A Complete Guide For Planning A Concert Event
You may find yourself needing or wanting to plan a concert event, and lucky for you, you came to the right place. There are a lot of details and planning that go into planning an event like this so we wanted to give you a complete guide to make your life a little easier and a whole lot less stressful. So, what is a concert? A concert is a musical performance given in public, and it can be given by several performers at once or several separate compositions.
How Do You Organize a Concert?
1. Set a Budget
The first thing you will want to do when planning a concert event is set a budget. This will ensure you don’t go overboard and unintentionally overspend. You can break your larger budget into buckets to make it easier to manage and track. Buckets include the artists, the venue, staffing, equipment, promotion and so forth. You will also want to consider if you will have any partners or sponsors for the event. This can impact the budget and usually allows for more funds and flexibility with your event.
2. Find a Venue
Once you have set your budget, you will want to start looking at venues. The first thing you will need to decide is what kind of concert you will be hosting so you can find the event space to match. For example, if you are having a bigger concert, you may want to look at large event venues, versus if you are hosting a more private and intimate concert, maybe you look at historic music venues that are smaller and more focused on the ambiance. Wherever you’re located, you can always search ‘live music venues near me’ so you can compare your options. This will help when it comes to negotiating pricing as well.
3. Hire Performers
Now that your budget and venue are set, you will need to hire artists for your event. You may already have performers in mind, so now you need to reach out and start figuring out pricing and contracts. Once you have the main artist booked, you will want to start filling in openers and additional performers for your event. If you’re unsure where to start, you can always reach out to local artists, approach music schools or ask for professional recommendations. It’s always good to talk to your event planner at the venue to see if they have any suggestions. More often than not, they are well-connected and can point you in the right direction.
4. Price Out the Tickets
Next, you will price out the tickets for your concert. Pricing out your tickets depends on a variety of factors and is a crucial part of the event because it determines your overall revenue. You will first want to consider if your venue is a for-profit event or a non-profit event. You will also want to consider what your goals are and if you have a minimum profit you’re trying to reach. Will you have a virtual option for sale where people can tune in digitally? Is there going to be a VIP section where guests will get additional services above and beyond the show? These are all factors to consider when laying out your ticket pricing.
5. Market the Event
In order to discuss the marketing of your event, you will first want to ask how long does it take to plan a concert? Well, this depends on the scale of the concert and how elaborate you want the experience to be. If it is a large-scale event, factoring in 6 months is a good place to start, however, if it’s a smaller concert, you may be okay with 2-3 months. Once you have your timeline down, you can plan out marketing materials and strategic points of communication to your audience. You can use online platforms, contact a professional marketing team, see if you can partner with the venue, and use social media. These are all ways that will ensure your concert’s success.
6. Source the Right Equipment
Finally, you will want to make sure you have the equipment you need to ensure your concert goes off without a hitch. You should always check the venue first to see what they provide with their setup. Common equipment includes stage lighting, microphones, sound boards, light boards, amps, PA system and so forth. You will also want to make sure you have a dedicated producer to manage the entire event.
At Piovra Group, we have numerous connections when it comes to concert venues in LA and would be more than happy to discuss your event and goals with you. We like to make events as easy as possible on our clients and can help plan the concert from start to finish.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What kind of marketing do you think is the most effective?
A: That really depends on your goals and your audience. Once you define both of these, you can start honing in on the marketing tactics that are the most effective.
Q: If I’m not sure how to find additional performers, can you help with that?
A: Yes! We have many connections within the industry and would be more than happy to plan your event with you, start to finish.
Q: If I’m not sure what equipment I need, what should I do?
A: You can always discuss with the venue or an event producer so they can let you know what will be necessary to ensure success.