Writing A Venue Contract
You’re sometimes left alone to the task of promoting yourself through events and knowing all the tips and tricks of establishing venue contracts are important in securing your time and money against dead ends.
A good written contract can go a long way in ensuring that no surprises will ruin your event when it takes place. You can’t personally anticipate every possible shortcoming that can occur in the middle of your party, but thanks to a well thought-out contract, you can always guard yourself against the worst case scenario. It may benefit you to take advice from a legal expert when larger events are concerned, but simply being careful about writing the contract will suffice in most cases.
All important members from venues and promoters alike must be represented in the contract. It’s important not to leave anyone out, because there are lots of people filling important roles during the event and all of their responsibilities and rights must be featured in the contract.
Description of the premises where your event will take place must be included. You want there to be no misunderstandings regarding the building and exact space which will be allocated to you.
Both time and date at which the event takes place should be clearly mentioned. It is necessary to avoid any confusion regarding the amount of time for which the premises will be available to you.
The event must be described in detail, including styles of music and the format of the event. It will prevent the venue from making unexpected changes at the last moment.
Duration of the contract must be outlined, including the trial period, if any.
Terms of cancellation should be stated clearly in the contract to protect you from losing any payments you may have already made prior to the event. This policy will also give the venue an extra incentive to abide by the contract, just in case complications arise.
Special events and holidays must be taken into account when writing the contract. If your event is planned for such a day, this must be discussed with the venue in detail. If the budget, the format or the location must be adjusted differently than on usual days, all of that must be included in the contract.
The responsibility for booking your talent and covering all the costs is something that the contract should state explicitly.
The use and availability of sound or other equipment must not be overlooked in the contract.
Conditions of sponsorship are a major concern of the contract, because any sponsorship deals require cooperation between the venue and the promoters. In case of a drinks sponsor, for example, these particular drinks bust be featured exclusively during the event, which is the responsibility of the venue. The same goes for any other sponsored products. Everything must go through the venue and the people involved must be made aware of that not only personally, but also in writing, where their signatures can confirm it.
It must be made clear that all matters of financial liability will be endured by the venue.
Staff and their responsibilities are to be outlined in the contract. Whether the money collected from the door will be yours, the venue’s or split between you, security and other responsibilities; everything matters and can potentially lead to disputes, if not described in sufficient detail.
The way revenue will be shared with the venue must be addressed in the contract. The main income usually comes from taking entry fees at the door and serving drinks at the bar. During some events merchandise sales generate plenty of revenue as well. This part of the contract must reflect the exact percentages that will go to each side of the contract.
As for the merchandise sales themselves, products like CDs and T-shirts can’t be just sold on a whim. The right to do so by any of the sides must be explicitly stated in the contract.
The way promotion and marketing will be handled is another concern for the contract. Advertisements, promotional posters, flyers, mass mailing and teams of promoters are just a few of the possible ways of handling it. The contract prescribes which side handles the expenses and to what extent. Similarly, any outsiders that may be invited for extra promotional efforts at the event itself should be mentioned in the contract.
If other promoters will be present at the event, whether in collaboration with you or on their own behalf, the venue must make you aware of it through the contract, and the other way around.
Supervising the money count is a right that should be included if your side is to have any cut from the event’s revenue. Even if trust doesn’t seem to be an issue, it’s simply the regular order of things and will only serve as an extra safety measure.
The exact time of pay-out can be clarified in the contract to avoid misunderstandings with the venue and ensure that your business relationship is finalized properly.
Some payments should be handled before the event, like the guaranteed salary of your team. If the venue handles all the pay-outs, the contract should allow them to bypass you and pay all the promoters, DJs and other staff from your side before the event takes place. Alternatively, you can handle the payments yourself, but be just as quick about it.
In the end, throwing a successful event is all about understanding your responsibilities and accounting for possible complications. Bad planning can leave you with no profit even after the best event in the world, and absence of a thought out contract will account for much of that failure. If you foresee all the possible complications, no matter how unlikely, and include them in your contract, your chances of turning up profit will increase significantly. Hope for the best and expect the worst, as they say.
Finally, do not attempt to organize an event you can’t pay for in advance. Things won’t always go your way, so don’t risk more than you can handle.