roaster for discounted or free coffee... This place is an older themed place and plenty of open seating and a big screen projector so I'm hoping it takes off... I'm really excite for it.
Oh and we're hoping to bring it up to 40-40 members within a few months!
As far a grroup buys we're definitely gonna talk to our local B&M and see if he can give us a club discount on boxes in return for plugging him in our newsletters and at the meetings and hopefully we can get something. All members are gonna get a stick of each of the cigars at that event and it's totally not for profit so we'll figure that into the cost of coming so everything is covered and we're gonna try and get a sponsorship from a coffee roaster for discounted or free coffee... This place is an older themed place and plenty of open seating and a big screen projector so I'm hoping it takes off... I'm really excite for it.
Oh and we're hoping to bring it up to 40-40 members within a few months!
I think it depends on what you and the members plan on getting out of this.
For me a club wouldnt seem to benificial right now since I have a place to smoke at 1 of 3 local shops/lounges, There are always friends there to talk with and we do different things and get together through out the week. All of which is what I see as a benifit of trying to set up a club.
Are you guys looking to have a more of a face to face discussion about cigars? Are there not many lounges that are open late that you guys could just meet at? etc...
Start there and that might be easier to give suggestions.
just my .02
For me a club wouldnt seem to benificial right now since I have a place to smoke at 1 of 3 local shops/lounges, There are always friends there to talk with and we do different things and get together through out the week. All of which is what I see as a benifit of trying to set up a club.
Are you guys looking to have a more of a face to face discussion about cigars? Are there not many lounges that are open late that you guys could just meet at? etc...
Start there and that might be easier to give suggestions.
just my .02
Hoshneer
Drew Estate NotRex
I would suggest taking it slow with the B&M. I wouldnt ask for much from them. Just support them and give them your business. Once you guys work out a relationship then a good shop will naturally give you guys some good prices. They see clubs come and go, once they know you are serious and you plan to stick around they will probably be a great asset.
As far as your club goes I would suggest from the experience I've learned with ours is to just keep it simple. Some guys smoking and just shooting the shit. Sometimes when you get into complicating it, it can just cause problems. Especially when money is involved. Otherwise just have fun with it man, get your club on facebook and get the word out. If you have any other questions feel free to ask, thats what we're here for.
As far as your club goes I would suggest from the experience I've learned with ours is to just keep it simple. Some guys smoking and just shooting the shit. Sometimes when you get into complicating it, it can just cause problems. Especially when money is involved. Otherwise just have fun with it man, get your club on facebook and get the word out. If you have any other questions feel free to ask, thats what we're here for.
Yeah, what we did was started small, picked a venue that was amicable to our presence where we could bring our own smokes (because CA prices would kill the group size), and just kept it easy - show up, smoke, and shoot the shit. The other thing we did was keep the group small on an invite-only to make sure we ddn't get some random ding dongs showing up. After a year, we organized a trip to Vegas for Big Smoke, and are starting to do group tastings/reviews, box splits, group trades, and are just finally starting to get the word out to some company reps that we will invite out, buy drinks for, and chat about their product with...
New York...restaurant after hours..."cigar club"...mob?
One thing I saw someone do on FB is publically post that they are "accepting gift boxes from vendors in exchange for reviews". Please don't do that. Not only is it tacky and lacks class but made the group come off like a bunch of mooches. As a product rep (not cigar), I can tell you the fastest way NOT to get free stuff from me is demand it from me, especially if you're not supporting my product. Let the reps know about your club and invite them down to talk about their company and product...sort of like an event at a B&M. It may not appeal to them initially, especially if it's a very small club but as the membership grows, they may have a change of heart. Just keep inviting them. Ask the rep what local B&M's support his product. When you go to the B&M to purchase, let the store owner know that you are part of a club, the rep spoke about the cigar and recommended his B&M. The store owner will appreciate the referral, the rep will appreciate it when the store owner calls to thank him and the next time they come, they may bring a few free cigars (I would)...but never EXPECT it.
You guys are blowing my mind haha, I like the ideas though and I'm gonna implement most of them... Never thought about it like that too much an that makes a lot I sense. Keep it coming if you can guys... Appreciate it
I was very interested in this post, as a few friends and I are working on starting a club as well. I like the ideas you have and what the other brothers have posted. To offer my .02, we decided, like some others here, to keep it small and focus on getting the most out of the cigars we're smoking. Each month a member will come up with a C.O.M. and will explain why they chose it, which will hopefully expose people to things they wouldn't normally try (there's one guy in particular who thought all maduro cigars were overly powerful). We also hope to get them to the point that they will be able to better identify and/or understand what flavors/aromas they detect from certain types of leaves and potentially countries of origin. That way even the newbie smokers will be able to walk into a humidor and have at least some idea of what they like. Of course add food, drink, BS'ing and it should be a good time. I'm jealous that you already have a venue! We're looking at trying different lounges and making an evening out of it about once a month. Good luck with your plans and I hope you're able to take the something from each post to make your club perfect for you and your boys.
Mo
Mo
Good luck to you too man, just the other night I got together with 3 friends just to talk about the club and smoked some of our finer cigars in our humi's and it was a blast, I can't wait to get this off the ground
Well guys, today we had our first meet and it went off amazingly, everyone had a lot of fun an really excited for the next meet. I took a lot of your guys' advice and I thank everyone for the input, really exciting so thanks again!