> vision & rationale

It is important that producers have a clear vision for their event – what are they producing and why?

A rationale for the event and a strong vision are useful when asking people to participate in your project and for support, whether it be assistance, funding or sponsorship.

The rationale and vision are essential for keeping you on track throughout the production.

> planning

Events without a plan more often than not hit at least one glitch – some tasks will not be done properly or done at all. Some common examples of glitches are last minute promotional efforts that don’t attract the audience numbers, not creating a door list resulting in chaos at front of house, not having backline organised for musicians, finding out when the gig is due to start that no-one has brought a bass amp, or not organising floats for box office or bar.

Planning your event will help avoid many unnecessary problems.

> starting your plan

It will depend on the type of event you are producing but a few key
questions require your initial attention:

• What are we doing?
  
• Why are we doing it? [rationale/vision/aims]
  
• How are we doing it?
  
• What shape will the event take?
  
• How much will it cost?

Additional things that may help you formulate your plan:

• How will you talk about the event? [is it a gig, concert, cabaret, show, performance…]
  
• Who will benefit from this event? [watch, enjoy, participate…]
  
• What do you hope to gain from producing this event? [fame,
  fortune, funding or future opportunities…]
  
• What sort of venue is the most appropriate?

> timing

Take careful consideration when selecting the date of your event. Find out what else is happening on that date, on that weekend and in the surrounding weeks. Consider other arts events, major sporting activity, festivals etc. Is it a public holiday, a long weekend or during the school holidays? All these factors can significantly affect the overall success of your event and in taking the time to find these out you can avoid a disappointing turn out.

When researching the timing you may also consider if it is beneficial to slot your event into an established program such as a festival or to link with another event [double bill or cross-promote]. This may be possible if your event is of a similar nature or is in some way mutually beneficial to have your event in a bigger program. This could be a favourable option for you, particularly if this is your first foray into event producing. Often festivals will help with publicity, and support may extend to equipment, venue access, technical support etc.

> timeline