Introduction

Becoming a Live & Local Promoter may appear to be a daunting task if you've never promoted a professional arts event in the past. However that’s where we come in, along with this Handbook which is also available in hard copy if you contact us.

We are always at the end of the phone (well, at least during our nearly normal office hours of 10.00am to 4.00pm). We will have met you during the recruitment process and we hope to see you again at future Live & Local events and the annual Promoter Meetings. And we can always put you in touch with other Live & Local Promoters.

There is a wealth of advice in this Handbook that has been gathered over the past 30 years from Live & Local Promoters and from other touring schemes around the country. We have also tried to cover the inevitable bureaucracy associated with running a public funded event.

So, before embarking on your Live & Local voyage, we suggest you have a glance through this Handbook not so much to take it all in immediately, but to see what areas of advice are included so that you can look at the detail at the appropriate moment.

Subsidised Performances

Joining Live & Local entitles you to request shows from our annual Menu and to receive the support detailed above. However, it does not automatically entitle you to receive the subsidy on the performer's costs for all the shows you may request.

We receive a finite amount of funding from the Arts Council and your local authority and in some areas the demand for performances outstrips the amount of funding we have to subsidise every performance. During the recruitment process we will have indicated the situation in your particular local authority area.

The annual Menu details both the subsidised cost as well as the real cost of the performances and Promoters can indicate whether they would consider an unsubsidised performance when they put in their requests.

While we describe this as ‘without subsidy’, the benefits of booking a show through Live & Local always constitute a form of subsidy. We provide you with marketing materials, tickets and print. Many of our current Promoters take advantage of this, booking additional performances over and above their subsidised ones and benefiting from the full service.

Please see the section on 'Finances - Hints and Tips'.

What's in it for you?

• Attracting new people to your venue;
• Adding to the variety of events in the community;
• A chance to see high quality live entertainment on your doorstep;
• Building community spirit and getting people involved in your community's life;
• Providing a different type of entertainment;
• Introducing people to the arts and broadening horizons;
• Meeting new people;
• An opportunity to try something new;
• Promoting the village hall to potential new users / hirers;
• A chance to use existing skills and to gain new ones;
• A financial safety net and an opportunity to raise funds that can be invested in the community;
• A chance to see major performers at affordable prices;
• An event for your community to look forward to;
• A get-together in a friendly environment;
• A fantastic evening's entertainment;
• Fun!