Festival Bookings Book 2 Years On One Call
Here’s the scoop on how to increase festival bookings—book 2 years on one call.
Getting into your festival of choice is not an easy task. There is so much competition vying for so few performance slots. So how can you make yourself look more attractive to the artistic director?
First spend some time on the festival site and get familiar with what the festival is about. Get a real understanding of the scope of the festival and what the director is trying to accomplish with their programming. Look over last year’s schedule and read all the workshop titles and who performed in those workshops. See anything familiar or performers that you know? Can you do something like what is being promoted here?
Take a look at all the stages if it is a multi-stage festival. Those smaller stages are probably the right place for you to enter the festival if you are a first timer. As you view the main stage time slots and acts, can you see potential time slots that might be good for you to get your foot in the door. Pay attention to those non-prime time evening slots, if the festival runs night stages?
Now when you make your call or send your email or letter, you might suggest that it would be appropriate for you to play one of the side stages or a time slot earlier in the day so you can introduce yourself to their festival audience THIS YEAR. Then, since you anticipate things going well, you would like to put a hold on a slightly better time slot next year. This way all the effort put into building your relationship with their audience this year will benefit the festival next year with your return visit.
And if they are interested in setting this up now, contingent on you doing as well as you think you’ll do, you are willing to set your fee now at a lower amount than what you might be getting paid next year.
Everyone wins here, you get two gigs, the festival gets an audience building situation as do you and they get a good act at a great price for next year if you do well this year. This can work well if you develop a relationship with the artistic director, have been nurturing a slot at this festival and are willing to really understand what the festival is about and trying to accomplish with their programming. Give it a try.
Next week: Festival Bookings— When to Book Festivals
Have you ever dared try to book two years in one call? Is there a festival you’ve been nurturing for years and still haven’t gotten in?
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I can’t wait to hear about your success.
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