How to make 15-20K in 4 hours..EVENTS!

[ZeroTo100]

This thread inspired me to start my own rap festival. I've got six artists confirmed (as well as a DJ) and I'm in the process of confirming the venue. The performers are up-and-coming artists. We're going to set up a site with our name, throw up a poster on the site, along with a plugin for ticket sales, which will send money straight to our bank accs. We drew up contracts for the artists so that they get paid after the event, meaning our initial overhead is low. We're in the process of creating a poster for the event, which we will post in university facebook groups and have it promoted on Twitter. It's going to be a lit event in Toronto. If all goes well (or not so well), I'll share my experiences in this thread in an effort to help others.

Two things that you have to know about the event planning game are:
1) Music is a cut throat industry with a lot of ego. Being too nice can get you F*cked over. Negotiating skills come in handy.
2) It's stressful to say the least.

Very good. It is a cut throat industry when your on the bottom in a pool full of sharks. We are talking about party/nightlife promotion and marketing. Avoid that by being the man on top. Like I said in some of my posts, I've hired doormen to be complete pricks to people waiting on line. I've had places literally empty with a line down the block.

If you plan on doing a music festival, things are totally different than nightlife promotions. Promoting/selling tickets is still the same but strategy is totally different. You're talking about more artists, a larger budget, a larger space, and many other variables. Many with no experiences will fail so if you can partner up with someone that has experience in this, do it. I recommend you securing some major sponsors to bring your costs down. Think alcohol sponsors for the simple fact that they may just be willing to hook you up with...alcohol. Keep in mind, you'll need a big budget set aside for the space, the artists, and whatever type of experience you wish to provide. People love that shit - you want people to talk about the experience because it's the thing that will sell your next one. They love experiences so provide something that no-one else is doing. I don't care if you're spraying people down with neon paints, tossing out beach balls, or posting up adult size bounce houses to jam to the beat. This is called your "product" and you should focus on your product before anything. Also, you definitely need a few serious names on your rundown to help sell some tickets - they will sell themselves basically. Nobody gives a shit if you're doing the event, they want to see who they want to see.

Good luck my friend

Heres a great idea for you - Adult day camp with live DJ's. Now sign me up lol

 

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[Mac]

Very good. It is a cut throat industry when your on the bottom in a pool full of sharks. We are talking about party/nightlife promotion and marketing. Avoid that by being the man on top. Like I said in some of my posts, I've hired doormen to be complete pricks to people waiting on line. I've had places literally empty with a line down the block.

If you plan on doing a music festival, things are totally different than nightlife promotions. Promoting/selling tickets is still the same but strategy is totally different. You're talking about more artists, a larger budget, a larger space, and many other variables. Many with no experiences will fail so if you can partner up with someone that has experience in this, do it. I recommend you securing some major sponsors to bring your costs down. Think alcohol sponsors for the simple fact that they may just be willing to hook you up with...alcohol. Keep in mind, you'll need a big budget set aside for the space, the artists, and whatever type of experience you wish to provide. People love that shit - you want people to talk about the experience because it's the thing that will sell your next one. They love experiences so provide something that no-one else is doing. I don't care if you're spraying people down with neon paints, tossing out beach balls, or posting up adult size bounce houses to jam to the beat. This is called your "product" and you should focus on your product before anything. Also, you definitely need a few serious names on your rundown to help sell some tickets - they will sell themselves basically. Nobody gives a shit if you're doing the event, they want to see who they want to see.

Good luck my friend

Heres a great idea for you - Adult day camp with live DJ's. Now sign me up lol

Thanks for the info. We have a guy that's had experience running their own event, so we're following in his footsteps. Would it be taboo to have more than one sponsor if they're in different niches? For example, we would pitch our advertising points to an alcohol sponsor, music magazines (such as Complex, Noisey and Fader), then we could even have a third sponsorship for a clothing brand. Would this be a problem or have you done something similar?

As for the event, we already plan to spray champagne into the crowds with water guns, throw beach balls in, get the crowd involved, etc.

 

[ZeroTo100]

Thanks for the info. We have a guy that's had experience running their own event, so we're following in his footsteps. Would it be taboo to have more than one sponsor if they're in different niches? For example, we would pitch our advertising points to an alcohol sponsor, music magazines (such as Complex, Noisey and Fader), then we could even have a third sponsorship for a clothing brand. Would this be a problem or have you done something similar?

As for the event, we already plan to spray champagne into the crowds with water guns, throw beach balls in, get the crowd involved, etc.

Not at all. Cross promotion is a good thing brother! With music magazines, see if they can squeeze you in on an upcoming newsletter with a link on where to buy tickets. I would also try and structure a deal with them and see if they would be willing to sell some tickets directly from their site. Give them some comps too to give out for free. If they're a sponsor, they shouldn't have a problem doing it. I've done this before, plenty of times.

Word of advice, definitely get something in writing though. Have your attorney draft up a small (non aggressive) proposal for them.

 

[sWALK90]

This thread inspired me to start my own rap festival. I've got six artists confirmed (as well as a DJ) and I'm in the process of confirming the venue. The performers are up-and-coming artists. We're going to set up a site with our name, throw up a poster on the site, along with a plugin for ticket sales, which will send money straight to our bank accs. We drew up contracts for the artists so that they get paid after the event, meaning our initial overhead is low. We're in the process of creating a poster for the event, which we will post in university facebook groups and have it promoted on Twitter. It's going to be a lit event in Toronto. If all goes well (or not so well), I'll share my experiences in this thread in an effort to help others.

Two things that you have to know about the event planning game are:
1) Music is a cut throat industry with a lot of ego. Being too nice can get you F*cked over. Negotiating skills come in handy.
2) It's stressful to say the least.

Nice ,this is what i was hoping to to do..inspire someone to take action...have you took a look a eventbright for ticket sales?

 

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[Mac]

Yeah eventbrite takes too much of the profits away. I'm using Picatic instead. At the moment I'm trying to switch venues because the current venue we're with is trying to F*ck us over. $4000 with a $2500 deposit, they want full bar and are "trying" to make us pay the tax.

 

[ZeroTo100]

Yeah eventbrite takes too much of the profits away. I'm using Picatic instead. At the moment I'm trying to switch venues because the current venue we're with is trying to F*ck us over. $4000 with a $2500 deposit, they want full bar and are "trying" to make us pay the tax.

Couple of questions

1. Do they need you? Is the venue pumping out volume without you?

2. What kind of venue is it? Is it s nightclub/restaurant?

3. Are there other promoters already in the space?

4. One of the things I loved most about the business when I was in it was that it was strictly a cash business on our end. Keep it that way whenever possible. When the bar % checks roll in, that's a different story but any kind of ticket sales or entrance fees that you charge, keep it in cash when possible. That's your bread and butter. That's what you'll use to cover your DJ and other expenses. For festivals and conferences, you won't really be able to but for nightclubs you most definitely will.

 

[Mac]

1. No, they don't need us. They're always fully booked.
2. It's a concert hall with a 900 capacity.
3. There's another promotion company trying to book that date as well, but the owners of the hall told us $4000 before they came along. Just from talking with them I could tell they were trying to strong-arm us.
4. Most concert halls that we've contacted want an e-transfer & a contract. We will be collecting door sales too, plus merchandise we'll collect cash.

 

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[Mac]

We've been having difficulties finding a venue. At the moment we found a venue that holds 700 capacity. We signed the contract and paid the owner the money, in cash, however something that concerned me was that the owner was getting angry that I was asking him for a receipt at the point of purchase, when he said that he would send an invoice closer to the event (which is in April).

I managed to talk him into writing me a receipt at the point of purchase, but I'm suspicious of this guy. He's been trying to strong-arm me by saying that "he doesn't like it when people don't listen to him" and that he's going to keep getting angry if we don't listen to him. I'm assuming he's angry that I've asked him to write out a receipt, which took two minutes. What should I do moving forward? Even if I've already paid and signed the contract?

 

[ZeroTo100]

Find a new venue. Don't work with people that you have difficulty building relationships with. If you get that gut feeling of a lack of trust, chances are it won't bode well. He needs you more than you need him. Everyday his venue doesn't fill, he loses money. That's just the bottom line.

We've been having difficulties finding a venue. At the moment we found a venue that holds 700 capacity. We signed the contract and paid the owner the money, in cash, however something that concerned me was that the owner was getting angry that I was asking him for a receipt at the point of purchase, when he said that he would send an invoice closer to the event (which is in April).

I managed to talk him into writing me a receipt at the point of purchase, but I'm suspicious of this guy. He's been trying to strong-arm me by saying that "he doesn't like it when people don't listen to him" and that he's going to keep getting angry if we don't listen to him. I'm assuming he's angry that I've asked him to write out a receipt, which took two minutes. What should I do moving forward? Even if I've already paid and signed the contract?

 

[sWALK90]

Yeah eventbrite takes too much of the profits away. I'm using Picatic instead. At the moment I'm trying to switch venues because the current venue we're with is trying to F*ck us over. $4000 with a $2500 deposit, they want full bar and are "trying" to make us pay the tax.

Yea they def trying to rape you there, they would leave with half your profits lol

 

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[sWALK90]

Would it be good to throw a concert/event on a sunday?

Not sure how i overlooked this but yes...they day doesn't matter if the marketing is done right...ive done stuff on everyday.

 

[Mac]

That's true. Our event is happening on a Friday.

Just an update:

Right now we're at 16 tickets sold (presale). The event is on April 22, 2016. So me and my team decided to start approaching people Downtown Toronto at Dundas square (picture it as a mini version of Time Square). To my surprise, tons of people were saying they've seen the poster for our event before, which means word of mouth is really driving our advertising. Social media has had little gains so far. We've invited over 800 people to our event page and only about 20 have opted into going.

When we were handing out flyers around the Eaton Centre (a huge mall) and on different university campuses, tons of people were saying they were going. We even met a couple of music bloggers that said they'll write about our event. It's amazing how small the world is when you get out and start prospecting, I even share mutual connections with some of the people I was pitching to. Plus it's a great opportunity to get over approach anxiety when reaching out to really hot girls.

I even mustered up the courage to start walking into random shops and pitching. I think I've got a solid lead for a sponsorship from a barber shop (this is a huge barber shop, not just a small one). The owner told me to make sure that I sent them an email with all the information about the sponsorship, they seemed very eager. We've also landed two clothing vendors for $250 a piece.

Today I'm going to go pitch to more clothing shops in the Downtown core and I'm going to hand out more flyers. This might sound a bit taboo, but I've also been taping flyers over top of ads on the subway (ha-ha). Handing out flyers on the subway has been great as well, since people have no service and are forced to look at something.

Tell me what you think of our website, www.staywavieent.com

 

[sWALK90]

That's true. Our event is happening on a Friday.

Just an update:

Right now we're at 16 tickets sold (presale). The event is on April 22, 2016. So me and my team decided to start approaching people Downtown Toronto at Dundas square (picture it as a mini version of Time Square). To my surprise, tons of people were saying they've seen the poster for our event before, which means word of mouth is really driving our advertising. Social media has had little gains so far. We've invited over 800 people to our event page and only about 20 have opted into going.

When we were handing out flyers around the Eaton Centre (a huge mall) and on different university campuses, tons of people were saying they were going. We even met a couple of music bloggers that said they'll write about our event. It's amazing how small the world is when you get out and start prospecting, I even share mutual connections with some of the people I was pitching to. Plus it's a great opportunity to get over approach anxiety when reaching out to really hot girls.

I even mustered up the courage to start walking into random shops and pitching. I think I've got a solid lead for a sponsorship from a barber shop (this is a huge barber shop, not just a small one). The owner told me to make sure that I sent them an email with all the information about the sponsorship, they seemed very eager. We've also landed two clothing vendors for $250 a piece.

Today I'm going to go pitch to more clothing shops in the Downtown core and I'm going to hand out more flyers. This might sound a bit taboo, but I've also been taping flyers over top of ads on the subway (ha-ha). Handing out flyers on the subway has been great as well, since people have no service and are forced to look at something.

Tell me what you think of our website, www.staywavieent.com

With social media promotion ,most wont click attending but they seen it and thats what its all about. Learn how to mass select and notifiy them over and over. Looks like you have it down. Just keep putting the word out....the more you let know about it ,the more chances people will come...you might want to look into radio advertising and advertising on social networks using Instagram and Facebook ads based on the location.

 

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[zxcv321]

I did this. It can be very profitable when a show sells out. Instead of splitting with people just do it yourself though and hire lots of promoters. This way you will take home way more of the money.

Also for marketing we run advertisements on facebooks as well as sending tasks to post to our group of promoters and have found this to be much more effective then paper flyers or word of mouth.

 

[Mac]

Well, the event was last night. We had extensive media coverage and a lot of people showed up, but me and my partners took a big loss financially. It's our own fault though for choosing the venue, which required us to pay 50% of bar after the owner made $1,000 on the bar (bar cap) and 50% of door sales with the owner. We split the costs of alcohol, mix, sound, the sound technician and cups, but we had to pay the artists n DJ out of our own pocket. We had about 8 artists which costed us $2,500. So we each lost around $200 and I was the one doing all of the planning for the most part so it's kind of a let down. But it's all part of it I guess.

 

[sWALK90]

So i havent been on the forums for a while ,but i am back doing parties the past couple of months...its so much more money out here than my last city. This weekend is superbowl weekend and i have a few famous people booked, lets see how it goes..

 

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[Bugatti]

Has anyone done this on a smaller scale? I have never thrown parties before but hosting events sounds like a fun gig.

 

[ZeroTo100]

Haven't been here in a while because I've been working on a lot of new stuff myself but I'll help out with this one...

First off, the owner definitely took advantage of you guys. You're doing him a service by filling his room. There are all sorts of deals you could have worked such as flats, %s, etc. However, In this case, your deal should have been structured differently such as a 20% bar (total bar) + full door all yours. He gets 80% of the bar. You keep your own people up front charging so nobody can take your cash and you keep a clicker also up there so you know how many people walk in the door. You pay your promoters and your DJs with the door money. The bar comes at a later time because it's usually a check and its taxed. You supply the entertainment - 1 Big name DJ and 1 DJ to open up. By big name I mean pay 5k for a DJ to come in and blow the doors off. He will promote the place himself also so you're not just paying for music. Forget all the other jazz. The owner supplies the security. Remember, keep everything in writing and have him sign off on your proposal. Bring in sub promoters under you and pay them by the person. Get there lists together - common man not rocket science.

PS looking forward to filling everyone in on my progress when I get back on the forum. Caught a big break last year on a project and had to step away from the forum. Love this place but you can't hustle if you're online all day.

Steve

Well, the event was last night. We had extensive media coverage and a lot of people showed up, but me and my partners took a big loss financially. It's our own fault though for choosing the venue, which required us to pay 50% of bar after the owner made $1,000 on the bar (bar cap) and 50% of door sales with the owner. We split the costs of alcohol, mix, sound, the sound technician and cups, but we had to pay the artists n DJ out of our own pocket. We had about 8 artists which costed us $2,500. So we each lost around $200 and I was the one doing all of the planning for the most part so it's kind of a let down. But it's all part of it I guess.

 

[CPisHere]

I love it!

What made your events stand out/worth paying that kind of cover for vs just going to a bar?

 

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[ZeroTo100]

I love it!

What made your events stand out/worth paying that kind of cover for vs just going to a bar?

Don't understand the question but I'd say clientele/demographic. Some people are bar people and some people love nightlife - thats simple. In terms of door covers, the most we have ever charged was 100 per head including charging women that and that was on Halloween. We scaled the ticket price based on how close we were getting to the e eat. I remember doing 5,000 people and $185k at the bar. We had total control of the door and 20% of the bar. 30 sub promoters filled the room for us pumping the event. That was a long time ago and nightlife changed a bit. You don't make the party, you just curate it. Who your patrons are is important. You get 6 girls to 1 guy and you'll get guys willing to pull out the check book to get in. There's a lot of detail involved not just your contract structure. You really have to build your network and be somebody out there. It will help you get better deals and get better promoters to work for you. Best of luck!

 

[Mac]

Haven't been here in a while because I've been working on a lot of new stuff myself but I'll help out with this one...

First off, the owner definitely took advantage of you guys. You're doing him a service by filling his room. There are all sorts of deals you could have worked such as flats, %s, etc. However, In this case, your deal should have been structured differently such as a 20% bar (total bar) + full door all yours. He gets 80% of the bar. You keep your own people up front charging so nobody can take your cash and you keep a clicker also up there so you know how many people walk in the door. You pay your promoters and your DJs with the door money. The bar comes at a later time because it's usually a check and its taxed. You supply the entertainment - 1 Big name DJ and 1 DJ to open up. By big name I mean pay 5k for a DJ to come in and blow the doors off. He will promote the place himself also so you're not just paying for music. Forget all the other jazz. The owner supplies the security. Remember, keep everything in writing and have him sign off on your proposal. Bring in sub promoters under you and pay them by the person. Get there lists together - common man not rocket science.

PS looking forward to filling everyone in on my progress when I get back on the forum. Caught a big break last year on a project and had to step away from the forum. Love this place but you can't hustle if you're online all day.

Steve

We also found out after that the owner didn't have a liquor license. It was just in a warehouse area lol.

 

[ejames]

So i havent been on the forums for a while ,but i am back doing parties the past couple of months...its so much more money out here than my last city. This weekend is superbowl weekend and i have a few famous people booked, lets see how it goes..

Where in nyc ?

 

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[thereehldeal27]

Hey would it be easy to make 10K with this method? I am interested. I am from the Portland area, so we have a relatively decent nightlife here. Does this method require a big investment, and can someone who has never done events before jump straight in?

 

[j324us]

First of all, thanks for sharing your experience @sWALK90 & @ZeroTo100 !

Before I found this thread, a friend of mine and me were contacting 4-5 clubs in our home city (city in Europe, population approx. 700k) with the intent to organize an event like you did.

Since we only got one reply (which was negative), my question is how you first approached the venue owners.

 

[ZeroTo100]

First of all, thanks for sharing your experience @sWALK90 & @ZeroTo100 !

Before I found this thread, a friend of mine and me were contacting 4-5 clubs in our home city (city in Europe, population approx. 700k) with the intent to organize an event like you did.

Since we only got one reply (which was negative), my question is how you first approached the venue owners.

Hey man, when I first got into the business I was working with a few people so I got to know a lot of owners. Relationships help. I won't lie though, there were plenty of venues where owners took a chance with me. There were also plenty of venues in the early years where I took a crap deal but I proved myself after about the 3rd or 4th week of blowing the doors off - then going back with a drafted proposal on my terms. Take it or leave it and your place is empty! Don't forget, there are 7 days in a week. What you don't make there for a few weeks, you'll make it on another day.

Go there in person, call them, email them. Find out who it is that you have to speak to to get a deal. Research what other venues they own - chances are they own more than 1. I've worked with plenty of hotels that had nightclubs in them - best deals to get (make sure you have them throw in a couple of hotel rooms for you). You have to bring something to the table though - drop other venue owners names/venues that you've worked with, drop how many local users are on your email list, etc. You always want to have a discussion with them before actually drafting up a proposal so meet them in person. Make sure you don't look like a slob because if you look like a slob, they'll assume your patrons will also.

The very best to you.

(P.S. I'm out of that business now for a few years. I am in the process of closing on a RE deal in April but my true goal is to build a business that can be run remotely.) Thats all I want and thats what I'm going to invest my blood, sweat, tears, and money in next.

 

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[j324us]

Hey man, when I first got into the business I was working with a few people so I got to know a lot of owners. Relationships help. I won't lie though, there were plenty of venues where owners took a chance with me. There were also plenty of venues in the early years where I took a crap deal but I proved myself after about the 3rd or 4th week of blowing the doors off - then going back with a drafted proposal on my terms. Take it or leave it and your place is empty! Don't forget, there are 7 days in a week. What you don't make there for a few weeks, you'll make it on another day.

Go there in person, call them, email them. Find out who it is that you have to speak to to get a deal. Research what other venues they own - chances are they own more than 1. I've worked with plenty of hotels that had nightclubs in them - best deals to get (make sure you have them throw in a couple of hotel rooms for you). You have to bring something to the table though - drop other venue owners names/venues that you've worked with, drop how many local users are on your email list, etc. You always want to have a discussion with them before actually drafting up a proposal so meet them in person. Make sure you don't look like a slob because if you look like a slob, they'll assume your patrons will also.

The very best to you.

(P.S. I'm out of that business now for a few years. I am in the process of closing on a RE deal in April but my true goal is to build a business that can be run remotely.) Thats all I want and thats what I'm going to invest my blood, sweat, tears, and money in next.

Thanks for your helpful words man! We got a reply by one club in the meanwhile!

70% of door entry would be our share. The good thing is that we would have to pay no rent for the venue. So our risk would only be the cost for security (approx. 600$ and marketing; DJ will very likely cost nothing since a friend of ours would probably do it for free.) Realistic entry prices would be 10-12$. Club capacity is approx. 750 ppl. What do you think? Am I missing any important point in the financial planning?

My first impression is that that's a fair deal considering the fact that we haven't hosted any events yet.

 

[ZeroTo100]

Thanks for your helpful words man! We got a reply by one club in the meanwhile!

70% of door entry would be our share. The good thing is that we would have to pay no rent for the venue. So our risk would only be the cost for security (approx. 600$ and marketing; DJ will very likely cost nothing since a friend of ours would probably do it for free.) Realistic entry prices would be 10-12$. Club capacity is approx. 750 ppl. What do you think? Am I missing any important point in the financial planning?

My first impression is that that's a fair deal considering the fact that we haven't hosted any events yet.

Please, don't take this the wrong way but this deal is not a good deal. Few things you should never do - pay for security and give up any share of your door money.

Here is why - In the event that a fight breaks out or something happens involving your security team, you are the person that hired them. You're at somewhat of a liability. The venue owner almost always hires his own security team - you just hire your own door man. Number two - how come I don't see you earning a percentage on your bar sales? This is crucial. You should be entitled to 20% of the bar sales as your patrons will be there spending there money. 3 your door money is your money that you pay the DJ with and your subs. It's all cash remember that. You never give that cash up and you never let the owner know what you're doing at the door. Actually, nobody should know what your door money is. Keep your sister at the door handling the cash. 4. I don't see any comped bottles or drinks. You should get at least 10 comped bottles on a 750 capacity room. Entry should be 15 at the door. Your friends should have to pay too. Thats why you hire a door man so that he can be a complete a**hole and only allow women in. Thats how you make your money because guys will want to pay to get in.

Also, don't hire your friend to handle the DJing at your party. If he is ok to open up for 2 hours thats fine like 10 am but when it starts to get busy switch up with your main set. Bottom line, music will make your night. Spend the money. Not only will they make the party but they'll promote it also for you.

Marketing budget is usually your own. Once had a deal with a hotel that gave me and my partner 2k plus a $500 marketing budget every Wednesday just to show up. The place promoted itself which was sweet - free money.

Good luck.

Where are you located anyway?

 

[j324us]

Please, don't take this the wrong way but this deal is not a good deal. Few things you should never do - pay for security and give up any share of your door money.

Completely not taking it the wrong way, I appreciate that you take the time to help, this is worth gold to me : )

Here is why - In the event that a fight breaks out or something happens involving your security team, you are the person that hired them. You're at somewhat of a liability. The venue owner almost always hires his own security team - you just hire your own door man. Number two - how come I don't see you earning a percentage on your bar sales? This is crucial. You should be entitled to 20% of the bar sales as your patrons will be there spending there money. 3 your door money is your money that you pay the DJ with and your subs. It's all cash remember that. You never give that cash up and you never let the owner know what you're doing at the door. Actually, nobody should know what your door money is. Keep your sister at the door handling the cash. 4. I don't see any comped bottles or drinks. You should get at least 10 comped bottles on a 750 capacity room. Entry should be 15 at the door. Your friends should have to pay too. Thats why you hire a door man so that he can be a complete a**hole and only allow women in. Thats how you make your money because guys will want to pay to get in.

Also, don't hire your friend to handle the DJing at your party. If he is ok to open up for 2 hours thats fine like 10 am but when it starts to get busy switch up with your main set. Bottom line, music will make your night. Spend the money. Not only will they make the party but they'll promote it also for you.

Marketing budget is usually your own. Once had a deal with a hotel that gave me and my partner 2k plus a $500 marketing budget every Wednesday just to show up. The place promoted itself which was sweet - free money.

Good luck.

Fair point regardng the security hiring, makes a lot of sense.

The friend of ours is a fairly good DJ, but I think we should have more than 1 DJ because otherwise it will be a very long night for him.

While I agree that there should be good music playing, I'm not quite sure if the DJ is the main reason why people decide to come to a party around here. In our local club scene the successful parties are the ones where the "story" is good, e.g. "Golden 20's party"/"Wolf of Wallstrett Party" etc.
The reason is that the DJs may be good but not so famous around here. So my impression is that the point people look at is the story/description of the party and not the names of the DJs.

When you organized an event, what was the average rent for a club with a 600 - 900 capacity?

Where are you located anyway?

We're located in Graz, Austria.

 

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[ZeroTo100]

Completely not taking it the wrong way, I appreciate that you take the time to help, this is worth gold to me : )



Fair point regardng the security hiring, makes a lot of sense.

The friend of ours is a fairly good DJ, but I think we should have more than 1 DJ because otherwise it will be a very long night for him.

While I agree that there should be good music playing, I'm not quite sure if the DJ is the main reason why people decide to come to a party around here. In our local club scene the successful parties are the ones where the "story" is good, e.g. "Golden 20's party"/"Wolf of Wallstrett Party" etc.
The reason is that the DJs may be good but not so famous around here. So my impression is that the point people look at is the story/description of the party and not the names of the DJs.

When you organized an event, what was the average rent for a club with a 600 - 900 capacity?


We're located in Graz, Austria.

We had an office in NYC and did party's mostly in NY but also have held events in Miami and Vegas certain times of the year.

Yes, if you're doing weeklys it's definitely not a bad idea to put a theme together. We've done white party's, circus themes, foam parties, all sorts of stuff. It definitely helps to market your event but from my experience, your product isn't exactly how you promote your party but what will help people have a good time AND KEEP THEM COMING BACK. It always comes down to music. Trust me, the first time you charge people to get into your place and they are all excited about the idea of a "mascarede theme" pay the $25 dollar cover and get in there and the music blows they will never ever come back and your reputation will be destroyed.

We have worked with big DJs that have helped in pushing the party as well. DJ AM, Jonathan Peters to name a few. House music blew up back in the day and we kind of were lucky enough to be in the middle of it. DJs have followings - they still do. We always structured our deals a certain way knowing that the DJs would bring a decent enough following and in turn pay for themselves (usually with some of the door money). PS Some of the big names will cost between $5k to $20 for a few hours though you can get someone who is up and coming for $600 bucks. Cut a deal with them and make them a resident DJ and you build relationships that way. One day when they blow up they will do you favors in return like charge you half the rate they charge everyone else.

We never paid rent to any owner. A few times we bought our way in to a partnership with other promotors that had secured the deal before us but never paid rent to an owner.

Hope this helps and good luck. Build your list, you will need it!

 

[kubikdanon]

@ZeroTo100 and @others

I would like to get into this type of business, I am from Cleveland, OH. Got couple of questions:
1. I see you mentioned that the most important thing IS music, however, I wonder what is the most important thing in MARKETING your event. Is it a party "theme"? Big names attending? Connecting with regular local 'nightclubbers' who can bring the audience?

2. Besides music, what is the formula of a successful event? Is it basically music + a lot of alcohol = happy people?

3. How does 'FREE drinks' thing work? I am not sure if an entering fee of $15 is enough to handle drinks. When you advertise free drinks, do you limit those to a specific amount? If so, do you use some type of a 'drink coupons'?

4. Do you let girls 'enter for free before 10pm'? Or does it really depend on type of an event you're doing?

5. I have one location (used to work there) which is basically a restaurant w/ a 'basement' where parties take place. I've used to work there so I know for the fact that 1) underaged individuals can consume alcohol 2) parties do not END at 2pm, they work 'til the last client'. Is this going to be a problem if I were to throw a party in this location? Do I assume all responsibility on the owner of this location should something bad happen?

Thank you in advance