Booking a show for your community
This page takes you through the steps involved to put on an event through Night Out.
1. Getting started
Register your organisation using the Sign-in option in the top menu bar. Follow the registration process and submit your details to let us know about your local community organisation and what you do.
Once registered you can put in an application. Please note authorisation of your booking may take a few days.
2. Planning an event
Contact us at the Night Out office or check our database for great ideas on suitable shows for your hall. You can book professional performers you have discovered elsewhere, but we do not cover choirs, pantomimes or tribute acts. Get in touch with the performer, make sure their show can fit your venue, check what they require and if they can provide publicity materials, then pencil in a date.
You need to make an application through the Night Out website at least four weeks before the event, but preferably much earlier. You set the ticket prices, which should reflect what is affordable in your community, and the value of the show. Tickets can be printed for you if requested for no extra charge.
Night Out will pay the performer's fee, which can vary greatly in scale and may cost anything up to £950. Your venue will get the performer at a standard subsidised price, which is currently 50% of the full fee up to a maximum of £300 (£200 if the venue is in the top 20% of the Welsh index of Multiple Deprivation, WIMD).
You don't have to pay anything back until after the event. In some cases, we can arrange for this to be completely or partially guaranteed by your local authority so that your risk of losing money is either minimised or eliminated.
It is possible to book more expensive shows that cost above £950 up to a maximum performer fee of £2,500. However, instead of the guarantee being £300, the amount your organisation must pay back will go up by the same amount the performer fee is above the £950. (Our booking system automatically detects if your venue will receive the WIMD discount.)
Peformer Fees and Guarantees
Total Performer Fees |
Guarantee (the minimum you must pay back) |
|---|---|
£300 |
£150 |
£500 |
£250 (£200 top 20% WIMD) |
£600 |
£300 (£200) |
£950 |
£300 (£200) |
£1200 |
£550 (£450) |
£2500 |
£1850 (£1750) |
3. Putting on the event
You are responsible for putting on the event, so make sure you have others who can help with the workload.
Check with your local authority to see if you need a Temporary Events Notice or other licence - this needs to be applied for an absolute minimum of ten working days before the event. If you do not apply in time, the event will have to be cancelled and you may be liable for cancellation fees.
Check with the performers when you will receive their publicity or press information, what time they need to set up, how the show is staged, where they can get changed and any technical or access issues - a photo of the performance space may help with this. Please ask if they would like food or a drink on the night and, if so, check dietary requirements.
Social media may prove your best option for marketing and promotion but don't forget to promote the event to your local press and community; put up posters and remember word of mouth is crucial. Please credit Night Out support and include information about disabled access at the venue - Click here for more advice on accessibility. Click here for ideas on promoting your event.
At the start of the event, introduce the show and mention if there is an interval, go through basic health and safety issues (fire exits, turn off mobile phones etc) and please acknowledge support from Night Out and other funders. Unless the performers say otherwise, close the bar or tuck shop during the performance and don't let an interval raffle overrun. Have a great time!
4. After the event
We pay the performer their full fee upon receipt of their invoice and report form. You complete our simple report form to declare your ticket income and once received, we will send you an invoice for any payment to the Arts Council of Wales. For direct payments, our bank details are on the bottom of the invoice. Exact financial arrangements may vary slightly.
If you don't make £300/£200 but have a local authority guarantee, this will cover the difference. Just send the ticket income you have and we will bill your local authority for the deficit. We just expect you to try your best to sell the performance.
If you make more than £300/£200 your group can keep the next £100 profit, or more if your agreed costs are higher. Any money after that, up to the full performer cost, should be returned to Night Out so we can support someone else's event. Please note that this only applies to the ticket income. Any money raised from the sale of refreshments or a raffle would be yours to keep.