How to plan a live event: 6 essentials

Live music is one of the most exciting experiences that music lovers and groupies look forward to attending. Live music brings together people that have one thing in common - they want to be immersed in the lyrics, notes and tunes of their favourite musicians.

An essential part of providing this experience is the behind-the-scenes planning it takes to plan a successful live music event.

In this article, we will discuss the essentials of how to plan a live event.

How to plan a live event

Always have a plan

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail - Benjamin Franklin.

This quote is true for all things in life - even in live music. Before you even consider who to contact, how many tickets you need to sell and how to market your event, you need to create a clearly defined plan.

This plan should include the following:

• A schedule of the event. What time should guests arrive? When do they have to RSVP or buy tickets? What time does the artist need to arrive to set up?
• How will you make money? Nothing in life comes free of charge. You will need to think of how you're going to make money with your live event to cover the costs of the venue, the musician(s) and all the other necessary things that go into hosting a live music event.
• How will you market the event? If no one knows about the event, how will you be able to sell tickets and make enough money to cover your costs? Marketing is an essential part of the success of any live event.

Start with a budget

Yes, we know you want 5-star food and imported rum for all your guests, but if your budget doesn't allow it then resist the urge to spend on any unnecessary items.

Before you start opening the marketing taps on social media to promote your event, you've got to carefully plan out your event budget.

This includes the following things:

• How much do you need to sell each ticket for?
• How many tickets do you need to sell to make a profit?
• How much can you spend on paid promotion for your event?
• How much can you spend on expenses such as lighting, artist hire, food, drinks, etc.

Find the right venue

The closure of big events due to Covid-19 has left a huge void in the industry for people to host their own live music events.

Finding the right venue for your event depends on your goals.

Raising money for a charity? Then you might need something bigger than your backyard.

Want to have a killer house gig? Then your backyard is ideal!

Get the musicians

Now for the life of the event, the musicians, artists, DJs or musos that will be performing at your event.

If you want people raving about your events, then you've got to get the right musicians for the occasion.

Yet again, it depends on your target audience and event.

Got a young group of teenagers? I'm sure they won't enjoy a string quartet.

Do you get the idea?

Once you've established what type of musician to hire for your event, it's time to make a shortlist of artists.

With Mewzo, you can add artists to your favorites list so that you don't lose track of the ones that stand out.

Our booking platform helps you find and book amazing local artists and DJs for any event.

Think of the food and drinks

Another essential part to hosting a killer live event is the food and drinks element.

Yeah, the musician(s) are going to really make or break your event, but people tend to enjoy events more when there are food and drinks available.

This comes down to what type of event you're hosting and the target audience.

Are you hosting a folk show with indie artists from all over the city? Then don't serve them fish and chips!

You're also going to want to consider if the food and drinks are included in the ticket selling price.

How will you get feet through the door?

Getting the word out about your event plays a really important role in the success of your show.

If people don't know about you then they're not going to buy from you.

With so many digital platforms available to try out, there is no excuse for you to not create awareness for your live music event.

Here are some ideas on how you can market your live music event:

• Create a Facebook event and share it with all your friends
• Post your event in Facebook groups
• Leave event flyers in popular places in your city
• Create a paid advertising campaign on Facebook and Instagram
• Invite popular micro-influencers to cover your event, free of charge.

There are our 6 suggestions on how to host a killer live music event.

Follow these tips the next time you're planning on hosting a live music event