A conversation with Alain Miroux about Alea Nightclub

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Alain Miroux

Yesterday EDM Canada unveiled exclusive photos of Alea Nightclub, the brand new VIP club in the National Capital region. If you want to know more, then this conversation with Alain Miroux, the general manager of Alea Nightclub, is a must-read, enjoy: 

1. Before visiting Alea I described the nightclub as a “super club”, how would you describe Alea?

Alea is an intimate, exclusive club for the young professional, and we are looking at a market for 25 years old and up. It's a club of only 219 capacity, so we're not looking to be the 2,000 seat club that you see in Vegas or other places. We're really aiming Alea at the young professional by giving them an intimate and exclusive experience.

2. Did Alea find inspiration from what's going on in Las Vegas?

Yes, we did. We obviously looked at different regions and of course we looked at our local market. We looked at New York and then we looked at Vegas, and looked at how they were doing things. When we looked at the tendency of all casino's, it was their increase in offers of
entertainment. You notice that theatres are being built, hotels, restaurants, great bars, and nightclubs are the new channels. So we need to follow-up those trends and ensure that we up to the needs of what our future clientele is.

3. What is your vision for Alea Nightclub in terms of music? How many nights a week will Alea be open?

Right now we're looking at being open two nights a week. We looked at our market, the population, and how many fit the age group that we wanted to have and because most people worked the next morning we wanted to keep Alea open on Friday and Saturday. We feel at 200 capacity that we should be full every night. For the opening we wanted to get two big names, Erick Morillo and Bob Sinclar, but when you look at the other DJ's booked in November, they are emergent DJs. We are looking to bring emergent DJs and sometimes we'll bring somebody with a bigger international reputation.

4. So what kind of emergent DJs are you looking for? Are you looking regionally based DJs in Ottawa/Gatineau, Montreal, and Toronto, or elsewhere?

Honestly we are looking to get them from anywhere. It's a 200 seat nightclub so obviously there is a budget related to the capacity of the nightclub. We want to make the nightclub a source of entertainment but also a source of revenue. So we have agents looking to book DJs
who have connections in that world, because it is a world by itself, and we don't pretend to be experts in it. So we associate ourselves with people that know the business to ensure that we book the right DJs.

5. Speaking of partnerships, it seems that Alea has a partnership with Playground, the makers of Bal en Blanc and co-owners of New City Gas in Montreal. Can you tell me a little bit about that partnership?

We hired them as consultants for the opening and to help us for the first and second year of operation. This is to ensure that we are doing things right and that we are giving the right product to our client. When we were looking for a partner, we looked around and noticed that they were the best. So we felt comfortable working with them and they have been extremely resourceful and helpful in making sure that we don't have too many learning curves.

"The service received at Alea will be the same in the casino and in the hotel, first class."

6. How important are the VIP tables (banquette) and table service to the success of Alea?

It is very important. These banquette's are not for 20-30 people, but really for only 2-4 couples that is very close to the dancefloor, and close to the DJ. People love that because they are stars. The service received at Alea will be the same in the casino and in the hotel, first class.

7. People from the Ottawa region might not be used to this type of VIP club, so what kind of dress code is expected from people who visit Alea?

I think the product by itself will dictate that. If you go to a 5 diamond restaurant, people usually know when they're going to a high-end restaurant and will dress accordingly. So we expect young professionals to dress accordingly and we'll have a clientele that will fit in quite nicely for what we have.

8. Do you have a last message to give before this interview is a wrap?

Alea is a new product that would offer something unique in the National Capital region that should enhance the entertainment world of the region.

My thanks to Alain Miroux for the interview. 

Tonight is the big grand opening of Alea Nightclub and will feature the legendary Erick Morillo. Unfortunately almost all of the tickets are sold out except for a few VIP tables. However, there are still general admission tickets available for Bob Sinclar on November 15th, so grab them quick before they are sold out. For more ticket information, click below: 



An exclusive first look at Alea Nightclub: Ottawa's first intimate VIP club experience

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Alea Nightclub, nestled right in the middle of the Casino Lac Leamy, is the result of the Casino's ambitious $47 million overall renovation. With the grand opening of Alea happening tomorrow night, EDM Canada had the opportunity to get an exclusive first look of the club that will be sure to change the clubbing scene in the Nation's Capital forever.

The whole look and feel of the club is very exclusive. Once you're inside the doors, you no longer get a sense that you're in the middle of a casino but rather you feel as if you are being led into a luxurious new space. You can no longer hear the casino inside of Alea as they surrounded the club with a special noise reduction material to ensure that there is no sound bleed. One can tell that the casino spared no expense at creating the Alea Nightclub. 

The first thing that strikes you is how intimate it feels once you're inside. This is unlike any other club I've ever been to as the dancefloor is so intimately close to the DJ booth that there isn't a bad spot in the club. The VIP tables are located all along the DJ booth and at two locations on the 2nd floor. But there are two 3 person booths in particular that caught my attention. They sit at either side of the DJ booth and they are so close to the action that you are literally right next to the DJ. It's unlike anything I've ever seen anywhere and it is the best spot in the club besides the dancefloor of course.

The official capacity of Alea Nightclub is only 219 people, so the feeling of exclusivity is clearly evident. The sound system is for real as they packed a 20,000 watt RMS system provided by Meyer Sound that sounds pristine. Ottawa has been in desperate need of a club with a solid sound system for years and the Alea Nightclub has just filled that gap. 

Right now the plan for Alea Nightclub is to be open only two nights a week (Friday and Saturday), with one night catering to the hip-hop/Top 40 called Fusion, and the other featuring electronic dance music called Dynamik. Alea Nightclub is actively consulting with Playground Productions for the launch. Playground is no stranger to the scene as they are the organizers of the famous Bal en Blanc event, as well as co-owners of the highly regarded New City Gas in Montreal. 

Here are some of the snaps I took of Alea Nightclub, enjoy:

(Click on any photo to enlarge)

Here are two pictures of the DJ booth and the dancefloor that shows how intimate the entire club is. I counted how many steps it was from the back of the dancefloor to the front of the DJ booth and it was only 6 steps. I cannot emphasize enough how close you'll feel to the DJ and the rest of the club once you're inside: 

Note: these two pictures above were taken from the 14 person "lodge" VIP table located upstairs.

Here's a look at the DJ booth with the wall of VIP tables: 

Here's a vantage point of the club from the perspective of one of the VIP tables. The DJ booth is on the left while the dancefloor is on the right, while you get a clear look at the nice glass bar. Upstairs you can see a VIP "lodge" area:

Here is Alea's massive 13 metre LED wall. It sits on the opposite side of the DJ booth: 

Inside the DJ booth: 

Here's is one of the two 3 person VIP tables that sits literally right beside the DJ booth. If I was looking to book a VIP table, this is the one that I'd get: 

A look at the bathroom, the mirror is fitted with a see through TV screen: 

The top of the nightclub is laden with this cool fabric: 

On Saturday, November 15th, they have booked Bob Sinclar, the father of the French Touch sound. These are huge events for Ottawa, and I highly recommend that you grab your tickets asap to check out this brand new club in the Nation's Capital:

(Click on each poster below for more ticket information)

Related: Check out EDM Canada's conversation with Alain Miroux, the general manager of Alea Nightclub. Click here to read it now. 

Live in Ottawa? Then check out the Ottawa calendar for all upcoming EDM events in the Nation's Capital. Click here to check it out now.

Check out the latest episode of Eddie Halliwell's "Fire It Up" radio show

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Eddie Halliwell is a DJ's DJ and a legend in the scene who has been active since the early 2000s. He was named as DJ of the year by Mixmag in 2003 and 2005, and is still very much active today with a yearly residency at Cream in Ibiza. Enjoy episode #233 of Fire It Up as Eddie plays some of the biggest chart topping big room tracks of the moment:

Eddie Halliwell will be in Toronto at the Hoxton on Saturday, December 28th, and then he'll head to Ottawa for a special New Year's Eve party at the Casino Lac Leamy. Click here for tickets.