Dodgy at The Citadel

November 2011

As discussed at the start of my blog, I also duty manage events held at The Citadel Arts Centre, St. Helens.  This evening there was a performance by 90's Brit-pop band Dodgy. 

The types of events that I duty manage can be varied, including poetry readings and psychic evenings, however they are predominantly music events.  My responsibilities when duty managing include:

• Liasing with artist/performer and their management
• Ensuring door and onstage times are adhered to
• Allocation of roles and responsibilties to my colleagues
• Overseeing the preparation of venue, including soundcheck and lighting

Ticket sales for this event had been building steadily in the weeks prior to the event and a large attendence was expected.  There were also two support bands and where this is the case, it is imperative that the soundchecks are effectivey managed as there is often an issue with the soundchecks over-running.  This can impact hugely on the smooth running of the event in terms of actual onstage times and managing customers expectations.

The Citadel has a strict curfew of 23.00 hours (much to a lot of artists disapproval!) If any event exceeds this curfew, the artist is liable to pay additional room hire  and all associated staff  and technical costs.  I ensure that I make this clear to all artists in a polite way prior to the event to avoid any confusion.

Duty managing demands a high level of interpersonal skills as it is necessary to deal with staff, artists and audience members alike. It also important to have the ability to re-prioritise at short notice as unforeseen circumstances often occur and must be dealt with quickly and efficiently to ensure that there is no disruption to the event.
 
Fortunately tonight's event was a success and all advertised on-stage times were adhered to.