Pangaea's founder Michael Ault, 50, tells Zul Othman how he's become super rich from throwing parties, of his database of ultra-rich clients and why S'pore clubs don't let him past the velvet ropes.

How did you discover your passion for running clubs?

I originally got into the business to meet people, predominantly girls! For the first six years, I was a banker on Wall Street by day and a club promoter by night. I found out quickly that the lure of a top nightclub was greater than that of a pin-striped suit and talk on interest rates.

Promoting parties is a natural thing for you. Why is this so?

My family, from both my mother's and father's side, have been throwing large and lavish charity and social events for generations (He is the son of New York gentry. His mother is Faith van Clief of jewellery, watch, and perfume company Van Cleef & Arpels).

Not for profit, but for fun. So being raised on this "Charity Ball Circuit" gave me great insights as to how to throw a great party.

I was very fortunate to be exposed to this world, and I suppose you can say I've been either observing the intricacies of throwing parties, or in the business personally all my life.

Is it hard being such a well-known nightlife entrepreneur with links to such famous families?

Well, my families were not happy about my choice of career. So while my family members were and are quite famous, none had any experience in the nightclub industry, and largely hoped that it would be a passing hobby.

They did not like the idea of charging guests for a party, but we all have to pay our mortgages.

I did learn the critical importance of a large and affluent address book. I started building my list as a child. By the mid-1980s, the New York Times wrote an article about this kid with a 40,000-address book of the world's elite. Now that list is well over one million worldwide.

I suppose when it came to securing leases and raising money, my name was very helpful.

But if you don't enrich your investors, this currency runs out quickly. Now that I've built my name up to being the actual brand, not Pangaea, it helps in securing top locations, money and staff. But in the end, you still have to deliver every night, because it's not about me, it's about the guest experience.

Why did you bring the Pangaea concept to Singapore? Why did you think it would work?

The central attraction for us was the Marina Bay Sands involvement, as well as the tremendous growth and wealth generation, along with Singapore's well-renowned adherence to property rights, lack of corruption and its advanced legal judicial system.

We knew it would work because a great party with superior attention to service is globally ubiquitous. Moreover, we didn't see anything comparable in our high-end niche.

Have the clientele from your other clubs travelled here just to party at Pangaea? Could you share some anecdotes on who these people are?

We don't like to name names, as the privacy of our guests is strictly protected. But yes, we've had old guests of ours, even "regulars" from all over the world visit Singapore, with the specific intention of partying with us at Pangaea.

Pangaea is known for it extravagant party culture. Are you surprised by the clients you attract here in Singapore?

Yes, actually I was quite surprised by the degree to which Singaporeans, expatriates and others from far and wide would spend. There are many other high-spending markets, but here in Singapore, people really like to have fun and are prepared to spend for a superior experience.

Moreover, Singapore has probably the highest percentage of millionaires per capita and the highest GDP per capita, so it should not be surprising that it also has some of the world's most expensive cars and restaurants.

What's it like counting celebrities like Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin and other rich out-of-towners among your clients?

It's very flattering. However, with our clubs in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, The Hamptons and elsewhere, we're quite accustomed to a heavy celebrity concentration.

Over the decades, that has been one aspect of our business that we've become well known for.

But I must say, we have a mantra, "we treat our regular guests like rock stars, and equally treat our rock stars like regular guests". Maybe that's why they feel so comfortable.

Do any of them come with inflated egos?

I have found that the really successful and secure celebrities often are the most humble. Conversely, the ones that are working their way up, and are thus less secure, often have the egos. In my estimation, ego equals insecurity.

How strict is your door policy?

Upset guests are common currency with every exclusive club on the planet. However, our top minds and professionals are at the door, not just security with no decision-making authority.

These professional door people and hosts have had long experience and exhaustive training, so they can quickly and politely determine just who is and who is not going to mix well with our philosophy and thus add to the party.

Most importantly, a majority of our guests are well known to each member of our staff, so we are already familiar with their needs and wishes.

Having a strict door policy may inevitably mean either long queues or upset guests being turned away at the door. Have you had any problems with this?

Not at all.

Most of our clients are elite jet-setters and understand a strict door policy, which they are highly accustomed to in London, St Tropez, New York, Miami, Paris, Las Vegas etc. Furthermore, anyone can call ahead and book a table well in advance of their visit.

There is never a need for a long queue. This is standard procedure for all top ultra-lounges globally. And that, quite simply, is our crowd.

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, you said the Pangaea experience replicates the feeling of being at a house party. How so?

When the wealthy throw lavish house parties, most guests would already know each other, plus the owners are there to party with the guests. The security, staff and entertainment would also be tailor-made for the group of friends that have gathered. It's far more private, personable and exclusive.

Do you worry about other clubs copying your concepts?

They are doing just that as we speak. Many of the new nightclubs are going to great efforts to replicate what we've done. It's inevitable.

But it is a highly-challenging niche, and service at our level is not easy to duplicate.

The good news is that the name and the brand is not important. We could change our name tomorrow and hopefully, our elite guests would embrace the new brand.

Brand longevity normally occurs in markets without a great deal of competition. Once a club's success starts the shift in how others are run, competition increases, and saturation soon follows.

What do you think of the clubs in Singapore?

My preference is to stick to our model and philosophy, so I find that spending too much time in other clubs tends to obscure my clarity regarding our mission.

Moreover, my team and I have been banned from most other competing clubs in Singapore. This is unique to Singapore.

In most other major nightclub markets, one's competition is always

greeted with professional courtesy. Unfortunately, we did not find this to be the case in Singapore.

Did you apply any lessons learnt from your other outlets to Pangaea Singapore?

Yes, for certain. All my former brands and Pangaea(s) can best be described as an evolution of each club we build and operate, of failures, successes and generally, lessons learned.

The actual Pangaea concept is basically the experience one would have in a huge African Safari Tent, with only candlelight, antelope skulls and antique explorer maps, tribal masks and a collection of antique tribal shields and spears covering nearly every inch of the walls. It's very exotic, rustic and other-worldly.

However, we were warned early on that this would not fly in Singapore, while Europeans and Americans found it magical, exotic and something quite new.

In Asia, the wealthy want to be surrounded by things that are new, highly finished, flashy, with wildly expensive and slick materials. So this was the antithesis of Pangaea.

We understand you moved here about three years ago?

Yes, we moved here in 2010 and live in an apartment in Robertson Quay. We love it. It's great for our son, and centrally located.

...We love Singapore, and have made some very close friends. The diversity of the city is remarkable.

The city is safe and well-run. My only complaint is the lack of seasons and the weather. I need the seasonal changes each year to grow and evolve, and am basically a cold-weather person, but as they say, "you have to break some eggs to have an omelette".

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