Organising comedy night 17 Jan

I have had it as our main pinned tweet on Twitter and been promoting it daily for the past week. Not bought my tickets yet for either Comedy or Hugo. Perhaps we need to remind our lot too. Going to the Lib Dem dinner on Saturday - we should definitely promote it there.

When I bought my tickets yesterday there were 82 left. We must make a huge effort to shift those this weekend. Perhaps leaflet or put up posters in cafes, Chapel Arts Centre. It’s been RT on Twittter so just spreading the word.

We are getting there. When I bought mine at the weekend there were 100 left. Lets keep pushing it. Also at the stall(s) this weekend. In fact that could be the main pitch at the Bath stall (can anyone make an A2 or A1 sandwich-board style poster?)

I was going to make an A4 mini-placard to hang on the front of the (Bath) pop-up stall, but we don't have any A4 versions of the flyer. Handing out lots of flyers will be fine.
SUGGESTION: TAKE SOME FLYERS TO THE BATH VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE/BATH BOX OFFICE, NOW SITUATED AT BOG ISLAND. THEY SHOULD TAKE SOME!

We have sold 68 for Comedy night and 18 for Hugo Dixon. Thanks for all your efforts at getting the word out, the bookings are trickling in. Mark may be able to make a poster for us. We have a few opportunities for advertising this weekend, so I expect we will bump up the figures to at least 100 for each event. Will get an e-newsletter out too.

I see the Comedy Night is included in the events pages of the Bath Chronicle magazine, so that should help too. Well done, whoever it was who got that in there!

Facebook took a while to approve the paid advertising (I think anything with the word Brexit in it gets referred) but that is now live. I will save promoting Hugo until after the Comedy Night.

Mark designed a flyer advertising the Comedy night on one side and Hugo Dixon on the other. He will receive these today from the printer. Our leafleters will be handing these out from tomorrow.

Flyers dropped round to Komedia and Harvest this lunchtime.

Many thanks, Claire.

What other things do we need to organise for Weds? Who is meeting/welcoming Viv and other comedians, do we need an MC for evening? Is bar sorted - do they have sufficient staff on hand? People on door etc.

I'm not sure the Facebook advertising is working that well. I've spent £25 and it has been seen by 3250 people. Whilst we've had 180 "engage" with the post (likes, shares, clicking on the photos etc) only 5 people have actually clicked the link to Eventbrite - hopefully 2 or 3 of those have actually bought tickets and we'll recoup the spend.

We've also had some negative comments which have been hidden, including some people speculating that they may come and pay us a visit. Should I stop advertising and save budget for Hugo D or continue?

My targeting was for either people with "leftish" interests and also people interested in stand-up comedy, which is probably where we are getting the detractors.

Hi Sally, really helpful to know what response you've had on Facebook. My recommendation would be to stop advertising the comedy night and promote Hugo Dixon from the end of this coming week. The leaflet advertising both events is in circulation which will hopefully help boost sales.

Thanks Sally, at least you got the word out as far as possible. Good idea to save the rest of the paid advertising for Hugo after Wednesday. We are currently on 28 tickets sold for Hugo, hope to get at least 100 for that too, to make it a decent turnout and worth his time.

Nick Steel (bath comedy) has sourced the acts including the MC and is in charge of tech on the night. I will e mail him today to check what we need to do in terms of meet and greet and will also check that we can access the venue from 6 for set up and that they will have 2 people working on the bar. I will also check how he wants the acts to be paid ie by him or us direct. Let me know if there’s anything else I need to raise with him?

That's great. I can be at venue for 6pm to help with set up. I assume we need 3-4 others from Bath for Europe to help. Please say if you can. Also is this an opportunity for one or two of our new joiners to help alongside the usual suspects? Tony - any ideas who we could ask?

Also we can put Hugo Dixon flyers on seats - I will be getting some more from marcom this week so will bring some along. Are we having a stall too - or at least some way to capture anyone who expresses an interest in joining?

Alison - will the MC do all the introductions etc or do they need someone from Bath for Europe to do an initial greeting/goodbye? Does he cover it if there are any no shows eg illness?

I will put a call out to a few new supporters to help. Who is 'running ' this from our side, making sure all eventualities are covered, and volunteers know what they need to do? Not offering, just asking!
I am thinking tasks include, everything from leaflets on chairs. Setting up stall, people on stall, donations buckets after event, supporter sign up cards, new volunteer sign up sheet, collecting tickets, selling tickers for hugo dixon, welcome and closing thanks (claire?) liason with nick steele, and bar etc. Etc. Has someone taken ownership of the whole evemt so it is guaranteed to run smoothly from our side, as i am sure it will!

Do we really need to have a pop-up stall on this occasion? I agree we should put Hugo
Dixon flyers on the chairs/tables, and we should have 'stay in touch' cards for new people to sign up, and a couple of blue buckets to catch people on their way out at the end.

Count me in to help set up.

I dont think we need to lug the stall there, we can use one fo their tables to put spare leaflets, badges etc and for people to come up to us after and talk to us...Worth bringing some EU flags and UJ's though. Brexiteers are certain to be there!

@tonyambrose What happened to my comment?!

Hi Tony and all, as you should be aware, Alison and I are organising this event.

We need volunteers to pick up the merchandise, flags, leaflets and supplies on Wed at 6pm from Marcom - please let me know if you can help with this.

If all BfE members attending can arrive by 6:30 to help set up, that would be great - Alison, Nick and I are planning to be there from 6pm and start setting up. Doors open at 7:30. We need 3 volunteers to sign people in at the door and sell tickets if anyone needs them - £10 on the door.

We are up to 92 tickets sold for comedy night (and 24 for Hugo) - if any of you plan to come please book today if you can. We will give people leaflets as they arrive, or on the chairs once set up.

I have asked Mark if he doesn't mind saying a few words at the end about BfE to encourage people to volunteer, I will have clipboards.

100 tickets now sold! We have reached our minimum target, but there are 50 more places available to book. If you are going to comedy night, please let us know if you can meet at Marcom at 6pm and help Mark to bring materials over to WSC, perhaps in a car (and then return them at the end of the evening)? Many thanks.

I am coming but will be late as I have to go to a school options evening first.

Currently 43 tickets left. Keep selling!

If you need any more help I'll go to Marcom at 6pm.

I finish teaching at 17.40 (Kingswood). I will have the car and could be at Marcom by 6 latest. Parking is impossible, so could people collecting leaflets, flags, etc be ready to load up?

That is very kind of you Anna and Ian, thank you. Ian, if you can gather things together with Mark and take them out to Anna who will be waiting from around 6pm in her car outside, that would be great.

Ian and Mark - please bring the blue Ikea bag with the merchandise (with enough berets, t-shirts, badges, wristbands and flags to sell), lots of EU and UK large flags for draping around the venue, all the donation buckets you can find and around 500 comedy night and Hugo leaflets. We don't need the stall as discussed above, nor the banners except 1 Bath for Europe flag (sticks not required).

I will bring the sign-in sheet, pens, tape, blue tack, volunteer sign-up sheets and clipboards for each group, posters for the door, copies of programme.

Here is the programme for the evening, although these things tend to run later we will try and keep to these timings (will bring a couple of printed copies):

18:00-18:15 Nick, Alison and Alice arrive and set up stage, chairs, tables and AV.

18:30 Bath for Europe organisers arrive, set up registration desk, merch shop area, put leaflets on chairs, put up flag displays (Dick, can you bring your international flags?).

19:30 Doors and bar open

20:00 Welcome and intro from our MC, Fitz (10 mins)

20:10 Alex Mahoney (10 mins)

20:20 Jessie Nixon (10 mins)

20:30 Morgan Rees (10 mins)

20:40 Interval (20 mins)

21:00 Welcome back from our MC, Fitz (5 mins)

21:05 Viv Groskop (headline - 40 mins)

21:45 Plug for Bath for Europe - Mark Baines

21:50 End - organisers pack up.

Anything else needed?

Mark is coming straight from Marcom to the WSC, and Ian's helping carry stuff, so you may not need to go, Anna. Best check with Mark.

Good idea, but I am sure it will help if they have a car to take the stuff!

Yes will bring my bunting of international flags.

Thank you!

Ruth and Mark, I will bring the berets this evening so that it doesn't diminish your stock - I have had an order from the Wells Group for berets and 20 wrist bands. Please can you bring extra wrist bands?

The order has gone up to 40 wrist bands..

Maggie, could you ask whether they want 50/50 large/small?

@markbaines WRISTBANDS I suggest you bring all of them (both sizes)!

Update - we have sold 120 tickets for tonight (and 33 for Hugo).

It doesn’t say how many tickets left on Hugo’s page as it did for Viv. Could we add that? Useful to know when promoting.

They would like half and half as far as wristbands are concerned