If you have a venue that you want to improve attendance for or generate more income from, hosting a film festival or film event could be the perfect solution. Venues like local parks, sports venues, rec centers, and schools have ample space to host these events, which can bring communities together and show people the wonder of film.
Whether you are a business wanting to make better use of their venue, or a film superfan who wants to host an event, we’ve listed five simple tips below that can help to create your own event.
1. Choose a Film Genre or Theme for the Event
While many film festivals like Raindance host festivals with various films and shorts being shown, consider streamlining your event and settling on a specific theme or genre. This could help capture a specific audience or give potential attendees a clear idea of what the event is about and what they can expect.
For example, perhaps you want to have a film event at your local rec center geared towards children. In this scenario, perhaps a Disney theme or superhero theme could be appropriate. Choosing a theme can also help with marketing your event.
2. Consider the Maximum Possible Attendance
Depending on the location of your film event, there is most likely a maximum attendance capacity. For example, you might have a specific area in a local park that you can use for seating, or your school hall may only accommodate a specific number of seats. No matter your choice, putting an upper attendance limit in place allows you to structure the other aspects of your film event including:
- Seating
- Food and drink volumes
- Number of required staff and volunteers
You can also make sure that any marketing clearly states how many seats are available and that it is a limited-attendance event only. This makes sure that no one is disappointed, and that the event isn’t overcrowded or unsafe.
3. Health and Safety Compliance
You must give proper consideration to the health and safety of the event. The exact compliances and requirements will vary depending on your venue, but it often includes factors like risk assessments and making sure things are in place like fire exits and safeguarding for children. Health and safety policies will have to extend to employees and volunteers, any third-party contractors (such as trade show services that may be setting up the stage or seating, or exhibit areas), and the public who will be attending the film event.
4. Prepare the Film Viewing Area
The main reason people attend film festivals and film viewing events is to enjoy the media so it’s important to give this part due consideration. Ideally, you need to think about the following aspects to give the ultimate viewing experience:
- How the films will be shown
- The sound technology used
- Acoustics of the venue
- Seating positioning for viewing comfort
Ideally, you should have a large projector screen supported in a frame that isn’t washed out by light. You should then look at sound projection and consider things like multiple speakers positioned around the stage and seating area to give the best immersion possible. You’ll also want the seating to be positioned in such a way that everyone can see the screen without obstruction.
5. Use Multiple Marketing Channels to Promote the Event
Word of mouth can work to some degree for your film event, but to make sure your venue is packed-out, make use of free marketing channels. There are multiple ways you can do this but the most cost-effective way is to use social media. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are free to use, and you can reach a wide potential audience easily.
Use your existing social media profiles for the venue to create dedicated marketing posts for the event. You can create custom hashtags to generate interest. Also, make sure you use multimedia elements in your posts including photos and video shorts of the venue.
Most social media platforms also have live functions where you could host Q&A sessions about the event or do a live preview of the venue with a snippet of one of the films playing, for example. Be creative and use social media to generate interest in your film festival.
Make Your Film Event a Success with These Simple Tips
A film festival requires planning and forethought. However, if you use the tips we’ve listed above you can make a memorable event that the public can enjoy safely. To finish, make sure you make estimates of the costs for all the elements of the film event beforehand. With a clear budget in mind, you can set ticket prices accordingly to make sure the costs are covered.
