As a Minneapolis-based business in the nightlife industry, it’s hard to see a dominant player in the Minneapolis nightlife scene be struck with the terror of an active shooter inside their venue. In the weeks since the incident, we’ve been spending our time thinking about those involved — the victims, the staff, the owners, the guests — and discussing ways in which we can help keep nightlife venues across the country a fun, safe place for everyone to be.
It’s a mission that’s driven us from the beginning. We believe that with more data comes more knowledge. And that knowledge is what drives not only one business but an entire community forward. Usually data is used for positive proactive reasons — to collect insight on what drives a business, to get a deeper understanding on valuable customer habits, and to bridge the gap between a venue and its consumer to drive loyalty and experience.
But data can also be used when the unexpected happens. When information from IDs is tracked, logged and timestamped, it’s able to act as the puzzle piece to help authorities track down the suspect of a crime. It empowers a venue to place a restriction on that person so they’re not allowed back inside. It can also alert other venues in the community if that person were to try to go into their establishment.
Data, of course, is not the only answer; but it is a step toward being able to take action in the wake of an incident. There’s still work that needs to be done to continue to build safe environments for all. We stand behind our industry peers in Minneapolis and across the nation. We believe in the longevity of the nightlife industry and will continue to push ourselves to build tools to help our customers. And we’ll continue to pursue partnerships with the police and city officials to build a network of information that works to keep venues, staff, and their patrons safe.
