Disposing of a venue or arena suited for concerts is an obvious prerequisite to being a concert promoter. It can be indoor or outdoor, in your own facilities or at a rented venue, at a pub or a concert hall. The only important thing is that it suits what you want to do. It can often be easier to rent venues per show than to run your own.
However, if you are planning to open your own venue you will need a lot more information than what you will find here. The same goes for organising larger outdoor festivals. Always seek help from seasoned professionals.
This chapter focuses on the technical aspects of a concert production.
The Venue
The layout of a venue should be optimised to give both the audience the best possible experience, as well as good working conditions for the house staff and artists. However, you will often have to find compromises between the two. Here is a list of things to keep in mind while making such an evaluation.
Fire Safety
Number of fire exits, capacity, etc. Se chapter about “Security & Safety”.
Visibility and sound
The entire audience should be able to both see and hear what is happening on stage, to avoid complaints, but also to avoid pressure from the crowd towards the stage.
Crowd management
Consider the layout of the venue to avoid cues and bottleneck areas such as security checkpoints, ticket sales, wardrobes, bars, toilets etc.
Ventilation
A concert venue will quickly heat up, and without appropriate ventilation the quality of the air can quickly deteriorate. Ensure that the venue is well ventilated for a sold out show on a hot summer day.
Acoustics
A concert venue should be as “dry” as possible, meaning it should have the smallest amount of reverberation and reflective surfaces. In some cases, you can mend the acoustics yourself by covering hard surfaces with curtains. If that does not help, contact your local PA company or other industry professionals.
Load in / out
Staircases and narrow hallways are less than ideal for loading gear in and out of a venue, and will demand a lot of extra labour. Ideally, a truck should be able to back up to a stage door so that gear can be loaded directly onto it. If this is not possible, make sure to always book extra stagehands to help loading. Try to have a well-lit parking area for late night load-outs, and reflective vests available if there is traffic nearby.
Storage
There should ideally be a lockable storage space next to the stage, for safe storing and easy access to backline, cables, stands, flight cases, etc. There should also be a separate area where the artist can store empty flight cases and equipment that is not being used during the concert. Ensure the appropriate size of the storage area and that it is not impeding any emergency exits or the audience in any way.
Power
Concert PA´s and lights demand a lot of electrical power. It is therefore a prerequisite that the venue has sufficient power supply. Lights will most of the time be the biggest consumer, but amplifiers and backline also draw a substantial amount.
Stage
The nature and location of the stage is important for both the experience of the audience and the artist’s working conditions.
- The stage should be placed so that most of the audience is situated in front it.
- The number of audience with a clear view of the stage should not deviate too much from the total capacity of the venue.
- It is not ideal to have the stage in a corner. In addition to issues with enough space on either side, it can often lead to problems with artist’s sound on stage.
- The stage needs to be big enough for the production at hand. Inform agents about stage sizes in the booking the process to avoid any surprises on show-day.
- The stage floor should be even and have a non-slippery surface.
- Ceiling heights are often a challenge. A stage should ideally be a minimum of 50-60 cm high, in order for the back of the audience to see. There should still be a 3 m clearance from the stage floor to the ceiling. If ceiling heights are too low, sound quality may deteriorate.
- Walls on either side of the stage and at the back of the room should be a dark colour. You can easily fix this by draping with dark fabrics. Make sure these are flame retardant.
Rigging
All fixtures for light trusses or anything else that should hang from the ceiling has to be certified by an authorised company. The consequences of a truss or lighting fixture falling from the ceiling can be fatal. Do not take this easily. If you do not have a motorised truss system, that can be lowered and raised remotely, you will need to work at heights with ladders. Beware of regulations for working at heights and that you have a sturdy ladder and safety equipment. Everyone rigging on stage below should use helmet.