Liam Apter is the Digital Brand Manager of one of the country’s most renowned night clubs. He sets us straight on how clubs are changing in Sydney.

Everyone knows The World Bar. One of the last clubs still standing in Sydney’s Kings Cross, The World Bar is a city establishment. We chat with Digital Brand Manager Liam Apter about navigating the night club scene in Sydney and how his degree in Communications from UTS impacted his understanding of business and culture in Sydney.

1. So you’re working for The World Bar at the moment. What’s your role and how did you land it?

Currently I’m the digital brand manager for The World Bar which means I guide and create the digital voice of The World Bar alongside marketing the nights that run across the week like The Wall, Banquet & And Then. As part of this I’m responsible for the venue’s marketing strategy, branding and collaborations.

This came about when our previous digital manager left and I put my hand up for the role because of my marketing experience at the Imperial Sydney in Erskineville where I’m the Marketing Coordinator.

But I started with The World Bar as Banquet’s Band Booker (it’s rare a day goes by where someone doesn’t called me bandbooka now) after taking over from Dom O’Connor who now works at Laneway.

On a side note I’ve also just taken over as Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel’s NYE / NYD Project Manager.

2. I know you studied at UTS. How has this degree helped you in terms of getting work and your understanding of the industry?

I studied a Bachelor of Communications majoring in Journalism and it definitely helped me get to where I was but it’s not the only reason.

Throughout university I wrote heavily for Pilerats and met some fantastic people like Troy Mutton, Hayden Davies, Somayra Ismailjee who are all incredible writers FYI. At Pilerats I learnt the basics of writing in a way that I never would at university; the stress of deleting an interview with Glass Animals by accident right after you interviewed them, dealing with artists who don’t want to talk with you and writing features at 3am that publicists want up ASAP.

So I’d say Pilerats taught me the realities of writing whereas university provided a framework for how I think about writing.

4. You’re combining the digital and the physical. Numbers on the screen doesn’t necessarily equate to heads through the door. What do you think the key is in making the likes on Facebook translate into a living breathing event?

When you start in an industry like this it often makes sense to answer that question with popular artists that are getting spun on FBi / Triple J because they’re what everyone is talking about. However, that’s often a risky move to make and when it doesn’t pay off it can hit hard.

What I think is key is partnering with local groups, crews and bands because they often have the best engagement in the surrounding area.

Big headliners look good on paper but when it’s 12am on the night of the event and there’s 10 people on the dance floor it feels pretty shit.

5. What do you think The World Bar’s secret has been in remaining a pillar of the live music scene in Sydney?

I think it comes down to two things, World Bar is run by a group of people who care passionately about live music and because they’re willing to constantly re-invent what The World Bar stands for. For example since 2015 The World Bar also runs as a theatre – The Blood Moon Theatre which in recent years has been featured as part of VIVID and later this year is Kings Cross’s main venue for the Sydney Fringe Festival.

To check out more from Liam and The World Bar, head to his profile.