Moving to the middle scale
'Forced Entertainment works in a variety of spaces, from small studios to large theatres to non-theatre spaces including galleries, warehouses and cellars. The company's 2001 performance piece, First Night, was the first piece produced by the company specifically for middle-scale theatres and was followed by The Voices in 2003, and Bloody Mess in 2004.
Developing ownership of our audiences
We had to make sure we had a direct connection to our existing audience base, by actively collecting and analysing our own audience data, and using our databases, mailing lists and email lists and website to communicate directly with them.
It's really important for a touring company to have a direct relationship with their own audiences, rather than relying on venues to communicate with them. Also, when touring on a larger scale (or to a new venue) it's important to be able to provide the venue with as much information as possible about your own audience, which they can use to segment theirs. Any information you have from audience research is really useful.
Providing the material that venues need
It is important to make sure that we provide venues with all the material they need to sell the show.
Larger venues may require different information, or information to be provided in a different way - it's best to ask and be really clear - for example do they have a separate press department, and if so, what information do they require from the company? Do they require print to be overprinted? What are the timescales for providing information? It's important to make sure these things are worked out as early as possible, and to check the contract carefully for any stipulations.
Good communication!
Building and developing relationships with venue marketing staff is crucial at every level and on every scale, whether it's one person responsible for programming, marketing and administration or a press and marketing department of 20.
Working at a different scale can make a difference, for example, sometimes a large marketing department may work in separate offices, or even separate buildings - a touring company might need to communicate with a number of people. Marketing meetings are even more important at this scale, as it will probably be the only opportunity to get everyone together to talk about the show.
Knowing the size and nature of the marketing function of a venue also helps to manage expectations - the company knows what facilities a venue has and how much input they can expect from each venue. It is then possible to identify venues where extra effort might be needed and ones that can be relied upon for a lot of support.'