Event Setup

Workflow for programming, ticketing, promotion, and execution of weekly events. Framework for understanding how Pride acquires customers and delivers programming.

Programming Model

Head of Programming: Emily (contractor, 38 hours/week). Emily books artists, manages event scheduling, coordinates promotion across Instagram/Facebook/Google/TryBooking.

Event types:

• DJ nights (most frequent)
• Drag performances
• Karaoke events
• Themed parties
• Ticketed special events
• Community partnerships (Pride parade, IDAHOBIT, Drag King Festival)

Frequency: ~4 events per week (Wed–Sat), most ticketed. Walk-in trade ~5 customers per 100-ticket event (~5%).

Customer Acquisition Channels

Almost all customers are pre-acquired via:

• TryBooking: Ticketing platform; primary ticket sales channel
• Instagram/Facebook: Promotion and event discovery; Meta Business Suite for scheduling
• Google Business Profile: Local search and review visibility (4.7-star rating, 100+ reviews)
• PromoTix: Secondary ticketing platform (testing in late 2026)
• Word of mouth: Community reputation, repeat attendees
• Email: Emerging channel via TryBooking customer database and PinTuna loyalty programme

Limitation: Email list fragmented across TryBooking, PinTuna, and meet@ enquiry inbox. No unified customer database or segmentation strategy.

Ticketing Process

1. Event conception: Emily identifies artist, date, theme
2. TryBooking setup: Create event, price tiers, promotional details
3. Artist contract: Mat finalises contract (payment, technical requirements, promotion)
4. Promotion: Emily schedules posts across Instagram/Facebook; announces on Google Business Profile; email notification (manual)
5. Sales period: Tickets sold via TryBooking (primary) and walk-in bookings via meet@ email
6. Event execution: Setup, bartending, security, performance
7. Post-event: Attendance data printed from TryBooking and discarded (critical data loss)

Attendance Tracking Gap

Current practice: TryBooking generates attendance list. Pride prints tickets and throws away the list.

Data loss: Actual attendance (vs tickets sold) not tracked; customer attendance patterns not analysed; no historical record for trend analysis.

Opportunity: Automation Opportunities Priority 2 — automate weekly export of TryBooking attendance data to structured log (CSV or database) for business intelligence.

Email Enquiry Management

Current state: Customer enquiries arrive at meet@ email address. Multiple staff respond to same enquiry; next enquiry goes unanswered. Meta DMs routed to request folders where spam catches real enquiries.

Impact: Lost bookings, customer frustration, decision delays on availability/pricing.

Improvement: Automation Opportunities Priority 1 (email triage system) — implement shared inbox with assignment rules so each enquiry routes once and assigns clearly.

Promotion Workflow

Responsibility: Emily (Head of Programming)

Channels:

• Instagram stories and posts (Meta Business Suite scheduling)
• Facebook event pages (Meta Business Suite)
• Google Business Profile updates
• Email (TryBooking mailing, manual at present)
• Community partnerships (Pride parade, IDAHOBIT visibility)

Challenges:

• Limited graphic design capacity (no dedicated designer; Emily manages all visuals)
• Promotional timing optimisation unknown (no data on post timing vs ticket sales correlation)
• Content performance analytics not reviewed systematically

Opportunity: Automation Opportunities Priority 3 — analyse Instagram/Meta analytics correlation with ticket sales to optimise promotion timing and content type.

Event Revenue Model

Revenue sources per event:

• Ticket sales (primary; price point $15–$30 typical)
• Bar sales (secondary; highly variable by event type and audience composition)
• Merchandise (minimal current operation)
• Functions (emerging; requires dedicated enquiry process)

Cost sources per event:

• Performer fees ($300–$2,000 depending on act)
• Security (flat $500–$700 per night by licence requirement)
• Promotion (staff time, primarily)
• Stock (liquor, variable by attendance)

Profitability: Highly dependent on attendance rate. A cancelled event or poor turnout (e.g., 20% of expected) cascades into weekly cash shortfall.

Post-Event Reporting Gap

Current practice: No event P&L calculated; no attendance analysis; no revenue/cost correlation.

Opportunity: Automation Opportunities Priority 2 (event and function P&L reporting) — query Square transaction data by event and Xero cost allocation to calculate event-level P&L automatically.

Strategic value: Enable Emily and Mat to review event outcomes and optimise programming decisions based on data.

Functions and Private Hire

Current state: Function enquiries arrive at meet@ email. Ad hoc pricing and availability responses. No template or standardised process.

Potential: Limited exploration of function market potential. Private hire events could smooth revenue across weekdays if properly promoted.

Improvement: Automation Opportunities Priority 3 (function inquiry response system) — develop 3–5 templated responses to common function enquiry types (size, timing, budget, dietary needs, etc.); route enquiries to shared space for review.

Relationship to Strategic Initiatives

• Kitchen Expansion: Functions and weekday casual dining require clearer event/function inquiry process
• Revenue Diversification: Event model shifts from nightclub to food/beverage venue; new event types (brunch, afternoon social) emerge
• Automation Opportunities: Email triage, P&L reporting, and attendance tracking directly support programming decision-making

Related Pages

• Bar Operations — execution of ticketed events
• Venue Operations — venue setup and operations during events
• Trading Pattern — revenue concentration driven by event model
• Staffing Model — Emily’s role and programming leadership