Programming your venue
There are several ways to have comedy in your venue during our festivals. Below are three of the most common ways that venues arrange their comedy line-ups:
You book the line-up
If you already have a regular comedy night at your venue or if you book your own music and comedy entertainment during the rest of the year then one way to book a programme would be to do it yourself.
Many comedians have an agent and often display their details on their Instagram page or website. If they don't have an agent then they will likely have their own contact details available. If you want to book your own line-up then we recommend starting by contacting them or their agent and finding out their availability and what their fee is. If they are available on the date you want and you can afford to, you can agree to book them and add them to your programme.
If you are going to do this then we recommend that you think about who your audience is and who you want to attract to your venue. You don't want to alienate your existing customers by booking an act who they won't enjoy.
If this is your first time being part of the festival we suggest starting by booking a few shows and increasing the number of comedians you book in the following years once you are familiar with how the festival works.
Work with a promoter
Comedy promoters are people who put on comedy shows. They book comedians to perform and liaise with them about their show. There are several promoters in Leicester and the Midlands who are part of Leicester Comedy Festival. Working with a promoter is a good way to book a programme for the festival as they act as the go-between for you and the comedians and are normally knowledgeable about good up-and-coming comedians and what would work for your space.
You can find a promoter by searching for them online and contacting them through their social media or website. Alternatively, if this is an option you would like to explore you can let us know and we will do our best to put you in contact with someone.
Pay us to book you a show
With over 30 years of experience, we are pretty much experts on booking comedy. For a fee, we can book you a line-up of comedy for your venue and in return you will take the ticket income. This works very well for venues that are out in the county. Here is a testimonial from the organisers of Comedy on the Wolds:
"Waltham on the Wolds village hall has been hosting the annual ‘Comedy on the Wolds’ as part of the Festival for six years and during this time it has become increasingly popular, with sold out shows every year. Our community really embraces the event; we open the bar and invite a local hot food van so that guests can eat and drink during and after the show. Our capacity is around 110 seated and we use a mix of tables and chairs to create a relaxed atmosphere. It has definitely been worth the investment and we always make a profit upwards of £500 from a combination of ticket and bar sales which goes to our village charity. We find it really simple to run, the acts need very little guidance, and we sell all tickets through the Festival Box Office taking the hassle out of selling tickets ourselves. Its become a firm fixture in our annual events programme."
If you would like to explore this option please email info@bigdifferencecompany.co.uk