Events Management

For one of our modules this year, we are learning about Events Management. The end project is to set up an event, advertise and promote it as an actual show. I believe we have to hold the event as well at the end of the year.

Right now we are learning the processes on how to assemble and event. This includes: the health and safety, legal aspects, costs, staff, advertising etc. Everything which goes on behind the scenes is what we must learn.

In one of our lectures we had a guest speaker in. This speaker was someone who runs his own festival after a few years of graduating University. He taught us many things about running festivals. The key points he mentioned about running a festival is:

• budget and research

• offers and contracts

• marketing plan

• advancing for the show

• debrief/evaluate after the show.

I wrote loads of notes about each stage of setting up and running a festival. I definitely understand the process and will really help with the end assessment. Here are the notes I wrote from each key point:

Budget for his underground festival:

• set the budget

• account for all aspects of the event

• 500 cap - 250 weekend (£18 & 500 day tickets (£12)

• set budget to £10,000

• tech - £1500

• catering - £500

• marketing - £750

• bands - £7000

Research

• read everything (blogs, magazines)

• who’s getting press, good tours & appearances

• size rooms they’re playing…albums out?

• decide of structure of festival

• wish list and whittle this down to a line up plan

• budget line up plan

offers and contracts

• start pitching offers

• easy for agent to decide whether its good for artist

• share info on the event - past headliners, supporting partners i.e bbc intro

• always show full line up.

First time contacting agent:

• quick intro

• reason for contacting

• outline

• encourage quick response

• particulars of offer

• quick description of event

• full lineup to show billing

Contracts

• read and sign all contracts

• read and save all riders

• marking notes of special requirements to pass to the team

• smaller bands use memos

Marketing Plan

• build festival though content

• target market

• how to reach them

• social media to find habits

• where should budget be spent

• who’s responsible for what

• what happens during festival

Majority of budget went on social media and posters/flyers.

Advancing

• final arrangements for show

• hire in backline

• sort guestlist, parking passes

• look for added ways to make income e.g. food and drink

• encourage press/photographers etc.

Debrief

• Evaluate everything

• who was the audience. Why?

• how to attract new people

• line up and marketing changes

As you can see...SOOO MANY notes!😂 but very helpful.

For the end assessment I'm trying to figure out different ideas for events. I am thinking about setting up something in a skatepark, like Sum 41's In Too Deep video, but this would be very hard and there would be major health and safety risks! Also, I think a Battle of the Bands would be a fun idea to get the music community together and would be a good event to promote in my local town. Right now, this is the best option for me, but there are a lot of things I still need to learn and found out about running events before I can say for sure I will be putting on this event.

Here is a link to my Events Management blog where updates on the module will be posted: https://lkmill98.wixsite.com/eventsmanagement

#highlights