Rationale
My group’s event is a gig, focusing on the launch of a new single, ‘Human Nature,’ by Romy Taylor. The gig will take place at Brudenell Social Club in Leeds on Tuesday, 17th March 2026 and will feature support from Lauren Mikki and Emma Coates. We decided to split our group into roles to plan more efficiently, organise and execute different tasks needed to make the gig a success. We split the group as follows: Event Managers: Bradly Cobb and Romy Taylor. Production: James Morriss, Nathan Thomas and I. Publicity, Artist Liaison, Treasurer: Romy. Accounting: Brad and Nathan. Hospitality and Marketing: Everyone. Although the roles were clearly defined, we allowed each leader to delegate tasks to ensure that the workload was evenly distributed.
We decided to centre the event around Romy Taylor’s new single release to give the gig more purpose and originality, compared to a standard, headline gig. It separates it from her previous gigs, making it more appealing for fans who have already been to one of her shows. We consciously booked the gig to coincide with the midnight release of Romy’s ‘Human Nature’. This created the obvious dual benefits from the promotion that Romy will do for the new single, and her single will do for the group’s promotion of the gig. Romy Taylor’s last headline was at Hyde Park Book Club on the 8th of April last year, and her last full-band-support was on the 2nd of December last year, meaning that there has been a decent amount of time between those gigs and ours. The lack of gigs before and after this one, makes it much more desirable, as people will feel this might be their only chance to see her perform. We decided to have the gig on a Tuesday, making sure to avoid it clashing with the LCON reading week. Tuesday has worked in the past for Romy for her headlines, more so than weekends, as a lot of students go out and have other plans on weekends.
To help with time management, we made a Gantt chart to visualise every key milestone we needed to hit (see ‘Gantt Chart’). Using our roles, after each Live Music Management lesson, we delegated certain tasks, such as communication or stage plots, to be finished for the lesson the week after. This stopped us from creating too much last minute pressure and ensured that we had everything ticking over. To collate all of our information and finish off any appendices, we had two in-person meetings before we left for Christmas (see Image 4). We split the tasks in the message into both meetings to make it more manageable. We made an advance schedule too, which will help us manage our time more efficiently on the day of the gig (see ‘ Technical Specifications’).
Once we knew that Romy was signed up to do the event, the most important decision was then to choose the right venue. Our shortlist included Belgrave Music Hall, Headrow House, and Brudenell Social Club. There were many factors that we considered, such as the price of venue hire, the venue’s reputation, the sound system and the lighting; but the three main aspects we were looking for were: the right capacity, the location in relation to our target demographic, and the atmosphere of the venue.
Our target demographic, based on Romy’s previous gigs, is mostly students, with the majority living around Hyde Park and Headingly. Belgrave and Headrow House are more centrally located and therefore aren’t optimal for our target demographic. Having to take public transport rather than walking can be a major turn-off for fans, especially those who are on the fence about going (see ‘Primary Research’, question 1). This is why, for location, Brudenell was the best pick. We were looking for a larger capacity than Hyde Park Book Club’s 150 capacity, as Romy had previously sold out her last show there and wanted to push for more ticket sales (Hyde Park Book Club, 2014). Headrow’s capacity is 150, Belgrave’s is 300, and Brudenell’s is 400. For the sake of selling out a show and having that kudos, Headrow House was appealing, but this would cap the ticket sales at 150, therefore not maximising ticket revenue and audience reach. Belgrave was the most appealing for capacity, as it was a step up from 150, without having the worry of the venue feeling empty. This was our main issue with Brudenell, as we weren’t certain that we would get close enough to the 400 capacity. However, the consensus from the group, when discussing our favourite venues for atmosphere and when reflecting on the best times we’d collectively had at the three different venues, Brudenell was by far the best.
Another contributing factor was that Brudenell has a certain kudos within the music community. Playing at Brudenell is seen as more impressive and notable than most venues of its size, due to the plethora of great acts that have played there such as, ‘Kaiser Chiefs’, ‘Franz Ferdinand’ and ‘Johnny Marr’ (Brudenellsocialclub.co.uk, 2021). As well as the awards that it has won as a music venue, such as ‘Grassroots Champion’ (Gray C, 2024). This, in turn, made it easier to find support acts, as they were more inclined to play at Brudenell. As well as wanting Brudenell, we specifically wanted the stage on the left. The reason for this, is that Romy likes to accessorize and decorate her performance spaces to enhance the event, and she wanted the left stage, as she felt this would be an easier space to achieve her vision. We also agreed that the left stage, despite having slightly worse sound due to the rattling ceiling, had a better atmosphere, based off our collective times seeing events in both spaces. The accessibility to the bar is much less cramped and the shape of the stage combined with the use of the two tired space for the audience, allows for a better view of the acts.
We knew that communications with Brudenell would be difficult, so we made sure to contact them via email at the earliest opportunity and with consistent reminders. Due to the lack of response at the beginning, Romy had to find Nathan Clark (Brudenell’s owner) in person to make an impression and show that we were serious about putting on the event. From this point, Brudenell were faster at responding, but they still weren’t as responsive as we would’ve liked, so being organised was essential.
When choosing the support acts, our priorities were to match the musicality and genre of Romy Taylor, while avoiding a similar fan base to her (see ‘Artist Biographies’). Both support acts have been gigging in Leeds for five years and are Leeds-based, meaning they’ve built up their own fanbases in Leeds. We wanted to avoid having the same fan base, so that the support acts wouldn’t promote to mostly the same people as Romy would promote to, thereby increasing our outreach, and our chances of selling more tickets, as well as introducing Romy to a more diverse crowd.
None of the artists had stage plots, so we had to make our own by getting their line-ups and any other information they wanted on them. This took time, but it did make them more cohesive and easier to understand for the venue (see ‘Technical Specifications’). This was one of my tasks and I made sure to use a professional looking website (ridermaker.com) to make us, and the artists seem more professional, as well as providing the relevant information. We made sure to include key details that often get left off stage plots, such as the artist’s monitor mixes and the inputs for each performer. We didn’t have any major issues with the tech spec. For the sound engineer, we decided to use Jodoessoud, as we all had positive experiences with her in the past, especially in terms of making the musicians feel comfortable enough to ask for exactly what they want and be specific, such as monitor mixes. But the main reason was because she had done sound for Romy before with great success, and she is someone that Brudenell uses consistently, and therefore is familiar with the space. As an artist, being comfortable with the sound engineer is essential for getting the right monitor mix and is, in turn, essential for delivering the best possible performance from the musicians. Being at ease with the sound engineer also allows the artists to ask for changes during their set, which can make a big impact on their performance. Brudenell wanted to use someone that they were going to choose, but we persuaded them to use Jo, our recommendation. Having a sound engineer that is not sympathetic to the performer, and their needs can massively impact the event in a negative way (see ‘Primary Reseach’ question 4). The audience have come for the music and a performance, so we weren’t going to settle with someone that we weren’t one hundred percent sure about.
With the support artists being Leeds-based, it also means that they were happy to sort their own travel and get their own equipment to the venue. We also made them aware that we could get most equipment they needed from LCON, as we have already planned to bring equipment for Romy using James’ car. We also have Brad’s car on standby if it’s needed in an emergency, such as equipment failure or if James’ car breaks down.
To look after our artists, we’ve allocated thirty pounds to go towards their hospitality riders. For most artists of their size, they don’t expect riders, so we thought thirty pounds would be sufficient and a welcome contribution (see ‘Primary Research’ questions 2,3). On the day of the gig, we will all do our best to be as friendly and accommodating as possible, so that the artists can feel comfortable enough to let us know of any issues. This can be important with lesser-known artists, as some can feel intimidated when entering a venue and therefore don’t ask promoters for what they really want or raise concerns which could benefit the event. This, in turn, will make them more nervous and potentially harm their performance, as well as hindering the chances of the gig going as well as possible (see ‘Primary Research’ question 5). It’s our job as the promoters to make sure the artists feel as relaxed and at ease as possible.
We went to Brudenell to do our risk assessment, but due to the slow responses from them at the time, we didn’t email in advance, which in hindsight was a mistake. When we arrived, we asked at the bar if we could do a risk assessment, and they asked around the back and let us do one. However, Nathan Clark, the owner, was not aware that we were doing the risk assessment and found us all snooping around, taking photos of out-of-date PAT-tested plugs and cracked ceilings. This obviously was a bad first impression for us as the promoters, and on reflection, we should’ve emailed before. Even if Brudenell didn’t reply, we could’ve at least said that we tried to contact them. We still got all the information we needed to make the risk assessment (see, Images 1-3 + ‘Risk Assessment’). When doing the risk assessment, we used the government health and safety website for venues as a reference for all the aspects we had to be aware of, such as the sections on ‘electrical safety’, ‘falls from height’, ‘managing crowds safely’ and ‘fire safety’ (www.hse.gov.uk, n.d.). We especially looked for anything blocking the fire exit and anything heavy that could fall on performers or audience members such as lights. The reason a risk assessment is essential when putting on an event, is to know for certain that the venue you are using is complying with the law in relation to health and safety, and to ensure that the artists we’re putting on and the audience we’re selling tickets to are all safe. It’s the law to do a risk assessment, and without it, the event cannot take place (Beddoe and Abbot, n.d). Anything bad that could potentially happen will harm the reputation of the venue and the promoter.
For the contingency plan, our main concerns were with the venue, the artists and the equipment. If we have an issue with Brudenell such as a cancelation, we’ve pencilled in a date with Belgrave as a backup, as it was our close second choice for the venue. In the event of either supports cancelling, we found two backups in Eve Buckley and Emily Trease, who are both Leeds-based with a similar genre to Romy, making them perfect replacements as they don’t need to travel far. In terms of equipment failure, the most common according to my primary research, is in-ears packs failing. James and I are going to bring our packs and in-ears to the gig as backups (see ‘Primary Research’ question 6). In case of instrument failure, we made sure that all the acts are happy for other musicians to use their instruments. If Jodoessound cancels, we have a backup in Dan Clifford.
For this financial breakdown, (see ‘Technical Specifications, Costings’), we decided on our ticket pricing from doing primary research on each of the group members, because we are all people that go to a lot of university gigs. We agreed that we would happily pay £7 to see a university gig, in most venues. We then concluded that because of the Brudenell’s excellent reputation, we’d happily pay an extra pound. We decided on £10 for on the door payment, as people who have already decided on coming to the gig will be more inclined to pay a little extra as they’ve already made the effort to come to the venue (see “Primary Research’, question 7). The cheap list ticket price is £6, but we only have 20 tickets at that level which will be for Romy’s close friends and family, so this won’t affect our revenue too substantially. As well as using our own experiences and opinions on gig prices, we also factored in our breakeven point (see ‘Technical Specifications’, Breakeven Analysis). Our total cost for the entire gig is £1440 so our breakeven point is £1440. This is demonstrated on the graph (see ‘Technical Specifications’, Breakeven analysis). The breakeven point is shown as the line from top left to bottom right and the projected ticket sales and ratio of door to advance sales, is shown with the line from bottom left to top right.
Romy’s previous gig attendance was first used to establish an estimate for the Brudenell gig. Ticket sales increased by 50%, from her Oporto headline of 100, to her Hyde Park Book Club headline of 150. Using this same growth figure to calculate our Brudenell attendance, we get an estimated paid attendance 225. To understand how this audience is likely to purchase tickets, I used Eventbrite as a reference point. In their section on ‘The Impact of Ticket Prices on When People Buy Event Tickets’, they state that 56% of people paying between one and ten pounds for a ticket, booked on the day of the event or on the door, while a further 8% booked the day before (Eventbrite, 2019). However, they also state that eleven percent of 16 to 24-year-olds purchase their ticket on the day and that most venues experience last minute activity of in general 20%, but sometimes, up to 50% (Eventbrite, 2019). Using both sets of data, it targets the low-ticket price, and the student dominated target audience. By averaging the 56% and 11% figures, it is estimated that 34% will buy on the door. Based on the projected 225 attendance, this results to 77 on the day sales, and 140 advance sales. Guestlist numbers aren’t included in these figures, as they’re not paying. Using these estimations, the spreadsheet shows a gross income of £2074, which is more than our estimated break-even point and results in a projected profit of £634. Although these figures are based on informed assumptions, rather than guaranteed outcomes, they show that the event is financially viable and it carries a manageable level of risk. This risk management was explored further for more extreme examples, and this data is shown in the ‘Financial Risk Planning’ table (see ‘Financial Risk Planning’).
Our marketing strategy involves a posting schedule with Romy, local press, interviews, posters and games to win prizes. The posting on socials will take place between 3pm and 6pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Sundays, as this is what Romy has found the most success with, in the past. We plan on sending the single and the information about the gig to local press two weeks before the gig including: LSR, Roots Mag, LSCU, Girls Got Guts podcast, and Content Nausea. We will also contact interviewers which will help with having more content to post and it will spread the gig and single to their followers. (See Images 5-8) for a more detailed look into Romy’s marketing plan and schedule. The poster is already complete, and this will be placed all around LCON and in any popular student shops and bars that will allow our poster (see Image 9). We’re going to have twenty physical tickets printed to be sold in-person. We’ll set up a table in the café bar, and any ticket holders will have the chance of winning either, free merch, a free CD or a £10 coffee voucher for Hyde Park Book Club. This will incentivise people to buy tickets, as they have the prospect of winning something. Having a physical presence in the café bar, allows us to reach new people who we wouldn’t have got to through social media, and having the physical ticket aspect makes it as easy as possible for those buyers, as they don’t have to scan a QR code or sign up using they’re email, they can just take the ticket and go.
In conclusion, the main things I would change, if I organised this event again, would be to email the venue before, asking if it’s okay to do a risk assessment. We’re well planned for anything that could go wrong, and our marketing and financial plans should see us making a profit off this event, whilst also putting on a great show for our ticket holders.
Technical Specifications
Press Kit
Press release
Romy Taylor EPK
Artist Biographies
Lauren Mikki
Lauren Mikki fuses ethereal vocals with a literary-inspired lyrical depth, shaping an indie-soul sound beyond genre. Influenced by Laufey, Clairo and Olivia Dean, she has earned plays on BBC Radio 6, a Spotify Fresh Finds UK&IE feature, and BBC Introducing’s praise as ‘one of the most exciting artists in the uploader’.
Artist Portfolio/Achievements:
Recorded:
– 3x Track Of The Weeks BBC Introducing Leeds & West Yorkshire
– BBC Introducing Live Session and Interview
– BBC Radio 6 Music plays
– Spotify Fresh Finds UK&IE playlist placement
Live:
– BBC Introducing stage at Live At Leeds festival
– Cross The Tracks fringe event with Global Soul
– Leeds Jazz Festival
– Supported Mica Millar at The Wardrobe
– Played Lawrence Batley Theatre
Emma Coates
Leeds singer and saxophonist Emma Coates weaves jazz and folk songwriting to create her unique, intimate sound, taking inspiration from the likes of Men I Trust, Adrianne Lenker and Snowpoet. Along with Tom McEwen (guitar), Nika Ticciati (bass) and Louis Berthoud (drums), she creates deeply personal storytelling, exploring feminine identity and growth, complemented by the delicate and airy tones of her voice and band. Her debut EP ‘Borrower’ was released in October 2025, with acclaim from BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio.
Artist HD Photographs
Risk Assessment
Financial Risk Planning
Gantt Chart
Primary Research
Images 1, 2, 3
Images 4
Image 5
Images 6, 7
Images 8, 9
Communications
Reference List
Beddoe, S. and J. Abbott, P. (n.d.). RISK ASSESSMENT.
Brudenellsocialclub.co.uk. (2021). Brudenell Social Club Celebrates 100th year anniversary – Brudenell Social Club. [online] Available at: https://www.brudenellsocialclub.co.uk/news/leedss-own-brudenell-social-club-celebrates-its-centenary-yorkshire-evening-post/ [Accessed 1 Jan. 2026].
eventbrite (2019). Event Ticket Sales Statistics (Infographic) | Eventbrite UK. [online] Eventbrite UK. Available at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/blog/when-do-people-buy-event-tickets-ds00/ [Accessed 14 Jan. 2026].
Gray, C. (2024). Brudenell Social Club: Famed Leeds music venue ‘honoured’ to win Grassroots Champion award at national ceremony. [online] Yorkshire Evening Post. Available at: https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/arts-and-culture/music/brudenell-social-club-famed-leeds-venue-honoured-to-win-4911099 [Accessed 1 Jan. 2026].
Headrow House. (n.d.). About. [online] Available at: https://headrowhouse.com/about/ [Accessed 1 Jan. 2026].
Hyde Park Book Club. (2014). Hyde Park Book Club. [online] Available at: https://www.hydeparkbookclub.co.uk/about-us [Accessed 1 Jan. 2026].
www.belgravemusichall.com. (n.d.). Venue | Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen. [online] Available at: https://www.belgravemusichall.com/venue/ [Accessed 1 Jan. 2026].
www.hse.gov.uk. (n.d.). Event safety – Health and safety topics. [online] Available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/event-safety/health-safety-topics.htm [Accessed 13 Jan. 2026].
