Born & raised in Boise Idaho USA , Benjamin Baskins is the Co-founder of MMG Thailand Chinese Marketing Consultancy, Partner and Marketing Director of Panthera Group. From nightclubs such as Insanity, Sugar Bangkok, Sugar Phuket and Levels, Panthera Group has built more than a handful of outstanding brands making it one of the fastest-growing privately-owned companies in Thailand.
Starting his business in fashion with recycled Levi’s, before opening his wholesale business in Japan in the 1990s. Benjamin became a famous figure among young fashionistas & collectors in Japan. He ventured into starting his business in Thailand in 1999, becoming the official distributor for Von Dutch, and soon decided to make the transition from fashion to the entertainment industry in 2006.
For this series of #TABLETalks, we will unravel the secrets to his success, his thoughts on the current state of entertainment and nightlife and will look into the future for what’s ahead.
Let’s get to know more about him and his projects:
T: With Panthera group being one of the leading players in the nightlife industry in Thailand, what do you think is key to this long-lasting success, and what key criteria would a brand or venue need to have to be considered for the Panthera Group portfolio?
B: “Panthera initiatives are that; we want to be the best with everything that we do, whether it's the branding, the products, the type of music, the best service, and being at the top of the game. But most importantly customer service, welcoming, ensuring people have fun, enjoying their night. That's what Panthera stands for. So we're pretty much one of the biggest funnel based groups in Thailand. And there are two things we look at, one is that we look at businesses that are operating successfully. And we know we can bring value with outstanding operations, out of the box marketing, top notch customer service, and the best entertainment. The second thing would be that the Lumpini area is where we focus on and feel it has a lot of potential for development now and in the future. So we look for businesses in that central area that would add value to the venues that we have. For example, you have a lounge that's doing R&B, then you would want to follow that up with a nightclub that's playing Hip Hop.”
T: How has the nightlife scene in Bangkok changed over the years? Are there any bars or nightclubs that you particularly miss?
B: “Bed Supperclub, it was really the number one club amongst expats and then you had Q Bar. Both were really great and innovative clubs at the time that really established Soi 11 and made it cool. In the early 2000’s late 90’s there was a club called Genesis, before that Soi 11 was really just a normal soi. Then you had bars like Cheap Charlie’s and the back soi of Soi 11 with all the different bars as well as Volkswagen buses on the street that were repurposed as bars so it was very lively. There are some concerns that Soi 11 is getting too residential with high-end condo buildings, but the reputation and the personality is still there. There’s still room for small businesses to come in. Soi 11 has a good mix now I think, much just happened over the last two years. Condos started building, then the transition with the new developments that attracted some quality F&B outlets. It had some growing pains in and around 2017- 2018 during this transition where a lot of changes happened and a lot of construction was going on in Soi 11 but since then it has really blossomed again. The future for soi 11 is very bright, it is a destination Soi especially for foreigners, which obviously now it's a little bit difficult considering the COVID situation. Also with the pandemic, there are quite a few businesses that didn't make it. So professional operators or people with really good concepts can come in now.”
T: As the Panthera group’s Marketing Director, what are some of the biggest challenges you face and how do you keep things “fresh” in this fast-paced market?
B: “The tricky bit is to deliver every week & every day. Once you set the bar you have to deliver week in and week out with top notch events, production and entertainment. We must innovate and come up with new ideas. That is how we keep it fresh: coming up with a concept you have to consider all the key factors: entertainment, promotions, production and customer service to ensure the guest experience will be up to our standard. You have to put marketing and the experience together because you can market something and promise a great guest experience but when customers get to the club you need to deliver. Making sure that your visuals, your artwork, your communication materials represent the brand and make it as hip as possible.”
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past months has left many businesses in distressing situations. However, Panthera Group has managed to withstand these unexpected external factors and continues to thrive. Intrigued by their progress, we had to ask how they were able to change their strategies within the current and future markets.
T: With the Impact of the pandemic, what do you think is key for bars and clubs to survive and where do you see the scene going post-pandemic and what has changed pre vs mid/post-pandemic?
B: “I’m excited about the fact that we now have to market to the Thais, the locals. One of the key components of marketing is databases, right? But when you have tourists, it doesn’t really apply, because tourists travel here for a week and then they leave. We’re starting to develop a focus on locals so when the tourists are back, we will still have our local customer base. That’s a huge opportunity we can expand on. Another thing would be acquiring new venues because there’s a lot of venues that unfortunately didn’t make it. We also actively look for operators that are still in business but can’t make their payroll, so that we could potentially help them. You have to do whatever it takes to maintain the local audience. Then try to understand the demographic of tourists that are going to be coming into Thailand over the next six or so months, which evidently is going to be Asians, primarily Chinese. The next challenge post-pandemic would be how to adapt your current business model to focus on the new target market.”
T: Looking into the future, what innovations do you think party-goers can expect to see within the nightlife industry in the next 5 or so years? Are there any trends that you think can potentially lift the overall customer experience?
B: “It's game on now. In the nightclub industry nobody stopped because of Covid. I mean how many clubs have opened up? At least 3 big clubs in Bangkok. These are foreign players coming to open new clubs here in Thailand, mostly from China. They are now discovering the Thai Market and its potential. It is a competitive market for the locals so we have to rise above and keep striving to improve, based on very high standards, production-wise, entertainment-wise and all the above”
Juggling between work life and personal life is no easy task with Benjamin thriving to keep Panthera Group fresh and on top of their game.
T: What do you like to do in your private time? Any tips for striking a good work-life balance for other people with similar nighttime work hours & jobs?
B: “When things were running as normal, it was a little bit easier. But honestly, through the Covid/post lockdown situation, it is like a moving target – there is no time for rest. I know that once I'm retired, I'm going to look back at this pandemic. I do love it, I got to spend time with my family for three months and I've never spent that much family time and bonding even more with my three boys. I’m glad to have that time with them. I play tennis twice a week with Sam, my 16 year old boy that wants to be a tennis pro. We also enjoy cooking a home cooked meal and a lot of eating out with all the amazing restaurants that Bangkok has to offer. I also run MMG Thailand, a Chinese marketing agency so not much time for rest. It has been hard to get away in this post covid period, which I'm okay for now.”
T: What’s your go-to drink and in which bar in the world would you prefer to have it?
B: “Whiskey Sour, and since it’s more of a city drink, I would say in LA. Either Stock Exchange or Smalls. Or I would have a Sake Bomb (Sake Shot) in a place called Booty in Sapporo, Hokkaido”!
T: Any upcoming projects that people should look forward to?
B: “Juicy, which is an old school hip hop, lounge vibe. A little bit of retro touch like the 90s. Some graffiti and kind of urban. We’re also doing a Chinese restaurant called Y.Y. at the old V8 Restaurant. So that’s a partnership that we’ve done. In addition, we have just launched Event Nation, an event company that focuses on clients that want to do parties or events, whether it’s company parties, MICE, large birthday parties, in addition to doing larger scale private events or product launches. So we’ve established this new company since we have established such a network of outlets that we can use.”
You can find out more on upcoming projects by Panthera Group on their official website: https://panthera-group.com/ , and you can find more about Benjamin Baskins through his social media sites: https://www.instagram.com/benjaminbkk1/?hl=en
Also, checkout the Facebook pages of Panthera Group's outlets: https://www.facebook.com/insanitynightclub/ https://www.facebook.com/levelsclub/ https://www.facebook.com/SugarClubBangkok/ https://www.facebook.com/SugarClubPhuket/
as well as the Facebook page of MMG: https://www.facebook.com/mmgthai/ for more information!
‘TABLE Talks’ is where we sit down with personalities behind masterpieces and have a chat about their passion and inspiration and how they impact the lifestyle community. We aim to recognize the people behind our favorite haunts and appreciate their craft and skills that revolutionize the industry.
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