Event Evidence Video
Event Atmosphere
The ‘Human Nature’ release show at the Brudenell was an overall successful event, ran smoothly and was organised throughout the night. This was all due to the thorough preparation and the dedication that the group put into making sure all parties had all the correct information with enough time and a plan in place. The event was true to its purpose as it helped promote the new single and upcoming EP, sold merchandise and built funds for the band’s future expenses. As the headlining artist I am very proud and happy with how it was received (See 1A) It was very fulfilling to experience this as well as being part of the production team, learning about the ins and outs of event production, and witnessing the effort pay off in a busy gig at one of Leeds favourite venues. Emma Coates’ set was not as busy, but her small setup and delicate, soft sound still worked well to welcome people as they arrived (See 1B). By Lauren’s set the crowd was busy, and her energy was a perfect set up for the headlining set. (See 1C) Finally, by the time my band and I were on stage, there were 147 people in the room, including guests and paying audiences. For a 400 capacity room this still felt comfortably busy and from conversations that took place post gig with the attendees, they believed there were 200+ in the room (See 1D) In terms of appearance and atmosphere, we believe it was effective, with a programmed light show and lighting props to create a more unique and memorable event. (See 1E) In future, we could use personalised playlists playing between sets and have more a personalised stage designed including themes from the EP, using the brand colours.
1B
1C
1D
1E
Box Office
The box office was staffed in house, including management of cash box and card machines. We would have done this on behalf of the promotions team but Brudenell refused saying they had a “certain set of standards that we maintain”, so we had no choice. Although this was not a huge problem (See 2A). Since online ticketing was done through Brudenell, the BO had those numbers in their system. My role was to keep count of physical ticket sales prior to the show, which names and number of tickets were monitored on a spreadsheet (See 2B). We were flexible with cheap/guest lists, and were amounted to by friends and family of the artists. On the day of the event I sent these over via email to Brudenell’s in-house rep, and listed all sales together. This was then printed and handed to staff in an eligible and appropriate format. James and Jethro managed the merch desk (See 2C), which they arranged in a formally and aesthetically pleasing manner (See 2D) Queuing was not an issue since audiences came in at a steady pace, and the venue space was separate to the general bar area preventing traffic.
2B
Security
Due to St Patrick’s day coinciding with the event, Brudenell was naturally busy all day with customers as well as for our show, therefore in-house security bouncers were provided outside the venue as well as on doors (3A). They were friendly and helpful, and assisted people in the audience with accessibility difficulties. Glass within the venue space was forbidden and decreased the chances of accidents leading to injury (3B). As well as this, artists and event staff were allocated separate wrist bands (3C) so that both ourselves and venue could identify who was supposed to be in green room areas and in the event space before doors whereas audiences were given stamps. Artists and staff kept their equipment and belongings in the green room which was guarded by staff and security all night. Cash was kept in the cash box on the BO, and was handed to us at the end of the night, but due to the majority of on the door payments being made contactless, there wasn’t a high risk of money being stolen or unaccounted for. Overall, security was mostly provided by the venue and our role was to adhere to their rules and facilitate their job by notifying them if we felt something was out of place, but this was not necessary since the event went ahead smoothly, with no security issues.
Health and Safety
We carried out a thorough risk assessment as well as receiving confirmation that our event was good to go ahead (4A). We were able to prevent potential issues, like trip hazards and how to cover these areas (4B). Due to the nature of St Patricks day, there was risk of antisocial behaviour but with security presence the chances of this happening was reduced, as well as making sure everyone who entered was 18+ by showing proof of ID. Brudenell provided hearing protection behind the bar, to help prevent hearing damage. All fire exits were clearly visible and accessible. (4C) Cables were properly placed, reducing tripping hazards. Air conditioning was functional and prevented audiences overheating on that particularly warm day. No glass was allowed in the venue area, minimising chances of this breaking and cutting someone. There was one thing we didn’t account for, which was warning audiences that strobe lighting would be more intense in specific areas of the space. In future, we would test this in soundcheck, find those areas, and place signs indicating this. There were a few concerns from the older audiences, and how this bothered them, particularly in the last song where lighting was very dynamic. (4D)
4D
Production
James designed the lighting specifically for my show, and my role as the artist was to send him what I wanted for the set. We hired a lighting engineer, Ciaran, who then could program these for the night (5A). With professional production we acquired a professional atmosphere, and lighting helped reflect the moods of each song. We prepared the stage with glowing paper lanterns, for which intention was to help further convey a floaty, dreamy atmosphere and visual uniqueness to our set (5B). For sound, we hired Yoanna, who is familiar with my band’s set up since she engineered for both my past headliners in Leeds and was pleasant to work with. There were some technical difficulties for our soundcheck (track not coming through, guitars not working etc…) (5C) and despite them being eventually solved we ran into the supporting artists soundcheck. Following this, one of the members of the first act was late to their soundcheck, meaning their soundcheck ran past after doors had opened. Unfortunately due to this, Yoanna didn’t have time to set up the tracks on the laptop to record the live set, so we weren’t able to retrieve a high quality recording of the night’s show. For future reference, we would make sure that the schedule would be flexible enough to allow space for contingency therefore preventing latency and other arising issues that follow from this.
5A
Artist Liaison
The green rooms were spacious and accommodating, and all artists shared these collectively. We made sure our things were organised and out of the way so that all parties had space to store their items (6A). In this space we also made sure to have the schedule and set times displayed and other info such as passwords and food menus, for which Brudenell provided a 10% discount. We provided beers, bottled water, juice and plastic cups, as well as infusions and a kettle which were provided by the venue (6B). Our budget allowed us to provide sandwiches for the headliners, although this was poorly communicated on my behalf so they didn’t get eaten. As the promoters and headlining act, we provided a backline including drum kit, stands, keyboards and amps. With help of Yoanna and Grace (Yoanna’s sound rep) we were able to set up the stage and change over any instruments between sets. Artists and staff had access to parking within venue premises in front of load in doors, making load in accessible and quick. (6C)
6A
Stage Management
Stage management was possible thanks to the equal efforts of both the promotions team, the bands and staff. Since Brad, Nathan and I had to soundcheck as well as manage the event, James and Jethro facilitated the process by helping move our equipment and setting up instruments. (7A). Through clear communication with all parties, set times being visible (7B) and the schedule being adhered to we were able to run as predicted. Despite the technical difficulties during our soundcheck, we had enough time to work with due to our early and efficient load in. The bands shared a drum kit, while Lauren’s band had a preference for their own amps and keys. This was not a problem for changeovers since we had enough time and assistance to sort this between sets and sound checks. (7C)
7A
7C
Online Marketing
As the marketing and promotions manager and headlining artist, the main platform for this was my social media account, which I linked to promoting the single release as well. For this, I used reels as the primary content to post, stripped back sessions, interviews, videos from past shows and a video of myself singing the song on the Brudenell stage as a preview of the event (8A). The diverse mix of content kept engagement high and reminded audiences of the show. Brudenell took three quarters of the available tickets sales on to their ticketing system, and these were available on Eventbrite and SeeTickets, which they also promoted on their social media (8B). We asked that the supporting artists would do the same on their accounts, which helped reach out to new potential audiences. (8C) For future events and a bigger budget, we would invest in local ad targeting for our shows, which would further enhance our engagement and increase our chances of higher ticket sales.
Promotional Material
It was important to adhere to the schedule for promotional content, to maintain consistency and diversity of content on social media. I used reels as the main format, and this included lyric videos of the upcoming single (9A.1), stripped back versions on acoustic (9A.2), band room videos (9A.3), interviews with magazines (9A.4), and utilized Instagram stories to repost and share content. Lots of these posts were done collaboratively alongside the people I was working with, therefore led to further outreach. As well as promotional content, I collaborated with my friend Skyla who designed the physical tickets in the theme of the show and release (9B). To encourage sales for these we booked out a table in the Conservatoire one of the busier days of the week, exactly a week prior to the show, and utilised a wheel of fortune (9C) For this day only, people could buy a ticket and spin for prizes like free drinks, merch, plus ones… that would be granted to them on the day of the show. (9D) The exclusivity of this created a slight sense of urgency for people interested in the show, leading them to buy tickets on the spot. We also printed out posters in A4 and A5 formats, which we placed all across the Conservatoire building as well as in shops and venues across Leeds that would allow us the space. (9E) This was also promoted via the Brudenell across their social media accounts and the venue itself (9F). I held an interview with an independent podcast where I promoted the show as well as insights on upcoming releases (9G) Overall, we believe our efforts to promote the show were thorough and effective despite the low budget. Something I wish I invested time in that I would do in the future, would be to reach out to radio and magazines and personally invite them out to review the show and performance. This form of post-show media from different sources, would further show proof of a successful and relevant event.
9A.1
9A.2
9A.3
9A.4
9B
9D
9G
Financial Outcomes
Overall, as a promotions team, we did not make profit. We broke even. The event paid for itself. For the scale of production that went into a grassroots show at the Brudenell, I believe that this would still be considered successful, since we paid everyone involved fairly. Our priority was to pay the artists the promised rates which we were able to do through the money made via ticket sales (10A). We received a spreadsheet from Brudenell which accounted for their online and door sales, as well as the deductions made from room hire, PRS and VAT. (10B) We sold a total of 147 tickets, which amounted to less than predicted. This might have been different if we encouraged more door sales which were higher than the general sale price, but it was more important for us to make the show affordable for everyone, specifically students which were the main target audience. In future, in order to make profit, we could reduce production costs and choose a smaller venue, as well as increase ticket sale price to £10 general sale and £12 on the door. Although, making profit was not the main goal, it was creating a memorable experience for both audiences and artists and in this we were successful (See final images)
10A (Brudenells Settlement)
