Running a show

• general intro

• getting performers to your event

• volunteer positions

  • event manager

  • door

  • sound

  • tabling

  • setup/take down

  • “perimeter”

  • money collector 

• time management

  • when does it need to be over by?

  • When will it start?

  • Budgeting time for event items

  • communicating times to all involved 

• collecting money

  • how to ask for money

  • what to do with cheapskates

  • trades instead of cash

• house regulations

  • “no booze/no assholes”

  • vegan houses

  • bringing pets?

 

The most important part of all of this is making sure that your event goes well - with as little stress and as few snags as possible. Let's face it, it's pretty impossible to avoid all problems, but the most planning and preparation you do the better it will all likely go down. Also, doing all this preparation can make things go more effeciently in terms of time, and if you're renting a space that can make a huge difference.

 

Often on the day of your event you can't really get much done until the performers or participators get there. Be aware that things will usually get the most hectic in the hour or two before the event starts, so if you have time, get everything ready ASAP.

Call the participators and make sure they're on time and they know how to get there. It's good to check in the day of the event, just in case.

 

Volunteer Positions

In order to make sure that all the shit that needs to get done actually gets done, it's good to split up that labor and divide it up amongst 'positions.' Here's a rough list:

Event manager

You're the hub - It's good to have someone who can run around and make sure that everyone is being supported and is able to do what they need to do. Check in with the other volunteers, the performers, and the space. If something goes down you can let everyone else know what's going on, talk to the cops, get someone to grab something from the store, etc. Because it's the most nebulous position, it's often the most stressful.

Door

This job can be a number of things - the entrance to the space is often the first chance you get to smell trouble, the first chance you get to make a warm welcome, and the first opportunity you have to collect money for touring bands or whatever you're benefiting. Whoever takes this position needs to be aware that you can't have this post abandoned, and you probably won't get to watch the band or whatever (unless the space is all one room). It's often good to get a couple back-up people in case you gotta go pee.

Sound

If you have a band playing you'll often need a PA, and someone skilled and familiar with the equipment to run it. If you have nobody with pre-existing skills, someone should spend some time before the show and get used to it, or do a really long sound check with a band. Make sure that you don't just set it up and leave for good - make sure the bands know who you are and where you are, and ask them if they're happy with how it sounds. Be attentive to the band and the audience.

Stage Manager

This is the person who stays by where the performance happens pretty much the whole time. You can make sure the sound person has what they need, help the performers setup and take down, make sure things are running according to schedule, etc. This position can either be combined with the Sound person or the event manager.

Tabling

This can often be combined with the door person. You'll be distributing information about whatever you're doing a benefit for, or selling merch, or serving food, or collecting donations.

Setup/Take down

Picking up garbage before and after is usually the biggest deal with this job, along with shuffling furniture and putting up signs or other event-related items. Sometimes people can only be there early or late, so this is usually a good position for those folks.

Perimeter

Aka Security. It's nice to have someone who wanders the property and makes sure that people and the space are being taken care of. It's easy for people in this position to get lazy and neglegent, even though it's such an important job. Sometimes it's useful to have a regular schedule of someone doing a once-around every 5 minutes.

Money Collector

This is usually the person at the door, but sometimes you'll need someone to around with a hat or bucket to collect money from people who went in either through alternate entrances or if you're casually taking donations. PS, you probably shouldn't give this job to a stranger.

 

Time Management

Chances are that if you're having a loud event it's going to need to be over by a certain time due to neighborly concerns. Or if the event is in a house, one of the roommates would probably like to go to bed before too long. How do you know what time it HAS to be over by, and how should you adjust the time given to the event participators based on that. Well, making everyone happy can be difficult, if not impossible, so just do the best you can.

Getting appropriate starting and ending times is one thing, but sticking to that schedule is another. Because you'll probably start late and end who-knows-when, allow for a good buffer zone so that things don't have to be cut short.

Once you have the starting time and the ending time of the event down, you can start budgeting times for the event items. One of the most important thing to budget for is the setup and take down time, which also doubles as time for people and performers to clear their heads and take a break. 15 minutes is generally good for that - 10 if you're feeling really optimistic.

A helpful tool for making sure things go according to these plans, write down the entire schedule in chronological order and put it up at strategic places - the door, by the sound person, and somewhere where performers can see it.

 

Collecting Money

The upside of dealing with money at DIY events is that the cost to put these on is practically nothing (besides bills, etc). Collecting money shouldn't be a stressful thing then, but it can still be a struggle to encourage some people to donate. It's true - there will be people who can absolutely afford to donate money but who refuse to give hardly anything. One way of dealing with this situation is that if someone says they have no money to offer, ask them if they can contribute to the event by doing some dishes or picking up some trash. Another possibility is to suggest trades instead of cash - especially food items that a touring band might appreciate.

 

Regulations/Boundaries/Space Values

A lot of spaces have standards for what's acceptable and what's not. A common one is for a house to normally allow drinking, but just not during shows. There are some houses filled with people interested in animal rights where no meat is allowed indoors. Some places have a "no dogs allowed" policy. Do what you will with your space's boundaries, but be aware that the more rules you put up, the more difficult it'll be to enforce them all. The first step is of course to make your rules explicit by putting them up on the wall - be sure you don't sound mean about the rules - put a sense of humor into it (without dumbing down the message, of course). Make sure all volunteers are aware of all the rules. Make sure all performers are told about the rules. Develop a plan for when people break the rules. One solution that a lot of people do is to be selective with who you invite - however this exclusionary practice can make it hard for the community to broaden and grow.

 

 

 

from Dan:

 

RUNNING THE SHOW

 

If you’re renting a venue by the hour, make sure you

factor in setup/cleanup time (an hour for each, just

to be safe) as well as band setup times (universally

fifteen minutes per segue, unless two or more bands

are sharing equipment).  It might not hurt to ask how

long each band’s set time is prior to renting the

venue, and holding them to this time.

 

Don’t rely on passing around a jar to get money,

particularly later in the show when everyone has left

or spent their money on beer.  Charge at the door and

use some kind of marking.  If you don’t have a hand

stamp, drawing some kind of design on people’s hands

or wrists should be fine.

 

If someone claims they don’t have money, I usually ask

if there’s any way they can beg, borrow, or steal

enough money to get into the show.  If you know the

person’s full of shit because they’re wearing

expensive gear or are carrying a $300 handbag with

matching coin purse, don’t be afraid to fucking tell

them so.  If someone seems genuine, I most likely let

them in eventually if they can pay anything at all.

 

If you book a band (or a whole show) that you don’t

want to miss, you can always have some friends work

the door in exchange for free admission.  And for

fuck’s sake, don’t just have girls work the door.  Go

ahead and accuse me of being PC, but I see girls

working the door something like 90% of the time where

I live, so give them a break and let them go up front

and circle pit.

 

You will most likely have to decide whether or not to

allow drinking at your show.  This will probably

depend on the nature of the venue, but you’ll also

have to think about whether or not you want to deal

with the increased chances of dealing with drunk

people causing trouble, puking, littering/breaking

bottles, passing out, etc.  This isn’t to say that

kids who are drinking always cause trouble or that

edge kids never do, just that it’s a liability that

can and has been used to shut down shows and even

venues.

 

If violence or a fight breaks out, I would advise

against getting the cops involved except POSSIBLY as

an absolute last resort.  Stay calm and diplomatic but

still firm when trying to de-escalate a heated

situation, and it helps to give a reason (like “we

don’t want to get the show shut down”).  If it’s an

actual fight or people getting beat up, do what you

need to in order to get things broken up: intervene

physically, pull someone off someone else, throw them

out, but don’t get involved in any fights yourself (at

least not then and there), as tempting as it might be.

 There’s a good chance that other kids will step in to

help you out as well.  Obviously, what should be done

is going to vary depending on the situation at hand.

 

We all know that security and “event staff” blow, but

if you’re booking a show that you think might erupt

into brawling for whatever reason, it might be a good

idea to have some people keep an eye on things

throughout the show.

 

If the cops come but don’t shut down the show, you can

probably wait a little bit and then pick up where you

left off.  If the show is shut down, there is

sometimes the possibility of moving it to a different

venue mid show, whether someone’s house or a different

show in progress, so look into this before calling it

quits.  Ignoring an order to shut down a show is

possible but risky, as the pigs can fine you, seize

equipment, make arrests, or shut down a venue for

good.