Picking a date and timing is so important. If your target audience is uni students, then sure you can do Thursday nights, but if you are working full time (like me), weekends are your only option. Then you also have to consider what other events are happening in Melbourne, but then again, there’s always something happening in Melbourne like a major concert, food festival, religious holiday, sporting event. You have to ensure that you pick the best date for your demographic and for you.
Ensure that you have organised all the important stuff: venue, acts, sound guy, door people, date, times. You don’t want to leave things to the last minute as it creates so much stress on yourself and that is not ideal. Once the main shell is done, you can start thinking about your ticket prices and other elements that can create a great show like lighting, photography, videography.
Spread the word. Create a Facebook event. Ensure everybody invites all their family and friends to the event. Word of mouth is so powerful these days and I strongly believe in the importance of using social media because you never know who could rock up at your show. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter are probably the best forms of social media. You could even go ahead to apps like Bands In Town where you can continue to grow your reach.
Ask for help. If this is your first time planning a show, whether it be an EP launch, single release or a debut performance, and you have no experience in approaching the media about your work, put it in the hands of somebody that does. Publicists not only help you, they take that heavy weight off your shoulders and will help spread the word to a wider audience. Within my experience of being a publicist, I have helped many of my clients gain interviews on radio, TV and in magazines for the first time and it opened their eyes to the media. Yes, it’s something that can be costly but it is definitely worth all the pennies.
Make your show stands out above the rest. If you have extra money in your pocket, get your poster designed, get some press shots taken, have a media release done, that way you create that sense of professionalism that people will notice. It may be a contributing factor for somebody to come down to see you.
