Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society Roadshow

11 February 2012Venue 150 @ EICC

Welcome by Barry Church-Woods

Panelist Introductions

Christabel Anderson

Kath Mainland

Laura Eaton-Lewis

Richard Wetherington

Sam Gough

Barry Church-Woods

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

• Largest arts festival in the world

• Entirely open access

• Began in 1947

• Artist led

• 2542 events registered in 2011

• Ranges across all art forms

Fringe Programme

Festival Fringe and the Festival Fringe Society

http://www.edfringe.com/about-us

Journey from A to B – Summary

• Research and sign up to the mailing list on edfringe.com

• Find a venue and negotiate your performance slot

including dates, times and ticket prices. Visit

www.edfringe.com/participants/venue-search

• Register your show with the Fringe Society

• Visit www.edfringe.com/participants/show-registration

Fringe Fees

• Registration fees are dependent on the length of the run

• 1 to 2 shows £96.00 including VAT

• 3 to 5 shows £204 including VAT

• 6 or more shows £295.20 including VAT if you register by

21 March

• 6 or more shows £393.60 including VAT to register by

11 April, the printed programme deadline

Deadlines

• 11 April 2012 for the printed programme

• Most performers and companies submit their information

for the printed programme

• 97% of our audience have seen the printed programme

• Registration after 11 April for web-only listings is open

until the end of the festival

Preparing for the Fringe

• Book accommodation

• Rehearse your show bearing in mind the technical and

time constraints of the Fringe

• Maintain contact with your venue

• Plan your Media and Marketing campaign

Making the Most of the Fringe

• See other shows

• Come into Fringe Central, our participants’ centre,

for networking and development events

Motivation to Participate in Fringe

• Do a show you believe in and meet the punters half way

• Can be a launch pad for future touring

Presenting work in Edinburgh

• Motivation can be to make

piece of work and meet

other artists

• Formative experience

• Remember to print flyers!

Reasons to come to the Fringe

• Opportunity to perform with

your peers and to

producers and promoters

• Opportunity to be part of

the largest arts festival in

the world

• An addictive experience!

Why Are You Coming to the Fringe and What Should You Bring?

• Understand why you want to

do the Fringe

• Then pair what you bring

with what you want to get

out of it

• No right answer to what will

do well

• Believe in your work, bring

your best work

Sam Gough

• Most venues will offer box

office splits

• Usually venues will require

a guaranteed minimum

payment

The Fringe Guide to Choosing a Venue

• Visit www.edfringe.com/uploads/docs/participants/

Fringe_guide_to_choosing_a_venue_2012.pdf

• Speak to venue managers

and ask questions

• Find out how the financial

deals work, what is and

what isn’t included

• What works for you?

Research Venues and Locations

• Do lots of research

• What other work has been presented in that space?

• Where will your show fit in?

• Use last year’s programme as a guide, visit:

www.edfringe.com/whats-on/programme

Venue Financial Models

• Free model – venue is free and you don't charge for tickets

‣ Works as a collective

• Straight hire fee – venue fee is fixed in advance and you

keep all your ticket sales

‣ Works well if you need to know your costs up front

• Box office split with guarantee – you and your venue split

ticket income

‣ Often 60/40 in the company’s favour but subject to

minimum guaranteed payment to the venue

Edinburgh is not Conventional

• Shows go on all day and all night throughout the festival

• Constant turnover of work

• Time of day you perform is important

• No right or wrong slot but conventions that exist elsewhere

might not apply

‣ Children's shows often in the morning

‣ Theatre in the afternoon, and

‣ Comedy in the evening – you can follow trends or not

When to Perform

• Remember other festivals are taking place in Edinburgh

• Think about who your audience is

• What are you in competition with?

• Ask your venue manager for advice and use last year’s

programme

Negotiating Venue Agreement

• Trust in the Venue Manager is important

• Maintain a good relationship

• Location and venue buzz is important

• Contact more than one venue, have a number of options

• Don’t play venues off against each other

• Speak to other companies and artists who have

performed at venues

• Find your niche

Venue Technical Support

• Facilities vary widely

‣ Most will have lights, sound and seating – it could be basic or quite

advanced

• Communication is key – know what the venue is providing, what you

have to bring and who is paying for what

• Limited set up time as you are sharing the space with other companies

• It’s amazing what you can achieve in limited turnarounds if you are

prepared

• Think about storage, shared dressing rooms and valuables – know

where everything is going

• Most venues are temporary so don’t assume anything and keep in

contact with the Venue Manager

How do You Get the Money?

• Scottish based artists can

apply to Made in Scotland by

November the year before

• Crowdsourcing e.g.

www.wefund.com

• No one answer, talk to other

companies

• Everything from bake sales

to public money

The Fringe Guide to Selling a Show

Visit www.edfringe.com/uploads/docs/participants/Fringe_guide_to_selling_a_show_2012.pdf

The Fringe Programme

• Use your programme entry as the

cornerstone of your marketing

campaign

• You have 40 words to sell your

show

• Show your entry to people who

don’t know your show to get their

feedback

• Image is important

• Use your image and text

consistently throughout your

campaign

Value of a Public Relation Specialist

• Not everyone needs a PR specialist, it depends why you are

coming to the Fringe

• You should have one person to co-ordinate media and

marketing

• An outside eye is useful in working out how to communicate

your message

• Find the PR who is right for you, build a personal relationship

• If you are looking for reviews and future touring, it’s good to

have one person, who knows the Fringe concentrating on

your PR

Flyers

• Flyers are vital to selling your show

• Flyering can be soul destroying!

• If you are in a one-person show, ask any other people who are

involved to flyer or make pals with other solo performers and flyer for

each other

• Some shows are suited to flyering in big visual costumes on the

Royal Mile, some aren’t

• Find similar shows in the Fringe Programme and exit flyer

• Engage the audience, get to know people and what they what to see

Fringe Society Resources

• Use the Fringe Guide to Selling A Show which

includes case studies

• Contact the Media team on media@edfringe.com

• http://www.edfringe.com/uploads/docs/participants/

Fringe_guide_to_selling_a_show_2012.pdf

Networking Opportunities

• Networking is just talking to people, the Fringe is very friendly

• Be open to talking to everyone

• Be friendly and get to know people properly – you may meet

your future collaborators

• Be business ready – have flyers and business cards ready

• Know what to say about your show and what questions to ask

• Come to Fringe Central for events and discussions as an

easy way to start your networking

• Use the Participant Development service – visit

www.edfringe.com/participants/participant-development

Sam's Advice

• Understand how to finance

your show

• Rehearse a 10 to 15

second pitch which you

can give to anyone at

anytime – you never know

Richard's Advice

• Do something you really

believe in and love

Laura's Advice

• Get together the best team

you can

• Build a relationship with

your venue and PR team

Kath's Advice

• Be open to all of the

fantastic things happening

around you

Christabel's Advice

• Use the resources of the

Fringe Society – we’re here

to help, so get in touch

• www.edfringe.com/

participants

• participants@edfringe.com

• 0131 226 0026

• And in August come and see

us at Fringe Central!

Barry's Advice

• Look after yourself –

eat some vegetables!

Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society Roadshow 11 February 2012

For more information on participating in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe,

visit www.edfringe.com/participants

Produced by Inner Ear (www.innerear.co.uk)