Checklist: Hosting a Successful Music Event

What is the feeling you want to give attendees? (e.g., mellow, energetic, heavy).

Is it genre-specific or mixed?

Who is the target audience?

Be realistic - it's better to play a smaller venue and sell out than a bigger one and only fill 50% capacity.

Acoustics and sound quality are suitable for live music.

Accessibility (ramps, stairs - how many?), washrooms - wheelchair access?, parking, transit, and more). Criptoria is an awesome resource that offers accessibility consulting and a wealth of venue information. It’s important to display information about your accessibility beyond just ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Amenities: bar, food, restrooms, and seating. Some DIY venues don’t have liquor licenses, but you can get a temporary one in most cases.

Visual appeal (lighting, decorations, layout). Check out our interview with Victoria Folk Night, we discuss turning blackbox venues into better settings. We are working on a list of people you can hire to do visuals at your show, coming soon.

Normalize harm reduction: ask venues if their staff have recent harm reduction training - we recognize Good Night Out as the industry standard. Consider reaching out to Good Night Out to get someone from their team to attend your event.

Avoid clashes with other major local events - check the calendar first for shows that might compete with your target demographic.

Consider audience availability (weekends, evenings).

Diversify your lineup! While playing shows with friends is fun, it's also important to connect with new bands. If you always play with the same groups, you miss out on reaching new audiences. Instead, try collaborating with bands that have a different yet compatible fan base.

Confirm set lengths and performance order. The trend is slow first, lively last - but breaking this rule can work just as well.

Reach out to artists you want to book with a clear idea of how you will compensate them - even splits are common, but sometimes touring bands need more to justify the trip and sometimes bands request guarantees.

Make a groupchat with all the bands.

Who is bringing a drum kit?

Who is sharing amps?

Getting a stage plot from each band is a good idea to be super clear on what mics, power supplies, etc. they will need.

Secure sound engineers and equipment if it is not supplied by the venue. Long and McQuade is a good option for equipment rentals, we are working on a list of sound engineers that we will link here soon.

Figure out how much time you have to set up and sound check and make sure the complexity of the sound setup is reasonable.

Aim for a 10-15 minute soundcheck for each band, in reverse order. Having a proper soundcheck helps with performance anxiety, and it goes without saying that it has a huge impact on the sound of the show.

Flyer/poster designs (support local graphic designers).

Include event name, lineup, venue, date, time, price, and a QR code for advance tickets.

Poster - print them and put them up around town. Suburbs are easy if you have a staple gun, downtown cores can be competitive. If you want your poster to really stand out, consider using Vic Posters (Victoria), or The Poster Guy (Vancouver) to distribute.

The City of Vancouver will distribute 10 pre-bundled brochures and one poster to each of 24 Community Centres free of charge.

Consider accessibility - drop posters off at local gathering places like grocery stores, community centers, and care homes for a more inclusive event.

Create posts and stories on Instagram and event pages on Facebook.

Regular updates with artist previews, behind-the-scenes, and teasers.

Encourage artists and community leaders to share the event.

Consider advertisements - THESE ARE NOT FOR EVERYONE. If you do not put time into making a solid ad that leads consumers to solid content, it will not be worth it. Magic Nothing is an Instagram account that we use and love for advertising advice.

Selling tickets online is a great idea, consider using a platform that benefits you and your local community.

Consider physical tickets. They are lots of fun, and help you connect with your fans. Local record shops often help out artists by selling tickets from their storefront, which helps get people in the door.

Offer early-bird pricing to encourage early ticket sales and gauge turnout in advance. This can help you determine how aggressive your ad campaign should be. Some venues may require a certain number of presales to move forward with a show, so incentivizing early purchases can be crucial.

Set your price: knowing your costs, expected attendees, and band expectations set your price. Fewer people will come if the price is steeper, so consider sliding scale models.

Submit your event to Gigpit, and other community bulletins.

Reach out to blogs, local & campus radio stations, and newspapers.

Consider turning it down a bit: Maybe not for heavy genres, but nobody wants to blow out their ears at an indie rock show.

Keep the schedule tight.

Engage the crowd: consider hiring an MC to keep the audience informed about the lineup and timing while maintaining energy and focus on the stage.

Give a shoutout to the venue! Encourage fans to show their appreciation by grabbing a drink, enjoying some food, and tipping the staff. Supporting the host helps keep the scene alive!

Thank artists, staff, and attendees: Use social media, email, etc.

Share photos, videos, and highlights.

Set up a cloud-based photo album so fans can drop their photos: Gigpit has a feature for this that is coming soon.

Settle payouts with performers and vendors.

Gather feedback from attendees and artists.

Evaluate success:

Plan for future events based on insights gathered.