Fans everywhere are excited to see their favourite artists perform in person again. Getting back to hosting music events doesn’t necessarily mean returning to the way things were pre-pandemic, though — you’ll have to think about how to promote your venue with new considerations in mind. The landscape of events has changed, and your artists and your attendees have new expectations that are important to remember while you’re planning and marketing.
In this guide, we’ll discuss how to get musicians and attendees back into your live music venue and keep everyone safe and happy.
How to attract great artists
Without great musicians, it’s hard to sell tickets for your show and fill your venue with fans. Make your venue the place for artists to be with these tips.
Familiarise yourself with current rates
For over a year, many artists couldn’t book shows due to venue closures. Now that they’re getting back on the stage and on the road, many artists’ rates have gone up. Certain travel costs, such as car rentals, are more expensive than they were previously, and electronics and other products have increased in price due to supply chain issues. You may need to adjust your budget and expectations when it comes to rates in order to attract great talent.
Respect band requirements
Some musicians may only be willing to play at your venue if proof of vaccination is required for attendees or if all attendees are required to wear masks indoors. Staying flexible and open to working with an artist’s required restrictions will help ensure that you’re not missing out on a successful partnership.
Understand the local music scene
Even if bands or artists are coming to perform at your venue from out of town, it helps to know about your local music scene. Both you and the artists need to know that there’s a market for the kind of music they play; if turnout is poor for an event, then there’s less return on investment for everyone involved. Travel can also be costly for out of town musicians, so they will want to feel confident that any profits made will cover travel and other expenditures.
Surveying the local scene should also include taking the pulse on how comfortable everyone is with returning to in-person music events. This will help you better estimate the kinds of ticket sales you can expect.
Organise your own festival
If music fans in your area really love a particular music genre, or all genres, consider organising a festival that gathers lots of artists in one place. Festivals, particularly those held outdoors, tend to draw in a larger number of attendees, which is great for ticket sales and gives artists good exposure. Rent out tables or booths for talent to sell their merch, and work with local food and drink vendors to sell refreshments.
Promote local talent
One way to invest in your community is to work with local talent, but you might not know how to book local musicians. Check out the local bars, restaurants, and cafés in your area that feature live music or open mic nights to scope out talents you think would be a good fit for your venue. Consider booking up-and-coming local acts to open for out of town artists to attract a larger and more diverse crowd.
Make your policies clear and easy to find
No matter what the restrictions are in your area or what requirements you and your artists have, make sure all of that information is easy to locate by putting it on your Eventbrite listing. Being upfront and clear about your policies will prevent confusion or frustration in the future. Let everyone know what your cancellation and postponement approaches are, and try to remain flexible. Have a backup plan in place for any last-minute changes.
How to attract fans
When you’re looking for ideas to attract an audience for an event, great talent and extra perks are essential. Find out how to sell out a show by understanding the musical tastes of your community and enticing them with deals.
Tune in to your community
You want to establish your live music venue as a place that hosts popular local events, and one way to do that is to understand what kind of music your community wants to hear. Reference your sales data from previous events to determine which tickets sold best, which fans purchased the most food and drink, or what nights had the highest attendance. Keep up to date with other local music venues and see which of their events appear to be the most popular.
Keep things safe and comfortable
Stay informed about how open your community is to returning to live events, what your local restrictions are, and what kinds of safety measures your attendees will be expecting. Take cues from other local venues and from whatever requirements your artists have.
Offer extra perks
Once you book local musicians or touring artists whom you know will interest your audience, come up with extra incentives to encourage fans to buy tickets in advance. Communicate to potential attendees if artists will be selling merch at the event. Offer add-ons at checkout that allow attendees to pre-pay for merchandise or refreshments.
Offering different ticket types, like early bird tickets, is a good way to create excitement and encourage attendees to purchase their tickets as soon as possible. Create VIP packages that offer different tiers of tickets for better seating choices or included perks.
Boost your marketing efforts
Reach a larger audience through your marketing efforts with the help of Eventbrite Boost. With Boost, you can send engaging emails to your venue’s list of contacts, sell tickets on Facebook, and promote your event with social ads. Save time and organise all of your music event marketing in one place.
Ready to promote your venue’s next event?
Now that you know more about how to book musicians and have some interesting venue promotion ideas, start planning your next live music event. When you’re ready, create your event page on Eventbrite and sell tickets.
