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The Best Of Balmain- Dicks is only getting better

There are pubs, and there are "pubs". Pubs are chic, stainless steel and timber adorned bastions with more plants than a Flower Power and are inoffensively pleasant. "Pubs" have bar tops well worn from leaning locals, have housed more characters than the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the banter is usually the most colourful thing in there.

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Courtesy of the wharfie working class who populated the peninsula, Balmain seemingly has more pubs than people, and sitting on the corner of Beattie and Mullins st since 1874 is DiCK's Hotel. While the landscape has changed around DiCK's, for the past 12 years DiCK's Hotel has established itself as a local legend by doing the opposite.
With walls that have more stories than a library, if DiCK's authenticity and character were people they would have half poured your tipple of choice and hung shit on you within seconds of entering. Service, sport, community, food and drinks are the foundations that DiCK's is built upon with the venue recognized as an Anzac Day destination and 1 of only 4 preferred platinum Swans supporter venues in Australia.

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Following the renovation of the upstairs area into a cocktail bar, functions and performance space, Musicland were engaged to oversee the live entertainment program and marketing activity. Named after the Godfather of Soul, The Brown's entertainment direction was punk music….no. With the vintage Rhodes in residence being tinkled by some of Sydney and Melbourne's finest purveyors, funk and soul was the heartbeat of The Brown.
With three distinct spaces resonating to 3 different audiences, establishing identities to inform the visual communications for the three spaces under the overarching umbrella of DiCK's Hotel character was central in implementing consistency and continuity. Maintaining the venues character, while expanding the scope of communication, was key in broadening the appeal of the venue to a larger audience while avoiding any corrections to its existing audience.

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With the success and improvement of venues our primary agenda, the recent decision to entertain expressions of interest for DiCK's Hotel for the first time in 12 years is reflective of the impact which our engagement has contributed to in the past 24-month period "The pub's never traded so well in the whole 12 years we've had it"
With experience and intangibles being difficult elements to measure but forming integral parts of strategy, helping a "pub" that would be as comfortable in 1974 as it is in 2018 evolve while still holding firm to its character and ideals is something we are more than happy to hang our hat on.

Friday, April 10th, 2015 at 2:06 pm
dicks hotel, balmain, pub, blog, entertainment, eating, friends,

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