Whether you’re organizing a concert for one hundred or ten thousand fans, planning and executing a successful event can be quite stressful…especially if you don’t put one together on a regular basis. Don’t worry! Here are valuable tips from the trenches to help you plan the best concert ever!

1. Start with the act and the venue.

a. Who will be performing?
There’s a big difference in A/V requirements between a band, orchestra and solo performer. Find out how many people will be on stage at any one time, who will be playing instruments and singing. Will they be bringing their own equipment and if so, what exactly are they bringing? Iron this out before moving on to the next step.

b. Where will it be held?

You need to know if it’s inside or out, if the room is acoustically ready or if special provisions need to be made to the area. With a large outside event, work with your partner to ensure audio delays are kept to a minimum.

2. Outline your budget

How much revenue will you bring in through ticket sales, grants, partnerships, and sponsorships? On the flip side, how much will you spend on the act, venue, marketing, and event production? Figure out a rough idea for both sides of the equation.

3. Spend time crafting your communication strategy

How will you spread the message about the event? Include the following six options:

a. Press releases and pitching them to local media outlets

b. Regular social media posts

c. Purchase of online ads

d. Development of email campaigns

e. Flyers

f. Early Bird, group and VIP pricing

4. Set a master schedule in place

This document should be reviewed with your event team daily and have in it:

a. Rehearsal times

b. Equipment, including sound system rentals and lighting equipment rentals

c. Delivery, setup, and strike dates

d. Transportation, flight and accommodation details about the act

e. Venue rental agreement, when you can have access and when you need to depart the facilityiu

f. Ticketing plan, including mobile payment options

g. Licensing agreements

h. Hiring talent, including security

i. When payments will be made and to whom

5. Sound and lighting are front & center

If the audience cannot hear the act, they will become frustrated and eventually leave. Spend time on choosing the right system for your entertainment, audience size and venue acoustics. On the other hand, lighting sets the tone, mood and look for the artist performing and can be very impactful. Hire an expert in both these areas and make sure one or more AV techs remains on hand to address any issues or changes during the performance.

Work with the Pros at Rentacomputer.com

It’s important to hire a professional organization that understand the details to make your concert a true success. Rentacomputer.com is that company with the most up-to-date sound, lighting audiovisual and staging equipment in the industry! We service small and large concerts, alike and will deliver, configure and install all equipment to your specifications. To learn more, call us at 800-736-8772 today!