> PLANNING

BOOKING THE ARTIST
The Band/Artist or Drama group should be contacted well in advance of the planned event, most popular artists can be booked up to a year or more ahead.

• How much will it cost to book the Band/Artist?
• Do they bring their own equipment e.g. sound & lighting?
• Do they require transport to and from the event e.g. plane fares etc.

Please pray for the artists and their families, it can be a difficult & expensive ministry in which to be involved.

> BUDGETING
Calculating the budget for your event is very important if you want to be able to cover your costs!
The following items should be taken into account.

• The total cost of the band or artist(s) including transport.
• The cost of hiring the venue.
• Hire of the sound system (if required).
• Hire of the lighting system (if required).
• The total costs of promoting the event including posters, flyers, tickets & advertising etc.
• Insurance costs if applicable, this is usually incorporated into the hire charge of the venue but check to make sure.

Once you have worked out your costs you can then calculate the price of your tickets. If you divide your total costs by the number of people the venue holds this will give you your break even figure. In an ideal world if you just wanted to cover your costs and you were sure of selling all your tickets, that would be your ticket price.

Unfortunately this is rarely the case and you need to allow for a shortfall in numbers and increase your ticket price accordingly, the amount of which can only be determined by estimating the level of interest you think the event will generate in your target audience.


> PICKING A VENUE
When picking a suitable venue, the main things to consider are as follows:

• How much does it cost and will it fit within your budget?
• How many people do you hope will attend the event? (The number of people able to attend the event will affect the final ticket cost to cover the event expenses.)
• Does the venue have a big enough stage for your planned event?
• Does it have adequate power supply on the stage for amplifiers and lighting etc.?
• Does it have easy access to the stage for equipment?
• Does it have changing rooms if you need them?
• Does it have adequate car parking?
• Do they allow you sell items on the premises such as CD's, books or light refreshments etc.(some local council properties don't)?

> SOUND SYSTEM
Getting the sound right is an important part of putting on an event. It needs to be of good quality, after all if you are trying to reach people with a message and they can't hear it properly it's simply a waste of time!

Most bands or groups provide their own sound equipment or have someone they can hire from if they need to. It's a good idea to tell them the size of the venue in which they'll be asked to perform or minister, so they can bring the right equipment for the job.

If you have a bigger venue and the they require you to provide the sound system or "PA" for them, make sure they provide you with a detailed list of their requirements and check if they are providing someone to mix the sound for them. If you can't provide or afford everything they ask for, negotiate with them to try and get a suitable compromise.

When hiring a PA system give a detailed list of your requirements along with the seating capacity of the venue, this will help establish the size of the system required. Also note that if a fairly big PA is required seating capacity will be reduced due to the physical size of the system at the front of the stage and the fact that you can't put seats up close to the PA because of the volume level at close proximity. Health and Safety guidelines state that constant volume above 70 Decibels can permanently damage your hearing, so care should be taken to monitor sound levels that they don't exceed this (monitored normally at the centre of the hall).

List of Terms:

PA = Public Address System (Sound System)
Foldback or Monitors = A speaker system that faces the performers so they can hear themselves.
Front Of House = A speaker system that faces the audience.
Mixing Console or Desk = Equipment used to mix all the individual microphones and instruments together.
Multicore = A special cable used to connect all the microphones and Instruments on the stage to the mixing console at the back or side of the hall.


> LIGHTING
Lighting is very effective if used properly. It can very beneficial in setting the right mood for an event, some venues can be very stark, uninviting or drab, the correct lighting can change all that dramatically but has a few safety issues that must be taken into account also.

There are two basic types of lighting, Generic/Standard lighting and Intelligent lighting. Generic lighting is what is normally seen in the form of PAR Cans which are mounted on tripods or hung from trussing. They consist of an aluminium can with a lamp holder and a frame at the front which holds a coloured filter called a Gel. They are usually controlled by a lighting console which in turn controls a dimmer or switch pack switching them on and off to the music or dimming them for effect in drama etc. This type of lighting is relatively easy to find (for contacts see our services section of our directory). Care should be taken to provide an adequate power supply for the number of lights being used, preferably on a different electrical circuit to the sound system as interference can be induced by the dimmer pack.

Intelligent lighting is a different concept and is much more dynamic. It consists of a focused beam of light through optics and filters onto motor driven mirrors which can be controlled manually or automatically to the music etc. It brings a lot more movement to a venue with beams of light scanning the stage or around the hall. This option can be more expensive depending on the size of venue.

Health and safety must also be considered when employing lighting. Persistent flashing or strobing effects can cause problems for people with epilepsy and also the positioning of lighting stands and leads etc. so that no one trips over them or blocks an emergency exit. The use of smoke or haze machines is a very useful effect with lighting, care should be taken not to use too much as this can cause problems for asthmatics or people with respitory problems. Also some venues will not allow use of smoke machines if they have sensitive smoke detectors in their fire alarm system.


> PROMOTION
Promotion is probably the most important part of organising an event - if people don't know about an event the won't come! Events should be promoted at least six weeks before hand. Posters, hand bills, Newspapers, Church news sheets, Radio Stations, The Internet and word of mouth can all be used effectively to promote your event - we will share more tips with you regarding promotion as soon.


> INSURANCE
Most venues have some kind of insurance policy but make sure it covers the type of event you are organising. Make sure there is adequate Public Liability Insurance for the event, again if you are hiring a purpose built venue this should be covered in the fee.

If the venue is not covered or it's a tent or a out building you will need to get insurance, if you consider what you could be paying in compensation if something did happen it's well worth it!


> HEALTH & SAFETY
The safety of everyone at your event should be paramount. Every venue and local authority will have it's own health and safety regulations, please make sure you are familiar with them and follow their instructions and guidelines. A lot of venues require a health and safety announcement before the event commences.


> THE EVENT
Managing the event on the night can require a team of people. Someone to take the money or the tickets at the door (it's a good idea to have at least two people on the door for security), someone to steward people to their seats, someone to help with car parking if required and someone to deal with trouble makers if needed. It's also a good idea to have someone on hand with a knowledge of first aid. If it's an evangelical event, it would be important to have suitably qualified and experienced counsellors in attendance.


> FOLLOW UP
Follow up is often overlooked or not catered at all. Give people the means of contacting you after an event both for feedback and the possibility of contacting them about future events. If it's an evangelical event it becomes even more important, they may need counselling or just someone to talk to about what they seen or heard. This can be done simply by providing a little form for them to fill in at the beginning or in the break and a box to post them in on the way out. Alternatively, just provide a name and telephone number which could be printed on the ticket stub etc.