SHR6E037P~002 – DIX22083645 – Portfolio: Event Evaluation

Event Evaluation

Event Atmosphere

On the 12th of March my Live Music Management group and I put on an event at The Attic. We marketed our evening under the name ‘Intertwined Presents’, with Zoe Cure headlining, and Nico Paul and Aaron Brooks supporting. Our event was a huge success, and exceeded our predictions for the evening. The online and on the door sales totaled to 72 audience members. Taking into consideration the extra audience members made up of band members, crew, and venue staff, the atmosphere was enhanced and helped create a vibrant evening. Due to the success of the event, I feel motivated to further explore this line of work. Therefore throughout this evaluation, I will assess what went well and what we could improve with the intention to organise another event in the future.

Box Office

Grace and I were designated with the job of manning the box office, which is located at the entrance of the venue, alongside where the rep stood. The three of us facilitated a space from the door to the box office, forming an orderly queue, so that the area was not overcrowded and we could effectively manage the influx of people entering. Each guest was either asked to present their ticket confirmation from their email or purchase a ticket on the door, which was £1 more than the online ticket. We decided against accepting cash on the door which made the process of paying the venue and artists easier, as no one had to pay money into the bank, delaying the efficiency of transferring money. Having everything digital was a decision that eliminated any worry of losing the cash, or having to keep an eye on it all night.

We didn’t have a guest list because our priority was to break even. However, to accommodate a reduction in cost for the bands’ close family and friends, we offered three half price cheap-list tickets to each. This ensured we appeased the acts with a more reasonable cost, whilst making 50% of the original ticket price. This worked well, as only five people secured a cheap list ticket.

Displayed on the box office stall was merch from the headliner, which was monitored by staff as the gig commenced, and allowed for her to promote whilst performing.

For future events, I’d prefer to have a physical copy of the names of those who purchased a ticket- including cheap-list names- to ensure the box office have acknowledged who to expect.To counteract the loss of a list, we marked the guests with a symbol on their hand as a way to monitor who had been checked for tickets, which we also kept a tally of, so that we could keep track of who was yet to arrive. Given the resources we had, it was an effective method. However, for future events on a bigger scale, a more effective approach would be to purchase a clicker and hire someone to count every audience member upon arrival.

Security

During load in, the equipment we hired from university was unloaded from a van that was owned by one of the artists. To ensure the security of it, we allocated three group members to take turns helping unload the van, whilst also keeping an eye on the surrounding area.

As an additional security measure, we put up posters around the venue stating our intention to film clips throughout the evening for our assignment. This meant everyone was aware they would be filmed and could speak to us if they wished not to be included.

If anything were to have gone wrong on the night, the bands and audience were made clear of their points of contact if they needed help. This was the box office, the rep, bar staff and the five event organisers. Guests were shown fire exits in the front and back of the venue. My concern was that we didn’t have paid security, due to it being a low risk evening, which would be something I would explore when hosting an event that’s over 150 capacity. To our delight, there were no issues involving danger towards anyone attending and no money was stolen.

The performers had a green room to store their belongings, which was monitored for artists only, however the room is cordoned off with a curtain rather than a door. This meant there was a higher risk that personal belongings and equipment could have been stolen and/or broken. Due to the layout of The Attic, it is easily accessible for anyone. But luckily, the green room was in view from all points of the venue, so any suspicious activity would have been noticed and dealt with by staff immediately. Although we didn’t have a security guard, there were several security cameras located inside the venue as well as outside the venue if any suspicious activity occurred.

Health and Safety

Excessive noise exposure was a key concern because our artists performed in the round. We ensured that ear protection was accessible at the bar. During soundcheck, I sat in multiple locations to check the noise levels. There was seating by the drum kit, which we adjusted an appropriate distance away in precaution of audience members being too close to it. The seats were moved with enough space for wheelchair access and clear fire exits, which was tested before the event began.

There was no room for overcrowding inside the venue, because we had a 200 capacity cap, which was monitored on the door. We created designated standing sections. To reduce risk of falls off the stage, we placed no foldable chairs on that area, and moved sofas and cushions there instead.

We taped down the wires running from the sound desk to the stage with clear white tape in precaution of people tripping. Preferably, we should have taped down the edges of our rugs too, but they were held down by the artists’ seating, and not in a walkway area. The scarves we brought hung on chairs and pianos, which we ensured were out of the way.

The electrical equipment from outside the venue had been PAT tested prior to the event. The lamps we supplied had all been tested too to reduce risk of fire. Furthermore, we wanted to have candles surrounding the stage to fit our aesthetic without a fire hazard. To compromise, we supplied electric candles.

The venue provided glass drinks. As a preventative measure we had table spaces next to the seats, and the appropriate equipment for cleaning up.

The venue has disabled toilets, which we made a clear path for, however to make this clearer, we should have created an A4 sign stating where it was.

Production

We wanted the space to feel unique to our event. Therefore, we decorated the stage with patterned scarves, bunting, warm lamps, electric candles, plants and rugs. With our performance area being in the centre of the room, rather than the built in stage, we redirected the LED overhead lighting towards the middle so it was clear this was the focal point of the event. For future events, one way to improve the atmosphere would be to purchase our own stage decor, designated for our events. Pairing that with keeping our events in the round will help our image as a company stay consistent and familiar to our audience.

The sound engineer, Shane, was incredibly efficient during soundcheck, using the in-house PA system. We did face some timing issues, as members of one band couldn’t show up on time for their assigned slot, which meant we had to rearrange our schedule to allow them to do a full band soundcheck before doors. In preparation for inevitable timing issues, we paid to enter and load in two hours prior to the original time, so that when it hit 5pm when soundcheck started, all of us had finished setting up so we could be on standby if anything went wrong. We sent out the timing schedule well in advance of the gig, but to improve the efficiency of the event, I’d like full confirmation from each band that they’ve made plans to ensure they’re in the venue fifteen minutes before soundcheck.

Luckily the quality of sound and lighting for each performance was high. However, if we were to have been more confident with giving more artistic direction, we could’ve curated a more specific and personalised event. For example, for future events, I would like permission from the artists to send a few songs to the sound tech in advance to request specific lighting and sound effects that tailor to each artist’s music.

Artists Liaison

Our primary focus aside from time management was ensuring the artists’ needs were met. My attentive nature allowed me to see beyond the event, and treat the artists as individuals. I supplied water to them regularly (hot drinks upon request) and made it clear if they required anything I would do my best to fulfill their needs. A retail park was located a short walk away from the venue, so we could supply anything the artists wanted. To improve the role next time, I would like to include a rider that contained more than water and tea- having an individual selection of food and drinks would have made the artists feel more professional and cared for. The green room housed a three-seater sofa and arm chair, alongside a practice room included in the cost price. The only downside was there was no soundproofing door to separate the room from the venue. Whilst we had no complaints, I would prefer to select a venue with more privacy for the artists.

We conversed with Shane about the tech spec and hired equipment, and helped remodel the stage area to an in the round performance, despite some hesitance about the execution.

Travel costs were not included in what we offered artists, as the event was hosted in a local area to each band. However, if an event in the future is outside of Leeds, or in a less accessible location, I think an appropriate amount of our profit should be allocated to support travel costs. In hindsight, we would have been able to offer this due to making more profit than we anticipated.

Stage Management

We efficiently managed the event by keeping a clear schedule of the evening backstage and by the box office. The artists, crew and venue all had access to timings prior to the gig whilst also being accessible on their phones. We started on time despite the delayed soundcheck, and the change over between acts was seamless. Packing up was swift as all crew members, sound engineer and the bands made it quick.

We utilised all backline equipment from the venue, along with our own, and each band shared each other’s equipment, which was confirmed before the gig.

Online Marketing

When announcing our gig, we made a collaborative post with The Attic, which reached a lot of people, using the poster we had designed, followed by a photo of each artist which they were tagged in. We did a massive push a week before the gig through stories and reposting/interacting with artists’ content. We attached the fatsoma ticket link to our bios so it was accessible. To further our reach, we should have created promotional videos such as an interview with each artist, released on a three week timeline up until the gig, however the video content that the artists used to promote definitely pushed people to buy tickets.

Promotion

We hung up posters around University and requested our poster to be displayed on the rotating screens, for a constant reminder to our target audience. They were printed off on A4 sheets of paper, however to take our promotion to a more serious level, I would have preferred to use heavy weight paper for durability, and a gloss finish for a professional look. We didn’t make enough posters to put them up around the center of Leeds, which would have brought in a wider audience, however we did put posters around Leeds Arts University.

Word of mouth deemed to be the best form of promotion, utilising the strong music community here in Leeds. To further the chance of more tickets sold, we should have arranged a promotions table in the cafe bar, however we didn’t schedule enough time to organise one.

Financial Outcomes

The total of 72 purchased tickets totaled to a gross of £578. After deducting our costs, we were left with £388. Due to our profit expectations being smaller, we decided to pay each artist more money to thank them for making the event such a success. We were happy to give what was remaining out for this event, but when carrying on in the future we would put aside a portion of the profit made to enable us to continue investing in future gigs. The decision to add £1 onto the ticket cost on the door was advantageous, as it meant that we passively made an extra £25 which covered the cost of hiring the rep.