Nature of the event

Smoother Sounds is a small-scale event promoting local reggae and jazz music, with a particular focus on fresh artists emerging from Leeds Conservatoire. It will take place at The Attic, which is a 200 capacity venue in central Leeds (Launchpad, 2024). Headlining are local jazz quintet The Nightingales, with support from reggae band Jah Glory and piano pop singer Isaac Aylward. The event is expected to attract primarily students given the origin of the acts. A relaxed atmosphere will be cultivated, and this will be emphasised as a unique selling point (USP) of the evening: it will be promoted as a weeknight opportunity to decompress and socialise in a welcoming community space. Identifying and fulfilling specific needs such as this within the target audience is crucial to a successful marketing campaign (Preston, 2012:141).

Time management

To streamline the process of advancing the event, each member of the management group has been assigned a primary role according to their individual strengths and experience. This means that all tasks have a named person responsible, so that no work will be neglected or duplicated, and the planning, negotiation and execution of the event will be completed in an organised and timely manner. This will benefit everyone involved, as well as presenting an impression of reliability and professionalism to the venue and artists, which will create a positive working relationship that will be valuable beyond the event.

This approach has also been applied to the day of the event, on which there will be named contacts for each aspect of the production. In particular, there will be a dedicated stage manager who will ensure that the schedule is followed, and communicate any necessary changes if there are any issues on the day. To ensure that the schedule is realistic, artists have been asked how long they require for soundcheck, and whether they intend to use a backdrop, as this would increase the necessary changeover times. Surplus time has been integrated into the schedule in case of any unforeseen delays.

The role-based system has been combined with a group WhatsApp channel for the rapid communication of emergent developments and a shared digital drive to collate key documents so that they can be edited collaboratively and not lost amongst messages.

The drive includes an advance sheet (see Technical Specifications) which summarises all key logistical information. This will streamline communications with the venue and artists, as well as formalising agreements (Weyman, 2024), acting as an efficient point of reference that will save time on the day, and highlighting key points such as timings and safety measures so that they are not overlooked. This will be sent to all parties at least six weeks prior to the event so that there is enough time for all parties to read the advance thoroughly and resolve any issues, improving the safety and overall smooth operation of the event.

An additional organisational document has been created which contains a list of questions to be answered by group members during the advancing process. This allows tasks to be defined and delegated in a more precise manner, creating more accountability and clarity regarding what needs to be done, as well as ensuring that all group members have input on decisions. This serves as a reliable means of tracking the status of tasks. It also improves the efficiency of communication between members working on different aspects of the event (for example logistics and artist liaison).

The importance of clearly defining and delegating all tasks is a point emphasised by the SMART target framework devised by George T. Doran (1981), which promotes success by ensuring that all goals are specific, measurable, assignable (and achievable), realistic (and relevant), and time-bound. This approach has been applied to all areas of the event plan via the methods described above (for specificity and assignability), as well as the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as sell-through rate (percentage of tickets sold) and social media impressions (Francis, 2025) for measurability; the meticulous consideration of the event’s nature and target audience for achievability and relevancy; and the agreement of deadlines for specific stages of the process (such as the beginning of marketing) for timeliness.

Production

The Attic has a limited backline without amplifiers or a drum kit, but is able to provide a suitable inventory of microphones and PA equipment (including a 32 channel mixing console, which will easily meet the event’s requirements). The artists’ technical specifications are helpfully flexible regarding the specific microphones to be used, so the only additional microphones that may be needed are further vocal microphones for backing vocalists (since the venue only has three).

The remainder of the required equipment will be procured from Leeds Conservatoire, as this is a reliable service that will not incur additional costs, and will mean that the musicians (most of whom attend the Conservatoire) will be familiar with the equipment. This will be transported to the venue using a group member’s car, with sufficient time allowed for two journeys (due to the quantity of equipment) and potential congestion. This will be arranged so that there are enough group members at both ends of the journey to load the equipment efficiently and safely.

There have been some recent changes to the lineup of Jah Glory. The current specifications and stage plot reflect the frontman’s minimum requirements, however, a new backing band is currently being confirmed. Notably, this is anticipated to include two guitarists as well as additional backing vocalists, but the additional amplifiers and microphones required for this can easily be included in the main Leeds Conservatoire offsite loan request.

Although transporting this equipment is not ideal, this venue was worth hiring due to the in-house grand piano, which is rare for a venue of this size (and impractical to hire externally) and will contribute to the unique atmosphere of the event, which is a core element of its marketing. It also means that the equipment can be checked earlier in the day, as it can be collected before the venue opens. This will allow more time to check all equipment is present, PAT tested, functional, and undamaged, and thus mitigate the risks of fire and electrocution posed by faulty equipment in accordance with the Electricity at Work Regulations of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) (HSE, 2015; Musicians Union, 2023).

Since the venue will not be open until 16:00 on the day of the event, an advance visit has been made to confirm the safety and suitability of the in-house equipment. The rigging will also be visually inspected from the ground on the day to check there is no loose lighting that could fall and injure performers. The venue has been asked to ensure that the piano has been recently tuned and is in the agreed position prior to load-in so that setup can begin without delay. This has been included on the advance sheet to ensure it is not forgotten.

Minimal movement of equipment will be required between sets, as the first act is a soloist, and the remainder of the equipment can remain set up at the back of the stage: only vocal microphones will need to be moved. However, generous changeover times have been allowed as a contingency measure. This will allow the night to reflect its branding as a relaxed event, and give the audience time to socialise and buy drinks between sets.

The Nightingales initially requested the piano to be on the other side of the stage, however upon negotiation of the stage plot it became apparent that it was not crucial to their performance, and was merely a suggestion. Therefore it will instead remain in its default position, which is more suited to the stage dimensions and avoids the need to move it, which would introduce unnecessary risks. This highlights the importance of attention to detail when cross-checking artist and venue specifications, and maintaining open communication to resolve any conflicts.

A rigorous risk assessment has been completed to ensure that the event is viable from a health and safety standpoint. In addition to the precautions already discussed, the following actions will be undertaken to ensure that the identified hazards are mitigated as far as possible.

It will be ensured that the stage is appropriately managed to minimise risks: cables will be suitably secured, and no fragile items (namely glass bottles) or non-sealed drinks will be permitted on stage. This will minimise trip hazards and the risk of electrocution due spillage of liquids on electrical equipment. At least two group members will be in the room at all times to enable a rapid response to any hazards that may appear.

It has been confirmed that the venue holds adequate policies regarding fire, first aid and behaviour; the team will ensure everyone involved in the event is familiar with these, as well as appropriate manual handling techniques to prevent injury. Barriers will not be required as stage invasion is unlikely given that the bands are not high-profile and their music is not especially energetic. However, since the venue serves alcohol, there will be a strict 18+ policy at the event, which will be communicated within marketing to avoid disputes. It will also be ensured that for the sake of personal and financial safety, no cash is left on display or carried conspicuously.

Marketing channels will also be utilised to share accessibility information and remind attendees to bring ear protection. Additionally, a small supply of foam earplugs will be brought to distribute as needed, and there will be breaks between sets. This will help to mitigate the risks of hearing loss and tinnitus caused by prolonged exposure to high decibel levels (HSE, 2008).

While the event budget does not allow a full catering rider or buyout, we will supply the green room with a selection of drinks and snacks, which will be sufficient since none of the artists are touring. This will help to maintain the artists’ morale, leading to a better performance (Visser, 2024) and the development of a positive working relationship. Allowing half an hour for the team to begin setting up before the first band’s load-in slot will mean that the snacks are already available when they arrive, which will further this goal. Information regarding the nearest food shops has also been included in the advance to save time and minimise stress if they wish to purchase food after their soundcheck.

Finance

Since this is a standalone event featuring relatively new (or new to the area) artists, there is limited data with which to predict ticket sales, and therefore an increased financial risk. Like any other type of risk, this must be suitably mitigated, and several measures have been taken to achieve this.

To minimise expenses, ticket distribution will be digital only, and on-the-door ticket checks will be performed by the team (rather than hiring additional staff). Similarly, load-in will be completed by the existing personnel rather than paying for external crew, and the same approach is being taken for the creation and distribution of posters.

To maximise ticket sales, arrangements have been made to borrow a card reader as well as bringing float so that both digital and cash payments can be taken on the door. However, this will be at an increased price to cover payment processing fees and incentivise payment in advance. This is beneficial because it enables improved tracking of the marketing campaign’s success, as advance ticket sales can be used as a KPI.

Cash from ticket sales must not be mixed with artists’ merchandise revenue, as accurate financial records must be kept. This is essential so that the final artist fees and PRS contribution (4.2% of gross receipts (PRS for Music, 2018)) can be settled accurately, avoiding disputes. To facilitate this, a settlement sheet will be used to track the actual expenditure and revenue, and this will be located on the group drive for full transparency.

The advance ticket price has been set at £6.50, which is relatively low in order to cater to the student target audience and encourage those who are unfamiliar with the artists. This creates an achievable break even point of 83 tickets (46%), which is within the event’s risk tolerance. To ensure this is exceeded, ticket holds have been limited to twenty, as providing too many free tickets to people who would otherwise have bought them would risk insufficient sales. This will be open to further negotiation if advance ticket sales are high.

As discussed, a full catering rider is not financially viable. However, compromising on catering means that the artists can instead be offered a more generous fee. A versus deal structure has been chosen, meaning that artists will be paid either a minimum guarantee or a percentage of profits, depending on which is higher (Filippone, 2024). This means that if sales are low, the artists will still be fairly remunerated, and if they are high, this will be reflected in the final fee (encouraging more promotion of the event (Filippone, 2024)). It is also a safer option for the event team, since if turnout was low, the loss would be tolerable (compared to a flat fee which would usually be larger). It therefore creates a fair compromise on financial risk.

Marketing and publicity

A thorough and specialised marketing campaign has been devised to optimise the promotion of the event. Care has been taken to ensure that it is tailored to the event’s young and ethnically diverse target audience, as well as encompassing a wide range of approaches to maximise its potential reach.

Marketing of the event will begin on 9^th January, so that it is not overshadowed by the festive season, meaning potential attendees are more likely to remember encountering the promotional materials. This will create a lead time of two months, over which the campaign will increase in intensity.

To align with aforementioned budget constraints, expenditure will be minimised by self designing, printing and distributing all physical materials. Paid advertising locations in the city are not affordable, and it is important not to fly-post as this could incur charges of up to £2500 for the venue (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (“Defra”), 2023). However, many local shops, venues, community centres and educational institutions are willing to display posters for free. To optimise the physical marketing campaign, spaces frequented by the event’s target audience, such as university buildings and nearby cafes, will be prioritised. Given that the event features reggae, which is closely linked to the Rastafari movement (The Reggae Museum, 2025), Caribbean and vegan food outlets will also be strategic locations. Copies of the poster and flyers will also be supplied to the venue in order to reach their regular audience, as well as being shared on the Leeds Conservatoire intranet (“Life”) and submitted to be featured on the campus screens.

For digital marketing, we have determined that national advertising would not be cost-effective, since our artists are not well-known, so audience members are unlikely to travel a long distance for the event. Instead, our primary means of digital promotion will be an unpaid social media campaign involving content that introduces the artists and gives viewers a behind-the-scenes insight into their rehearsals. This will help to garner increased commitment by encouraging viewers to relate to the artist, developing a connection with them which advances the viewer through the marketing funnel. The focus on short-form video content will also help to expand reach as it is particularly favoured, especially by younger audiences (Alleyne, 2025).

The relaxed nature of the event will be reflected in the promotional materials, acting as a unifying theme to create consistent, compelling branding. Use of a large and highly legible font for the poster will also maximise its impact by making it more accessible and easier to read at a distance. The ticket link will be shared regularly on social media and a QR code will be added to the print version, as making the tickets as easy to buy as possible will create more encouragement.

While materials will be disseminated on multiple platforms, Instagram will be prioritised, as it has a wider overall reach than TikTok in the UK (Kemp, 2025) and is more popular among the event’s younger target audience than Facebook (Alleyne, 2025). Once different post types have been trialed, the most successful will be “boosted” as a locally and demographically targeted paid advertisement in the week approaching the event, optimising the limited advertising budget.

Maintaining a strong focus on local promotion should also improve the environmental sustainability of the event, as audience travel is typically the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions for live events (Jones et al, 2021:11), and audience members travelling shorter distances are likely to produce less emissions.

Although marketing is primarily the promoters’ responsibility, we will also encourage the artists to share the promotional materials on their social media accounts and join collaborative posts to spread awareness amongst pre-existing fans and expand the reach of the campaign (Musicians Union, 2019). Broader collaboration with organisations such as Leeds Conservatoire Afro-Caribbean Society (n.d.) will continue to boost awareness of the event amongst its target audience; another method of widening the event’s reach will be to contact local news outlets, bloggers, and student media societies, for which a press release has been prepared.

Attending stylistically and demographically relevant local events will also enable promotion of the event via word of mouth. In particular, the bandleader of Jah Glory (who is part of the management group) will be performing at a student showcase event at a nearby venue earlier in the month, at which he will mention the event. This strategy is similar to exit flyering but is a more spontaneous approach that avoids the risk of littering (caused by members of the public discarding flyers), which would be harmful to the environment and the event’s reputation, as well as potentially incurring fines (Defra, 2023).

Contingency plans

Contingency plans have been integrated into all areas of planning for the event.

One of the reasons a weekday was selected for the event is that Leeds Conservatoire will still be open after 17:00 to borrow additional equipment if any of the venue’s backline is unexpectedly broken, missing or otherwise unsuitable. Since an offsite equipment loan is ordinarily booked in advance, we will liaise with the performance resources team to ensure availability of equipment in case the need arises. The late weeknight opening hours will also mean that equipment can be returned on the day rather than needing to be stored securely overnight.

Enough bands have been booked so that if there were any short notice withdrawals from the event, e.g. due to illness, the event would still be able to go ahead; alternate bands have also been planned as options in case of cancellations further in advance of the event. The Nightingales also have a flexible lineup, meaning they will be able to adapt easily to any unexpected changes.

To ensure the event runs to schedule, an hour and a half of contingency time has been scheduled between the end of soundchecks and opening of doors. This means timings will not have to be altered if there are any delays to load-in or soundchecks. If necessary, it would also be possible to change the soundcheck order as all bands have compatible staging and technical requirements.

A £15 contingency budget has been reserved to allow for unplanned expenditure such as unexpected taxi requirements. This has been calculated in proportion to the scale and budget of the event. Bringing float for cash payments will also act as a contingency plan in case of card reader connectivity issues.

As part of the event’s risk management strategy, while all possible measures will be taken to prevent injury, there is suitable Public Liability Insurance coverage in case of accidents.

Artist Biographies

The Nightingales

“The Nightingales is a jazz quintet sprung into being by the established bandleader Simeon Lord. The musicians met at the local conservatoire, all with a desire to explore earlier works within the jazz idiom.

Jazz Saxophonist Simeon Lord comes from a childhood rich with the music of many genres. He is heavily influenced by saxophonist Michael Brecker. Simeon always ties together his performances with personal anecdotes from his life, one where he has moved around much, yearned to help others and continues to make very poor Dad-jokes!

Simeon attended the Royal College of Music’s Junior Department before moving to Leeds where he is studying at the Conservatoire. Past performances include playing at the Royal Albert Hall and the 606 Club, with more recent endeavours round venues in Leeds (The Attic, Casa, Northern Guitars, Belgrave Music Hall and Headrow House).

Various individuals have played with the group, though it consistently features Daniel Harrod on piano, an established player on the Leeds Jazz scene and Simeon’s choice pianist having played together at the Royal Albert Hall and 606 Club, as well as Katherine Loftus whose gorgeous vocal tone is reminiscent of jazz in the 1920s.”

Jah Glory

“Jah Glory writes, sings and creates roots Reggae music and hails from Georgetown, Guyana, part of mainland South America, but directly linked to the Caribbean influence. His style takes on board the traditional reggae vibe adding a unique voice to create uplifting and catchy songs with a new, clean, clear lyrical content.

Nurturing his passion to create music, he began his exposure by performing stage shows for the Guyana branch of the Twelve Tribes of Israel during their yearly celebrations. His first single ‘Injured Earth’ was played regularly on the radio in Guyana since 2010 in the early morning Inspirational Hour and this was followed by ‘Don’t call me after 9’ playing between 8 and 9am. Both songs were officially released in 2014 inspiring the UK Open University to commission ‘You Can Do It’ to promote Amerindian-community best-practice in the rainforests in the fight against Climate Change. ‘Jail Dem!’, a song against corruption, created a strong underground following since its release prompted the Guyana Government to ban all of his songs on the local airwaves.

Since then Jah Glory has been working closely with Iauwata Amaha Selassie, the renowned instrumentalist and is due to release his first song-packed album in 2017. Jah Glory also enjoys free-styling, for which he has a natural talent, and has built up a good local following in the UK Newcastle upon Tyne where he currently resides.”

Isaac Aylward

“Emerging in 2021 from Leeds, United Kingdom, Isaac Aylward blends pop, synth pop, blues, jazz, comedy, and folk into his songwriting.

Based in Leeds, I’m a pianist and songwriter with lyrics conjured from the ‘everyday’. Ideally, you’ll leave my shows with a chorus in your head, and some sentiment about how its okay if your train’s late, because you’re worth more than that.

Born in 2004 in Bedfordshire, my Dad taught me piano at an early age, something I’ll forever be grateful for. Since then I’ve been mainly self-taught with the exception of a piano tutor around the time of my GCSE’s (Which were rudely interrupted by the pandemic). I’ve spent the last 4 years at Leeds Conservatoire, where I’ve honed in on both my songwriting and playing abilities.

I feel very lucky to have had the chance to play at the Wardrobe, in Leeds, during the 2025 LCSU Showcase. This opportunity arose after joining the upcoming prog-rock band ‘Darling?’ who trusted me with some wicked synth lines, as well as supporting piano and organ parts. This year I also joined ‘Metora Cliffs’, who feature colourful prog, keytars, big riffs and catchy hooks! We’re headed to the heats of ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ this year, where we’ll be competing to play at the metal festival, Bloodstock.

I’m hugely excited to see my songs leave the practice rooms and head to the stage in 2026, particularly ahead of my performance at The Attic, Leeds, on 9th March!”

Artist HD Photographs

Risk Assessment

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Reference List

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