Choosing the Right Venue for your Event

Introduction The venue can make or break the event. The best venues according to performers and audience members are the venues or rooms that as well as having all the basics have that hard-to-measure something extra about them, atmosphere or vibe and they go off. Everyone will tell you stories about his or her favorite venue and everyone will tell you something different. Things like great sound, good toilets, comfy, friendly, cool, funky and happening will all be mentioned. Do not under estimate how important your venue is to your event. Selecting a Venue Selecting the venue should be on a best fit basis. It is important that the venue selection process feeds back at every step of the way to inform the event theme. The marriage of the venue with the theme is what makes for a successful event. You may change your ideas and plan to suit the venue, you may modify or set the venue up to suit your theme, you may shelve your original idea and go with a new one for that venue or choose to keep looking for the right venue for your theme. Keep your options open. Get out there! You may have more choices than what you realise. Warehouses, empty shops, carparks, halls, amphitheatres, swimming pools, cinemas, function rooms, sport centres, parks, showgrounds and club rooms are all possible venues. Then again, after going through the venue checklist you may have fewer choices than you thought, and have to go with whats available. Whatever the venue, it is up to the event organisers to maximise the potential of the venue and manage any down sides. Below is a list of items that should be considered when selecting and managing the venue and event. Venue checklist

Cost Reputation Type/style/features Location eg. public transport/public access, outside area/safety and local neighborhood characteristics and features Occupancy permits and essential services - the size of the venue, location and number of exits and other essential services like toilets and fire safety equipment are taken into account when determining whether you can legally occupy a building for a place of public entertainment and the legal capacity of the building. The local council building department is responsible for managing building use and issuing permits. Public Liability Insurance Size - choose a venue large enough to accommodate the crowd you are planning for but not too large. A venue that is too big can detract from the atmosphere of the performance and your crowd can get lost in the space. If your break even is 300 people and your target is 450 people to attend then ensure that you can accommodate 450 people. If in doubt about the capacity you can arrange an inspection by the Council Building Inspector. Building eg. entrances/exits, load in and load out access. This is important because some venues have stairs or small doors. Inform

the PA company so they are prepared, as they may need to allow for more loaders, smaller cases, trolleys or extra time. Staging Power facilities - where is the main switchboard? If the venue has a stage there is usually a second switchboard for stage and house lights. Check and count the number of general-purpose power points (10 amps) around the entire venue and stage area. Locate the 3-phase power (32 amp) outlets. Ideally there will be at least two: one for the sound and one for the lighting. Parking Security Dressing room(s) and facilities suitable for band and equipment Toilets Kitchen Cloakroom First aid station Other rooms and features, for example public telephone, secure rooms Venue condition. Report on existing damage, broken windows etc. Special conditions. Check if the venue has any special conditions including noise restrictions and curfews. Liquor license. It is important to check whether the venue has a liquor license.

Make sure you discuss any issues with the hall keeper or venue manager. If necessary seek further information and advice from a relevant agency. Venue report Prepare a report on each prospective venue. Highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the venue. Outline any measures you can take to improve the overall appeal or rating of the venue. Make sure you highlight all the positives, as these may be able to be used in the event promotion. No venue is perfect but all venues can be made to work. Take a long-term view if looking for a home for your events. Alternatively, mix it up using new and different venues for each event to create that unique standalone or one-off feel. Once you have done a thorough inspection or audit of a venue it should remain on file as a reference for future events and be updated as needed.

RESOURCES AND FURTHER INFORMATION Building Control Commission www.buildingcommission.com.au The Building Control Commission provides information on the laws relating to buildings and spaces used for entertainment. Taken from: Start It Up, a young persons guide to staging a music event State of Victoria, Office for Youth, Department for Victorian Communities, 2004 Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Spring Street, Melbourne. The Push PO Box 220 BRUNSWICK 3056 Telephone: 03 9380 1277

Securing A Headline Artist

The FReeZA Program aims to empower young people to take ownership of the entertainment options in their community. In most cases FReeZA groups present young developing artists from their immediate area and often these shows may also include a headline artist popular to local audiences. When presenting a line-up with a headline artist, the model for the show is likely to vary compared to a line-up of local artists only. The inclusion of a headline artist may influence items like: ticket price, venue choice (for capacity), security numbers, a wider marketing campaign and of course a larger working budget. An essential factor in selecting your headline artist is to have data to assist with your decision making. By this, you could simply survey your audience to see which artists or genres they would like to see commonly creating whats known as a wish-list. A FReeZA Committee can action this survey via their Secondary Colleges, local bands and via any other young person that could be a potential audience member or stakeholder it can be done online using tools like Survey Monkey or social networking. The committee could also collate anecdotal feedback on paper by quizzing their friends. With this tool completed, you can identify trends that young music communities want and create a list of priority artists to approach. Click here to read the full article

Marketing Your Event

Marketing Identity Partnership / Sponsors Sponsorship Introduction Marketing and promotion go hand in hand. Generally speaking marketing can be broken down into The 4 Ps: Product (i.e. your event) Price Place Promotion Marketing should start early on in the planning stage of an event. The stronger the promotional identity, the quicker your core market will get the message. And that is the whole point. Marketing Identity To market, or promote your event, you need to identify your core audience first. This will be worked through when you are in the initial planning stages. Once you are aware of this, you can begin to formulate your plan of attack for potential sponsors and begin to coordinate your promotional schedule. Partnerships / Sponsors Events cost money. To alleviate some of the pressure (i.e. on your ticket sales), its a great advantage to source partners or sponsors. Ensure your budgets are confirmed so that you are clear on exactly what you need to ask for. Once this is assessed, you can start to write your sponsorship proposal. Assume that the potential sponsors dont have a lot of time to read a bible length document as a proposal. So keep the sponsorship kit short, concise and as informative as possible.

Its a good idea to send proposals out well in advance of the event (3-6 months is advisable). Although this may sound excessive, most companies plan their sponsorship allocation only once during a financial year. Sponsorship There are effectively two types of sponsorship: 1. Cash in return for having the sponsors name or message being associated with the event. 2. In-kind support, also known as contra, where goods or services are provided free of charge. This can be just as valuable as cash. If, for example, your local printers will print your posters, passes and flyers for free, then your promotional budget is reduced. Prior to approaching potential sponsors, it is critical that you have a comprehensive package of information about your group and the event you wish to stage, including as much detail as possible. Avoid conflicts of interest. For example, with all-age events do not approach alcohol companies for support. When approaching companies for sponsorship, be innovative. Essentially you are asking for financial assistance, and this doesnt only have to mean asking for money. Don't forget to ask companies for in-kind or contra services. Compile a list of potential sponsors (businesses or associations) to target for support. Start with all of the companies providing services to your event. It is also advisable to approach organisations and businesses in your local area as they may be more inclined to support you and might be easier to deal with. Make a list of all other potential sponsors (large businesses or associations). They should be relevant to your core audience (Will the sponsors get any benefit from being involved in your event? Will the people attending your event want to support the sponsor in the future?). Your list should include: your local council, youth and community services, local service organisations such as Lions, Apex and Rotary, large businesses, record stores, printers, newspapers, fast food outlets, clothing stores and radio stations. There are three basic sponsorship deals you can offer: 1. Naming rights: means that all promotional material must include the sponsors name in the title of the event. 2. Logo acknowledgment: the sponsor will have their logo displayed on all promotional material. 3. Event signage: sponsor signage displayed at the event. If you present your sponsorship proposals well and demonstrate you are serious about the event, it is possible to receive a lot of community support and sponsorship.

R E S O U R C E S & FURTHER INFORMATION Australian Business Arts Foundation www.abaf.org.au ABAF facilitates, advocates and promotes private sector partnerships and support for the arts, with the aim of bringing benefits to business, arts organisations and the Australian community. Australia Council www.australiacouncil.gov.au/ Australia Council Audience and Market Development website contains quality information on marketing of the arts.

Taken from: Start It Up, a young persons guide to staging a music event State of Victoria, Office for Youth, Department for Victorian Communities, 2004 Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Spring Street, Melbourne. The Push PO Box 220 BRUNSWICK 3056 Telephone: 03 9380 1277 Fax: 03 9380 9044

Email: push@thepush.com.au www.thepush.com.au

Event Reviews
Prepared by Laura Miller, Communications Manager, The Push The FReeZA website is a tool to showcase, recognise and celebrate the contribution of FReeZA committees and young people, and event reviews are a perfect way to highlight this. FReeZA event reviews are particularly important as they showcase the diverse events FReeZA Committees are planning and deliver across Victoria. The FReeZA Support Service, The Push, has put together some tips to consider when writing your event reviews.

Six tips for writing your event reviews

To avoid forgetting important points when compiling your review, always take a notepad for notes at the event. Keep your review short and sweet. Anywhere up to 500 words maximum, around 300 words is best, works well for online readers. Keep the language and sentences short and succinct. If youre stuck for words, try referencing the thesaurus. Dont get caught out, always use the spell-checker! And finally, get writing words are fun!

Suggested Structure:
Title: Date, Venue, FReeZA Committee, Name of Event, Headline Act

Explain the event in more detail: What the event was called, who performed and what happened? When and where did it occur? The Audience. Who attended? If the attendance was successful, mention that. Explain in more detail about who performed or what happened. Give some analysis of what worked well. What songs were played? Any cover songs that were performed etc, or instruments played? If youve seen or heard a band perform before compare to the CD or previous live shows? Identify your audience: For example, as your main audience is other FReeZA Groups and FReeZA Committee Members you can make recommendations about what worked and didnt work, and how other FReeZA groups can implement these ideas in their events. Be polite to the artists, be objective and dont become too personal or give too much of your own opinion, especially if theyre negative ones. If youre making a criticism its important to references facts otherwise your opinions may be too subjective.

Be positive, keep in mind the review is to celebrate and promote FReeZA events and committees. Take a camera to document the event and compliment your review, but ask permission before taking photos.

Additional things to consider:

When recruiting a young reviewer to write a review, remember, theyre the ones out there seeing exciting emerging music that the industry wants to thepuknow about, so its a great opportunity for them to develop new skills as well as write about something theyre passionate about. In addition to the FReeZA and Push websites, there are a wealth of other career development opportunities out there for budding music and entertainment industry critiques and writers. Apart from the FReeZA or Push websites, media outlets where young reviewers might be able to get their work published include Youth Central, street press such as Beat Magazine (lhttp://www.beat.com.au ) and online publications like Fasterlouder (http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/ ) and In The Mix (http://www.inthemix.com.au/). For more info on privacy issues For submission details and event review form

About The Author: Laura Miller joined The Push in May 2009 as the new Marketing, Publicity and Web Content Manager. Laura has over 10 years experience in the music, arts and entertainment industries working as a publicist, event manager, marketer and journalist. Laura can be contacted via laura@thepush.com.au, phone (03) 9380 1277 or The Push Inc, PO Box 220, Brunswick Vic 3056. back to top

Promoting your FReeZA event

printable version (RTF,10kb) Article by Tahlia Azaria (Website & Communications Officer, The Push) FReeZA provides young Victorians with a unique opportunity to celebrate music, culture and community events together. So how do you get the word out? Promotion is an important area of event planning that can sometimes get lost within the chaos of venue hire, band booking and so on and so forth. Word of mouth straight from the source can work, but is often not enough to pull the punters in. Posters and flyers are a good way to catch the audiences attention. Any artwork should be colourful and vibrant, and leave no questions unanswered include all relevant details to ensure that the person reading it is well informed about your event. Strategically placing posters and flyers around your community is a big factor in the success of your promotional campaign. FReeZA committee members can put posters up at their schools, local shopping centres and other places they and their friends go. This ensures that likeminded people are finding out about the event. To move promotion outside your community, advertise in street press magazines like Beat, Inpress, Forte Magazine or Buzz Magazine. For more information on this, see The Pushs artist development publication The Push Player -January/February edition (external link).

To further extend on this, take your promotion online. MySpace is a great promotional tool. Youve got your profile, youve got your Friends list, and youve got a direct way of targeting the people who are most likely to be interested in your event. Posting a Bulletin is a fantastic way to get MySpace users to notice you; use the Bulletin to plug the details, time, ticket prices and location of the event, and provide a link back to the home page of your MySpace so that users can find out more. Try and include a copy of your flyer as well sometimes users can get bored if a post is too text-heavy, so photos and colours work well to break this up. Including a copy of your flyer is easily done by heading to a website like photobucket.com (external link). As soon as you create a (free) account, you can upload any photos (both .jpg and .gif files still and moving images, respectively). Then its as simple as copying the html tag, and pasting it in the Bulletin box (or comment, or message you can post it anywhere on the internet that is html enabled. This also includes your Outlook email account!). Aside from mass emaails through Bulletin posts, MySpace allows you to target the individual young person by posting the details of the event and the flyer (as mentioned above) in a comment box or private message. Along with MySpace, listing your event on The Push All-ages Gig Guide (external link) and on the FReeZA Event Guide (external link) gives young people yet another way to find out about it. Searching all ages gigs Victoria in Google lists The Push Gig Guide at number two, making it a point of call for many young internet users. This can be done by sending your Event Notice at least 2 weeks prior to your event into The Push. For even more information on how to promote your FReeZA Event, along with audience development and marketing, see Audience Development, Promotion, Marketing & Art (external link) by Shane Wickens (Artistic Director, The Push). Back To Top

Making your FReeZA event work

Article by Tim Wamala, former FReeZA worker. printable version (RTF, 7kb) The all ages music industry is a very different place compared to when I was on a FReeZA committee. Keeping track of the shift in popularity between different genres of music in the all ages scene can be the hardest part about running FReeZA events, but this is where your committee comes in. Think of your committee as amateur promoters. They should be a selection of young people representative of the demographic in your community: they go to school, speak to other young people about what music or entertainment they are interested in and then feed the information back to you and the committee. Remember, FReeZA events dont have to be music events. They can be any type of entertainment that young people in your area are keen on checking out. Have a read through your guidelines to see what else fits within the FReeZA model and develop entertainment options that suit your local demographic. Whatever event you are thinking of planning, there are certain things that will ensure it will be successful either in terms of numbers through the door or by the participation and enjoyment of your committee members. Firstly, pick a date for your show and create a timeline with the committee so its clear as to how many weeks/months they have to plan and implement the show. Once you have a date and a timeline sit down and begin brainstorming. This is a chance for your committee to put all their ideas down on paper. Events need to be designed for a specific target market, which could be any number of things: style of music, choice of recreation activities, age, sex etc. Your marketing strategy will also be designed around your target market, where the

demographic spends their time, what school they go to, what websites they visit. Marketing your event can be done without spending a lot of money. If you have a small budget, utilise online forums, photocopy posters or get them printed in either mono or one bright colour that makes the key points stand out from a distance. When you have an idea of what kind of event you will be running, design your budget. It makes things easier if you can split your funding at the beginning of the year into the amount of shows you are contracted to do, that way you will have an idea of what kind of dollars you have to spend before you get to the planning stage. Your budget is very important - keep an eye on it and dont be afraid to chase deals with production companies, security, venues etc. if it means you will save a few dollars. Now that your budget is secure, book everything in! This includes venue, entertainment, security, first aid, production, staging and any permits you may need (i.e. APRA or EPA if an outdoor event). If you can get this all booked in straight away then you wont have anything to worry about apart from marketing your event and getting young people through the door. Next is your Marketing Strategy. Develop this with your FReeZA committee and design the artwork that will promote your event. Split the roles of promotion up between your committee members. Have some people doing the ground work with poster runs and handing out flyers after school or at train stations and local hang out spots, have an online street team that will hit all your forums, websites and MySpace pages (the internet is a great way to promote without spending dollars) and then have someone else to look after any street press, news papers and gig guides. With everything booked and your marketing strategy in place you can focus on the admin. Get the committee members to draw up contracts and worksheets and send them through to the entertainment. Your worksheetsshould go out to any contractors involved in the event. This will give them all the information they need - where to go, what time to get there and what the event will include. Your contracts should outline all information needed for performers (performance fee, venue access, performance time and guidelines for performing at a FReeZA event). In a small FReeZA event setting contracts arent hugely important but good practice for the committee to know how the real world works. Also if a performer breaks any part of the contract (i.e. they drink alcohol at the event or they use explicit language on stage) they then forfeit the right to payment this is a good situation for young people to realise the importance of a contract. Finally you need to develop a risk management plan; the safety of your staff and punters is the most important thing at an all ages event. Your risk management document should include any and every scenario or situation you can envisage at an all ages drug and alcohol free event: from young people turning up intoxicated, to fires and even bomb threats. Although unlikely, if a bomb threat does occur you want to make sure you have a plan that can be implemented straight away to manage the risk. Finally, remember in a youth participation model you want to make sure the committee members are not only taking part in brainstorming the ideas for the event but also making informed decisions about what kind of event to run and how it should be run. You are there purely as a guide holding the reigns and steering the committee in the right direction. Try not to make too many decisions for them. Sometimes its better for them try their own ideas, fail and learn, rather than be told what to do, succeed and never learn how or why it actually worked. back to top

How to put on a hip hop event

by Arna Singleton (Push It! Hip Hop Coordinator, The Push)
printable version (5kb, RTF)

So you think you can put on a hip hop event? Hip hop events are different to regular band events. Has your community expressed an interest in attending a hip hop event? The most important component to the success of these types of events is A. Know your audience B. Know your hip hop. Hip hop has been around for 30 years but as a music culture in Australia it still has an underground feel to it. It is, however, slowly starting to spread thanks to Triple J, Triple R, the internet and more media exposure. Some would even say a special props to the Hilltop Hoods. Don't know who Hilltop Hoods are? Then start back at B. What is a hip hop event? A hip hop event can have DJ's, emcees, beatboxers, dancers, breakers but is expanding to live instruments and different sounds. What makes it a hip hop event is the heavy bass and the rhythmic rhymes of a rapper or singer (not to mention the fresh gear worn by all those in attendance). Hip hop events can be broken down but not limited to these 3 types of events: THE JAM DJ - check Turntables/CDJs - check Sound system with a decent amplifier - check Dance space - check Hype man/Hype girl or Host - check The Jam is an event that purely has hip hop beats and sounds whether it be from the DJ, beatboxer or the rhymes from an emcee to create a party-style feel. This allows the audience to have more freedom to dance, listen and have a good time. It's a good way to have a hip hop themed night where the audience can make it their own. In order for such an event to be successful you need to be sure that young people in the area want to come and actually enjoy dancing, because essentially, this is a dance party. THE BATTLE Breakers - check Krumpers- check Hip hop dancers - check Emcees - check Beatboxers - check DJs - check Beatmakers - check Judges - check Hype man/Hype girl or Host - check The Battle requires the performers to sign up and register for a battle and can be any one of the above battles. The battles will require rules, guidelines, judges and prizes. The Battle allows young emerging performers to be showcased in a fun and interactive way for all involved. You must first decide what and who you will be battling. Do you have many DJs in the area? Dancers? Beatboxes? It's a good event to partner up with other organisations/affiliates to assist in generating sign ups and good attendance numbers. THE RHYMES The Rhymes can be run very much like a live band event but the acts are replaced with hip hop acts. Hip hop acts that feature emcees, DJs or live instruments will be a key feature to the performances. These type of events need to have acts that will generate local support. These types of all ages or underage gigs are still new to the game in terms of generating large crowds. Why do young people go events? To be entertained! If they have never heard of the acts before why would they go? They would only go because they know or know people that know people in the act personally or if they are an act such as Hilltop Hoods, Bliss N Eso or possibly TZU who have generated fans through widespread media, radio and print. How do band events work? They have local acts who have large local support and a headline act that appeals to all under that genre. This also applies to hip hop events. You must be aware of local support for local acts and what awareness the community has for hip hop groups in general. Just because young people are interested in hip hop doesn't mean they will rock up to an event purely because it has the two key words stated on the flyer - HIP HOP.

A suggestion for a hip hop event is to combine all three events into one. Allow the audience to experience firsthand what hip hop is all about. Most hip hop events separate the forms of hip hop and only look at fulfilling one type of audience need. The breakers, as an example, often organise events for other breakers and their friends. Most forms of hip hop don't feel the need to celebrate hip hop as a whole, and as a result, young people have not as yet been overly exposed to the wider spectrum of what hip hop has to offer. Events run by The Push such as Our Backyard and the Push It! Hip Hop Stage are paving the way for youth to be engaged in the ultimate hip hop setting. The interest is there you just need to be clever on how to engage it.

In an evening of glitz and good cheer, the 57th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011 were presented at the newly set up Reliance MediaWorks Studio in the sylvan environs of Film City. The nominations encompassed several films that had attempted to tread a fairly unbeaten path-Rockstar, The Dirty Picture, No One Killed Jessica, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Delhi Belly. As it turned out, Zindagi... cleared the course by winning seven trophies, followed by Rockstar with five and Delhi Belly with four. The Dirty Picture picked up three. As always, the event drew an A-list of performers whose flamboyant acts lent glamour to the soiree. Apart from Shah Rukh Khan, there was Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, who each enacted a medley of their hit numbers. Having brought their long relationship out of wraps recently, Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia, who are to get married on February 3, shortly also put up a spirited pre-nuptial tango that included a song from their forthcoming film Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya. The sponsors for the event were: Title sponsor IDEA, associate sponsor PC Jeweller, telecast partner Sony Entertainment Television, partner Coca Cola, partner Maya Lifestyle, partner Club X, lifestyle partner Monarch Universal Lifescapes, outdoor partner Bright Outdoor Media, beverage partner Black Dog, multiplex partner Orienta Cine Advertising , trophy partner The Award Gallery, food partner BJN Banquets , water partner Bisleri, radio partner Radio Mirchi, English news channel partner Times Now, scripting and show direction Moranis & Soormas of Cineyug, venue partner Reliance Mediaworks Studios, partner T-Series , event consultants Oxygen Entertainment and event management Percept Dmark.

Filmfare Awards: When stars strut

Meena Iyer & Bharati Dubey, TNN Jan 30, 2011, 06.24am IST

(Shah Rukh Khan at Filmfare Awards More Pics)

The 56th Idea Filmfare Awards 2010 were presented at YashRaj Studio in Andheri at a star-studded ceremony that lasted well ... while Archers Entertainment Pvt Ltd oversaw the event management. ... Union Budget 2012-13: Income tax exemption limit raised to Rs 2 lakh ...

The 56th Annual Idea Filmfare awards were held on January 29 at the Yash Raj Films Studios in Mumbai. The on-ground production for the event was managed by Archers Entertainment while Cineyug as usual, handled the direction and show content. The lights, video and technical aspects of the show was managed by Stage Gear. The audio solutions for the event were provided by Sound.com. The show was hosted by Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan for the second time, and featured big names from Bollywood all under the same roof. Commenting on the awards, Mohomed Morani, Director, Cineyug said, "Cineyug managed scripting, direction and creatives for the show. We also managed artists for the 56th Idea Filmfare Awards." Some of the highlights of the show were the performance by Sonu Nigam as the singer represented his 20 years in the industry, and a performance of Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit together on stage after many years. At the event, awards were given away in 32 categories. The awards were presented by telecom brand, Idea Cellular, for the third time in a row. Rajat Mukarji, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Idea Cellular said, "With the 56th Idea Filmfare Awards, over 78 million Idea subscribers experienced a new dimension in mobile content offerings that was provided on both 2G and 3G platforms on the Idea network. Subscribers got an opportunity to access exclusive movie content and the results of the Idea Filmfare Awards on their mobile phones instantly."