Allocate someone, if not yourself, to deal with the administration of venue hire, registration, programming, box office and promotion. When creating a schedule it’s easiest to work backwards and start by entering the event dates. Encourage companies and producers to visit your venue first before confirming any bookings.
SCHEDULE EXAMPLE
September
-Register your venue on Eventotron and join Brighton Fringe 2019!
October
-Decide on your hire rates and a timetable for the festival.
-Come along to our free Fringe Academy workshops, hosted by the Participant Services team from October to June.
-Registration opens 8 October 2018.
November
-Start programming your events.
-Encourage artists and performers to visit your venue before confirming a booking.
December
-Finalise details with artists and performers, and confirm your programme.
-Encourage performers to register by 6pm on 7 December 2018 to qualify for Early Bird discounts on registration fees, and to be included in our early on sale period.
-Early on sale opens to Friends of Brighton Fringe on 13 December, and to the general public on 14 December
January
-Double check all of your event registrations and proof-read brochure listings (the Brighton Fringe team also do this, but it’s really helpful to have an extra pair of eyes)
-Final deadline to confirm registrations and pay is 18 January 2019 at midday.
-18 January is also the final deadline to book any additional advertising either in the Brighton Fringe brochure or on our website.
- If you have the budget, consider investing in some lamppost banners to help promote events at your venue.
February
-All tickets go on sale in the last week of February to Friends of Brighton of Fringe.
March
-The Brighton Fringe brochure is launched first week of March and tickets also go on general sale.
-Start advertising and promoting your event(s): print material, press release, etc. See the ‘How to Sell your Event’ section in the Participants area of our website for more tips!
-Download the Brighton Fringe Media List from Eventotron
April
-Contact members of the press and invite them to your events
-Display your venue board.
-Start flyering to promote your events, and remember to include the Brighton Fringe logo on all flyers to avoid a fine from the council!
May
-Brighton Fringe dates 3 May – 2 June 2019.
-Check Box Office reports for updates on ticket sales
-Collect your participant pass from the Participant Hub.
July
-Settlements are sent out in six weeks of the festival ending.
-Complete Brighton Fringe surveys to report feedback.
ASK YOURSELF…
Think about whether your venue will be open during the day, in the evening or both. Will your programme of events be every day, once a week – or will you be the venue for just one event?
Think about your potential audience. Who do you want through the door? If you’re an established venue, will you be programming for regulars or encouraging new audiences?
Keep Participant Services updated with your availability and the type of events you’re looking to host. We get calls every day from promoters and artists looking for suitable spaces – so we can help direct shows your way.
WHAT TO REMEMBER…
Remember to make sure you take account of the time it takes for the performers to set up and the audience to get in and out of the venue (in showbiz speak, the ‘get-ins and get-outs’), especially if you have days with multiple performances. Here’s an example of the timings you should be thinking about.
Slot starts: 11am
Get in / set up: 25 mins
Audience in: 10 mins
Show start time: 11.35am
Show end time: 12.30pm
Audience out: 5 mins
Get out: 25 mins
Slot ends: 1pm
GETTING A PROMOTER TO RUN, MANAGE AND PROGRAMME YOUR SPACE
Each year a number of promoters both from Brighton and outside contact Brighton Fringe asking for help with finding a suitable space for them to programme. This can be someone looking to run a mixed programme of events or a space suitable for a single performance type i.e. stand-up comedy.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF HIRING MY VENUE OUT TO A SINGLE PROMOTER?
• You deal with one person and one price for the hire of the venue.
• You get the benefits of the space being used, audiences being brought to the venue and the publicity of being in Brighton Fringe without the hassle of programming it yourself.
• Promoters will usually have a database of artist and performers that are of a certain standard – the quality of events is usually higher.
• Someone else takes the risk of completing a programme and filling the space – you’ve covered the costs of having the space used and then can focus on how you can generate spending once audiences are through your doors.