Arts Alive works with around 100 promoters in rural areas of Herefordshire and Shropshire to promote live, professional events in their local venues. Since 1999 Arts Alive promoters have brought top quality, inspiring, talented performers and musicians to rural community venues of all sizes. Why not join the network and become an Arts Alive promoter?
Comments from our promoters and audiences:
"Amazing that we can see world class shows like this in our little village halls." Audience feedback
"We were all amazed by the success, especially on a Tuesday evening. The carpark was full as was the roadside outside of the hall. A superb evening was had by all. We would not be afraid to schedule an event on a 'school night' again.....even with a clash with The Great British Bake-Off!! Promoter feedback
Why I promote...
"To see the joy on people faces when they enjoy a live show or a good film! Good fund as well!" Promoter feedback
"To give our local community the chance to see the wealth of talent on offer through Arts Alive" Promoter feedback
"To bring excitement to rural areas" Promoter feedback
How does it work?
Arts Alive provides expertise, advice and subsidy to help local promoters chose the right event for their hall. Annually in March we send out an events ‘menu’, which lists over 30 companies available for booking through Arts Alive. The range includes theatre, music, comedy, dance and family shows. There is a ‘booking request window’ until the end of April and most of our events get booked up by June, but we are still able to respond to promoter requests until the funds are all committed. There is often a second ‘booking request window’ between October - November for shows for the following spring. Our funding to subsidise this work comes primarily from Arts Council England.
How much does a host venue have to pay?
Shows actually cost between £500 - £1300, but working in partnership with Arts Alive makes it affordable enough for you to feel confident that you can raise sufficient income on the box office takings.
The basic cost of a typical show for the promoter is £200 from April 2016. Any box office over this basic sum we split 80/20. This means that if you took £400 in ticket income you would pay Arts Alive (£200+ 80% of £200 = £160,) a total to Arts Alive of £360, leaving £40 for the venue. Arts Alive pays the company fee. The actual cost of a show paid by Arts Alive is between £450 - £1,000, plus admin and marketing overheads of around £100 per event.
Promoters should feel confident that they can sell at least 50 tickets; the minimum adult ticket price is £10.
Venues are encouraged to increase their income and improve the overall ‘night out’ experience by running a bar or refreshments. This can be a good task to delegate to committee members, spreading the load and spreading the word.
Venues are encouraged to support Arts Alive’s core work by making an annual ‘Venue Donation’, this is to bridge the gap created by dwindling local authority funding.
To apply to become a promoter, please download and complete the below application and venue fact files and return to [email protected].