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Venue Toolkit

Securing the right venue is one of the most important decisions you will make. We present events and activities in all sorts of venues. A venue can be a high street business, a room in a pub, a community hall, sports hall or even a station platform.

Securing a Venue 

Look for a venue that suits your work practically. It’s also worth considering whether the look and feel of the venue matches your event and if it has adequate footfall. 

Have a look at the Venue Directory on our website to get an idea of the venues available in Wandsworth. 

If you find a venue that is not on the directory that you want to use, let us know and we will get it added to the directory.

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Once you have a made a list of potential venues, consider the following questions:

  • Capacity – Does it meet your needs? If this is your first time hosting an event, be realistic in your expectations.
  • Location and audience – Is it close to transport, does the venue have an existing audience that suits your event?
  • How is the venue planning to market and publicise any events?
  • What technical facilities does the venue offer? Is this included in the hire or is it an extra charge?
  • Is the venue licensed? Is it important that audiences can grab a drink pre or post show?
  • Who will be running the box office, if applicable, and front of house?
  • Is your venue wheelchair accessible? Does it have an accessible toilet?
  • Budget – what is the cost of hiring the venue?
  • What does the hire fee cover? Does it include marketing support and technical staff for example?
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Common Venue Hire Structures

  • STRAIGHT HIRE - Venues charge a fixed flat rental and the artist keeps 100% of the box office or exhibition sales. This is the most straightforward arrangement. It means the artist takes on all the financial risk.
  • BOX OFFICE SPLIT - The artist and venue split the box office takings. The percentage split will vary depending on the individual agreement. A common share is 70–80% (artist), 30–20% (venue).
  • NO VENUE HIRE - The venue is offered at no charge. However, there may be charges for staff, technical equipment etc. This is a popular option with events that bring in other revenue for the venue such as food and beverage sales.

Get it in Writing 

  • Who is responsible for the technical requirements?
  • Agree supply and use of any venue equipment (can you use chairs, tables, toilets etc.?)
  • Who is responsible for venue set up each night?
  • Who is responsible for venue pack down and cleaning?
  • Do you have permission to store props and/or artwork?
  • Who will be in charge of box office sales, and how will it work?
  • Venue staffing
  • Licensing fees
  • Cancellation policy for both the artist and venue
  • Additional fees not included in venue hire
  • Payment details and conditions
  • All contributors must have Public Liability Insurance

Make sure that everything you have negotiated with your venue is included in a contract or agreement. Ensure you understand your financial commitments as well as performance and exhibition commitments – if you are unclear about anything get in touch with us. 

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Download our venue agreement template - You can use this document as a template to formalise the  agreement with your venue.

Please note: this is not a legally binding contract, just a structure to guide you through the process of clarifying what you and your venue expect from one another.

All financial and contractual details are directly between you and the venue, not Wandsworth Council.