Imagine walking into a venue with hundreds of people dancing as hard as they can, totally lost in the moment, enjoying themselves like they never have before. As you walk around, you’re thinking about profit margins, what the door is looking like, and just where have those headliners of yours run off to? That’s right – You’re a promoter! This is your element. This is your night. After months of planning, it’s time to make it all happen. In this issue’s article, I’d like to share some insight about event promotion I’ve gained while working on this past November 3’s “BTU Weekend Live featuring Shiloh” at Club Red.

To start off, please be aware that I’m writing this article form the standpoint of promotion in a secular environment. Your situation may vary.

With any venue, one of the first things to secure is a signed contract outlining the usage of the venue. Who gets how much of the door? Who operates the door? Who gets bar/refreshment revenue? These are just some of the things you’ll need to think about. First off, I suggest having personal liability insurance. This covers you in case anything happens. Someone slip and fall? No prob., your liability insurance covers it no problem. It never hurts to be a little paranoid when it comes to these things. Got your insurance now? Good! Let’s go to the venue and negotiate a bit. Here’s the deal you want….

1. Promoter gets 100% of the door. Venue gets 100% of bar/refreshment revenue.
2. Promoter’s staff works the door. Venue provides change to start.
3. Promoter controls operating hours.
   
4. Venue provides security.
5. Promoter is allowed to do promotions in the venue prior to the show.
6. Promoter has TOTAL control over the VIP area.

Got that? Good. Don’t be afraid of being overly aggressive. Venue owners are going to attempt to take you every chance they get. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself and demand a quality deal. If the venue doesn’t want to give you what you want, then just move on to somewhere else.

DO NOT skimp on your marketing budget. Order an initial run of 5,000 flyers, and be ready to order 2,500 more. 10,000 flyers in an average place is way too much. Forget about radio advertising unless it’s free. Find the local alternative media sources (Here in Birmingham it’s Black & White and Birmingham Weekly. Atlanta has Creative Loafing. Find free weeklies like these) and make sure to send press releases to them with the info about your show. Try to think of creative promotional methods you can easily use to create buzz. Also, in your marketing, remember that time is a commodity, and should be accounted for. Where will your time best be spent? How many people from certain surrounding cities will actually come? What’s the drawing power of your headliner, and how well will their name promote? If your headliner is Sasha or Paul Van Dyk or Sander Van Doorn, then promotion is much easier because people recognize the name. However, if you’re promoting a Rowland & Wright or the like, promotion takes more time because the artist may not be as well known. This is when the promoter needs to account for creating knowledge about the artist. As a promoter, your number one job is to get people in the door. Make sure your marketing package is strong.

Lastly, make sure to surround yourself with people willing to work. Promoting an event the right way is something you can’t do on your own. Get a group of people who are willing to give up Fridays and Saturdays to pass out flyers. Have a few people willing to help with Internet promotion. Let people do what they can do well. Play to your staff’s strengths and let people help. I can’t stress this enough. Make sure to surround yourself with quality people.

Putting on a show the right way is tough, but incredibly rewarding. I highly recommend throwing your own show at some point, but be prepared to work. Make sure to work out all issues that might come up with the venue. Protect yourself with personal liability insurance. Be sure to set aside plenty of money for marketing tools. If people don’t know about your show, they won’t show up. Also, make certain you have a team of quality people ready to help put on your show. I can’t wait to hear about your successful events!