SHR6E037P~002 TAP23083287 Portfolio: Event Evaluation

Event Evaluation

Introduction/Overview

The following report evaluates the planning, management and execution of a live rock event that took place on March 2nd, 2026 at Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds. The event was originally conceived to support the launch of an EP by headliner Sair, with support from New Damage, Janata and Bio-Exile. Responsibilities ranged from pre-production (bookings, creation and distribution of technical documents and ticketing) to artist liaison, stage management, front-of-house coordination and box-office management). Our objective was to work collaboratively with stakeholders, including venue management, artists and technical personnel, to stage a successful event and manage contingencies. This report will evaluate the processes we employed, reflecting on successful elements and areas where we had to adapt.

Stage Management & Artist Liaison

The preeminent issue we had to address occurred just 48 hours before doors opening, when our headline act, Sair, dropped out. We were able to effectively handle this as we had planned for this contingency, and through rapid communication we were able to negotiate a replacement band, Destroya, to step in, and promote support act New Damage to headline. The professional reputation of the team was highlighted when Destroya proactively reached out upon hearing of the vacancy (see Artist Liaison – Item 1). This change required amendments to the technical specifications we had distributed, and also the fulfilment of new headliner New Damage’s rider with funds from our contingency budget (see Artist Liaison – Item 3). This change in direction allowed us to streamline the event further as part of the rationale behind the Destroya decision was that they were a smaller group with fewer technical requirements.

On the night, our stage management strategy relied upon our event advance (see Stage Management – Item 3). Due to the unpredictability of live events, we had to adapt the schedule to reflect overruns. Soundchecking ran over by an hour. This was handled through effective communication with Kane, our front-of-house engineer for the night, and utilisation of our pre-empted one hour buffer window, allowing us to absorb the delay and open doors at the scheduled time without impacting the crowd. To facilitate efficient changeovers, we located suitable areas in the venue for storing gear, such as behind the unused bar (see Stage Management – Item 1), to ensure stage access would not be obstructed. This was important due to lack of space in the venue.

As one of our group members (myself) was performing, we utilised a rotational staffing system. This involved each member of the group switching between artist and technical liaison in the event room/green room (see Artist Liaison – Item 2), and running the box-office upstairs, ensuring no position was ever left unstaffed.

Further collaborative problem-solving was demonstrated during the changeovers (see Stage Management – Item 2), when the second act ran five minutes over, eating into our allotted 15-minutes changeover period. The team alerted the band on stage to end their set early and liaised with the following act to prep early, absorbing time lost due to the abridged changeover. We also handled an unforeseen technical issue involving a missing hi-hat clutch, resolving it by asking a member of another group to borrow theirs, allowing the event to continue seamlessly whilst ensuring the safe return of gear. Throughout the night we maintained a strong rapport with the artists and technical personnel, the resulting sense of camaraderie itself helping to resolve issues we encountered.

Production & Event Atmosphere

Prior to the event, we collected technical specifications (one band also requested a rider that was fulfilled) from every act and collated them into one universal source of truth (see Production – Item 3). This planning meant that even with the last minute changes that occurred, we were able to design a set-up where FOH engineer Kane seldom needed to re-patch or remove channels during the event, resulting in minimal technical delays.

For the house backline, we provided two different amplifiers: a Fender Blues Deluxe and Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (see Production – Item 1). My primary motivation for this was reliability, as I had learnt from previous experience that many of the inadequate amplifiers often provided at gigs are poorly maintained and prone to failure, whereas Fender amplifiers are the industry standard and designed for live music environments. One curious thing I discovered during soundcheck was that these were a rather brilliant combination together, as the Hot Rod Deluxe accommodates higher gain stages better than the Blues Deluxe, bringing a lead guitarist forward in the mix, and therefore taking pressure off of the FOH engineer needing to push stage volume. On reflection, this discovery has highlighted the importance of tonal balance in live music and specific characteristics different backline items possess than can contribute themselves to the quality of the event.

In contrast to our hands-on approach with the backline, we made the decision to delegate visual production, including the use of in-house smoke machines, to the FOH engineer. Recognising he had far more experience in this department, we determined that both for risk mitigation and production quality reasons that we would trust his expertise and not interfere. This effective collaboration with external stakeholders allowed us to focus our attention on stage management and box office (see Production – Item 2).

The success of the production and stage management is evident in the final event atmosphere. Through delegation we achieved a professional aesthetic that mirrored the dark and grungy sound of the bands on the bill before the first one even took stage (see Event Atmosphere – Item 1). The atmosphere was maintained through the night by high-energy performances by the bands, with a high-quality backdrop that translated to the live music environment (see Event Atmosphere – Item 2).

The potency of our marketing efforts was evidenced by the density and engagement of the crowd. The moody visuals combined with the authentic performances fostered a genuine connection between the artist and the audience resulting in a compelling show (see Event Atmosphere – Item 3).

Health & Safety/Security

Our decisions were informed throughout by our risk assessment, carried out prior to the event (see Health & Safety – Item 3). Upon load-in, the delegated member of our group undertook a comprehensive walk-through of the venue, confirming the relevancy of our risk assessment and mitigating immediate hazards. We ensured all fire exits were signposted, lit up and unobstructed, with fire extinguishers easily accessible (see Health & Safety – Item 1). An external hazard was immediately noted and mitigated when a car was found blocking the rear fire exit. We located the vehicle owner and informed them they had move to the designated parking area to ensure emergency exits would be clear.

We further noted that off-stage cables ran safely along rails on the ceiling, well out of the way of the audience. To mitigate trip hazards on stage, stage cables were grouped and secured out of performance walkways. We also noted a trip hazard in event space, a slight incline in the basement floor, which would be a risk to safety in a crowded environment. To mitigate this, we laid a high-visibility rug to ensure the area was safe to traverse (see Health & Safety – Item 2).

Hyde Park Book Club does not employ bouncers. To make up for this, we inspected the venue’s existing external security features to ensure they provided a suitable deterrent for antisocial behaviour (see Security – Item 1). Internally, our strategy relied heavily on spatial planning, with the box office located at the entrance to the basement, creating a natural chokepoint that ensured no unauthorised access could be made to the space (see Security – Item 2). The security strategy encompassed legal compliance as well as physical security. In compliance with GDPR regulations, the box office was signposted with a clear filming notification, securing implicit consent from attendees entering the event space (see Security – Item 3).

Whilst the night successfully concluded without incident, relying on untrained personnel to manage a high-energy environment does not constitute robust risk management. Catastrophic industry events like the 2021 Astroworld Festival crowd crush have highlighted the need for employing trained professionals and planning for unpredictable crowd dynamics. For future events, it would be necessary to ensure SIA-licensed staff are present on the premises to fulfil our absolute duty of care to the artists and audience. This standard of safety can be ensured by explicitly negotiating security arrangements into the venue hire contract.

Box Office & Financial Outcomes

It was important we identify modern consumer habits, such as the recent transition towards a cashless society. With the expectation most attendees would want to use contactless payment, we set up a Square mobile POS system in advance to facilitate this, as well as PayPal POS as a technical failsafe. This allowed us to provide the option for seamless contactless payments on the door (see Box Office – Item 1). For cash payments, team member Dacey provided and managed a £21.20 float, secured within our monitored cash basket. We used a paper tally system to track walk-up attendance count against our pre-sale capacity, making sure we didn’t break venue limits (see Box Office – Item 2). Furthermore, to streamline entry and lean into the grassroots aesthetic of our target student demographic, we used a marker and drew custom designs to mark paid attendees to come and go as they pleased. This proved both cost-effective and engaging for our audience.

Our digital ticketing method required attentive backend management. We made use of the platform Ticketsource as they offered a lower processing fee than competitors. In promoting the event, we made use of a ‘2-for-1’ offer to push early sales. When it came time to conclude the promotion, we realised we could not delete the category as this would cause issues with our historical sales data. Instead, we altered the availability end time for this category within the ticketing platform. This successfully ended the promotion whilst preserving our data for use by team members, assigned by our rotational staffing schedule, to accurately process distinct ticket types on the door (see Box Office – Item 3). The digital infrastructure in place allowed accurate and traceable final accounting of both pre-sale and on-the-door ticket revenue (see Financial Outcomes – Item 1).

As promoters, we are responsible for accurately differentiating between gross and net income. This was essential for ensuring we remained in budget and could pay the £145 total in performance payouts to the artists (see Financial Outcomes – Item 3). Accurately calculating the gross income was also necessary for our obligation to external stakeholders. The venue required this specific, unadjusted figure to calculate and levy the 4.2% PRS payment. Successfully navigating this final financial process exhibits an understanding of live music licensing and legal responsibilities shared by both promoter and venue (see Financial Outcomes – Item 3).

Promotion & Online Marketing

It was essential for us to identify our target audience and lean into their tastes and preferences. We maintained a consistent image across all formats to build recognition for the event within the Leeds scene. The poster itself was designed as a contemporary take on classic concert posters, leaning into the vintage revival aesthetic popular among young and in-the-know students, our target demographic (see Promotional Materials – Item 1). Consistent with modern marketing techniques, we generated a QR code for the posters to reduce consumer friction and allow potential attendees to see the poster and then buy a ticket in minimal time (see Promotional Materials – Item 2). We also had a reformatted version designed for flyers, which were distributed around the conservatoire and the venue bar. This was a targeted attempt to capture passing trade, converting people who were already at the venue into customers (see Promotional Materials – Item 3).

Understanding the consumer habits of our target audience, we determined that the only social media platform worth advertising on was Instagram. This platform serves as their digital watering hole, and allowed us to focus our labour there instead of spreading resources thin on other platforms such as Facebook or Tik Tok. We were able to leverage the venue’s online reach via their official Instagram account and website, providing the event a sense of officiality and presenting it to an established audience who already place their trust in the venue’s curation (see Online Marketing – Items 1 & 2.

Our online presence allowed us to make public changes to our program immediately. Through real-time communication, we were able to update our program as soon as it was finalised, demonstrating public-facing professional integrity and managing audience expectations before they reach the door.

We were also able to coordinate promotion with the artists, providing them materials to create their own posts promoting the event. This allowed the event to tap into existing ‘super-fan’ niches (see Online Marketing – Item 4).

Conclusion & Self-Reflection

To summarise, our event at Hyde Park Book Club was a success due to our group’s ability to coordinate, delegate and execute under pressure following a major disruption. Managing this contingency is a testament to our professional resilience. Whilst we left the night happy, on reflection there are clear areas for necessary improvement, such as the need for SIA-licensed security and clear backstage signage. This project has significantly improved my understanding of the big and small things of running a live event and I feel confident in managing complex operations in the future.