Music Events

Original event secrets Article

When planning an outdoor event, there are many technical aspects which have to be taken into account to make sure that you get things right. Technical production can cover all aspects of lighting, sound, video, staging and power – all the necessary ingredients for supporting your event.

1. First of all – if you are not an expert production manager, used to working on outdoor events – then go and find one. There are plenty of freelancers and companies you can partner with. One of the biggest challenges at an outdoor event – and one of the areas that involves the most health and safety management, is that of technical production.
2. Before you get too far into planning your event – make a plan of how you and your team are going to manage the technical requirements. It might be that you have one, small sound system to relay messages and play a little music – or it might be that you have upwards of 30 venues – all of which have lighting, sound, staging, video and power. Create a database (can be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet) to manage all of the requirements in one place – otherwise you may lose track of what is going where.
3. It is important that you find good contractors to help you run your event. Some companies cover all aspects of the technical provision – whilst others specialise in certain elements. The most important thing is working with a company that you trust – and one that will go the extra mile when you need them to.
4. Another important aspect is to keep on top of all of the technical requirements – particularly in the final few days before the event. Make sure that you keep in communication with all of the contractors and content providers (speakers, venue managers, bands etc) so that you can constantly update your information so that everyone gets what they are expecting, and everything runs to plan.
5. As an event manager, you sh ould make sure that all of the equipment you are using has been properly safety checked. For electrical equipment this usually involves a ‘Portable Appliance Test’ (more commonly known as a PAT test) which can be carried out by an electrician. Most local authorities will want to see that any temporary electrical supplies have been installed properly and that equipment has been tested.
6. You should also make sure that you have the relevant insurances in place – not only Public Liability (in case of the guests gets injured) but also employers liability insurance (even if the only people working there are volunteers) as well as insurance in case any of the technical equipment gets lost, stolen or damaged. It is usually the case that if the technical contractor accompanies the equipment to site, then it is covered on their insurance, but this is not always the case – so it is best to check up.
7. During the build of the event it is critical to make sure that all of the technical contractors are working to their own, and your own risk assessment guidelines, as you have a responsibility for their working practises. It is also a good idea to make sure that they are providing exactly what they have quoted for – because if they change the specification without telling you – it will be too late once the event is up and running.
8. During the event you should have a system in place for checking that all equipment is running correctly – and that nothing has broken down. If you are running a large, complex event then it might be worth having some form of system in place to log problems and issues – so that they can be dealt with in order of importance by site contractors.
9. There are bound to be a few technical problems along the way – with all events that have temporary installations it is almost guaranteed. The best way to combat problems is to do everything you can in advance so that they do not happen. If they do – keep calm and work as a team to sort out all the problems – regardless of what they might be, in the quickest, most cost effective way.
10. Once the event is over and the pack down starts – try to remember that the site is still working. There will often be heavy plant, large trucks and a lot of tired crew members working – so remember to keep an eye on health and safety- as this is the time when most accidents will happen.

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Original eventsecrets.com Article

For many people, planning their first outdoor event can be very daunting. One of the most important aspects is choosing the right venue for your event.

1. One of the first things you should do when looking for a venue for an outdoor event is to give yourself enough time to find it. You should aim to find a suitable venue with at least a year to go before your proposed date. This will help you to see the venue in action (when other events are being held there) and will also help to ensure availability – ie that there are no other events taking place on the dates that you have chosen.
2. When looking at a venue, think about the venues that are using by similar or competing events. It might not be a good idea to try to use the exact same venue, but it will give you some ideas in what you need to look for when conducting a site visit.
3. The location of your venue will be quite important – it will need to be well known enough that people will know how to get there, but not so famous that it is very expensive or never available because too many other events take place there
4. When thinking about location, think about the type of audience you will have. If the majority of them are based in the south of England, it would be sensible to hold your event in that area. If you are trying to attract a large group of people who don’t drive – then don’t hold your event in the middle of nowhere!
5. The venue has to be suitable for the type of event you are planning to hold, as well as the type of audience or the time of year. For example, it would be no good trying to hold a Christmas fair, in the middle of winter in an open air venue – it will be just too cold – or trying to hold a rock concert near to a large residential area – it will affect the neighbours too much.
6. Venues have improved greatly over the last few years, with many investing in roadways, power distribution, water course and phone lines. Although there are still venues which are just an empty field, larger event venues have moved with the times, and now come full of useful infrastructure. Word of Warning! – when you are signing the contract, make sure that you know exactly what you are getting for your money – and if you are only allowed to use approved (and often expensive) contractors on site.
7. Going one step further, many venues have now invested in permanent venues, ticket offices, boundary fences, car parks and toilet blocks. Although this may make the venue more expensive to hire, you should weigh up the costs (and the time) it would take to bring in contractors and infrastructure for each of these services.
8. When looking at your venue, you should make sure that it is accessible by all of your contractors. If you are bringing in marquees, staging, big tops, funfairs or other large equipment, your contractors will want to bring in all sorts of large vehicles – from 3.5 tonne vans, to 45ft artic trailers and heavy plant – so make sure that they can get in through the gate – and that they won’t sink into the grass.
9. Another thing to consider is the access and egress for the customers of your event. if you are expecting many people to attend your event, you should ensure that the local roadways can cope with the influx of people, that the on site routes are clearly marked, and that the car parks are big enough. You should also ensure that foot traffic and vehicles are kept apart as best as possible to avoid any possible injuries.
10. Finally, when looking for a venue, you should think long term. Make sure that they venue that you choose can cope with the growth of your event over the next few years – the last thing you want to do is to move your event every year or so – people will become accustomed to its location – and this will become part of the marketing of event – ie people learn to remember where the event is!

© 2006 eventsecrets.com - Articles, hints, tips and information about event management - www.eventsecrets.com

If you want to reuse this article on your website you may do so with our best wishes - please just include the footer text and copyright notice - and if you can, let us know where it is so we can come and have a look!

There are several reasons to organise an indoor music concert. From small school recitals to worldwide tours, concerts take place in a variety of venues. Most concerts are designed to make or raise money for the promoter. Others are used to raise awareness for charities and other organisations. Large awards ceremonies for music or film and television are often on the same scale as some of these larger concerts.

Concert Venues
Although there are many places that can hold large numbers of people, organising an indoor concert will be made easier if the venue is suited to its use

Concert Technical Equipment
Bands and artistes who are performing at events, often have specific requirements for lighting, sound and audio visual equiment. There will also often be reasons within the venue to choose specific types and designs of equipment

Concert Infrastructure
As well as the technical equiment, there will be certain elements of infrastructure that are required as part of the venue design, or as required by the particular artiste, set designer, production manager or tour manager

Bands and Riders
Working with bands can be very time consuming and complicated. It is important to realise that many of the larger bands will require very specific items within their dressing room or on stage. Working with contracts can also be complicated – but it is important to understand what you are signing for

Event Staff
There will be many people involved in running an event of this nature – some will work in the view of the public (front of house) and others will work backstage

Customers
It is important to look after customers and to ensure that they enjoy the entire experience. There are some simple elements of organising indoor concerts that can be used to keep the audience happy, and to increase your revenue

Concert Layout
Although there are no specific or legal requirements for the layout of your indoor concert – some elements will combine to produce a successful event.

This video from the guys at djtutor.com and is the first part in a series looking at the planning of club nights with some tips for planning your night club event. In this series they will look at club night event management, promoting your night club event and the technical equipment you might need. Series also looks at club night insurance and night club ideas.

Many event managers start their careers whilst still at school or university by organising or being involved with night club events. Whilst a fanatastic way to learn the art of event management, promotion, markting, sales and all of the other things that event managers must learn, club nights can be hard to get right.

Club Venues
Getting the right venue can make or break your clubbing event – if you are in the wrong place it could make the difference between making it – or making nothing.

The Idea
Most of the successful clubnights have one specific idea of style which guides them as a kind of mission statement. Try to hit a niche idea to maximise your success.

Marketing
Marketing is the key to any club event – with the wrong marketing you will be sunk – get it right and you can pay your student loan off (or expand to other cities!)

Publicity
Designing and producing publicity for your events can be one of the most critical areas – you will spend a lot of your money on promotional materials, and the danger is that it is often thrown away or forgotten about.

Music
The most successful clubnights start because of the organisers love of music – choose a style that you like (or at least can bear to listen to everytime you are at work) and create a clear music policy. People will come to know your event for its music, and that is what will make is successful.

Customers
It is important to look after customers and to ensure that they enjoy the entire experience. There are some simple elements of organising club nights that can be used to keep the audience happy, and to increase your revenue.

Responsibilty
Many promoters are under fire for creating events that cause binge drinking and other antisocial behaviour. Make your event successful, but try to remain responsible in your actions and those of your event.