I have to agree with Vegas_Lee on this one. The regular attendees are there to have a good time, just like the newbies.
As a club goer, it seems fairly obvious that to have the best time you should get to know as many people as possible and then choose who you want to spend extra time with. Unfortunately, that doesn't suit everyone.
As a club owner, I feel it is the responsibility all of the club staff to help the new people along. I spend most of each evening checking in with my members/guests (new and old) to make sure that they are getting the most from the club. Often that includes making introductions and answering questions.
One of the other things that we have done is to require a tour and orientation on the night of someone's first visit. The tour and orientation is only done at the very beginning of the evening, so that all first timers must arrive at opening. One of the byproducts of this is that all of the newcomers get a chance to meet each other. They have at least visual recognition of everyone else who is there for the first time. Typically we have 8-12 new people so it creates a peer group right from the start. As the rest of the guests arrive before we close the door, it is the "regulars" that start as the minority and thus introduce themselves or end up alone until others arrive.
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