Venues
Jen will outline the typical qualities and characteristics of the most common venue types from small listening rooms and clubs up through large stadiums and amphitheaters. This workshop will be helpful if you want to be a talent buyer or an agent or if you're on tour and you just want to have a better understanding of the venue that you woke up in the parking lot of and you're going to spend the day working in. We will talk about some of the main venue characteristics such as: capacity, production capabilities, reserved or general admission seating, expenses, ticket prices, audience experience and seating maps. Scroll down for additional material and links to venues referenced in the workshop.
Things to think about as for each of the different venue types:
Consider the aspects that make a good performance in a venue. The vibe should fit the art that's happening on the stage.
What is the experience that your audience wants? Do they want a reserved seat where they are willing to pay a higher ticket price so that they know they're sitting close to the stage, or is it an audience that's comfortable paying a cheaper ticket price, but it's general admission standing room only, and people just stand wherever they can. Ticket price and whether or not people want a reserved seat is a big component of how the audience wants to experience the show.
What are the production capabilities and limitations. For instance, you have a big giant rock show, but you want to do it in an intimate coffee shop. Clearly those things aren't going to work. The production capabilities of the coffee shop are not going to allow for pyro or a giant video screen, for instance. That's an extreme example, but when you're thinking about the production that you're taking out on the road, especially if you have props, or stage pieces but you're playing smaller venues. You need to make sure that your production will actually fit into the venues that you're intending to play and then consider the revenue potential and expenses.
The revenue needs to be able to cover the expenses for it to be a profitable show. While we won't get into the nitty gritty details of that (check out my workshops on Deals and Show Expenses) but knowing that you're selling reserved seat tickets at different ticket prices and how many tickets at each price, figuring out what that revenue potential is, and then lining that up with the corresponding expenses for the show, to make sure that it makes financial sense.
Look at your artist’s touring history. Where have they played in the past? What were the ticket prices in the past? What were the ticket sales that will help guide you on what type of rooms your artists should be playing on this tour?
Location can be really important. Especially in larger markets like Chicago. Is it a suburban location? Is it a downtown location? Understanding where your audience is coming from can really play an important role in booking.
Full workshop video:
Presentation material (not the full video):
Check out this fantastic Ted Talk by David Byrne to get you inspired before the workshop:
Venues featured in the workshop (all are located in Chicago, IL):
Listening Rooms:
General Admission Club
General Admission Theatre
Proper Theatre
Arena
Ampitheatre
Stadium
If you find value in the workshops, and have the means, I’d greatly appreciate a tip to keep this workshop machine running. I will donate a portion of all proceeds to help roadies out of work during the pandemic. Thank you!
