Event Evaluation
Event Evidence Video
Video Evidence has been embedded throughout this evaluation.
Event Atmosphere
(Figure 1, Zoe Cure)
(Figure 2, Nico Paul)
(Figure 3, Aaron Brookes)
These photos taken by Zoe’s Photographer Rory highlight the intimate, cozy, magical, accommodated and homely atmosphere that we sought out to create. (Figure 1, 2 & 3) .The interplay of all the elements (Focused Lighting, living room furniture, closeness of arrangement) contributed to create a product greater than the sum of the parts. Even small details like a themed playlist for the background in-between music between sets was carefully considered to support the atmosphere.
(Figure 4, Roaming view of Zoe Cure’s set)
As demonstrated in Figure 4, the stage setup was designed to offer a dynamic experience depending on where the audience sat. A key motivation for this arrangement was to address a common limitation of traditional standing gigs, where those at the back may have a poor visual experience despite the venue being small (as can be the case at Leeds venues such as Oporto (Oporto, 2025) and Belgrave Music Hall (Belgrave Music Hall, 2025)). In our event, every seat offered a unique and intimate view of the performers and instrumentalists.
One area for future development would be the use of haze and smoke effects. While not a priority for this event due to our limited experience in that area of production, such effects could enhance the theatrical atmosphere and add a sense of mystery to future performances.
Notably, the interval between acts also contributed to the event’s atmosphere, with a lively buzz of conversation among audience members (Figure 5). The proximity and comfort of the seating facilitated new connections, particularly among friends of the acts and their wider networks.
(Figure 5, Nico Paul setting up for their set)
(Figure 6, The final applause after Zoe Cure’s fully improvised encore number)
We believe we were successful in our initial atmosphere goals. We were especially grateful, proud and overwhelmed with the positive feedback we got from the artists themselves as seen in Figure (7, 8, 9 & 10)
(Figure 7, Instagram post from Zoe Cure)
(Figure 8, Email Thread with Zoe Cure)
(Figure 9, Text thread with Nico Paul)
(Figure 10, Text Thread with Nico Paul)
Box Office
One area for improvement concerned the ticketing structure. The online ticket price of £8 plus a £1 booking fee effectively matched the £9 door price (as shown in Figure 11) meaning customers had no financial incentive to book in advance. This likely contributed to many of tickets being purchased on the door (see Figure 3)(45 online sales with an additional 27 on the door). Going forward, the full customer journey should be mapped end-to-end to ensure that the online booking experience offers a clear and genuine benefit, and that pricing structures account for any additional fees at the point of sale.
As a result, more attendees bought tickets on the door than anticipated. This required us to set up additional seating on the fly, though this did not significantly disrupt the event. It instead became an opportunity to collaborate as a team and personally welcome each arrival. Notably, every attendee was successfully seated, fulfilling our core objective.
(Figure 10. Our small box office desk)
(Figure 11. Entrance Sign)
(Figure 12, Fatsoma Online Sales)
On the day, we used the Square Point of Sale app to process tickets purchased at the door (Square, 2025). On reflection, we could have instead utilised Fatsoma’s native free door ticket scanner, which would have avoided the transaction fees incurred through Square.
Security
(Figure 13, the lockbox we used)
As mentioned in our initial plan, we used a security cash lockbox to store our cash. Although it was not utilised as much as the vast majority of our transactions happened through contactless pay through the ‘Squareup’ app.
(Figure 14, The Attic artist Green room/personal safe storage area)
Upon arrival, artists were directed to the green room (Figure 14) for personal storage. A key venue limitation was the absence of dedicated locked storage; to mitigate this, a team member was stationed at the green room at all times to monitor access and verify individuals as band members. The solution proved adequate. Although no theft issues were encountered, for future events, we would prioritise sourcing a venue with dedicated lockable storage facilities.
We did not choose to hire a bouncer for our event due to the limited size and nature of it; we were aware that most of the attendees were friends or family. Despite, we still always had someone dedicated to welcoming people at the door to usher them in
Health and Safety
(Figure 15, Hollie outlining cable safety management with Tape)
As mentioned in our risk assessment, we mitigated trip hazards by using tape to secure cable in key audience walkways. (Figure 15) This one was especially important as it led to the bar. I was later reinforced with wider tape no cables were even visible. To minimise risk, this was the only walk way which involved crossing a cable.
(Figure 16, Clear access for fire exits)
Clear access to fire exits detailed in our risk assessment was fulfilled by arranging seating so there were clear walkways to fire exits with no obstructions as shown in Figure 16.
(Figure 17, view from the raised audience seating on stage)
As shown in Figure 17, lighting was used to clearly illuminate the raised stage, directly addressing the risk of falls by marking the boundary. Seating was positioned as far from the stage as possible and arranged to only be accessible from the rear. Stable seating options, such as sofas, were also selected to further minimise any risk of falls.
On the day there was 22-29mph winds and heavy rain (Time and Date, 2026) so this resulted in some risks that we had to adapt to on the day.
A small water leak in the green room entrance, caused by rain, was swiftly reported to the venue manager. The area was dried, a bucket placed to catch the water, and a hazard sign positioned at the entrance. All team members and artists were promptly informed via group chat and in person, with the designated green room attendant guiding artists around the hazard until it was resolved. This demonstrated effective teamwork and communication in responding to an unexpected issue.
Production
Throughout the event, sound clarity was maintained across the full dynamic range of the performances, from the densest, loudest moments to the quieter, more intimate passages. This is evidenced in Figures 18 and 19, which contrast a full-band arrangement with a solo voice and acoustic guitar performance, demonstrating that lead vocals and individual instruments remained clearly mixed in both instances. The stage plot was invaluable in making the setup process as efficient as possible.
Credit is due to the sound team at The Attic for their expertise. The decision to use stage monitors proved successful, allowing band members to hear themselves clearly without compromising the front-of-house sound. Sound quality was also consistent across different areas of the room. One area for improvement would be ensuring fully consistent sound coverage throughout the circular seating arrangement, though this did not detract from the listening experience on the day.
(Figure 18, Nico Paul, taken from a team members Instagram Story)
(Figure 19, Zoe Cure)
(Figure 20, Wide shot of the lighting arrangement)
This shows an effective use of lighting to focus the audience’s attention and highlight the unorthodox circle arrangement we have. We used spotlights, and ‘down-tilted’ large lamps to illuminate the cozy stage accompanied with smaller lamps. Fairy lights also served an effective role in lining the expansive ‘space-above’ with an almost ‘star-like’ quality.
Spotlights on the raised stage served two purposes. Firstly, it support in health safety by ensuring the edge of the stage could always be seen for people to avoid. Additionally, it served as living visual backdrop to actual musicians. As an audience member seated in the lower seating looking up, it was almost as if you were watching friends on the sofa watching a movie unfold. Figure 21 shows this more clearly.
Developing this motif to larger stages could incorporate the audience on stage as ‘passive participators’ similar to examples like Grent Perez’s 2025 tour which invited audience members on stage to act like a ‘first date’ (Grent Perez, 2025)
(Figure 21)
Artist Liaison
(Figure 22, Instagram performer groupchat))
Whilst we had opened communication with the artist months before, we began formal communication with everyone as a group a month before to distribute promotional material, and timings.
(Figure 23, End of gig group photo with all the artist)
(Figure 24. Email threads with artists)
Clear communication was made with artists even after the gig regarding payment.
(Figure 25, Zoe Cure’s Soundcheck)
On the day we introduced the artists to the whole team including our Artist Liasion Lead Hetsi, sound techs and even to the other bands.
Many of the artists and band members were friends with each other and some had not met each other before. Our relaxed schedule encouraged interaction between them which is something we were proud of. (Seen around 00:48, Figure 25)
Stage Management
(Figure 26, The empty stage)
(Figure 27a, Timelapse of stage setup)
(Figure 27b, Timelapse of stage setup)
(Figure 28, The full stage)
Figures 26, 27a, 27b & 28 demonstrated the development of our stage setup.
Figure 4 gives a great representation of the finalised stage arrangement which lent itself well to artist engagement. As a performer on guitar for Nico Paul’s set, I for one can say the arrangement really facilitated connection between fellow bandmates and therefore producing a higher quality of music.
The relaxed schedule meant that ample time was given for changeovers. The openness of the stage meant that for performers it was easy to and setup
We borrowed a large amount of equipment from LCON Performance resources. An area of improvement we could of made was to formally tick off on a list everything that needed as we found that upon returning the equipment the day after as agreed we had missed just 1 mic stand. We resolved this by returning to the venue to retrieve and return it but this could have been mitigated.
Online Marketing
(Figure 29, Our Instagram post example)
A one-month campaign was carried out through a series of posts from individual artists (Figure 30), effectively reaching our personal networks, predominantly consisting of LCON students, friends, and family. For future events, developing a stronger and more consistent brand identity could extend our reach beyond these existing circles to a wider audience. As this was our first event of this kind, we are now better positioned, with an established identity and varied footage, to market future events more effectively and with greater clarity.
(Figure 30, Overview of the collection of instagram posts marketing our event from Feb-Mar)
Reposting content from audience members and venue posts also contributed to our social media marketing
(Figure 31, Audience member)
(Figure 32. The Attic (venue) Social Media page)
Promotional Materials
(Figure 33, Our Event Poster)
(Figure 34, My promotion Table at the Uni of Leeds)
I Personally ran a physical promotion table at the Uni of Leeds Campus with free sweets as an incentive to get tickets. This could have been more successful next time with more consistent presence
(Figure 35, Our Event Linktree)
(Figure 36, Artist Spotify Playlist)
Physical Marketing & Booking Flow
Physical posters featured a QR code, streamlining the journey from discovery to booking. A custom Linktree (Figure 35) further consolidated this process, also directing audiences to an artist playlist (Figure 36), allowing potential attendees to familiarise themselves with the artists and build anticipation. Together, these elements made the booking process as accessible and straightforward as possible.
(Figure 37, Zoe Cure’s New release post)
We timelined instagram posts to generate excitement for our event through our headliner’s following (Figure 37). Crucially, it also anticipated the release of a new single ‘Homesick for Stars’ (Spotify, 2026) from our headliner act.
(Figure 38, Instagram Story on the day)
Stories like Figure 38 were shared amongst all our accounts on the day to generate excitement for our audience.
As shown, we used a collection of Linktree links, Instagram stories, carousels, post and reposts to equip our online social media marketing campaign.
Financial Outcomes
Our initial goal was not to generate personal profit, but to pay each support act £50 and the headliner £75, with an additional split of remaining profits distributed accordingly (Figure 39). This goal was successfully achieved, with the total artist payout exceeding expectations.
Ideally, artists would have been paid in line with Musicians’ Union casual stage rates (Musicians’ Union, 2025); however, as an independent production this was not financially viable (Figure 40). Nonetheless, the payout offered was still fairer than the majority of casual gigs our team had personally experienced in Leeds.
(Figure 39, Event Settlement)
(Figure 40, Email correspondence with Zoe Cure)
In conclusion, this was personally one of the most fulfilling experiences in live music I had due to the ability to serve people through music.
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References:
Belgrave Music Hall (2025) Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen. Available at: https://www.belgravemusichall.com(Accessed: 30 April 2026).
Grent Perez (2025) Grent Perez Live – Audience on Stage. Available at: https://youtu.be/MB8fnf547xU?si=FWXX_zT2A5qlUaVq (Accessed: 30 April 2026).
Musicians’ Union (2025) Live Engagement Rates of Pay: Casual Stage Rates. Available at: https://musiciansunion.org.uk/working-performing/gigs-and-live-performances/live-engagement-rates-of-pay/casual-stage-rates (Accessed: 30 April 2026).
Oporto (2025) Oporto Bar & Kitchen. Available at: https://www.oportobar.co.uk (Accessed: 30 April 2026).
Spotify (2026) Homesick for Stars. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/track/2Rd1hcYtqPxf7lSGVLC0uv (Accessed: 30 April 2026).
Square (2025) Square Point of Sale (POS). App Store. Available at: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/square-point-of-sale-pos/id335393788 (Accessed: 30 April 2026).
Time and Date (2026) Weather for Leeds, United Kingdom – March 2026. Available at: https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/uk/leeds/historic?month=3&year=2026 (Accessed: 30 April 2026).
