What will I be doing?

If you enjoy promoting events, consider doing it for money from your home. A show promoter designs, coordinates, funds and markets events and shows for specific groups. You might bring a rock-and-roll revival show to town, or you may produce a local car show. Do what you love. This work involves a lot of organizing, making phone calls and developing contacts and connections. In some ways this line of work can be said to require the skills of an event planner with the connections of a talent agent.

What will I need to start?

You must have proven experience in promotion: Maybe you’ve helped a local civic group put on a talent show or a special fund-raising event or
maybe you’ve helped coordinate the arrival of an out-of-town speaker for your church. You have a real desire to learn more about show promotion.

To promote a show you will need to know who else promotes events in your area as well as what media (radio, TV, newspapers) are typically used. You will also need to have contacts within your field such as national booking agents.

Who will my customers be?

Your customers will be those who pay admission or a fee to bring an entertainer or speaker to your area. You may organize a local program for a touring musical group or a prominent personality, but your ultimate customers will be those who pay the bills.

You can find your customers by first identifying what types of shows you want to promote: business, entertainment, education, religious, etc. Then finding and contacting customers will be much easier. If your business tries to be all things to all people, it will probably serve none of them well enough to be profitable.

How much should I charge?

Show or event promoters earn a good income with rates of $35 to $75 an hour. Most are paid by percentage of gate receipts or profits, or a set fee based on estimated time required to produce. For example, a promoter who produces a one-day seminar of business speakers may earn 10 percent of the admission fees plus 5 to 10 percent of the back-of-the-room sales of books and videos. A music show promoter’s percent of gate receipts will probably be larger, but so will the risk of loss.

How much will I make?

Show promoters will build their business to a specific number of events per year or season. A music promoter may try to produce three or four shows during the summer or six during the year. A seminar promoter may work on just one or two sessions per year. Income from these events will range from $25,000 to $75,000 a year after talent fees and overhead costs are paid.

How can I get started?

Show promotion is a craft. It requires attention to detail, promotional skills, a knowledge of the entertainment industry, contacts within the field being promoted and an understanding of what shows will do best in the area. Gain these skills and you’ll have laid the foundation for potential success as a show promoter.

How can I use computers to increase profits?

Modern show promoters do much of their work on computers. They check artists’ and booking agents’ websites for availability, emailing offers and agreements. They book the venue online. They promote the event online. Andy they produce flyers promoting the event using desktop publishing software.