The Oracle: Issue #2

THE ORACLE - OCTOBER ISSUE - #02
“We feed off what the competition
has to offer - and we learn a lot
from them - even though we are
not competitive by nature.
“We are not about singing well
or winning, the best karaoke
experiences are when someone
who has never sung before gets up
and has the time of their life with
everyone around them!”
This scene is a regular occurrence
for Lucky Voice, which attracts
swathes of office parties and hen
and stag dos. Often, when a guest
has visited with work and enjoyed
the experience, they immediately
rebook and return with friends.
With more than 10,000 songs to
pick from in the catalogue, and
the ability to order food and drink
to be delivered to your booth, there
is already plenty of choice at Lucky
Voice, however the brand’s latest
concept takes some inspiration
from other players in the market.
Their new ‘I’m Feeling Lucky’ option
gives guests a randomiser option,
where duets will be paired and
songs generated to sing. While not
‘competitive’ in the SingStar sense,
it does add in a new interactive
element to the offer.
Charlie adds: “It’s a really nice
touch. It works well for our
regulars but it’s also a nice way of
introducing people to it. We have
another game in development too.”
Always leading the way in new
and innovative technology, Lucky
Voice licenses its software to other
hospitality venues across the
globe.
Meanwhile, the business is
focusing on other areas to increase
dwell time and the overall customer
experience, such as its food and
drink offer. Bigger bar and kitchen
areas have been key components
of its latest sites (Holborn and
Liverpool Street) and this will
continue throughout its future
expansion plans.
Charlie continues: “It really helps
our sales team bring in corporates
and big day events.
“It’s still a fairly small percentage
of overall revenue (about 5%) and
we want to get the balance right
to increase dwell time, so people
don’t feel they have to go to dinner
before or after their session. But
with food GP diminishing all the
time we don’t currently have an aim
to get to 20%.”
Another area where Lucky Voice is
on a similar journey with rivals in
the sector is in looking across the
Atlantic for opportunities.
Charlie, who has witnessed
the success of brands such
as Puttshack, Flight Club and
Swingers on the East Coast first
hand, says: “It’s interesting how few
people know that the businesses
have come over from the UK.“
“It’s amazing that the UK is selling
entertainment to the US and it’s
working a treat, but it’s a testament
to those concepts. We were in
Puttshack in Boston at 5pm on
a Monday and it was absolutely
packed in there.”
While the US is likely to get its
first Lucky Voice in the next 18
months, the UK will see even more
with another site in London on the
way and others likely to pop up in
Birmingham and Manchester.
These are ambitious plans, but
perhaps nothing less than you
would expect from an MD who
confesses that if he could perform
a karaoke duet with anyone at all it
would be Elvis Presley.
Charlie’s own star has famously
risen after starting out as a
graduate intern at Lucky Voice.
He was given an opportunity by
founders Martha Lane Fox and
Nick Thistleton, grabbed it and rose
to running the business.
He takes huge pride in senior team
members having risen through the
ranks to the leadership team. He
still conducts ‘values’ interviews
with all full time recruits (there are
110 members of staff across the
business) to ensure they are the
right fit for each other. There is
focus on progression, mental wellbeing,
clear communication and
good old fashioned fun.
He explains: “We have a great team
of people who really buy into the
values. It’s been a real help to do
that. It’s something I love doing and
it means I meet all the team before
they start. Lucky Voice is such a
fun place to be as a customer that
it needs to be a fun and joyous
place to work.”
With more concepts and openings
on the way, the good times look
set to continue for both staff and
customers alike.
Discover Lucky
Voice in London,
Brighton & beyond
luckyvoicekaraoke.com
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