Help: I've got a venue

Subject: Help :I've got a venue
From: Raptor
Date: 04 Dec 02 - 11:01 AM

I work at a large Outdoor Education Centre, And my bosses gave me permission to hold a concert.

What they want is P.R. and mabey a few dolars to cover housekeeping costs. The hall has room for 90+ people seated at tables and already has a stage. I was thinking benifit concert for SPCA or something. We could pay the performer and still make a good sum for a cause.


My problem: Who do I get?

Do i go for a few players?

How much to charge?

What charity?

I was considering Robert Ateyeo but the phone number I had for him is old and I cant find a website with booking info!

The location of the Centre is 40 minutes north of Barrie And we can put up any performers or guests.

Rick would you be interested?

Raptor

Subject: RE: Help :I've got a venue
From: Raptor
Date: 04 Dec 02 - 11:43 AM

ANY help would be greatly apprieciated.

Raptor

Subject: RE: Help :I've got a venue
From: Raptor
Date: 04 Dec 02 - 12:31 PM

I'd better mention that we're talkin' Barrie Ontario Canada!

Raptor

Subject: RE: Help :I've got a venue
From: Spartacus
Date: 04 Dec 02 - 12:38 PM

I do a charity event once a year called dylanfest. It's a dylan tribute concert and a benefit for the ann arbor, michigan safe house and domestic violence project. It's been going on for about 5 years now. I can give you a few hints. I dont know where you are in the world, but choose a local charity. Maybe there's a planned parenthood, battered womens shelter, hospital, etc. near the venue that could use some help. The other catch is to find local favorite performers. The first year I organized Dylanfest, I managed to get alot of really talented people to participate just by going to one of their shows and asking them. (ask about a month or 2 in advance) I had 23 acts last year and we'll have 21 this year. We charged $6 at the door and raised around $3,000.00. Don't worry about paying your performers. If you do the event for charity and hire local talent, it's a huge community builder and most musicians will be happy to lend thier talents. (many of them will play just to be involved with other musicians) Everyone should volunteer. This is charity. Give until it hurts. For the little things you have to pay for, just take it out of the house door take and give the rest to charity.

You should get as many players as you have time to allow to play in night. Every musician has a few freinds, and the more muscians the bigger the crowd will be. I had t-shirts printed last year and we sold them all for double our cost, which we donated to the charity as well.

Hope this helps.

-Spartacus

Subject: RE: Help :I've got a venue
From: Spartacus
Date: 04 Dec 02 - 12:45 PM

by the way...I might consider coming to Ontario...if it's for a good cause.


-spartacus

Subject: RE: Help :I've got a venue
From: Declan
Date: 04 Dec 02 - 12:54 PM

I have some (limited) experience in this area having run a couple of concerts over the years. I obviously know nothing about the scene in Ontario, but the best advice I can give, particularly if you want to raise funds for charity is keep the expenses to a minimum and don't budget for a full house. If your venue can hold 90 then pitch your ticket price for a crowd of about 40 and work out a budget accordingly. That way if you do get a good crowd you'll be pleasently surprised, but if people don't come along you won't lose out on it.

Subject: RE: Help :I've got a venue
From: CraigS
Date: 04 Dec 02 - 05:26 PM

And don't rush into it. Get it advertised well in advance and sell tickets in advance. If you have advance ticket sales, you know where the money is coming from.

Subject: RE: Help: I've got a venue
From: GUEST,Peter from Essex
Date: 04 Dec 02 - 07:56 PM

Some points from experience:

Advance sales means cash in your hand not promises. We always had problems with club organisers who would say they were bringing 20 people from their club and turn up on the night with cash for 5 sold tickets and 15 returns. (That sort of mismanagement caused me to resign from that committee in the end)

As Craig says get ads out in good time. If you have a regional folk magazine make sure that you time things to hit their press date.

Don't under sell the gig. If you charge significantly under the going rate the punters will assume that the quality will match.

Subject: RE: Help: I've got a venue
From: Raptor
Date: 05 Dec 02 - 09:34 AM

Great advice, Thanks all, but what about the cause?

Give me your top 3 charities.

We need a good one to entice sparticus and other great players.

Raptor

Subject: RE: Help: I've got a venue
From:
Date: 05 Dec 02 - 11:15 AM

Raptor, first I'd figure out how much time you plan to have the concert for. If it's 2 hours, you might want to go for 4 players at 30 minutes a piece, planning to run over by about 20 minutes (or 5 minutes per performer). As a general rule of thumb, over the years, I've found if you tell a performer 20 minutes, they'll take 25, etc.

This is assuming they are all equal in "draw" power. Now, if you have one act who is REALLY a major act, allot that one say twice as much as any other. For instance, one Major act, use them for 1 hour, and 3 others at 20 minute sets.

Subject: RE: Help: I've got a venue
From: Spartacus
Date: 05 Dec 02 - 12:49 PM

My benefit shows have been for the Safehouse/domestic violence project, and Ann Arbor hospital. You should choose something that's important to you, or that is local. Local is key. If you get a local charity and some local talent, you'll have a better chance of filling a room. Craig makes a great point, I usually have all of my advertising in 1-2 months before the gig. Most papers have a weekend section where you can list your event for free. Hit all of them. You can probably find the contact info on line. THere is probably a monthly entertainment local you can get into for free as well. These are great contacts to have for benefits, your own shows, etc.

Find a couple of local bands with a little buzz, and check out their shows. Tell them what your putting together, and just ask them to play. (ask at least a month in advance) Once you secure one band with a little buzz, the rest will be happy to share a bill with them.

George is right about the number of acts/time limit thing. Just take the length of the gig and the number of acts and divide.

The other thing you'll need to consider is sound. We had 23 acts last year, and our sound guy deserved a medal of honor. If you get more that 2-3 acts, you may want to have a house drum kit, amps, mics, etc. to save time on setup in between shows.

let me know how it comes along.

-spartacus

Subject: RE: Help: I've got a venue
From: Raptor
Date: 05 Dec 02 - 03:27 PM

I found the charity Seasons Centre is a centre for grieving children, Or Children that lost a loved one.

I think I'm going to go with one act.

We can pay about $500-$800 and still rais a fair bit for the cause.

Black tie.

Raptor

Subject: RE: Help: I've got a venue
From: Spartacus
Date: 05 Dec 02 - 04:36 PM

Sounds like a plan!
Good luck!

-Spartacus

Subject: RE: Help: I've got a venue
From: Hamish
Date: 06 Dec 02 - 07:35 AM

a raffle is a good way to let people give you more money. You don't need many or lavish prizes - it's really just a way of letting some people give you more for the charity.

Subject: RE: Help: I've got a venue
From: Raptor
Date: 06 Dec 02 - 09:09 AM

Don't I need a special liecence for raffle?

Raptor

Subject: RE: Help: I've got a venue
From: Willie-O
Date: 06 Dec 02 - 10:11 AM

Yes you need a raffle licence in Ontario but its a good moneymaker. Needs a fair amount of lead-in time though and a   

Another good way to make a few hundred bucks with no overhead is have a mini-auction of donated crafts/art. If you don't have contacts in the local artisan community, find someone who does, and get someone--possibly an actual auctioneer, or just someone with good presentation skills--to run the auction. Keep it to less than 10 items, it should be done in 20 minutes or so. Have it between sets after a quick intermission.

Now me, I know something about booking music in rural Ontario. Get someone with a local following; make sure you get plenty of publicity to that Barrie/Orillia folk music crowd (get it in their e-mail newsletter). Targeted publicity is everything. Also, don't rely on ads: write press releases.

Declan has good advice for you there, don't assume you'll fill all the seats.   Best way to come close is book a headliner who you think will draw, and then COVER YOUR BETS by adding a LOCAL opening act, who will get their own people out, that will bring you an extra 15-20 paying customers if you pick the right one.   

We've worked out a pricing structure for our little Schoolhouse hall, which holds 55 people max. We charge $10 advance, $12/door, half price for youth under 18, (this is a good thing to do and brings a few of em out, not enough to make you feel you're losing money on it). This mid-range price reflects that the people that come aren't necessarily the hard-core music fans who wouldn't think twice about a $20 concert ticket, a lot of them are community members who are more curious or want to be supportive. We pay performers 80% of the door, which usually nets them $300 or so. (A decent paycheque for a single or duo.)

Personally I don't much like the "beg everyone you can find to play 10 minutes for free" approach--obviously it works for some and in some densely-populated areas, but what an organizational headache. I have always preferred going with what you are thinking, book 1 act, maybe 2, pay them decent. (Why shouldn't musicians make a living while helping your cause?) I wouldn't promise quite the sums you're talking about up front though, in a fundraiser you want to be a bit more conservative.   

Bear in mind, you want to start carefully in order to show your organization that you can do this without costing them a bunch of money.

Go fer it.

Willie-O

Subject: RE: Help: I've got a venue
From: Raptor
Date: 06 Dec 02 - 10:30 AM

Willie I was thinking about Fred J Eaglesmith Or Willie P Bennet What do you think?

Raptor