LIVE PERFORMANCES
PROMOTER HANDBOOK
APRIL 2021
CONTENTS CHAPTER
PAGE
WELCOME TO THE TEAM
4
CORONAVIRUS GUIDANCE
5
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Re-opening your hall – introduction
5
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COVID-19 safety checklist
6
•
Re-opening your hall – summary of information and guidance
6
•
Links to websites and further information
8
OUR AGREEMENT WITH YOU
9
BOOKING SHOWS WITH ARTS ALIVE
10
•
Season Launch
10
•
Schemes We Offer and Costs
10
•
Making a Booking Request
10
•
Confirmation of Your Booking
11
•
Your Contract with Us
12
•
From Contract to Event
12
•
After the Show
14
PROMOTER PAGES ON THE ARTS ALIVE WEBSITE
15
•
Accessing the Promoter Area
15
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Submitting Online feedback
16
PROMOTING YOUR SHOW •
Suggestions on how to advertise and make the most of publicity
CANCELLATIONS •
What you and Arts Alive should do in the event of a cancellation
RUNNING YOUR BOX OFFICE
17 17
18 18
19
•
Setting ticket prices
19
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Online ticket sales
19
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Complimentary tickets
19
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What to do if your show looks like selling out
19 2
CHAPTER HOSTING A SHOW
PAGE 20
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Layout
20
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Lighting and Sound
21
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Refreshments
22
HEALTH AND SAFETY
23
•
What is a Risk Assessment?
23
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COSHH
23
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Manual Handling
23
•
Writing a Risk Assessment
23
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COVID-19 Risk Assessment
23
•
Access for All
24
•
Arts Alive Access Checklist
24
SAFEGUARDING
25
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Arts Alive Child Protection Policy
25
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Photography – policy guidance on safeguarding and use of photography
25
•
Arts Alive Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Policy
26
APPENDICES 1. Booking Request form – sample copy
28
2. Promoter pre-contract email – sample copy
29
3. Promoter Contract – sample copy
30
4. Promoter Terms and Conditions
32
5. Venue Risk Assessment – sample copy for guidance only
33
6. Venue Safety Checklist
36
7. Licensing and Insurance
37
8. Social Media and how to use it
39
9. Green Statement for Companies and Promoters
41
3
WELCOME TO THE TEAM
We are delighted to welcome you into the Arts Alive network of volunteer promoters and thank you for becoming involved in our ongoing commitment to keep the Arts live and local. Our promoters provide an immeasurable contribution to their communities and without them Arts Alive would simply not exist. So thank you and we hope you find promoting an enjoyable and rewarding venture. In response to the current situation, this handbook now includes a section with COVID-19 advice. All other areas of the handbook should be read in conjunction with this section. We’re here to help you in your role and are only a phone call or email away if you need us. This handbook is part of the support we offer and aims to guide you through the process of being a promoter. You can contact us on 01588 620883 (then 1 for Live or 2 for Flicks) or write to us at: Arts Alive, Enterprise House, Station Street, Bishops Castle, SY9 5AQ. Cerin & Jules are your main contacts during office hours and here’s the full team:
Ian Kerry
Executive Director of Arts Alive and Flicks in the Sticks
ian@artsalive.co.uk
Cerin Mills
Live Events Programmer – Live events (part-time)
cerin@artsalive.co.uk
Jules Agnew
Live Administrative Assistant (part-time)
jules@artsalive.co.uk
Terri Jones
Flicks Events Officer and Arts Alive and Flicks in the Sticks Bookkeeper
terri@artsalive.co.uk
Hazel Ockenden
Flicks Administrative Assistant (part-time)
hazel@artsalive.co.uk
P: 01588 620883 (opt 1) W: www.artsalive.co.uk Arts Alive | Enterprise House | Station Street | Bishops Castle | SY9 5AQ
4
CORONAVIRUS GUIDANCE
Arts Alive & Flicks in the Sticks
Re-opening your venue! Introduction This pack has been designed with you in mind. It is design to be a quick and easy list of things to consider when re opening your venue, but for more details there are links to other sources for your convenience. Reducing risk of transmission remains the essential factor to re-opening; for promoters to achieve this the following is guidance gathered from Government and Official Bodies representing usage of Village Halls & Community Centres, including ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England). What you see below is an abridged guide – for more detail please see the full acre document ‘Re-opening-Information-Sheet-V.9-26-March-2021-Final’ pdf’The pack is accurate as at 1st May, but may be subject to change depending on government guidelines. •
At Step 3 (17th May earliest), village and community halls are permitted to host additional activities including cinema screenings, subject to size limits and the “rule of 6”.
•
At Step four (21st June earliest) a full range of activities will be permitted, including dancing, and social contact rules hopefully removed. 5
The Check List for Promoters/Venues when planning and setting up an event during current Restrictions (17 May – 21 June) as Step 3 of the Recovery Roadmap allows:
□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □
1. Ensuring a Covid Secure Venue / Risk Assessment in Place 2. Signage & Sanitiser In Place 3. NHS Test & Trace QR Poster in Place 4. Prepare to accommodate the Rule of 6 / Bubble Restrictions 5. Prepare a One-Way Flow System through your venue 6. Identify designated space for someone with suspected COVID-19 7. All Volunteers & Visitors to Wear Facemasks 8. Considering Refreshments 9. Prepare for Online Ticket Sales Only 10. Consider Marketing and Communications
1. Covid Secure Venue / Risk Assessment in Place First and foremost – promoters must commit themselves to operating in a COVID-19 Secure way by following the Government’s Guidance in force for their activity. The Government guidance says: “if organising an activity, you should carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment to identify actions which could minimise the risk of transmission”. (This should be / have been carried out by the hall itself so that all hirers can follow guidance / risk assessment template available via ACRE – link below). Risk under the ‘crisis regulations’ falls to the event organiser. If a hirer, the event organiser, does not feel the Hall is in a condition that enables them to comply, they should not make the booking. Obligations on the event organiser include keeping a record of those attending for NHS test and trace and taking steps to avoid groups of people mingling at activities.
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2. Signage & Sanitiser In Place As part of the drive to minimise risk of spreading the virus – suitable signage must be in place (regarding social distancing, cleanliness) All promoters should make sure that their venues are equipped with: • Sanitiser at every entrance/exit and in meeting rooms (Soap and water are acceptable but sanitiser often more practical). • Post notices at every entrance/exit showing what is expected of users • Erect the “Catch It, Bin It, Kill It” poster and posters encouraging frequent handwashing. • Any equipment which is stored at the hall will need to be cleaned for each event and before stowing it away.
3. NHS Test & Trace QR Poster in Place NHS Test & Trace QR poster must be displayed at any participating hall / Community Centre. In the Attached ACRE document, (re-opening information sheet V.9.pdf) under Appendix M there are links on how to register for an official NHS QR code or go here: https://www.gov.uk/create-coronavirus-qr-poster It is not compulsory for visitors to provide information but could help contain outbreaks. (Failure to comply with collecting details and maintaining records is punishable by a government sanctioned fine. The first fixed penalty is £1,000.)
4. Prepare to accommodate the Rule of 6 / Bubble Restrictions Event organisers should arrange activities so as to avoid “rule of 6 or household/bubble groups” “mingling”, i.e., mixing with other groups. The group limit does not stop people saying hello, waving, smiling, or conversing briefly in the way many are now used to doing while social distancing in the street, shops or at work. However, an individual in one group may not join another group during an activity or event, just as people in restaurants may not join another table. An event organiser should ask individuals who attempt to mingle with another group to stop. Limiting group sizes to two households / rule of six, empty seats or spaces between groupings, restricted capacity. The spare seats or spaces can become the ‘refreshment area’, people encouraged to bring their own (until June 21), if at all. Once seated face coverings can be removed to eat and drink, replaced before leaving.
5. Prepare a One-Way Flow System through your venue Implementing a one-way flow in and out of the premises will help avoid congestion. Entry should be via the main entrance, with people leaving via fire exits.
6. Identify designated space for someone with suspected COVID-19 As a matter of good practice, a space should be designated into which anyone will be moved who becomes unwell at the hall with suspected COVID-19 symptoms, so that they are away from other people until transport home or to hospital is available. 7
7. All Volunteers & Visitors to Wear Facemasks Face coverings must be worn inside village and community halls. The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed to ACRE that: “On entering a village hall, you will be required to wear a face covering, and will be required to keep it on, unless you are covered under a ‘reasonable excuse’ ... if you need to eat or drink something, or if you have a health or disability reason to not wear one.”
8. Considering Refreshments Refreshment Areas can operate in Village Halls / Community Centres for the purpose of cinema screenings, but a table / seat service operation would have to be in place (as per restrictions on pubs and restaurants). It will be less complicated and simpler to encourage attendees to bring their own refreshments (until June 21). Once seated face coverings can be removed to eat and drink but must be replaced before leaving.
9. Prepare for Online Ticket Sales Only During the Step 3 period of the 2021 government recovery roadmap (17 May – 21 June) we are advising that anyone staging an Arts Alive or Flicks in the Sticks event to only sells tickets to audiences via their own website or the Arts Alive website, helping to prepare and stage the event with the best preparation for the audience. The Arts Alive team will be pleased to help with getting tickets on sale online.
10.
Consider Marketing and Communications
Please update all your usual marketing and communications to reflect the above to help you best prepare for your event, from advertising online ticket sales in your village magazine adverts to appropriate signage outside the venue prior to the event.
Links to more information ACRE guidance on opening up venues: https://acre.org.uk/cms/resources/re-opening-information-sheet-v.10-april-2021-2.pdf How to create an NHS track and trace poster: https://www.gov.uk/create-coronavirus-qr-poster ACRE sample COVID-19 risk assessment: https://acre.org.uk/cms/resources/appendix-f-risk-assessment-for-hall-committees-26thmarch-2021-1.docx Government advice, published April 2021, on to the safe use of community facilities: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-multipurpose-community-facilities/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-multi-purposecommunity-facilities Downloadable, printable posters on social distancing and staying safe can be found at: https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/publications?keys=coronavirus+poster 8
OUR AGREEMENT WITH YOU, THE PROMOTER Each new promoter is asked to sign an agreement with us. Here’s what we ask of our promoters and what we will do for you. For further information, please also see the promoter Terms and Conditions in Appendix 4.
I, the Promoter, agree to: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Consult with your community and select the appropriate show/s for the venue Book the venue and ensure that all licences are current and correct for the event Return promoter contract emails to Arts Alive within 7 days Attend, or send a representative to, the annual launch, and promoter meetings Distribute publicity in the local area, including press releases to local papers Get show information into local news publications and on social media Liaise with the company regarding arrival, technical, food and all requirements Provide 4 complimentary tickets (2 for Arts Alive/ promoters + 2 for the company) Organise company refreshments, car parking and stewards for the show as required Tell Arts Alive immediately of problems with company or venue, so we can help Display Arts Alive banners, current brochures and funder posters at the show and publicly acknowledge funding support from Arts Alive Abide by the Promoter Terms and Conditions attached to each contract Complete online show feedback within 48 hours Ensure that Arts Alive / the company is paid promptly on receipt of an invoice Use any surplus box office income to support other arts events in your community or improve facilities at your venue
Arts Alive agrees to: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Research and provide a choice of companies and shows for you to choose from Disseminate the new season’s show offer for you to choose from, via a Season launch event and digital selection booklet Do our best to give you the shows you request while creating a balanced and exciting programme of events across local and regional communities Confirm the booking and contract the company and you, the promoter Provide you with all necessary information regarding the show and the company Support you throughout the process by providing advice and guidance via a handbook, phone and email Generate and distribute information to the regional media, publications and websites Provide digital publicity materials for each show for promoter use Advertise full details of the event and venue on our website and Facebook page Produce two brochures each year of all performances and distribute across Shropshire and Herefordshire Sell tickets online via our website, as requested Provide a Box Office Pack containing printed labels for publicity, audience survey questionnaires and health and safety guidance, as requested Liaise with the company and you in the event of any problems or concerns Pay the company for Main Scheme bookings
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BOOKING SHOWS WITH ARTS ALIVE THE SEASON LAUNCH The official start to the Arts Alive year is the season launch, held each March. This introduces promoters to the variety of shows on offer for Autumn to Spring and show cases some of the acts. It’s also a chance to meet other promoters and the Live team. After the launch, you can consider the selection, discussing it with your community and/or committee and then complete the booking request form by the given deadline.
SCHEMES WE OFFER AND COSTS The cost of shows varies, and we aim to provide clear details of the costs involved so that you can budget for your event. Everyone can request one Main Scheme show per season. Some promoters choose two or three shows. If you would like more than one show in a season, the second and further shows will be offered to you firstly as a GAL and then a Self-Promotion contract. 1. How the Main Scheme works (MS) This offers promoters the maximum funding support and so is limited to 1 per venue per season (2 per year). Arts Alive pays the full company fee and costs, then the promoter/venue pays Arts Alive a set fee of £200 PLUS 80% of box office income over £200. For example: if you sell £500 of tickets for a MS show, we would invoice you for £200 plus 80% of £300 = Total Fee £440. A main scheme gives you the chance to make a small profit for your venue or organisation, and have a show at a heavily subsidised cost. 2. Guaranteed Against Loss (GAL) Under this contract, Arts Alive offers you a safety net of up to £200 on the event, which can include up to £60 for hall hire. The promoter/venue pays the full company fee and costs and, if you make a loss, you can then claim up to £200 back from Arts Alive. For example: a show costs £600 but you sell £300 of tickets. The loss is £300 but you can reduce this by claiming £200 back from us. 3. Self-Promotion (SP) Again the venue/promoter pays the full company fee and costs as well as any hall hire costs, but there is no safety net option. Arts Alive charges £25 plus 10% of any profit you make over the total company costs. For example: performance fee + travel + accommodation = £700. Box office takings = £800. You pay us £25 + 10% of £800£700 = Total Arts Alive charge of £25 + £10 = £35 If you request a show under a GAL or SP contract, please remember to check whether the company is VAT registered as this will affect your costs. This information can be found on the company page in the selection brochure or by ringing us.
MAKING A BOOKING REQUEST We give you a booklet of the shows on offer and a booking request form at the March season launch. These can also be obtained from our office after the launch event. The booklet provides a summary of each the shows to help you choose. Available dates: check the date/dates each company offers for their show and then the availability of your venue and other volunteers before making your booking request. Do 10
also check for other local and regional events that may clash with yours. We’ll liaise with you if another promoter near you had requested the same show on the same date. Start time: look at the running time of the show and whether there is an interval. Do consider activities that may affect timings e.g. dinnertime. Also look at the “get in” and “get out” times the company provide in the selection as these may also affect the start time Costs are broken down into: • performance fee • accommodation • travel expenses • other expenses e.g. equipment hire. Where accommodation is not included in the fee, Arts Alive provides an allowance of £40 per person per night for one night, normally the night of the show. We also try to provide cast numbers and dietary requirements to help with refreshment requests. Layout is broken down into: • performance area needed for the show, in metres (Width x Depth x Height) • whether a stage is essential or not • the stage / seating layout preferred by the company (see p20 for guidance) Technical requirements are broken down into: • Lighting: whether the company is self-contained and, if not, what lights they need • Sound: whether they are self-contained or need a PA, instruments etc • Special requests: occasionally a company may require special lights or props Tickets: we suggest a minimum adult ticket price of £12, child / under 18s price of £6 and a family ticket price of £30. (See running Your Box Office for more details p19). We can advise on a company or show’s technical, staging, seating and other requirements. For example, if you’re not sure whether your venue is big enough, give us a ring. And if you fancy taking a risk on a different kind of show or scheme, ring us so we can help you decide. Once you have checked that you can comfortably host the show, please complete the Booking Request Form (see Appendix 1) and return it to us by the deadline. Accommodation: Arts Alive no longer supports “home stay” accommodation. We suggest an accommodation allowance of £40 per person per night for the night of the show. If you are approached by a company to offer “home stay”, please be aware that you are under no obligation to do so. Should you agree to offer home stay, this arrangement will be separate to your contract with Arts Alive and we will not be responsible.
CONFIRMATION OF YOUR BOOKING REQUESTS Once the deadline for requests has passed, Arts Alive will then programme the events. We will look at requests on a “first come, first served” basis and then on a geographical basis. If we are unable to book a show you have chosen, we will contact you to discuss further options. We aim to produce a schedule of events within 2 weeks of the deadline. Then we will contact you and the company to confirm dates. Once we have confirmed your request, it then needs to become a formal booking. We will email you a pre-contract (see Appendix 2) to complete and return to us within 7 days. 11
On your reply, we will send you a Promoter Contract for the show (see below) and terms and conditions for promoting with us. We ask you to return this within 7 days, stating your acceptance. Then we will contract the company to complete the booking process. We cannot contract a company until we have received an accepted contract from you. We will inform you once the company has returned their contract and the show is formally booked. We advise that you make an initial contact with the company to discuss their arrival, technical and refreshment requirements and your venue facilities. This is best done as far in advance as possible in case of any unforeseen issues
YOUR CONTRACT WITH US Your Promoter Contract is an agreement between yourself and Arts Alive. Please keep this document for reference as it is also your go-to resource for information about the show. . We have revised the contract this year to ensure it provides comprehensive information for promoters and companies (see Appendix 3).
FROM CONTRACT TO EVENT Once contracts are agreed, we encourage you to deal directly with the company yourself, in order to ensure things go smoothly. However, we’re always here if you need us! In the meantime, we will set you up with a username and password so that you can log in to the promoter section of our website. This is also where you will need to submit your feedback from the event (see p16 for details of how to do this). We will advertise your show on the Arts Alive website, offering tickets for sale online if you have requested this in your reply to the pre-contract email. We will also advertise your show in our season brochure, which we will distribute across the Shropshire and Herefordshire regions and other regular publications You may wish to start involving people in the event. Getting other groups involved will help to spread the word. For example, you could: • • • •
Ask the W.I. if they’d like to do tea and cakes or Young Farmers to staff the car park Ask local schools, shops and pubs to display / distribute fliers and/or sell tickets Could the pub/school provide an overflow car park? Is there a local shop/off-licence that could provide discounted food or drinks?
Following this, here is an approximate timeline of events leading up to the show: •
At least 8 weeks before the show: •
We will send you a Box Office Pack containing: o o o o
Sheets to record your ticket sales Overprint stickers with your show information, to put on posters and flyers A health and safety check list If your show is selected, audience survey questionnaires and a SAE for their return. We are required by our funders to send these out and they are an important part of the information we have to provide to them. The responses we receive are crucial in helping us to secure funding to support live shows in the future. Please encourage your audiences to complete them after the show. We can provide a statement for you to read out to your audiences as to why the feedback forms are so important, if you would like one.
o Please note that Arts Alive is no longer providing printed tickets for venues. 12
•
Our marketing team will also provide you with a link to digital resources for your use, such as a press release, e-flyer, images.
•
The company should send you printed posters and fliers and a risk assessment. Please contact them if it hasn’t arrived or if there is a problem with the material
.
If you need publicity materials earlier than this for any reason, please contact us. •
4-8 weeks before: • We suggest you contact the company again to go over their technical requirements (see p21-22) and confirm get in / get out times and any refreshment arrangements • Ensure your team of volunteers are still available and know what to do • Display posters and leaflets • List the event in your village newsletter, website / Facebook page and local paper.
•
2-3 weeks before: • Make a final contact with the company to ensure all arrangements are in place • Discuss their roles with volunteers and ask them to arrive 45 mins before the show • Contact us if tickets are still not selling.
•
1 week before: • We will ring you to check that everything is OK and see if you need us to help
•
On the day: • Ensure the venue is open, warm and refreshments ready for the company’s arrival. • Ensure someone is there to meet them, show them around and talk through the running order and layout to make sure everyone knows what will happen • Set up seating after the company has set up • Make sure your helpers and the company know what’s happening and are happy • Ask your audience how they heard about the show and give them an Arts Alive brochure, indicating your next show or another nearby • Check that the performers and audience are happy at the interval and, if they’re not, try and sensitively change things. (e.g. ask the band to tweak their speakers) • Organise drinks / food for the company, if requested, and take them to them. • Keep raffles etc short and sweet • Enjoy the show and thank everyone involved
Thank yous It’s nice to be thanked and giving the right credit for the show has a number of important benefits to the whole scheme, including to you as promoters: 13
• • • •
Volunteers feel valued and will be ready to help out again Our funders feel appreciated and will keep funding the shows Audiences know who to thank and who to ask for more fantastic events! It’s also a chance to promote the next event(s)
Many Promoters make a brief speech before or after show. Check with the company whether a speech before or after will work best for the show. It takes a whole team to make an Arts Alive event a success. Here are some of them: • • • • •
Company / artist: thank them for the show. Funders: the Arts Council England provides around 50% of our funding that enables you to get subsidised shows. Shropshire Council provide some funding. Arts Alive: find and offer shows, provide promoters with admin support and advice Your helpers: who volunteered to make tea, sell tickets, put out chairs etc The audience: for turning out and supporting you / the venue And a BIG THANK YOU from us TO YOU! You had the idea and put in the work to make it all happen
AFTER THE SHOW On the night: • Ask people what they thought – collect in feedback survey forms • Give people a brochure or a leaflet about the next show or another Arts Alive show taking place nearby. Promoting events at other venues benefits everyone • Thank people as they leave – it adds a personal feel The Following Week: •
Complete the feedback form online WITHIN 48 HOURS. This will generate our invoice to you (see p16 for instructions) Please provide us with the name, email address and phone number of your Treasurer as well as the correct bank details for invoicing / payment. Thank you.
•
Report back to your committee who may or may not have seen the show. If the show didn’t go as well as you expected, contact us to discuss this and get advice for the next performance.
•
Possibly write a short review for the Parish Newsletter or website, which could also advertise your next show
•
Contact nearby promoters to promote each other’s shows and widen your audience.
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ARTS ALIVE WEBSITE – PROMOTER PAGES Every promoter has access to their own pages on our website: www.artsalive.co.uk Once your application is approved and you’ve booked your first show, we will send you a login and password so that you can access the promoter pages. Please get in touch if you haven’t received your login and instructions prior to the show! From this page you can: • Give online feedback for your event (see below for instructions) • View and update your venue details • Get access to useful documents, such as the annual Menu, this handbook and forms
ACCESSING THE PROMOTER AREA On the home page of the Arts Alive website, scroll down the left hand menu and click on the “Promoter Area” arrow, or go to https://www.artsalive.co.uk/Login.aspx This will take you to the page below.
• •
Enter your username and password Then click the “login” button
If you forget your password, please contact us and we will email you a reminder. Once you have logged in, you will be taken to the Promoters Area. At the top you will see a number of tabs, starting with “Live Feedback”. These tabs will take you to other promoter pages, depending on what you need to do. Some are for Flicks, so if you are not promoting Flicks films you won’t need to use them. We are currently updating the website to make it an online resource for promoters. If you have any suggestions, do please contact us. 15
SUBMITTING ONLINE FEEDBACK • •
Login, as above Click on the “Live Feedback” tab (you may get a pop up reminder), to go to this page:
• •
Click on the “Leave Feedback” button for the chosen show Enter the information requested, but only include your direct sales. DO NOT include online ticket sales as these will be included automatically and will be accounted for in our invoice to you. Click send Click on the “LOGOUT” tab at the top to logout when you’ve finished
• •
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PROMOTING YOUR SHOW There are lots of things you can do to make your show as successful as possible. Here’s our guide to getting the best from publicity. Word of mouth. Talk about your show. Tell any local groups. Pass on your enthusiasm. Printed materials. You specify the quantities of A3 and A4 posters and A5 leaflets you would like in the pre-contract email. These come direct FROM THE COMPANY and should arrive at least 8 weeks before the show. Display these as you wish: • • • • •
Hand out leaflets at local meetings and other shows Find a good noticeboard / shop window for a large display of posters Do a leaflet drop door-to-door around the community People may also be willing to put a poster in their window or on their gate. Don’t forget adjacent villages and towns too – people will travel to see a great show!
Press Releases: Our marketing team will send out press releases for each show to regional media and you will get copies of these to send to your local press and to use in village newsletters and online. Please use the press release we provide. NB: Arts Alive will advertise in major listings e.g. Broad Sheep, 31 days, What’s on Shropshire and other channels. Our marketing team can provide a full list on request E-mail: with people’s permission, create an emailing list from your ticket sales. Use this list to send out the e-flyer we create and also to keep people updated on performances. You can include a link to the Arts Alive website and to your own village website if you have one. Ask people to forward the message to friends and it gets to an even bigger audience. Social Networking: Facebook, Twitter, Blogs can all work to promote your event fast to lots of people and target specific audience groups (see Appendix 8). Networking: We list your show in our brochure which is distributed across Shropshire and Herefordshire, and on our website www.artsalive.co.uk. We send out press releases and weekly email alerts to subscribers. All this widens your audience and boosts ticket sales. Banner: If you would like an Arts Alive banner to display before the show, please ask. Target specific interest groups: e.g. if it’s a farming show, tell the Young Farmers. If it’s got dance, tell the local dance classes. If asked nicely in advance primary schools are often helpful at sending home flyers to the right age children for kids or family shows. Themed events: whether themed food, costume of raffle, please tell us in advance so that we can then put the details on our website If tickets aren’t selling do tell us so we can help out. Local audiences often leave booking until late so, unless it’s an especially popular show, you will usually sell most tickets in the last week! Spread the net wider to increase where you are selling tickets, contact other local promoters for help and possibly consider a last-minute ticket offer.
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CANCELLATIONS Cancellations are exceedingly rare, but you need to know what to do if ‘the show can’t go on’. Although you, we and the performers know that the show is no longer happening, there are things that we all need to sort out prior to the date when it was due to happen.
Your own local publicity • • • •
Tell as many people as possible ask them to pass the message on. Contact people who have booked and arrange refunds Collect in your leaflets but LEAVE POSTERS UP with a “show cancelled” banner Brief the box office contact as they may get phone calls. If the show is on at another Arts Alive venue, please suggest they try to get tickets there or refer them to us
Arts Alive actions • •
We will announce your show as ‘cancelled’ on the website immediately - there are 1000s Arts Alive brochures out there, still announcing that your show is on. We will inform the Press of the cancellation and refer their enquiries to Arts Alive.
On the night •
•
People might still turn up on the door. They may not be local and may not be aware of the cancellation. If possible, have someone there to apologise to anyone who turns up. Let them know if the show is on anywhere else. In the very least there should be an apologetic poster on the door of your venue saying ‘We are sorry that this show has been cancelled; please contact [your details] for further details’. If anyone turns up and gets upset or angry suggest they phone us, or take their contact details and we’ll contact them to smooth over troubled waters.
If you need to discuss / double check anything, do give us a call at the office.
Please provide us with the name, email address and phone number of your Treasurer as well as the correct bank details for invoicing / payment. Thank you.
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RUNNING YOUR BOX OFFICE Setting ticket prices We suggest a minimum ticket price at each year’s menu. But ask around to find out what people will pay. What were last year’s prices or tickets at other events? Were the events successful? These are some of the ticket structures used by local Promoters: • • • •
One price only or the suggested minimums. We suggest child tickets are for under 18s. Concessions to include students. (Very few venues offer OAP concessions) Higher ticket prices on the door to encourage people to buy in advance Family tickets (2 adults and up to 3 children)
For some premium shows we will ask you to set a higher price at booking. Aim to sell around 50 tickets. We will advise you if your prices are too low or too high.
Complimentary Tickets Your agreement with Arts Alive includes provision of two complimentary tickets per performance to Arts Alive, if requested by us in advance. Arts Alive comps will be used for staff, other Arts Alive Promoters and occasional dignitaries, funders, reviewers, journalists. The company may also request two complimentary tickets in advance of the show. Any other comps will be in addition to the above. Promoters may give themselves complimentary tickets. Please record all comps issued and include them in your feedback.
Online tickets Arts Alive offers an online ticket service to all promoters via the Arts Alive website. We encourage using this as sales are recorded and non-refundable. Here’s how it works: •
We allocate 10 adult, 6 child and 2 family tickets, as appropriate, unless declined by you. We can increase, decrease or remove tickets from sale, as requested, at any time.
•
If online tickets are unavailable the website will say “Tickets unavailable online”, as: ▪
Promoter has opted out OR
▪
Ticket allocation is full (please ring to increase it if you have tickets available) OR
▪
Event sold out (let us know if this happens!) OR
▪
It’s 24 hours or less before the show
•
Buyers will be charged £1 per ticket to a maximum of £5 per transaction.
•
Customers are sent an email confirmation to print out or show on their phone or tablet.
•
Promoters automatically receive an email confirming all online tickets sold.
•
You don’t need to include online sales in your feedback: they are added in automatically and the online sales total will be deducted from your invoice after the event
If your show looks like it will sell out please contact us, because: • We will stop selling tickets online & post on the web site that it is sold out. • We/ you can pass on enquiries to other venues with the same show on another date NB: Arts Alive is moving to a ticketless system and will no longer be providing preprinted tickets and ticket sales sheets. Going ticketless will also help you provide a COVID-19 safe environment 19
HOSTING A SHOW AT YOUR VENUE PLEASE ALSO REFER TO PAGES 5-8 FOR CURRENT GUIDANCE ON SAFELY HOSTING SHOWS IN THE LIGHT OF CORONAVIRUS This section of the handbook is a guide to the practicalities of hosting a show. A venue is the building where a show will be held. Arts Alive tries to find shows that are suitable for all sizes of venue from big theatres to small halls, and more unusual places. Before booking a show, please check the venue has Public Liability Insurance, Buildings Insurance, accessibility for all, toilets, parking and appropriate licences (see Appendix 7).
The Stage / Performance space Arts Alive performances don’t always take place on a stage, so don’t worry if your venue hasn’t got one. In the season selection booklet, the performance summary states whether, or not, a stage is required and details the amount of space a show will need, given as Width x Depth x Height in metres, so you can check this with your venue layout and size. We ask all promoters to provide an accurate floor plan of their venue to help us and companies ensure that a show will fit in. We can advise you of the best format and the likely capacity for a particular show whilst discussing your performance requests.
Types of Seating and Stage Layout Details of the best seating layout for your show are in the Season Selection. A company should advise you in advance as to what layout they prefer and what will give the best visibility as it may affect your seating capacity. Here’s a guide to the different layouts: End on (traditional theatre) Chairs set out in rows in front of the stage. To improve sight lines, try to put a curve on a row of seats, and offset each row so chairs aren’t directly behind each other. Or place the performance on the long side of a hall which creates a wider arc and fewer rows. Beyond four rows back people have restricted views on a flat floor layout. For family shows you can create raked seating in this layout using cushions on the floor, then benches, then chairs Cabaret (tables and chairs) You will fit fewer audience members in “cabaret style”, but if you have a large hall or a small audience this can work well. Cabaret is an informal layout of tables and chairs around the venue floor, facing the stage. Flowers, tealights, tablecloth etc help to build atmosphere. Thrust Part of the stage ‘thrusts’ outwards like a catwalk into the audience. Therefore, the audience can sit around three sides of the ‘thrust’ section. In the round Audience is seated on all sides of the performance area Traverse Audience is seated on either side of a ‘runway’ where the performance takes place. Raked seating This is auditorium-style seating with banked rows of seats Safety tip: As a rule of thumb, aisles should be 1.1m wide and rows should be a minimum of 80cm apart (i.e. back of chair to back of chair) *PLEASE CHECK CURRENT COVID-19 GUIDANCE* 20
Lighting, Sound and Technical Requirements The company is obliged to provide Arts Alive with accurate information regarding their lighting, sound and any other technical requirements for the show. This information will be stated on each show page of the season brochure. Please check that you can accommodate the technical requirements of a show before booking and be aware of additional costs if you need to hire equipment. Should a company alter their technical requirements after contract, they are obliged to provide these at their own cost. The company will need to know how much power you have, if you have a meter and where the sockets are. It is the company’s responsibility to make sure that cables are secured to the floor with tape but do check before the show starts that access to all emergency exits is clear. To help with event planning, we ask promoters to complete and return a Venue Fact File detailing hall facilities, dimensions and accessibility, and also provide a sketched floor plan noting location of sockets. If you have not done this, please contact us for a form. It is also advisable to check with a company whether the show will include any special effects. Strobe and flashing lights and smoke machines can affect some people. You need to know in advance if any of these will be used so you can alert your audience.
Lighting All shows benefit from a defined, illuminated performance area. The technical and other requirements for each individual company are listed in the show summary of the season selection booklet. Please check these against your venue and if in doubt please call us. We try to find companies that are technically self-sufficient. If theatre lights and/or a sound system are essential and not being brought then this will be stated in the selection booklet and there may be an additional cost to pay. We will help you to source equipment. This section is a brief guide to the types of lighting we are most often asked for. Basic lighting / General Wash: A "wash" is the illumination of a stage / performance area, normally using softer lights. A general wash is simply basic lighting using fixed lights so that they spread an even light over the stage Cold wash / Warm wash: Coloured lighting gels are used with the general wash to reinforce a mood or feeling in a scene. For example use of a yellow wash to give the feeling of summer: a blue wash to suggest cold or sadness. If a company asks for these, please check that your venue has them or you can hire them. Spotlights: are used to highlight a particular position on a stage. As with other lights, there are lots of different types. If a company requests spotlights, do ask them what they require.
A really good website for technical information is www.stagelightingguide.co.uk
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Sound Most companies are self-sufficient for sound, but some ask for certain items. As with lighting, please check that your venue has or can hire the necessary equipment to host a show. Occasionally a company will request microphones, but when they list sound equipment, the item we are most often asked for is a PA. A PA system is a public address system, which can consist of an amplifier and speakers, and possibly a mixer and a microphone. It is used to project sounds from instruments, voices and other acoustic sources. Some companies ask for a PA with audio jack connection, so that they can plug in a laptop or phone that carries their music. If you have any concerns or questions about the technical specifications for a show, please contact us prior to booking so that we can advise.
Refreshments Many Arts Alive performances lend themselves naturally to creating a more sociable atmosphere than the traditional theatre/concert style set up, with a bar or refreshments being available and sometimes with food being served. Catering for your audience • • • • • • • •
Food is an optional extra on the ticket price and must clearly be advertised as such. If you are serving a meal, the online ticket price will exclude this and people will be asked to book and pay for food via the promoter. If your ticket price includes a small amount for refreshments e.g. tea, cake, glass of wine, this may be included in the online ticket price but we must be notified ON THE BOOKING REQUEST FORM so that the amount can be adjusted after the event Plan the evening to ensure the least disturbance during the performance. If your kitchen is adjacent to the hall, there may be noise from Burco water heaters and washing up. Please tidy up after the event is over – then at least all helpers get to see the show. If you are offering a meal to your audience, before the show works best. Themed snacks are a good pre-show treat and can add enjoyment value to the evening Interval tea and cake can generate extra income for your event / venue
Bars • •
Bars are great but close your bar during the performance to avoid disturbing the show. Performers may welcome a round of drinks and / or interval drinks
Catering for the performing artists • • • •
Check your contract for refreshment requests from the company. Agree any food/drinks in advance. If you’re unable to provide something let them know Organise with the company in advance the timing of a meal. Check dietary and other requirements
Top tip: consider opportunities to increase interest and generate extra income generation e.g. bar, raffle, refreshments, themed suppers, themed/ costumed events. *PLEASE CHECK CURRENT COVID-19 GUIDANCE*
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HEALTH AND SAFETY Risk Assessments A 'Health and Safety Risk Assessment', is a careful examination of what could cause harm to people and a statement of the steps taken to remove or reduce each risk. Your venue should have a general risk assessment. The company must also send you a show risk assessment. Use these to form a complete risk assessment for your show.
COSHH COSHH is the law that requires control of substances that are hazardous to health. These include vapours, fumes, dust, cleaning products, smoke machines and some flowers, fruit and vegetables. More information can be found at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/
Manual Handling Volunteers should protect themselves from the risk of injury from hazardous manual handling while working to promote events. Manual handling means transporting or supporting a load by hand or bodily force. It includes lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving loads. A load can be an object, person or animal. By law, you are required to: • • •
avoid hazardous manual handling, so far as is reasonably practicable assess the risk of injury from any hazardous manual handling operations that cannot be avoided reduce the risk of injury from hazardous manual handling to as low as reasonably practicable
For more information go to: https://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/manual-handling/index.htm
Writing a Risk Assessment When producing a Risk Assessment, it is good practice to go through the following steps: • • • • • • •
Look for and identify any potential hazards Identify whether any COSHH substances are present / used Decide who might be harmed and how Identify how you can reduce or remove the risk of harm Decide whether existing precautions are adequate or whether more should be done Record your findings and implement them Review your assessment before your next performance and update it if necessary.
A sample risk assessment template is provided for guidance in Appendix 5. A copy of the Venue Safety Checklist, sent in the Box Office Pack is in Appendix 6. More information on risk assessment can be found at www.hse.gov.uk.
COVID-19 Risk Assessment Please refer to page 6 in the COVID-19 Guidance section of this handbook. Here again is the link to the ACRE sample COVID-19 risk assessment: https://acre.org.uk/cms/resources/appendix-f-risk-assessment-for-hall-committees-26thmarch-2021-1.docx 23
Access For All We are keen to show that rural touring venues are welcoming, inclusive, accessible places to enjoy the arts. The Venue Factfile form you complete with your promoter application gives us access information which we then list on our website. You can update this information via your Promoter page, but please also inform us if any changes or improvements are made to your venue.
Arts Alive Access checklist • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Handrails up any steps - help those with mobility difficulties to get up and down safely Grab rail beside toilet - helps the elderly and infirm to get up and down safely Signage – use contrasting colours e.g. black on yellow or cream, not blue on green Parking – Reserved spaces for less mobile audience members close to entrance Lighting – good external lighting or stewards with a torch Paint colours – pick door frames out in contrasting colours Door handles in contrasting colour material Ramped access up steps – if possible eliminate steps to one entrance Keep corridor spaces clear to make it easy to get through Be prepared, welcoming and helpful – the most physically accessible premises can also be a barrier for people with other impairments Space for wheelchair users, and assistance dogs, that doesn’t block aisles or entrances / exits Aisles of appropriate width for access by wheelchairs and emergency services Room near the front for people with hearing difficulties or visual impairments Ask us about an audit to see how Dementia-friendly your venue is. Useful information on making your venue dementia-friendly can be found at: https://www.comfirst.org.uk/dementia_friendly_village_halls_guide_and_check Revamping your venue? Look at this accessible environments website www.cae.org.uk
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SAFEGUARDING ARTS ALIVE CHILD PROTECTION POLICY AIM: Arts Alive is a charity whose remit is the promotion of arts and film events in independent venues, working in partnership with local people in Shropshire and Hereford. In the context of this remit, Arts Alive is committed to ensuring, so far as it is reasonably able within the above context, that partner organisations (artistic companies, promoters and venue providers) comply with national legislation, regulations and guidance on working with children which will: •
ensure the safety of children and young people (who are in any way directly involved in shows, workshops or other events or services provided through or by Arts Alive (an event);
•
not permit any Arts Alive staff, volunteers or Trustees to work directly with children unless they are compliant with legislative and regulatory requirements (for example being able to produce an up-to-date DBS check).
Arts Alive will, if requested by an artistic company, provide direct contact information for key liaison individuals within recipient venues (e.g. School Safeguarding Officer). EXPECTATIONS: a. If a visiting company is presenting in schools it must take responsibility for ensuring it: i.
is conversant with and complies with any legislative or regulatory requirement applicable to their organisation that may require actors, staff and volunteers working with children to have an enhanced and up-to-date DBS check;
ii. be guided by the school to ensure that appropriate numbers of school supervisory staff are present at all times when the visiting company is working with children including breaks, as advised by the school; iii. in the event that any allegation of abuse is made by a child (or other concerning statement) to a member of the visiting company, Arts Alive volunteer or staff member or a concerning incident is witnessed by them which is indicative of, or sufficient to raise concern that, abuse might be occurring, they must report it immediately to the school staff and, where applicable, police and social services iv. ensure that children are supervised by appropriate school staff at all times, including lunch breaks. b.
Promoters and/or Volunteers of an event should: i. ii.
c.
be alert to any signs of abuse to a child or inappropriate behaviour involving a child; if you have grounds for believing that any form of abuse or inappropriate behaviour has taken place, make a note of what you have been told by the child; and if the event is taking place in a school notify a school staff member, or in other cases notify the Police or Social Services Photography: Note: this section provides broad guidance only. Artistic companies, promoters and their volunteers should acquaint themselves with the legislation, regulations and guidance relating to photographing of children that can be found here https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/media/1678/photography-filming-policy-statement25
example.pdf) Artistic companies, promoters and their volunteers must not take photographs unless they comply with the legislation, regulation and guidance relating to photographing of children as referred to above. The following is broad guidance only and is not a substitute for what is set out above: i.
If children are likely to be photographed at an event, such as a workshop where it is necessary for a place to have been reserved for the child, the booking form must include a parental consent form for the child to be photographed. A child shall not be photographed unless the parental consent has been given.
ii. Where a photograph of a child is taken at an event where it is not necessary for prebooking to take place (and thus the written parental consent cannot easily be obtained), and that photograph is to be published, the name of the child should not be used in any caption. [Note: Where photographs are taken at an event attended by large crowds, this is regarded as a public area so it is not necessary to get permission of everyone in a crowd shot. The definition of a public place includes areas where visitors to the school have access.] iii. Direct unsupervised access to children by photographers (professional or amateur) is not be permitted. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES, PLEASE CONTACT CERIN ON cerin@artsalive.co.uk
ARTS ALIVE SAFEGUARDING VULNERABLE ADULTS POLICY Introduction We all have a responsibility to safeguard adults who are experiencing, or are at risk of, abuse and neglect. Policy statement Arts Alive is committed to creating and maintaining a safe and positive environment for all people involved in their events. It accepts its responsibility to assist in the welfare of all people and to safeguard them from poor practice, abuse and bullying. All individuals within the organisation - staff /volunteers/artists/trustees - have a responsibility to help ensure the safety and welfare of adults. Arts Alive accepts that we are required to fulfil our duty of care, which means that we must do everything that can be reasonably expected of us to help safeguard and protect people from harm, and to act when we suspect that someone is being harmed, or is at risk of harm. All staff and artists working with vulnerable adults and children will be required to have a current DBS check. What is adult safeguarding? The official definition of “Adult Safeguarding” is working with adults with care and support needs to keep them safe from abuse or neglect. It is an important part of what many public services do, and a key responsibility of local authorities (Care Act 2014). The safeguarding duties apply to an adult who: 26
• • •
has needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority is meeting any of those needs) is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of, abuse or neglect, as a result of those care and support needs
Adults who fulfil this criteria are ‘adults at risk’. People can have a need for care and support for a variety of reasons – for example they may have a learning disability, a physical disability, a chronic health condition or have a mental health issue. Such conditions may bring with them additional vulnerabilities, however having care and support needs does not mean that people are automatically adults at risk and need safeguarding. Types of abuse suffered by adults identified in the Care Act 2014 can be: • • • • • • • • • •
Physical Sexual Psychological/Emotional/Mental Financial and material Neglect and act of omission Discriminatory Organisational Modern Day Slavery Domestic Violence Self Neglect – including hoarding
Communication The organisation will make available its Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedures to all staff, promoter volunteers, members and partner organisations. What to do if you have concerns about an adult member Organisation members, staff and volunteers are not expected to be an expert in recognition of a safeguarding concern; however, it is an expectation of Arts Alive within the meaning of this policy that all adults working, volunteering and participating have a duty of care to be vigilant and respond appropriately to suspicions of poor practice, abuse or bullying. They should also respond to any indication of abuse that may be occurring outside of the organisation setting. This does not mean that it is your responsibility to decide if a situation is poor practice, abuse or bullying, but it is your responsibility to report your concerns to the Welfare Officer or Deputy Welfare Officer or manager at the venue where the incident took place. If you cannot contact someone within the organisation or feel that your concerns are not being dealt with properly you can contact the local authority safeguarding adults team Shropshire Council safeguarding team 0345 678 9044, Herefordshire Council safeguarding team 01432 260715 (Monday to Friday from 9am-5pm) 0330 123 9309 (before 9am, after 5pm, and during weekends and public/bank holidays) or the national safeguarding adults charity www.anncrafttrust.org who can direct you further. Further useful information on safeguarding can be found at: https://www.comfirst.org.uk/community_first_safeguarding IF YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES, PLEASE CONTACT CERIN ON cerin@artsalive.co.uk 27
APPENDIX 1: SAMPLE BOOKING REQUEST FORM Arts Alive Booking Request Form 2021-22 PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM BY 17 May 2021 to jules@artsalive.co.uk or post to Arts Alive, Enterprise House, Station Street, Bishops Castle, SY9 5AQ Please indicate: • your choice of shows, in order of priority, with any alternatives. We will try our best to give you your first show and date choice but the more options you give us, the better • your preferred dates and unavailable dates, and start time • scheme: Main Scheme (MS), Self-promotion (SP), Guaranteed Against Loss (GAL) • prices of all ticket types you will sell (suggested A £12, C £6, F £30), & any other details • do ring or email us if anything isn’t clear or if you want advice. Venue: Promoter name: Promoter email: Promoter tel: Box Office tel: Total number of shows you would like: Venue area (please delete one):
Shropshire /
Herefordshire
Please list the shows you are requesting, in order of preference: Company name and Name of show
Preferred dates
Dates you can’t do
Start time
Scheme
All Ticket prices
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
Any other information we need to know:
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APPENDIX 2: SAMPLE PRE-CONTRACT EMAIL This is the email we will send you after confirming your booking request. Most of it will have been completed for you, but we’ll need details such as publicity quantities & whether you would like us to sell tickets online for you. Once you have completed and replied to this email, we will then draft a Promoter Contract for you (See Appendix 4)
Dear [promoter], We need to confirm details with you regarding the forthcoming event before we issue contracts. We would be grateful if you would let us know the answers to the questions below. Just REPLY to this email and fill in the gaps or amend anything that is incorrect! Please reply within 7 days. EVENT DETAILS Date: Company: Show: Venue: We have your ticket prices as: Adult: £
Child: £
Family: £
The start time we have as: --------------------------------------------------Print requirements: A5 flyers ………… A4 posters …………… A3 posters …….…… Box Office number FOR ALL PUBLICITY including the website: We will offer 10 adult and 6 children and 2 family tickets for sale online, unless you specifically tell us you don't want us to_____ Please reply within 14 days! Many thanks Jules Agnew www.artsalive.co.uk; Telephone: 01588 620 883 (option 1)
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APPENDIX 3: SAMPLE PROMOTER CONTRACT Dear Promoter, This is a formal agreement and confirmation of details between yourself and Arts Alive. To confirm your booking, please check all the details carefully then reply to this email, stating that you agree to the terms and conditions at the end of this contract. This information must be accurate, so when you reply to your email please tell us any amendments. PLEASE REPLY WITHIN 7 DAYS. Any amendments made by the Promoter following acceptance of the contract will be the responsibility of the Promoter. Arts Alive will not accept financial responsibility for such changes. It is advisable to liaise directly with the company from now on. Thanks for agreeing to promote with us. We will do everything we can to make sure the event is a success. Please phone 01588 620883 or email cerin@artsalive.co.uk if you have any queries. Best wishes, The Arts Alive Team _____________________________ EVENT DETAILS Date: Show: Venue: Time: Adult Ticket Price: £ Child Ticket Price: £ Box Office details for all publicity: _____________________________
Family Ticket Price: £
COMPANY INFO Company: Contact name and address: Company email: Company Mobile: Company Tel: Is Company VAT registered?: Yes / No Get in time: Get out time: Running time: Sound: Lighting: Stage: Performance space: Minimum W x D x H m Layout: Refreshment requests: ______________________________
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PROMOTER DETAILS Promoter name: Promoter email: Promoter address: Promoter Home Phone: Treasurer / person to send invoices/payments to: Treasurer email: Venue bank details or PayPal account details (for invoices / payments): ____________________________ Extra event notes: 1. 2. 3. 4.
E.g. any required props Venue to provide lighting / sound as per Company Info Blackout required / not required Reserved ticket quantities for sale online via Arts Alive website: Adult , Child, Family 5. Print requested: A3 x ?, A4 x ?, A5 x ? Arts Alive is moving to a ticket-less system. Please encourage your audience to purchase tickets online, and to use mobile phone and other devices can be used to demonstrate proof of purchase. Thank you. ________________________ FINANCIAL SECTION Show Cost: Travel cost: Accommodation costs: Additional costs: VAT TOTAL
£600 £0 £0 £0 £0 £600
MAIN SCHEME CONTRACT NOTES*: Arts Alive is responsible for paying the company the above amount. Promoters pay Arts Alive £200 plus 80% of box office income over £200. After the event please log into your promoter page on the website within 7 days to enter your feedback return. We will then work out what is owed and invoice you, adjusting figures for any online sales. _________________________________ * This Contract Notes section will change depending on whether the show is Main Scheme, GAL or SelfPromotion. This example is for a Main Scheme show.
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APPENDIX 4: PROMOTER TERMS AND CONDITIONS PROMOTER TERMS AND CONDITIONS Please contact the company to discuss their needs regarding access to the venue before and after the show, enquiries about publicity material, time of the show, technical requirements, etc. We send all new promoters a handbook with information on how to organise and promote the event successfully. Any publicity should include reference to Arts Alive and please display any Arts Alive brochures or banners on the night. Two complimentary tickets for the performance should be made available to Arts Alive if requested by us. The company may also request up to two complimentary tickets. The Promoter agrees: 1.
to ensure that Arts Alive is kept indemnified from and against, loss or damage suffered (whether criminal or civil) and legal fees and costs incurred resulting from a breach of this agreement by the Promoter including: a)
any act of neglect or default of the promoter’s employees or agents
b)
breaches in respect of any matter under this agreement resulting in a successful claim by any third party
2.
to ensure that the venue has the appropriate and necessary liability insurance, premises licence and music licences for the event and that an appropriate risk assessment has been carried out. If you hire a venue as an independent promoter, check with the venue’s management committee. If you have any queries, do contact us or refer to the Licensing & Insurance pages in the handbook.
3.
Cancellation - In the event that a performance is cancelled the following conditions apply: a) In situations where all parties agree that cancellation is unavoidable and is caused by circumstances beyond the control of any party (i.e. not by default or neglect) the contract should be cancelled and costs apportioned by mutual agreement. b) If a performance is cancelled due to a fault by one of the parties up to six weeks before the performance was due to take place and there is no chance of rebooking, the following applies: (i) If the side at fault is the promoter, Arts Alive will negotiate a cancellation fee with the company, up to but not exceeding the full agreed touring scheme fee, for which the promoter may be liable. (ii) If the side at fault is the company, the company should cover any costs incurred by Arts Alive and the promoter in preparation for the performance but not less than £100. c) If a performance is cancelled due to a fault by one of the parties two weeks or less before the performance was due to take place, the following applies: (i) If the side at fault is the promoter, Arts Alive will negotiate a cancellation fee with the company, up to but not exceeding the full agreed touring scheme fee, for which the promoter may be liable. (ii) If the side at fault is the company, the company will cover any costs incurred by Arts Alive and the promoter in preparation for the performance but not less than £200.
Where a dispute arises, all parties agree to appoint an arbitrator to make a final and binding decision.
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APPENDIX 5: SAMPLE RISK ASSESSMENT
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34
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APPENDIX 6: HEALTH & SAFETY CHECKLIST Promoter Health & Safety Venue Check List
An easy way to make sure that you are doing what you should! Before the show check all areas of your hall and rectify any problems. Tick box to confirm check has been made. COVID-19 safe procedures followed – see separate checklist in COVID-19 Guidance section Fire exits are unlocked and unobstructed Fire exit signs are illuminated Fire extinguisher(s) in place and seal is unbroken Seating and staging is properly installed Seats are safely arranged - interlocked if possible Aisles are clear All cabling and wiring is adequately taped to ensure that no-one an trip over it (if not see company stage manager) Set-up equipment has been cleared for the performance before public enter Steward torches are provided and working Toilet facilities are clean Stewards and company are briefed on what’s happening - pre show introductions, timing of switching off house lights, interval timing
Wheelchair access guests are catered for (if relevant - otherwise mark NA) Car park/outside lights are on (if they exist)
Performance ………………………………...................................................... Signed ………………………………………… Date …………………... (Please sign to confirm check has been undertaken and retain for your records 36
APPENDIX 7: LICENSING AND INSURANCE It is the Promoter's responsibility to ensure that the venue is appropriately licensed and insured for the event and this is a requirement within our contract with you. You will need to obtain proof of licences and insurance from the venue manager e.g. the Hall Committee. This is important if alcohol will be sold at the event. A summary of the Entertainment Licensing regulations can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/entertainment-licensing-changes-under-the-live-music-act A summary of the Alcohol Licensing regulations can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/alcohol-licensing Whether a licence is needed for entertainment will depend on the circumstances. A licence is not required to stage a performance of live music, or the playing of recorded music, a performance of a play or a performance of dance if: • •
it takes place between 8AM and 11PM; and the audience is no more than 500 people
You also don’t need a licence: • •
to put on unamplified live music at any place between the same hours; or to put on amplified live music at a workplace between the same hours and provided the audience is no more than 500 people.
In other circumstances, a licence may be required. One licence application can cover all types of regulated entertainment and the sale or supply of alcohol. There are exemptions from the need for a licence for music entertainment, in defined circumstances as set out in the Guidance , including for: • places of public worship, village halls, church halls and other similar buildings • schools • hospitals • local authority premises • incidental music – ie. incidental to other activities that aren’t “regulated entertainment”
Sale or supply of alcohol The sale by retail of alcohol and the supply of alcohol by or on behalf of a club are both licensable activities. If you want to sell or provide alcohol you should first check that the venue you are using has a Premises Licence and that there is a named ‘supervisor’ who holds a Personal Licence to sell alcohol. Alternatively the venue may have a Club Premises Certificate which includes the sale of alcohol. Please contact your local authority for details – see contacts below.
Alcohol as raffle prizes The provision of alcohol as prizes in raffles and tombolas is exempt from the licensing regulations, provided the raffle/lottery fulfils certain conditions (The Licensing Act 2003 [Section 175]). These are: • The raffle must be promoted as an incidental event (i.e. not the main event) within an ‘exempt entertainment’, defined as a bazaar, sale of work, fete, dinner, dance, sporting or athletic event, or other similar entertainment; 37
• • • • • •
after deduction of expenses, all proceeds of the entertainment are not for personal gain; the alcohol is in a sealed container; no prize is a money prize; tickets are only issued during the entertainment (i.e. not sold in advance) the raffle/lottery is not the main inducement to attend it is NOT permissible to sell tickets which can then be exchanged for an alcoholic drink, or to ask for a donation in return for alcohol.
Raffles run during the course of another event, and where tickets are not sold in advance, don’t need to be registered. Raffles in which tickets are sold to members of the public in advance must be registered.
Who do you Contact? Contact your Local Authority Licensing Officer with any queries about licensing. Herefordshire: Phone: 01432 261761 Email licensing@herefordshire.gov.uk https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/directory/21/licences_and_permissions Shropshire: Phone: 0345 678 9026 Email: licensing@shropshire.gov.uk https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/licensing/
Public Liability and Buildings Insurance If there are any paid staff it is compulsory for the Management Committee to insure them and display the certificate on the premises. Professional performing companies booked through Arts Alive carry their own Public Liability and Employee’s insurance. However, you must ensure that the venue also has adequate Public Liability and Buildings insurance. Being incorrectly licensed may invalidate your Buildings or Public Liability insurance. If you are using someone else's premises, you need to. If in doubt, ask your Hall Committee or Manager.
Disclaimer To the best of our knowledge, the information on licensing and insurance is current and correct. However, it is not comprehensive. Please do contact your Local Authority, Hall Management Committee or PRS on both these matters if in doubt. Arts Alive cannot accept any liability for the consequences of your Arts Alive event being inappropriately licensed or insured.
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APPENDIX 8: SOCIAL MEDIA - WHY USE IT? SOCIAL MEDIA FOR TOTAL BEGINNERS What’s all the fuss about? Social Media is the collective term for the various sites that allow users to build social networks, and share information with their network. Two of the most popular sites are Twitter and Facebook. Social media is an incredibly useful and FREE tool for publicity, marketing and customer service. We use Twitter and Facebook to promote your Arts Alive events, to connect with companies and performers touring with us, to talk to audiences and potential audiences, to raise the profile of Arts Alive, and of rural arts as a whole. Here is some very basic information about both. TWITTER ➢ Twitter enables users to send and read 140 character messages called tweets ➢ You can include links and photos in these tweets to pack more information in ➢ There are two main displays on Twitter: profile page, where you will see the user’s information and the tweets they have written or retweeted - Your twitter newsfeed, where you will see all the tweets posted by your followers ➢ The main terminology you need to get to grips with is: RETWEET – retweeting a tweet posted by another Twitter user means that it will show on your profile and your followers will be able to see it (when people write “Please RT” they are asking for retweets! FAVORITE – They use the American spelling, sorry! Favoriting a tweet will put it into your ‘favorites’ list, so that others can see what tweets you have favorited HANDLE – your twitter name. Ours is @ArtsAliveEvents. It always starts with an @ symbol, and if you include somebody’s handle in your tweet, they will be notified of it and can retweet you /reply HASHTAG – putting a # before a word or phrase to turn it into a search term, so that you can search for other tweets about the same subject FACEBOOK ➢ Facebook enables users to add other users as friends, exchange messages, post status updates, share content like photos and videos on their own page and on others’ pages, and to like fan pages (like ours!) ➢ You will need to set up a Facebook Fan Page to act as your venue (or just for your AA events), so that the public can like the page and see the information you post. To create a fan page you need to already have a Facebook account from which to run it. ➢ Main Facebook terminology: LIKE – if a member of the public “likes” your page the things you post will appear on their Facebook home page. You can also “like” individual posts, i.e. demonstrating your approval! COMMENT – Self-explanatory! A comment on a post on your FB page SHARE – If somebody shares your post, it will appear on their profile so that their friends/page fans can see it. You can also share others’ posts. This may look confusing written down, but once you’ve grasped the basics it becomes much easier! As with everything, the best way to improve your social media know how is through practice. It will become much clearer once you start tweeting/Facebooking, and the more you use it the easier it will become. 39
HOW TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA EFFECTIVELY Arts Alive’s Social Media Marketing Tips This handout is intended to accompany the social media handbook which you can now download from the promoters section of our website. It is a guide for using social media for total beginners, how to get started, and how to develop your online presence. Do have a read as it goes into a lot more detail than we can here and will hopefully be useful to you and your team! ➢ Post regularly. This doesn’t mean spending all day online (as too much posting is also detrimental!) but do try and post at least a few times a week, and check your notifications regularly to see if anybody has contacted you, and try to respond promptly. An inactive social media account is worse than not having one at all. ➢ Keep your posts relevant and interesting to your target audience. Facebook uses an algorithm to determine who sees your posts; if they are irrelevant to your fans then they won’t appear in their newsfeed and your efforts will be wasted! ➢ Don’t over retweet. Do retweet things that you think will be interesting to your audience, and to help out your community (for example retweet an upcoming local charity event) but if you retweet everything you see then your own message will get lost! ➢ When you have booked your shows, follow the companies/performers on Twitter. When you write tweets promoting your event, include their handles, and ours (@ArtsAliveEvents), so that we will be notified of the tweet. We will definitely retweet you, and it is almost certain that the company will if they are active on twitter! This will massively increase your audience per tweet. ➢ Add photos to your social media posts. There is no doubt that this increases the number of people who will read and engage with your post as they are more eye catching than a block of text. The e-flyers we produce for each show are very useful here! ➢ Try and keep the number of people you follow on Twitter fairly balanced with your number of followers. Obviously at the start you will be following more people than you have followers, but once you start to build up an audience don’t let the gap widen too much. You don’t need to follow every random account that follows you! Your Twitter account will look less credible if you follow 2000 people and only have 84 followers… ➢ Keep your social media “voice” friendly and informal. One of the great advantages of social media is that it allows you to connect with your audience, and what makes Arts Alive events unique is their friendly, informal atmosphere. Build on this by making online connections. ➢ Sign up for webinars. These are really helpful thirty minute online audio seminars, which explain many different aspects of using Twitter/Facebook for marketing, including the latest updates. There are lots of different ones which a quick google search will bring up, Twitter Academy is particularly good. There are also plenty of useful articles online! Make use of these resources. Speak to Cerin if you have any social media questions you want to discuss! You can email her cerin@artsalive.co.uk or ring the office on 01588 620883 (option 1)
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APPENDIX 9: GREEN TOURING STATEMENT GREEN STATEMENT FOR COMPANIES AND PROMOTERS With Climate Change high on the agenda, it is important that all those involved with Arts Alive recognise, and try to minimise, the impact that touring has on the environment. Arts Alive is committed to doing its bit for a cleaner, greener world but we ask for the support of companies, venues and our promoters to more effectively mitigate this impact. We appreciate that being greener takes time, effort and resource. Your involvement is valued – by Arts Alive and the planet! For more information and support on making your own operations more environmentally sustainable, please visit www.juliesbicycle.co.uk. We hope that you can consider the green steps below. Greener companies: • • • • • • • • •
Use 100% post-consumer recyclable paper for print materials Print and send only the requested amount of materials Use refillable water bottles, reusable lunch boxes etc. If requesting refreshment from promoters, liaise in advance to ensure little food waste Reuse and recycle costumes, props and scenery Introduce a ‘no idling’ policy for all vehicles, turning off engines when stationary Share transport or use public transport, where possible Ensure you know the recycling procedures at the venue, taking home any recycling materials that can’t be processed on site Contact promoters one month prior to your show to arrange your get-in, access and parking etc to reduce any stress on the day reduce mileage/fuel
Greener promoters and venues: • • • • • • • • • • • •
Provide free, potable drinking water via a tap rather than bottles Provide reusable plates, cutlery, mugs, glasses: avoid Styrofoam and plastic Consider organic, seasonal and locally sourced products with no/minimal disposable packaging, if providing food Reallocate, donate or compost unopened food and drink where possible Use lights and heating only when the building is in use Provide and clearly label recycling facilities at the venue Request only the amount of printed material reasonably required Share local parking and accommodation information with companies to reduce mileage / fuel Encourage audiences to walk, cycle, use public transport or car-share to performances, where possible Consider digital publicity as an alternative to paper, where possible, such as E-flyers and E-posters on village/venue websites Go paperless with ticketing and use Arts Alive E-ticketing: train volunteers to recognise e-tickets presented on digital devices If printing is required, use recycled paper
P: 01588 620883 (opt 1)
W: www.artsalive.co.uk
Arts Alive | Enterprise House | Station Street | Bishops Castle | SY9 5AQ
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For promoting with Arts Alive
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