Poof Doof at ARQ: A perfect match but a few tweaks required

REVIEW: Several weeks ago, we here at GSN started writing a column titled: “ARQ is open to event promoters. Should it partner with Poof Doof?”

It never saw the light of day but it was a dream many on the scene had hoped would become a reality. Last Saturday it did, when more than 1700 people went to the launch of Poof Doof at ARQ Sydney. So was it any good?

When we arrived just after 10.40pm, we skipped the queue of about 50 or so people thanks to a wristband we were given earlier in the day.

We already told you what to expect at the club in our preview, so we’ll focus on what the experience was like.

The pros:

• It was great having two separate and large dance floors playing different music (house versus pop) that were both packed as the night went on. It felt like two clubs in one.
• The Snap Crackle Pop dance floor is a huge upgrade to the one Poof Doof had at Kinselas.
• The lighting rig upstairs was mesmerising to see in action as it moved up and down on chains.
• I liked how there were plenty of places to sit down.
• The Dumpster Disco pop-up in Trash Alley was fun.
• The venue was packed, so it was great Poof Doof kept the mezzanine open for everyone, not just VIPs.
• The club stayed open past 7.30am.

The cons:

• At peak times it took up to 30 minutes to get a drink at the bar.
• The cloakroom line was ridiculous at peak times – both for drop-off and pickup. The last thing you want to deal with as you go home is a long wait. It also took some time for items to be retrieved.
• The line-up for the toilets was equally lengthy.
• Some patrons complained of a long line-up outside. But these people didn’t buy tickets. This is to be expected on an opening night.
• It was difficult getting from one side of the top floor to the other.

A few resourcing/capacity tweaks might be useful to speed up lines.

GSN contributor Luke Austin had this to say: “Trash Alley became its own cool little party. It can get a little squishy though. The bean bag chill-out area offers a nice respite from the busyness of the dance floor. This was definitely needed after seeing how packed it was on opening night.”

Poof Doof tells us it appreciates everyone’s patience and will work on increasing capacity at the bar during busy moments. It added that club cloakrooms were not often built to cope with a large volume of people wanting service at the same time.

And it said it would be keeping the mezzanine open to all for now.