Make Your Next Event Unforgettable...

Introduction

The planning of an event like having a speaker, clown, magician or some similar type of artist, can be both exciting and frightening at the same time.  This can be especially true for the events coordinator.  There is of course the thrill of the event and the anticipation of seeing all the happy faces in the audience.  There is most definitely a deep feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes with carrying out a successful event.

At the same time there is the fear. The fear of whether or not anyone will show up is at the top of the list usually.  Then there is the fear of whether or not the entertainment will show up or cancel out.  Then there is always the concern if the audience will enjoy the program among many other things.

With a little extra effort on your part, most if not all of these concerns can be greatly diminished.  You should enjoy this event as much if not more than your audience because after all you are the one most responsible for bringing the production to reality.

The fear of a low turn out can greatly be relieved simply by talking with people.  Nothing will better insure that people will show up for a party, show or similar event as much as a personal invitation.  Of course you cannot personally invite everyone, but making a conscious effort to personally invite as many potential people as you can will help to assure that at least some people will be there.  Logic dictates that you know there will be at least a few more in attendance than the ones in which you gave a personal invitation.

You can also control the fear regarding the audience’s response to the entertainment.  First rest assured that Castlewood’s entertainers have been doing these types of shows for years.  They are equipped to handle most situations in which they are placed.  This does not mean that at times something won’t go wrong.  But chances are our entertainers have dealt with most situations that may arise and they are trained to adapt if necessary.

Another thing you can do to encourage your audience to enjoy the program is to play up the acts.  It is a psychological principle that people will enjoy something more if they think it is rare, that the thing is highly praised and they will gain excitement from your excitement.  So outwardly expressing your excitement will automatically excite everyone else.

The fear of a “no show” performer is probably the most frightening.  Some event planners lose many nights of sleep, days before the program for fear that the entertainment will not show up.  At this point in Castlewood’s history we have never had a “no show”.  We take a lot of precautions to prevent this but that is not to say that it will never happen.  Accidents, family emergencies and other uncontrollable effects do occur from time to time.  But let me reassure you by explaining how we try to prevent this from happening:  

First, several weeks before the event, the performer is given a printout from the internet telling them exactly how to get to your location.  They are also given your contact information and every performer is required to carry a cell phone with them at all times.

Second, if the performers are traveling a great distance to get to your event, they strive to at least get into your city many hours before the event is to start.  That way if they were to have car problems they could either call you, a tow truck or some other form of emergency transportation to get them to your event.  Sometimes due to travel, an overnight stay in a hotel is necessary to insure that they are near your location should an emergency arise.

Third, our performers try to get to your location at least an hour before the event begins.  This gives them time to set up, test the sound systems, make any adjustments to the performing area and hopefully have a few minutes to calm down and relax before the actual show begins.  Sometimes due to time restrains on the performer these early arrivals are not always possible but this is why we try to limit the amount of shows each performer does in one day.  It means less money for Castlewood and for the performer but the thought of a “no show” scares us as much as it may you so we don’t feel that the gamble is worth it.

Finally, if there were to be an accident or a family emergency, Castlewood has a good working relation with many performers around the area and we will do everything possible to get someone there as a replacement before the event begins.

Rest assure that Castlewood is probably more frightened than you that something will happen to prevent your event from being a success.  We are constantly looking at worst-case scenarios in order to try to head off any disasters ahead of time.


Staging Requirements

Every performer has different needs in order to perform their act successfully.  Castlewood tries to work with the entertainers that we represent so that everyone has similar needs and can operate in similar situations.  We provide our performers with the sound equipment, loading carts and other types of items to create a top-notch show.  By standardizing the performing area they can be better prepared when they arrive at your event.

The following is a schematic of a typical performing area.  There are not many requirements and often times simply moving a piece of furniture, or changing the direction that the performer will play to will alleviate the problem.


Most all of our performers have very few requirements.  Keep in mind these are simply suggestions for making it easier and quicker to get the show set up.  We can work with almost any situation.

1.  The performers prefer to work with their backs against a solid wall and the sides of the staging blocked.  This blocking of the sides can be achieved using portable dividers, or simply placing masking tape on the floor so that people will not set on the sides of the staging area.

2.  A power outlet for 110v AC needs to be close by to power the sound systems.  Most performers carry a 50-foot extension cord with them and the sound systems have a 20-foot cord.  In the very rare instance that there is no power outlet within 70 feet of the performing area, you may need to provide a heavy-duty power cord.

3.  Because the sound equipment is bulky, most performers try to use a cart of some sort to haul the equipment inside.  If you have steps or stairs leading to the performing area please notify the performer of any ramps or elevators that they may use.

4.  Please make sure that someone will be at the theater or hall at least one hours before the show so that the performers can get set up and have time to relax for a few minutes before performing.  When a performer is rushed it shows in the performance.

That is about it as far as requirements go.  Seating arrangements can be totally up to you.  Many areas set up chairs in the back for the adults and allow the children to set up front on the floor.  Again our performers are prepared to work with what you have.  Chairs or benches for everyone as well as bleachers are all fine.  Sometimes our performers have even had to work with the entire audience standing.


How To Promote Your Event

Probably the most difficult thing for someone promoting or hosting a program is getting the word out.  Advertising can be very expensive.  That is why Castlewood tries to alleviate this worry by providing you with as much promotional material as necessary.  Such items include professionally produced radio commercials and flyers.

Radio Commercials:
Our commercials are recorded on state of the art equipment in a recording studio so that your local radio station will have no problems airing them.  This free service alone can save you hundreds of dollars because of expensive recording studio fees.

Each commercial is thirty seconds long and is recorded three times on your CD.  The reason for this is some players will not recognize that there is audio on a CD if the audio is less than thirty seconds.  These players basically interpret the CD as being blank but having at least 90 seconds of audio will eliminate this problem in most instances.

You are probably aware that radio airtime can also be rather expensive sometimes.  So how do you get your commercial aired if you don’t have the budget?  Well if the event is open and at no cost to the public, then almost all radio stations have time set aside for public service announcements.  This time allocated may not be prime or may not air at the best time to reach your desired audience, however it is free.

Some radio stations will also sell you discounted prime airtime if they have space available that has not been purchased.  This discount can be rather large if you are not making a profit, however it is not guaranteed to air at a specific time.

You can use the commercial through your PA system.  You can either simply run it as a stand-alone announcement every half hour or if you have background music running, intermingle it with the music.

Here is another way to use the commercial.  Set up a small kiosk with a flyer; sign up sheet and other promotional material.  A small portable CD player is all that is needed with a small sign that says “To Hear More About This Event, Press Play”.

Flyers & Posters:
Flyers and Posters can be very effective in promoting your event.  The more you post the better will be your results.  It can be especially effective if your potential audience sees the flyer or poster at least three times in three different locations.  The obvious place to put up posters and flyers is of course the door.  Be sure to place one facing both ways, going in and going out.

A few other places to put flyers that are quite often overlooked is in the bathrooms, over the water fountain, at the information desk, at the entrance and exit of every room in the facility, periodically around the rooms and one in a reading room or break room.

Don’t forget to place some around town.  Good locations include grocery stores, the lobbies of department stores and other businesses.

If you really want to get the word out, try getting permission to hand out the flyers to the teachers to give to their students, to daycares, boy and girl scout troops or even have someone standing on the street handing them out to passers by.  And don’t forget to give a flyer to every customer that comes through your establishment.

Castlewood provides you with several hard copies of our flyers or posters as well as copies on a computer disk.  The hard copies are for you to both post as well as make copies of if you like.  The computer disk version is provided to you so that you can print our copies on your computer printer or take them to a professional printer to have printed.  This by the way is the most cost effective way to promote with flyers.

Other Ways To Promote:
There are numerous ways to promote your event to insure a good turn out.  Most, simply take a little imagination and a little work.  Here are just a few ideas:

Free Community Announcements – Most newspapers and radio stations have time and space allocated to community events and announcements.  Usually there are restrictions on who can use this free public service so call and check.

A Coloring Contest – Find a picture that is themed for your event and have the children color and submit their art.  Be sure to hang these on the wall as they are submitted.  Make sure the prize is displayed ahead of time and let everyone know the winner will be announced at the event.  Decide who will pick the winner before the contest begins.  If it is a local celebrity, it will bring more interest to the contest.

A Raffle – If you are hosting a magician, try raffling off a magic set or magic tricks to promote the event.  Castlewood can provide these to you at wholesale cost.  If it is a clown, musician, actor or themed program you can auction off books pertaining to these subjects.  Setting up a box for names to be dropped in will bring attention to your event.

Banners – Put banners out front of the place where the show will be held about a week before the event.  Remember to included dates and times.  You can have banners made at your local sign shop.

Business Handouts – Other businesses and organizations may be willing to give out one of your flyers to their customers by simply dropping them in the customer’s bags.

Sponsored Handout – Castlewood can provide you with a master flyer of the performance with places for local businesses to advertise.  Sell this space and hand out the flyers to everyone that attends the performance.

Don’t forget the best advertisement of all, word of mouth.  Talk to people and invite them.  You will not believe the power of a verbal invitation.  It makes people feel special that you are directing your message especially towards them rather than mass advertising.  Ask for a commitment.  “So I will see you there tonight”?  Once people make a verbal commitment they will think twice before breaking that commitment.

Sponsorship
So you want to hire a performer or host an event but lack the funding?  That can possibly be the least of your worries, especially if you are a nonprofit organization or the event is being offered free to the public.  Castlewood has worked with many organizations to come up with the funding to host a performance.

First, Castlewood works very hard to keep their cost down so more people can experience our shows.  This is also the reason we try to provide you with everything you need to promote the show.  Because we know if we can help you have a successful event, then you will use our services more often.  So Castlewood will go the extra mile should you decide to use a sponsor or two to help offset the cost.  The way we can do this is at your request we can incorporate the name of your sponsor or sponsors into our program.  We will even contact your sponsor if you wish to make sure we get the details correct regarding the message they will want delivered.

Usually we will start the program by mentioning who the program is being sponsored by.  Our performers will try to mention it again during the program and finally one last time at the conclusion of the program.  We are also more than happy to display around the staging area any advertisement that your sponsor may provide. 

How do you go about getting these sponsors?  Well many businesses are always looking for ways to help the community as good public relations.  You can contact some of these businesses, especially those that may tend to lean heavily in the public relation area.  Businesses that fall into this category may be children related businesses such as children clothing stores, toy manufacturers and daycares.  Quite often banks have children’s programs to encourage children to open savings accounts and these banks could be a good source for sponsorship.

Don’t forget your local department stores, utility companies and beverage companies.  All of these have specific interests in maintaining good public relations.

Individuals are also a good source for sponsorship.  Again, because Castlewood’s shows are so affordable, it is rather easy for one or two individuals to sponsor one of our programs.  In this case, our performers would be more than happy to give these sponsors a special seat, have a photograph taken with them and acknowledge to the public during the show that this person or persons are responsible for bringing the program to them.  The performers would encourage the audience to show appreciation for these individuals contribution.

How To Make Extra Income

Many organizations use Castlewood’s programs for fundraising events.  It is very possible to earn thousands of dollars for your group or organization with very little investment.

If your organization does not have the facilities to host a show, consider trying to rent the hall used by local civics groups such as Moose Lodges, Elks Lodges, VFW halls, and civic centers.  Many times these civic groups will not only offer the use of the building at no charge, but will help in planning and working the event. Also local hotels, banks and libraries may have conference rooms available to the public.

The first way to earn income from a show is to sell tickets.  You can purchase tickets at most party supply houses or have them printed.  You will find a sample ticket template on the promotional computer disk provided by Castlewood.

If you are a school looking to earn income for the PTA, Band, Field Trip, etc, then this may actually be one of the best ways to earn that money.  If every child is given six tickets to the program to sell at $2.00 each child will easily earn $12.00.  Most often the parents or grandparents will purchase these tickets, which means no door-to-door type of selling for the children.  This is a good safety benefit.  It also means that a small school can earn up to $3500.  Unlike the tradition of selling candy bars, candles or other such items, almost all of this money is pure profit.

Another way to earn extra money with our programs is through concessions.  There can be huge profits in concessions.  Think about this.  Most movie theaters do not make anything on the ticket sales.  Almost all of their profit comes from concessions.  These concessions require very little investment again.

Most cities have a place where a popcorn machine can either be rented or borrowed.  Look to the civic organizations for these as well as cotton candy machines and soda dispensers.  Many times soft drink distributors will provide you free dispensers and the cups for special events if you purchase the soda from them.

Another source of income is performance paraphernalia.  Most Castlewood performers have large 8 1/2” x 11” lithograph pictures that could be sold by you and the money would be split between you and Castlewood.  There is no cost to you at all.  We provide the lithographs and the performers will even autograph them for the public if requested at no extra expense if time allows.  Please talk to your Castlewood representative about this source of extra income if you are interested.

Castlewood can also provide you with magic sets, magic tricks, posters, DVD’s and other items that you can sell in the back room before and after the performance.  Again, talk to your friendly Castlewood representative about these products.

Other Ideas:

1.  You can purchase tickets at most party supply houses or have them printed very inexpensively at your local printer.  Many people prefer assigned numbered seats so they won't have to fight for a seat.  You may want to consider purchasing a stamp or number gun so that each ticket can be stamped with a seat number.  Of course don't forget to number the seats.  Make sure that the tickets include the name of the show, cost, location, time and name of the organization that is sponsoring the show.

3.  Have the tickets sold by the individuals involved in the project, by students, local businesses etc.  If local banks and other businesses are not financially sponsoring the event, maybe they will at least display advertising and sell tickets for your organization.  Keep track of how many tickets are left at each location and don't forget to reward these businesses by advertising their business and giving them some complimentary tickets.

4.  Publicity is the key.  Because it is a fund raiser many newspapers as well as radio stations may possibly donate some advertising space.  Note that by law all radio stations must allocate some air time to announcing special and community events and events for non profit organizations.  Castlewood can provide you with professionally produced black and white art for newspaper advertising as well as a professionally produced thirty second radio ads.

5.  Have some of our 8 1/2” x 11” posters printed or photo copied and placed around town in highly visible high traffic areas such as malls, shopping centers, grocery stores and fast food chains.

6.  Organize a staff to handle the publicity concerns and another group to take care of show operations.  Designate who will be overall in charge of the event, who will be in charge of setting up chairs, who will take the money at the door and who will be in charge of concessions etc.

7.  Get the word to Castlewood as soon as possible about the times and locations of the event so that there are no last minute problems such as lost performers or misunderstood times or directions.

8.  Make sure that someone will be at the theater or hall at least two hours before the show so that the performers can get set up and have time to relax for a few minutes before performing.  When a performer is rushed it shows in the performance.

9.  If there are to be sound or lighting personnel, make sure that they are also at the theater at least an hour and a half before the performance.

10.  If you will have a concession stand, arrange for the products to be picked up or delivered and who will manage this as well.

11.  Make extra money by selling show souvenirs such as t-shirts, autographed posters and photos, magic tricks etc.  Make sure you have a person appointed to this specific task.

12.  Get sponsors to keep your costs down.  Remember they are helping you, so make sure you give them proper credit by having their name posted on all advertising and announced the night of the performance. 

13.  Make sure you know all of your volunteers.  They could make or break you.

14.  Make sure all of the volunteers are polite, courteous, respectful, friendly and cheerful.

15.  Make sure all volunteers practice good grooming and personal hygiene.

16.  A well-organized team will work to your advantage.

17.  Watch out for time-wasters!

18.  Be safety and security conscious.  Have security arranged to be at performance before guests begin arriving.  You can never be too safe.  

19. Be prepared for the unexpected and inconvenient.

20.  Be positive and have a great time!

Newspaper Ads that Work!

Studies show that ads with pictures pull 25% better than those with only words and 15% better than ads with line drawings


We hope this information gives you ideas for producing your own successful event.  Remember Castlewood has as much of an interest in the success of your program as you do.  If there is anything that we can do to assist you in this undertaking, please fell free to give us a call.  Your success insures our success.

Thank you for trusting us.  We will do our very best to exceed your expectations!