Nightclub unveils hi-tech dance floor

The unveiling of the hi-tech surface put the '˜wow' factor among the 1,200 strong full house at the Visions nightclub on the pier last Saturday night.

The 45sq m floor contains just under 200 squares topped with a tough polycarbonate and glass surface.

Underneath each square is a computer controlled LED unit which can produce a dazzling array of colours. Each square can be lit up differently to create an unrivalled multi-coloured display.

The lighting can be programmed with certain routines or the DJs can produce their own lighting to match the tone of the music they are playing.

It has cost pier owner John Ayers about 50,000 to install the floor in a former sunken part of the dance floor on the club's lower level.

Pier technical manager Kevin Murphy said: 'This is the only dance floor of its kind. This is something that Bognor has got which nowhere else in the world has.

'The only place that comes near to this is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who we worked with, but theirs is not as technically advanced as ours.'

It took 500 manhours during a week to put in the floor which consumes a modest 800 watts electricity an hour in spite of its colourful brilliance. The aim of the new floor was to provide another attraction to keep Visions at the forefront of clubbing locally, explained Mr Murphy.

'The old vinyl floor was getting dated. We need to have the lead on everyone else to keep people coming here. The competition has got tougher with pubs having later licences under the changed laws.

'People used to come to us at 11pm, now it's midnight to 12.30am. The banning of indoor smoking from July 1 will also provide another challenge to us.

'We will be using our patio as an outdoor area for smokers. We will be doing a lot of work there with seating, heating and lighting to make it somewhere nice to go for a smoke,' he added.