7 Smart Tips to Plan Your First Corporate Concert (& Make it Successful)

A lively concert scene with a large crowd raising their hands, illuminated by bright yellow stage lights and dramatic lighting effects.

Image Credit: Nainoa Shizuru from Unsplash.

Concerts often end up bringing in thousands of attendees, with many boasting tens of thousands, no matter what time of the year they’re on. It’s easy to see why you could want to plan your first concert. Your business could end up making quite a bit of money out of it as an income stream

But, that only happens if you actually know what you’re doing. Even if you’re experienced in the musical industry, this could take a lot more time, effort, and hard work than you’d think. It’s far from impossible, though.

A few concert planning tips could make it more straightforward while giving you a better chance of making it successful.

A concert crowd with hands raised in excitement, some forming heart shapes. Bright stage lights illuminate the scene.

1. Decide on the Venue

The first decision you’ll usually need to make for your concert is where you’ll have it, just like with a business event. For many people, this can be relatively obvious, especially if there’s a popular local event space. But, it’s still worth spending a decent bit of time thinking this over. More factors could affect your decision than you would’ve thought.

You’ll need to consider the cost of renting the venue to throw your concert, how many people can fit in the space, how easy and accessible it is to get to, and more. These are all essential pieces of information to know, as they’ll impact how many tickets you can sell, and other areas.

Take the time to weigh several venues before making a decision.

2. Pick the Right Talent

The musical talent you book for your concert is another one of the important decisions you’ll need to make. And, it’s one you should spend a lot of time considering. It’ll directly impact how many people are interested in the concert and whether they’re willing to buy a ticket to it, after all.

You’ll need to balance this popularity with how much it’ll cost to hire the musical talent. This is especially worth focusing on if you’re booking multiple acts and have a relatively tight talent budget. Spend some time researching your options to see which ones are worth going for.

A diverse group of musicians performing together in a cozy studio setting, featuring a male singer, a drummer, a guitarist, a saxophonist, and others playing percussion instruments.

3. Find the Right Suppliers

Speaking of talent, these are far from the only people you’ll have to handle for your concert. You’ll also need more than a few suppliers, too. These include security, lighting and sound specialists, caterers, and any other third parties you’ll need for your event. They’ll be the ones you need to hire for your event’s essentials.

Spend time comparing your options before making a decision. There’ll be more than a few of these, and some could be better for your circumstances than others. Look into testimonials and reviews from previous clients to get an idea of what working with them is actually like before making a decision.

While that takes time, it should be more than worth it once your concert goes off well.

4. Price the Tickets Right

Selling tickets will be a priority when you’re throwing your event. You’ll need to price these high enough so you can actually make a profit. But, that doesn’t mean just picking a random number as your price. You’ll need to consider more than a few factors first. Your costs will be one of the more notable of these.

You’ll then need to price your tickets high enough to cover these while still making a profit. Naturally, the amount of tickets on offer has a significant impact on this. But, you’ll also need to keep the price low enough for people to actually buy them. This can be tricky, but it’ll be more than worth the time and effort you put into it.

A band performing on stage with vibrant purple lighting, featuring a drummer, a female vocalist in a hoodie, and other musicians playing guitar and bass.

5. Don’t Overlook Permits & Insurance

You’ll need more than a few permits before you can throw your concert, and it’s always worth putting the time and effort into getting them as early as possible. There can often be a bit of back and forth, and it could take you longer than you’d think to get these. Make this a priority from as soon as you start planning the event.

Then there’s the insurance you could need to get. In most places, you’ll legally need to get this before the event can take place. But, that doesn’t mean just going with whatever the mandatory minimum is. It’s often worth going for something more comprehensive, just in case.

You never know what could happen, so it’s worth being protected.

6. Create a Comfortable Backstage

Usually, your musical talent will be kept in a private area before and after they play so they can get ready without being disturbed. This doesn’t mean just having a random room in your venue picked for them. You’re much better off making sure they have a comfortable environment to spend time in.

This makes sure they’re able to play to the best of their abilities, which directly impacts your attendees’ experience. And, it’s worth making sure your attendees are comfortable, too. Even if they’ll be standing for the concert, they should still be warm and feel safe the entire time they’re there.

A musician playing an electric guitar on stage with dramatic lighting effects, while a drummer is visible in the background.

7. Promote Properly

You’ll need a minimum number of people to come to your concert for you to break even, and that’s before you even start making a profit. This isn’t going to happen by accident. You’ll need to actively promote your concert ahead of time if you actually want it to be as well-attended as possible.

The earlier you start with this, the more excitement and buzz you can generate. As you get closer to your concert, ramping this up makes sure you sell as many tickets as possible ahead of time. While there’ll still be people who turn up on the night to buy tickets, the right marketing lets you bring in sales from as early as possible.

This should help make sure the concert is actually successful.

Trying to plan your first concert and make it successful often takes more time and effort than many people realize. But, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Focusing on the right concert planning tips could make it a lot more straightforward.