From Flyers To Fame: Putting on an Event

Ever fancied putting on your own live gig or clubnight? Our industry insiders can help you get started!

You might fancy yourself as the next DJ EZ and want a platform for your mixes, maybe your looking to expand the blog or social media profile you run, or you could just want to throw a massive rave for you and your mates.

Whatever your reason for wanting to put on an event, there's no question that it's going to take hard work, careful planning and clever ideas to get your night off the ground.

Where can you host it? Who's going to turn up? How do you book your favourite DJs to turn up and play?

We've pulled together 1Xtra's Jamz Supernova, DJ Emily Dust and promoter Alex Manzi to talk you through getting your party off the ground.

It might not be the most exciting part of putting your night on, but it's really important to spend time deciding what it's going to be all about.

What are you going to call it? What sort of music are you going to play? Will there be a particular theme?

Most importantly, how do you make your night stand out?

You're probably going to face stiff competition from established events. What is it about yours that will make it memorable, and stand out from the rest?

Presuming you don't want to invite 200 strangers to come and party in your living room, you're going to need somewhere to host your event - and it's really important to get this right.

Firstly, you have to persuade the venue owner that your event is going to be worth putting on (or, in other words, is going to make them some money).

The venue needs to be right for you, too. You're probably not going to sell thousands of tickets on your first go, for example, so don't book somewhere that's too big, and make sure that you're getting a good deal financially as well as the owner.

Are you going to charge for entry? How are you going to split the bar tab? These are the sorts of questions you'll need to be able to answer.

Whether it's a band, a DJ or an MC, you're probably going to want to book some artists to perform at your event. This is where you've got some decisions to make.

The easiest solution is to just do it yourself. This is the approach Emily takes: She's a DJ, she performs at her own events, and it doesn't cost her anything at all.

Alex's solution is only a bit more expensive: He's not a DJ himself, but some of his mates are. He started out by persuading them to play at his nights in exchange for a few free drinks. It still ends up costing him a bit of money, but it's not hugely expensive.

Then, as Jamz explains, you can book a recognised artsist. Depending on who you go for, this could end up being quite pricey.

Some big-name bands can charge tens of thousands of pounds for an hour's set, and superstar headliners cost even more than that. According to some reports we've seen online you can expect to pay more than $1 million for an hour of Jay Z's time - so we're not in that territory yet.

As your event grows, however, you might want to consider booking some well-known performers to sell a few more tickets.

But, as Jamz warns, banking on big names could work against you in the long-run.

The only people who are going to go to your event are people who know that it's happening. In the final part of your plan, you need to work out how you're going to tell everyone it's taking place.

Of course there are some very obvious ways to start: Make sure you've got profiles on all the big social media platforms. Jamz even uses paid advertising on social media, and makes sure that she targets people who live near or can travel to her events, and who like artists and genres of music that she's going to play.

Emily makes sure that she's always thinking one or two events ahead. If your guests are having a good time, you want to make sure that they can put the next event in their diary straight away:

"If you know your next lineup, you can announce that while people are looking at their photos on your Facebook page."

"Or, if you're printing out posters, try and print the next three dates. People might not be able to make the next one, but they could be interested in going to the one after that."

"It's about making the most out of every promotional opportunity that you've got."

Honestly? Don't get your hopes up.

That doesn't mean you won't make any money from events. A lot of people do, but it takes a lot of hard work, and a lot of patience.

A lot of people put club nights and gigs on because of their love of music, or because it helps them build their profile, not because it's going to make them a millionaire.

But if you're willing to stick at it, and can maybe even keep a few different events going at the same time, then you might just be on your way to making a career out of putting on parties.

And who knows where the skills might come in useful? It could be you organising 1Xtra Live in a few years.