Will you be given sufficient access to the venue and enough pack in and pack out time? 

THE PLACE

  How secure is the venue while you or your equipment/money is there?

OF LITTLE

  For outdoor venues, what are the wet weather alternatives? How do you inform your public?

CHE

  Does the venue have any requirements for sponsor branding that may conflict with your own?

A well planned marketing

Make the most of venue organisers. They've usually seen hundreds of people through

campaign for Little Che in

their venue and have learned a thing or two. Use them as testing boards: show them your

2000 was key to a

successful first season and

poster design, talk through your marketing and promotion, and find out if they have any

sowed the seeds for a

friendly suppliers.

national tour in 2002.

The purpose of the first

season of Little Che was to

Position

 test run  the piece in

This refers to the position of your product in the market. The measure of this is how you

small fringe venues with an

want your public to perceive you, particularly when compared to your competitors.

eye to touring at a later

stage. With this and the

When other events are competing for the same target markets it's important that you

target audience in mind, it

identify your points of difference to ensure that your product stands out as unique.

was decided to stage the

The needs, desires and perceptions of your target markets will determine how you

show in small, fringe style

1

position your event. Factors such as price and place have a big impact on the audience

venues with low financial

you attract and, therefore, on your position in the market. The quality of paper you

risk. The choice of fringe

choose for your flyer reflects where you are positioning yourself in the market place. 

venues would also keep a

large part of the potential

audience away. This

seemingly perverse idea was

Promotion

so that the play's initial

Once you've identified the six other Ps you are ready to put together your promotional

developmental season didn't

strategy. You have worked out what you have to market and who you wish to target.

capture a large slice of the

You've worked out the behaviour of your target segments and how to reach them, and

market for return seasons

have lessened the obstacles of place and price. The rest of this guide is about developing

to the same town or city.

your promotional strategy and putting it into action.

The venues selected were

BATS Theatre in Wellington

For the seven Ps' template:

and The SiLO in Auckland.

Both these venues are

recognised fringe venues

and familiar to their target

markets. They take a small

percentage of the door take

as venue hire. Not only does

this lower the financial risk,

it means ticket prices can

remain affordable to their

targets.

Promoting Little Che at

BATS Theatre in

Wellington and SiLO

Theatre in Auckland

14

Smart arts

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