The document summarizes information presented at an Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society roadshow about participating in the Fringe festival. It provides details on registering a show, venue options, important deadlines, marketing, and advice from panelists. The panelists emphasized preparing the show, choosing the right venue, using Fringe Society resources, networking, and believing in the work.

1. Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Society Roadshow
11 February 2012
Venue 150 @ EICC

2. Welcome by Barry Church-Woods

3. Panelist Introductions

4. Christabel Anderson

5. Kath Mainland

6. Laura Eaton-Lewis

7. Richard Wetherington

8. Sam Gough

9. Barry Church-Woods

10. Edinburgh Festival Fringe
• Largest arts festival in the world
• Entirely open access
• Began in 1947
• Artist led
• 2542 events registered in 2011
• Ranges across all art forms

11. Fringe Programme

12. Festival Fringe and the Festival Fringe Society
http://www.edfringe.com/about-us

13. Journey from A to B – Summary
• Research and sign up to the mailing list on edfringe.com
• Find a venue and negotiate your performance slot
including dates, times and ticket prices. Visit
www.edfringe.com/participants/venue-search
• Register your show with the Fringe Society
• Visit www.edfringe.com/participants/show-registration

14. Fringe Fees
• Registration fees are dependent on the length of the run
• 1 to 2 shows £96.00 including VAT
• 3 to 5 shows £204 including VAT
• 6 or more shows £295.20 including VAT if you register by
21 March
• 6 or more shows £393.60 including VAT to register by
11 April, the printed programme deadline

15. Deadlines
• 11 April 2012 for the printed programme
• Most performers and companies submit their information
for the printed programme
• 97% of our audience have seen the printed programme
• Registration after 11 April for web-only listings is open
until the end of the festival

16. Preparing for the Fringe
• Book accommodation
• Rehearse your show bearing in mind the technical and
time constraints of the Fringe
• Maintain contact with your venue
• Plan your Media and Marketing campaign

17. Making the Most of the Fringe
• See other shows
• Come into Fringe Central, our participants’ centre,
for networking and development events

18. Motivation to Participate in Fringe
• Do a show you believe in and meet the punters half way
• Can be a launch pad for future touring

19. Presenting work in Edinburgh
• Motivation can be to make
piece of work and meet
other artists
• Formative experience
• Remember to print flyers!

20. Reasons to come to the Fringe
• Opportunity to perform with
your peers and to
producers and promoters
• Opportunity to be part of
the largest arts festival in
the world
• An addictive experience!

21. Why Are You Coming to the Fringe
and What Should You Bring?
• Understand why you want to
do the Fringe
• Then pair what you bring
with what you want to get
out of it
• No right answer to what will
do well
• Believe in your work, bring
your best work

22. Sam Gough
• Most venues will offer box
office splits
• Usually venues will require
a guaranteed minimum
payment

23. The Fringe Guide to Choosing a Venue
• Visit www.edfringe.com/uploads/docs/participants/
Fringe_guide_to_choosing_a_venue_2012.pdf
• Speak to venue managers
and ask questions
• Find out how the financial
deals work, what is and
what isn’t included
• What works for you?

24. Research Venues and Locations
• Do lots of research
• What other work has been presented in that space?
• Where will your show fit in?
• Use last year’s programme as a guide, visit:
www.edfringe.com/whats-on/programme

25. Venue Financial Models
• Free model – venue is free and you don't charge for tickets
‣ Works as a collective
• Straight hire fee – venue fee is fixed in advance and you
keep all your ticket sales
‣ Works well if you need to know your costs up front
• Box office split with guarantee – you and your venue split
ticket income
‣ Often 60/40 in the company’s favour but subject to
minimum guaranteed payment to the venue

26. Edinburgh is not Conventional
• Shows go on all day and all night throughout the festival
• Constant turnover of work
• Time of day you perform is important
• No right or wrong slot but conventions that exist elsewhere
might not apply
‣ Children's shows often in the morning
‣ Theatre in the afternoon, and
‣ Comedy in the evening – you can follow trends or not

27. When to Perform
• Remember other festivals are taking place in Edinburgh
• Think about who your audience is
• What are you in competition with?
• Ask your venue manager for advice and use last year’s
programme

28. Negotiating Venue Agreement
• Trust in the Venue Manager is important
• Maintain a good relationship
• Location and venue buzz is important
• Contact more than one venue, have a number of options
• Don’t play venues off against each other
• Speak to other companies and artists who have
performed at venues
• Find your niche

29. Venue Technical Support
• Facilities vary widely
‣ Most will have lights, sound and seating – it could be basic or quite
advanced
• Communication is key – know what the venue is providing, what you
have to bring and who is paying for what
• Limited set up time as you are sharing the space with other companies
• It’s amazing what you can achieve in limited turnarounds if you are
prepared
• Think about storage, shared dressing rooms and valuables – know
where everything is going
• Most venues are temporary so don’t assume anything and keep in
contact with the Venue Manger

30. How do You Get the Money?
• Scottish based artists can
apply to Made in Scotland by
November the year before
• Crowdsourcing e.g.
www.wefund.com
• No one answer, talk to other
companies
• Everything from bake sales
to public money

31. The Fringe Guide to Selling a Show
Visit www.edfringe.com/uploads/docs/participants/Fringe_guide_to_selling_a_show_2012.pdf

32. The Fringe Programme
• Use your programme entry as the
cornerstone of your marketing
campaign
• You have 40 words to sell your
show
• Show your entry to people who
don’t know your show to get their
feedback
• Image is important
• Use your image and text
consistently throughout your
campaign

33. Value of a Public Relation Specialist
• Not everyone needs a PR specialist, it depends why you are
coming to the Fringe
• You should have one person to co-ordinate media and
marketing
• An outside eye is useful in working out how to communicate
your message
• Find the PR who is right for you, build a personal relationship
• If you are looking for reviews and future touring, it’s good to
have one person, who knows the Fringe concentrating on
your PR

34. Flyers
• Flyers are vital to selling your show
• Flyering can be soul destroying!
• If you are in a one-person show, ask any other people who are
involved to flyer or make pals with other pals with other solo
performers and flyer for each other
• Some shows are suited to flyering in big visual costumes on the
Royal Mile, some aren’t
• Find similar shows in the Fringe Programme and exit flyer
• Engage the audience, get to know people and what they what to see

35. Fringe Society Resources
• Use the Fringe Guide to Selling A Show which
includes case studies
• Contact the Media team on media@edfringe.com
• http://www.edfringe.com/uploads/docs/participants/
Fringe_guide_to_selling_a_show_2012.pdf

36. Networking Opportunities
• Networking is just talking to people, the Fringe is very friendly
• Be open to talking to everyone
• Be friendly and get to know people properly – you may meet
your future collaborators
• Be business ready – have flyers and business cards ready
• Know what to say about your show and what questions to ask
• Come to Fringe Central for events and discussions as an
easy way to start your networking
• Use the Participant Development service – visit
www.edfringe.com/participants/participant-development

37. Sam's Advice
• Understand how to finance
your show
• Rehearse a 10 to 15
second pitch which you
can give to anyone at
anytime – you never know

38. Richard's Advice
• Do something you really
believe in and love

39. Laura's Advice
• Get together the best team
you can
• Build a relationship with
your venue and PR team

40. Kath's Advice
• Be open to all of the
fantastic things happening
around you

41. Christabel's Advice
• Use the resources of the
Fringe Society – we’re here
to help, so get in touch
• www.edfringe.com/
participants
• participants@edfringe.com
• 0131 226 0026
• And in August come and see
us at Fringe Central!

42. Barry's Advice
• Look after yourself –
eat some vegetables!

43. Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society
Roadshow 11 February 2012
For more information on participating in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe,
visit www.edfringe.com/participants
Produced by Inner Ear (www.innerear.co.uk)