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Whether your venue holds thousands or you run an intimate function room, empty space is the last thing you want. And filling your venue with keen audience members starts with booking top bands. But how can you show bands and artists that your venue is the place to be? 

Much of it comes down to marketing. After all, venue marketing isn’t just about getting your name out to customers — it’s also a great way to show musicians that you offer an excellent performance experience. 

However, event venue marketing doesn’t only relate to ads, either. We’re here to show you how the way you look after the bands on your roster can do wonders for your reputation and venue marketing efforts.

How to promote a function venue and stand out to artists

Your venue’s reputation is a big factor when it comes to appealing to bands and artists. While your classic venue marketing strategy will come into play (we’ll look at this more later), word of mouth is a huge driver in the music business. 

Not only will treating artists well help you build long-lasting relationships and secure repeat bookings, it can also do much of your venue marketing for you. Satisfied bands and artists are more likely to recommend you to other musicians. 

With this in mind, here are some of our top tips and venue marketing ideas for appealing to bands and artists. 

1. Offer outstanding communication 

From completing your initial gig instructions, your first meeting with a band, to the post-show follow-up, it's essential to communicate clearly and consistently. Promptly answering questions, being transparent about expectations, and providing all necessary details can make a big difference. 

Bands appreciate knowing they can rely on you — and word of your reliability will soon get around.

2. Showcase top-notch facilities 

Do you have a comfortable space for artists to get ready and relax in between sets? Your facilities don’t need to be elaborate, but a backstage area that’s clean, well-maintained, and has essential amenities — think: seating, mirrors, and essential refreshments — will create a great first impression. This all shows that you can look after the musicians you book. Most importantly, venues should think about an effective and safe stage set up. From good sound and lighting, to high quality equipment and an adequate stage structure for performing - artists will take notice of the care your venue has taken to provide facilities that will benefit them and their performance. 

3. Provide support

To really stand out to potential bookings, go the extra mile. From recommending other venues to play at within the local area to suggesting helpful contacts within the industry that could assist them with their career progression, additional support shows that you genuinely care about the artists’ welfare. It is also important to get the basics right, for instance sharing the venue’s direct contact telephone number or business email with the musician, DJ or entertainer, will ensure that you can provide support to them should they contact you with an issue pre or post gig.  

You could also offer to promote them on your social media — they might even return the favour and share your details with their network. 

4. Pay in full and on time 

Timely payment shows that you are reliable and respect a band’s work — a big factor in building your reputation as a fantastic venue. 

‍Top tip: 51������ bands through 51������ makes managing your invoices fast and easy, ensuring  your artists are paid promptly. Take a look at our guide to booking bands and musicians with 51������ for more details. Is there meant to be a backlink here?

5. Keep up with current trends

Want to shine as a modern and adaptable venue? See what’s trending in the music world. Recognising what competitors are doing — and what musicians like about those competitors — can help you stand out. 

Whether it’s integrating the latest sound and lighting equipment or keeping an eye out for popular music genres and emerging artists, knowing what’s trending can help you with your music and event marketing. Make sure to regularly check out artists working with 51������ to keep up to date with the freshest new music artists. 

With this knowledge, you can plan promotional campaigns strategically and optimise your venue's appeal.

6. Create a strong venue marketing strategy

This leads us on to our final point — event and venue marketing strategies. How can you promote your gigs and venue in a way that will encourage future artists to book with you?

• Know your audience: What type of bands do you want to attract? Conduct some research to see what they look for in a venue and see what platforms they’re active on. 

• Use multiple platforms: Don’t restrict yourself to one marketing platform, however. Diversify, using a range of channels to showcase what makes your venue the ideal spot for performers. 

• Harness local SEO: Try to include location keywords when promoting your venue online. This aspect of search engine optimisation (SEO) will help you become more visible when artists are looking for music venues in London, Manchester, Leeds or another particular area.

Band booking made easy with 51������

These tips can help you stand out to bands and artists, alongside utilising the 51������ platform, boosting your bookings and managing them from one central place. Our platform puts you in touch with talented artists and simplifies the booking process, so you can fill your roster and showcase what makes your venue special. 

Take a look at our pricing tiers for more information and get in touch to see how we can help.