Before I got into advertising, I played bass in a band and ran my own music nights in Cardiff.
With a degree under my belt, I applied to a couple of ad agencies and I was lucky enough to get offered an account handling job.
With a degree under my belt, I applied to a couple of ad agencies and I was lucky enough to get offered an account handling job.
It didn’t take me long to realise that organising and running gigs was actually quite similar to account handling at an ad agency.
The venue owner? They’re a bit like your client.
They want your night to go well, they’ll help you out if you need it but ultimately they just need to make sure that what’s happening turns a profit and is good for the venue.
They want your night to go well, they’ll help you out if you need it but ultimately they just need to make sure that what’s happening turns a profit and is good for the venue.
The musicians? They’re your agency creatives. They’re often eccentric, sometimes diva-ish and frequently unpredictable.
But all this boils down to the reason the night’s happening, they’re the ones inventive enough to draw an audience into the venue.
But all this boils down to the reason the night’s happening, they’re the ones inventive enough to draw an audience into the venue.
The audience? An easy one. They’re obviously your ad’s audience.
Book a band that no one likes and you don’t get an audience. Book one that lots of people like and you’ve got a queue out the door.
Book a band that no one likes and you don’t get an audience. Book one that lots of people like and you’ve got a queue out the door.
And event organising is very similar to account handling. You have to make sure every group is happy.
You have to make sure the venue owners are happy, the night is a financial success and it’s the kind of night they want held in their venue.
You have to pick the right bands to play each venue and then make sure that they’re happy – that they’re treated well and that they get to play what they want to, how they want to. It’s also your job to make sure they sound the best they can do.
And finally (and most importantly) you have to make sure the audience are happy.
You have to make sure they enjoy themselves, they like the music, they like the venue and that they will come back again.
You have to make sure they enjoy themselves, they like the music, they like the venue and that they will come back again.
Ant Harris 