Event Atmosphere
The aim of our event was to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for our audience, prioritizing the feelings of inclusivity and safety throughout the evening. Overall, I feel we achieved these aims to a satisfactory standard.
After settling on the Attic to be our venue, we researched how we could dress the space to make it more atmospheric, consequently leading us to achieve the aims stated above. We investigated how lighting could provide a sense of closeness and intimacy, uncovering that “warm lighting, typically below 3000K, has a yellowish tone which is often associated with comfort and relaxation”- Lightbulbs Direct 2025. When we inspected the venue, they had already decorated the space with warm toned fairy lights which enhanced the event’s atmosphere. (Figure 27, Video)
Due to low ticket sales on the event, we explored how we could make the space feel fuller. The venue had some leather sofas and wooden tables that we used to create a seating area for our audience. We were originally going to have a strictly standing event however by including seating I feel it added to the intimate vibe we had already created with the lighting. We added some decorative cushions to add to this cosy vibe; in reflection we could have provided blankets or heated the venue more as it was quite cold which took away from the atmosphere slightly. (Figure 28)
Box Office
For this event, I managed the box office. We positioned a box office table in front of the entrance to the venue to avoid customers missing it. I took the liberty of decorating the table with a fake plant to enhance the event atmosphere (this is the first thing customers would see when arriving at the gig, so it was important to me to set the vibe from the point of entry).
We displayed the ‘non-disclosure’ agreement as well as the lineup/set times on the table to clearly communicate these messages to incoming attendees. (Figure 3)
Due to over 75% of transactions being accounted for on card (BRC 2024) it was important for us to set up a card reader to take payments on the door. Also, by making it a cashless event we avoided potential security problems associated with it. We used an app called Sumit which allowed us to easily take card payments and track our taking effectively. I kept a tally of whether the tickets were OTD, Advance, Cheap list of Guest list on a sheet of paper next to me the whole night (Figure 1/2). Once people were in the door, I gave them a mark on their hand (in black sharpie) to avoid issues of people sneaking into the event.
In future to make the box office more effective I think we could have investigated a ticket scanning system for the advance sales.
Security
Overall, I feel the security of our event was satisfactory.
One of the biggest security concerns was that the green room provided nowhere to lock any belongings. To combat this problem, we delegated one of the promoters (Benji) to guard the outside of the greenroom, this ensured that we knew exactly who was going in and out of the room leading to nothing being stolen)(Figure 4). Inside the greenroom there was a curtained off section where we advised all performers/promoters/stallholders to put their belongings (Figure 5/6)
We made the event cashless to avoid security issues, collecting all money via card machine. On the way home I was responsible for taking the card machine back, therefore I decided to drive and was accompanied by 2 other people to ensure safety.
We offered all performers and stallholders lifts to and from the venue (to either home or public transport link) to ensure they all had safe ways of accessing the venue.
The venue was well staffed with the manager being present on site for the entirety of the evening to ensure safety.
In future I feel we could have provided a locker for the dressing room so artists could secure their belongings safely and investigated venue security. There was no need for security for this particular event due to low ticket sales however in the case the evet was to expand this would be something we would have to investigate.
Health and Safety
Overall, I feel we adhered to all health and safety advisories throughout our event to a good standard.
We received the official risk assessment on the day of the gig, before we got to the venue we arranged a meeting to read this to ensure we could enforce it during the event. (Figure 10)
Due to insufficient documentation, we were unable to go through with our original pancake idea for this event. In future to make sure we can go through with these ideas we need to make sure we have all related documents from the get-go.
Lighting and PA fixtures were secured by chains to prevent fatal injuries (this was already implemented by the venue) (Figure 8). We organized stall tables around the room was made fire exits clear, eliminating tripping hazards (Figure 7/9) . Noise levels were kept to a reasonable volume throughout the event to prevent hearing damage.
It was important to us to ensure the risk assessment was implemented strictly as our aims of the event were to create a safe and welcoming environment.
In future I feel it would have been beneficial to provide either security or a male box office attendee on the door. As a young female I often feel vulnerable running the door of an event by myself in the event of antisocial or violent behavior.
Production
Overall, I feel the production of the event was to a satisfactory standard.
The venue provided an in-house sound engineer for the event; they were successful in making all the acts sound incredible for throughout the evening. (Figure 12)
Something that could have potentially enhanced the event could have been a curated playlist that could be played between sets/changeovers. The sound engineer just used one that they had made which did the job however with a specially curated playlist this have created a more cohesive vibe.
The venue itself had in-house fairy lights and settees which curated a cozy vibe. We positioned the sofa in a semi-circle around the stage to give a more intimate feel. In future I feel some fake candles and fake plants on the stage could have enhanced this vibe. The artists all (apart from DJ) performed on bar stools which enhanced this intimate vibe. As the venue had a projector, I think it would have been nice to add some visuals behind the performers (especially Izaks set) (Figure 11). This would have creates a better visual experience that was unique.
We supplied the DJ decks for the event (we ran into some issues a week prior to the event as we found out the ones we were meant to be borrowing were broken, luckily the night before the gig I managed to call in a favor from my course mate). In future I feel this could have been better organized in terms of who oversaw sourcing the decks. (Video)
Artist Liaison
Overall, I feel the artist liaison for this event was exceptional.
We provided a small rider of soft drinks, snacks and tea within the green room for our artists. Prior to the event, Benji had been in touch with every artist to supply us with any dietary/sensory requirement so we could do our best to accommodate to these need throughout the event. Also, within the green room we placed a running order as well as phone chargers for our artists to us at their leisure. (Figure 13/14)
In terms of travel, we offered all artists lifts to and from the venue (either home or to public transport links). Due to one of our artists being disabled, we ensure the greenroom and stage was wheelchair accessible. (Figure 15)
We welcomed all artists into the venue, smiling and being polite towards them. Making sure we were known to the artists was important as if they had any struggles or queries throughout the night, they could chat to one of us organizing the event
Stage Management
Overall, I think the stage management for this event was satisfactory.
Kham oversaw stage and production management for this event. His role was to make sure the artists got on stage on time and that they were set up correctly. We provided everyone involved in the event a copy of stage times (1 displayed in the green room, 1 next to the stage and 1 with the sound engineer). (Figure 17/18)
Each artist was escorted to the stage by Kham; we ended up being slightly ahead of schedule therefore Kham moved everything forward by 5/10 minutes and clearly communicated this to everyone. We ran into a slight issue during the DJ set due to curfew, so we cut the set short.
In terms of backline, everything was provided either by the artists or venue (apart from the decks supplied by us). All artists shared all backline. We helped the sound engineer pack up/down all equipment to form a good relationship with them. (Figure 16/19)
Online Marketing
Overall, I felt our online marketing campaign was ok but needed improvement.
We carried out promotion on both Instagram and Facebook. With Instagram holding 2.99 billion users (Statista 2025) and Facebook holding 3.07 billion (Andersson 2025), it allowed us to reach a bigger audience than just basing our campaign purely physical.
We created a Facebook event with our poster. By creating an event as well we could monitor how many people were interested in coming.
On Instagram, I oversaw developing an engaging campaign. I used a mixture of short reels and photo style content to promote the gig; creating ‘meet the artist’ posts as well as general information for the event. On the account I put the ticket link directly in the bio to make it easy to find. All content I designed on Canva, utilizing images from our press kit we developed in the first assignment to make it professional looking. (Figure 20/21)
As well as this, we also advertised our event on local promoter’s Not a Thing website. This allowed us to aim promotion towards a local audience. We invited local promoter/press Django from Roots magazine as well to create publicity. We put our tickets on 2 online platforms Not A Thing (local ticket site that our target audience would use) and Ticket pass (could develop cheap list ticket options on this website and a site our target audience would use). (Figure 22/23)
I think to improve this we could have added some promotion onto TikTok, investigated into paid adds to reach our specific audience and added more short form video content (originally we had a plan to design our marking campaign around Danny dressing up as a square playing on the common saying ‘be there or be square’ however we ran out of time).
Promotional Materials
Overall, I felt our promotion was satisfactory.
To cut costs we handmade our posters, this was a more cost-effective way of promotion for us as well it added to the DIY aesthetic of our gig. We designed the posters using arts and crafts, the photocopied these designs in uni to stick around. Overall, these posters gave off the DIY aesthetic however there was clarity issues with the information displayed (e.g. the date and ticket price). Also, the poster didn’t have a QR code leading viewers to a ticket link. By adding this I feel we would have had more advance sales. (Figure 25)
We displayed the posters around Leeds Conservatoire, placing them in busy places like the café bar and the stairwells to get most attention (Figure 26). While sticking up the posters we developed a marketing strategy of placing a free hidden ticket behind one of the posters, we posted this on social as well to gain traction (Figure 24) . I feel if we placed posters or contacted local/ student radio stations around the entire city, we would have gained more attention leading to more advance sales. Focusing specifically on curating more of a wider student audience outside LCon via paid promotion and pop ups.
Financial Outcomes
Overall, the financial outcomes of the event were a loss, I personally feel this was because of lack of marketing continuity and not effectively ‘spreading the word’ of the event. The full financial breakdown is displayed below within our settlement sheet.
Ticket pricing, I feel was low in hindsight; we used the same £5 price point for advance and OTD tickets. In future to gain more advance sales we could have stook to £5 for the advance, increasing the OTD price to £7 to develop more profit. Also, this way it would give more incentive to buy in advance, leading for a more accurate gauge before the event of whether we were making a loss or profit.
In future, we need to consider extending the marketing budget. This could have helped us target posts towards our desired audience leading to more impactful promotion.
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