Any orchestra or cultural institution needs predictability and, above all, good organization for a successful season program. In this sense, we consider that planning, scheduling, and logistical elements are the most important factors to take into account when planning a successful season.
Of course, the manager is not the only one involved in setting up these plans, but they are the one who needs to consider each element and put them together to have a successful season. Here are some tips for planning a season down to the smallest detail, which will be a true success:
Plan Ahead: To have good predictability, every season must be planned well in advance and not left to the last minute. The risks of not planning a season in advance include difficulties in finding external soloists or venues for concerts, and, last but not least, the fact that the audience may have already decided to attend other events that were announced before the orchestra’s season.
Realistic Planning: The planning must be realistic, without exaggerating the number of concerts in the season. Overloading the season with concerts can lead to fatigue among orchestra members and selective attendance from the audience. It is important to have an exact rhythm for concerts. For example, if you want to have two concerts per week, at least one of them should be on a specific day (Sunday or Saturday), and there should be an equal number of days off between concerts. This helps the audience to predict their schedules and plan to attend the concerts. At the same time, it is crucial for the musicians to have an equal number of days to prepare for each concert.
Variety of Locations: When scheduling concerts, try to use different venues to be closer to all areas in the city where the orchestra operates and to diversify the locations. Monotony is probably one of the biggest enemies in our dynamic and ever-changing society. The audience does not want a routine in your season; they prefer each season you organize to bring new and innovative elements.
Logistics and Finances: Probably the biggest challenge for any manager when organizing a season is logistics and financial aspects. Even if the audience does not see this, every manager knows that the logistics of the venue, instruments, and personnel is a constant challenge and often very costly. Massive instruments used by an orchestra, such as the piano, are not easy to transport between different locations. So if there is no piano in the location where you want to organize a concert, and your repertoire requires a soloist on this instrument, you need to find a way to transport it. The companies that handle this are often few and very busy, so you need to plan the logistics necessary for each concert in advance and find solutions for everything to be perfect. When we talk about logistics, especially if we are organizing a concert in locations other than the usual one, we also need to think about transporting the instruments and, of course, larger volume instruments, such as the double bass. We cannot rely on the simple fact that a double bass player must have a car to transport their instrument; we need to think that various variable elements may appear that could lead to the impossibility of transporting the instruments or orchestra members that need to be resolved and established in advance.
Media Materials: In the logistics area, we must also consider the photo or audio-video materials from the events because these must promote your future events and represent evidence for the audience of the quality of the artistic performance.
In conclusion, we want to emphasize that in the logistics area, you also need to consider the photo or audio-video materials from the events because these must promote your future events and represent evidence for the audience of the quality of the artistic performance.
