Music lovers attend live music events and festivals to create long-lasting memories and experience once-in-a-lifetime moments. At the center of music events and festivals are the performers – the talents that draw those fond of the performing arts.
Booking a popular performer for live music events and festivals draws a large crowd to your event and traffic to your event ticketing site. The lineup, paired with a smart and meticulous marketing plan will boost your ticket revenues, making your concert a successful sensation for your team and event attendees.
Music eventgoers are drawn to these events because they want they want a front row seat to catch their favorite artist live, or in a hybrid capacity. For some attendees, it may be a first time event, making it that much more important to think about attendee and artist interactions.
The way to make your music event and festival special for your attendees is by organizing a meet-and-greet. Meet-and-greets are a fantastic way to personalize the music event experience for your attendees. They get to enjoy the event live, and they have the opportunity to meet the artists and bands performing.
Offering a meet and greet package is a great way to attract your target audience and can be utilized as a unique marketing tactic. For your next music event or festival, consider organizing a meet-and-greet. You could do this by offering exclusive VIP packages for purchase to potential eventgoers, or as separately available meet and greet tickets.
Also Read: How To Plan A Music Event From The Ground Up
Before you begin, keep these handy tips in mind to make sure your event meet and greet is a great experience for everyone involved.
Organize Multiple Teams to Tackle Different Tasks
A meet-and-greet is an easy and accessible way to ensure your music events and festivals have a lasting impact on attendees. But things can go wrong fast when you’re unprepared and lack the manpower to manage the meet-and-greet on the night of the event.
The first thing you want to do is organize multiple teams and assign them different tasks to tackle. For example, create a floor team to handle and guide the lucky fans through the venue towards their favorite band or musician. Placing a team to handle smooth attendee management is key to a successful, hassle-free meet and greet.
If your meet greet tickets are only included in particular ticket packages, it would be ideal to assign different teams to the different packages, with your team briefed on the inclusions of each package. If a package includes complementary merchandise, attendees would be able to have their merchandise signed by their favorite musician, if their ticket package includes this activity.
The team will be in charge of greeting the eventgoers and guiding them on where to go during the course of the event, ensuring that your meet-and-greet runs smoothly without confusion.
Consider Adding Your Meet and Greet Experience to Exclusive VIP Packages and VIP tickets
A way to boost ticket sales of a particular tier is to include exclusive offers and activities as part of the tier. In the case of meet and greets, an important decision to make is your ticket inventory. Based on the timeline you have to follow, a certain number of attendees should be able to have a completely hassle-free meet and greet experience.
Further including your meet and greet tickets as part of a VIP package will entice hardcore fans to opt for the VIP experience. On the other hand, you must consider your audience and their buyer habits as well. You may come to find that a separately available meet and greet package would be a better fit for your event. It is important to understand your ticket tiers and inventory as part of the initial planning stage.
Also Read: How To Cultivate A Loyal Fan Community And Reap The Ongoing Benefits
Reach out to Attendees
This could be a job for one of the teams you have created for the meet-and-greet! A dedicated team could be in charge of reaching out to attendees and contacting them about the opportunity for the meet-and-greet. They will send out invitations, register them for the special event, and update them consistently about certain guidelines about the meet-and-greet.
When you receive confirmation from your attendees, be sure to create a guest list, send the guests special gear such as badges, lanyards, and passes to attend the meet-and-greet, and contact them about the logistics of the event itself.
Also Read: 5 Important Strategies Every Promoter Should Implement To Bolster Audience Interest
One way of really making sure deserving people get access to the meet-and-greet is by setting up a pre-registration program. Ticket Fairy also allows you to use PREWARDS™, where users have to follow certain steps to earn points after they pre-register for the event.
Attendees are encouraged to share the event with friends and other fans, follow pages, and can be rewarded with a meet-and-greet for their hard work! You can set up the points system as you like, with some in-built options like these. This is easily available in the Edit > Pre-Registration option when you access your event.
Confirm a Timeline and Agenda
You want to create a meticulous agenda for your meet greet experience, with timestamps to make sure all the attendees have enough time to meet the performers, including individual or particular band members. Consider if you want the meet-and-greet to be held before or after the music event or festival and confirm with your artists and their band members and team as well.
Next, allot a general timeframe for the meet greet event. For example, you establish that meet greets will take place after the actual event for 45 minutes, and there are 25 guests. Space out enough time slots for each guest to meet the performers and have the floor team prompt and guide them when their time is up. Whether planning for a band on tour, or a music festival with a varying line up, confirming fixed time slots can save you from going off schedule.
Understand and Set up Your Floor Plan
The floor plan for your meet and greet is important. Create and distribute guides for your attendees to follow and have your floor team prepared with the map of the plan.
They’ll guide guests through the meet-and-greet and ensure things go smoothly. Think about if you want to set up an area for the artist to sit and a table for them to sign memorabilia or merchandise. Or, perhaps, a space with a backdrop for guests to have pictures taken with their favorite performers and bands!
The floor plan is the core of the meet-and-greet so make sure you hammer out the details as best you can.
Also Read: The Backstage Essentials At Every Successful Festival
Coordinate With Security
Having a security team protects not only the artists from any disturbances or uncomforting moments, but it also ensures that the attendees are safe within the event space.
Coordinate with the security team at the venue by communicating consistently with them. Make sure that they are well-versed with what is allowed by the artists and attendees and that they are familiar with the floor plan. Having a competent security team onboard creates a safe and well-managed environment for all those present.
Implement a Safety Protocol
It will be paramount to ensure both guests and performers are comfortable during the meet greet. Implementing a safety protocol is a welcome way to consider and tend to necessary rules, wants and whims of those in attendance as well as those performing.
Some performers may have restrictions to maintain their safety while meeting their fans. There may also be the occasional nervous attendee that would benefit from a host guiding them through the meet greet session. This could be anything from managing photo ops to organizing an autograph from their favorite singer. Consider the wants of all those at the meet and greet to implement a safety protocol that is uniquely equipped as per your understanding of the event.
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Your safety protocol may also call for changes to your floor plan and adjustments with time slots and activities during the meet greet session. Remember that what will set your meet greet experience apart from others is how seamlessly it can run, and your safety protocol will likely be the vital cog that makes your meet greet memorable for attendees.
Communicate With Your Artists and Attendees About Rules
Once you have decided on all the crucial details and logistics leading to the day or night of the event, the final step is to make sure all parties are well informed and up to date on the rules and regulations just as much as they are aware of the other details about the meet greet.
Having already coordinated with artists and their teams to understand their safety requirements, your task is to put this across to attendees in a positive and encouraging manner. Artists may have certain boundaries that attendees may not have a clear idea of, and as the organizer of your meet greet, maintaining decorum will be where your skills are called in most.
Dedicate a team that is completely briefed on the meet greet session’s rules and regulations, and highlight any details they should be discretionary about. If a band prefers not to appear in a picture, it will be up to your team to maneuver attendees and the band through the situation. It may also be beneficial to include regulations for liquor consumption to ensure a person carrying a drink is only permitted in certain sections.
Don’t forget to brief your team on all important details, and inform attendees of guidelines pertaining to the meet greet to ensure a positive, memorable experience for all.
Also Read: 10 Aspects Of Event Planning Every Promoter Should Check In On
Meet-and-greets are a fantastic way to transform your music event or festival into a special and personalized experience for your eventgoers. It’s always a fun experience to meet your favorite singer or band, so making sure that you provide a safe and positive atmosphere for your eventgoers to meet the artists is important. By incorporating these tips when you organize your next meet-and-greet, you will be able to help your attendees create a wonderful experience at your music event or festival.
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