📍 Introduction
The Band Plan helps you discover venues, track booking communications, and manage gig opportunities. This guide walks you through the entire process from finding venues to booking your gigs.
Getting Started with Venue Booking
Step 1: Find Venues
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Browse the Venue Database
- Click "Venues" in the main navigation
- Browse available venues or search by name/location
- Filter by city, state, venue type, or music style
- View venue details including contact info, capacity, and social media
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Add Venues to Your Band
- From your band page, go to the "Venues" tab
- Search for venues in the database and add them to your list
- Or create new venue entries if they're not in the database yet
Step 2: Start an Opportunity
An "opportunity" represents your pursuit of a gig at a specific venue.
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Create a New Opportunity
- Go to your band's venue detail page
- Click "Start New Opportunity"
- Give it a name (e.g., "Spring 2025 Booking", "Friday Night Residency")
- Select the type of your first interaction (email, phone, text, etc.)
Step 3: Track Your Communications
Every time you reach out to a venue, log it as an interaction.
Interaction Types:
- Email - Email correspondence with booking managers
- Phone Call - Calls to venue staff
- Text/SMS - Text message conversations
- In Person - Face-to-face meetings
- Note - General notes and reminders
- Social Media - Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs, etc.
What to Log:
- Message Content - What you said/wrote to them
- Previous Response - Their last response or status
- Outcome - Result of this interaction:
- Left Message
- Got Response
- Scheduled Follow-up
- Booked
- Rejected
- Next Steps - What you need to do next
- Notes - Any additional context or details
Step 4: Track Opportunity Status
As you communicate with venues, your opportunity status updates automatically:
- Prospecting - Just added, haven't contacted yet
- Contacted - Initial outreach made, waiting for response
- Negotiating - Active conversation about booking
- Need Confirmation - Details agreed upon, awaiting final confirmation
- Booked - Gig is confirmed! 🎉
- Archived - Not pursuing this opportunity anymore
Step 5: Convert to a Gig
When an opportunity is booked with a date, a gig record is automatically created!
- The gig appears on your band's gigs calendar
- You can add load-in time, sound check, start/end times
- Link it to a setlist for easy performance access
- Track fee and payment details
Best Practices for Venue Booking
🎯 Initial Contact
- Research first - Check their music style, capacity, typical booking process
- Be professional - Use proper grammar, be polite and concise
- Include essentials - Band name, genre, website/samples, availability
- Ask about process - How do they book? Who should you contact?
📞 Follow-Up Strategy
- Wait appropriately - Give venues 5-7 days to respond
- Be persistent, not pushy - 2-3 follow-ups max
- Try different channels - If email doesn't work, try phone or social media
- Log everything - Keep detailed notes on what you tried and when
💼 When Negotiating
- Know your value - Research typical pay for similar venues
- Be flexible - Dates, times, set length might need adjustment
- Get it in writing - Confirm all details via email
- Ask about logistics - Load-in time, parking, sound check, meals
✅ After Booking
- Confirm details - Date, time, fee, requirements
- Add to calendar - The gig automatically appears on your schedule
- Create setlist - Build your setlist for this venue
- Stay in touch - Week-of confirmation, day-of check-in
Venue Booking Workflow
📋 Complete Workflow Example
- Find venue: Search venues → Add to your band's venue list
- Start opportunity: Click "Start New Opportunity" on venue page
- First contact: Send email/call → Log interaction with outcome
- Follow up: Wait for response → Log follow-up interactions
- Negotiate: Discuss dates/pay → Log each conversation
- Book it: Mark interaction outcome as "Booked" with gig date
- Automatic gig creation: System creates gig record for your calendar
- Prepare: Create setlist, rehearse, show up and rock!
Tracking Multiple Venues
Working on booking several venues at once? The Band Plan keeps it all organized:
- Opportunities Dashboard - See all your opportunities at a glance
- Status at a glance - Color-coded badges show where each opportunity stands
- Interaction history - Complete timeline of all communications
- Next steps visible - Always know what to do next
Tips for Success
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Not logging contacts - If you don't log it, you'll forget what happened
- Giving up too soon - Sometimes it takes multiple attempts
- Being too general - Personalize your outreach to each venue
- No follow-through - Always do what you say you'll do
- Forgetting to confirm - Confirm details a week before and day-of
Venue Contact Information
The Band Plan stores multiple contact methods for each venue:
- Email - Primary booking email
- Phone - Main and alternate numbers
- Website - Booking forms or information pages
- Social Media - Facebook, Instagram, etc.
- Messenger - Direct messaging platforms
Use the contact method that works best for each venue - some prefer email, others respond faster to social media.
Building Venue Relationships
The best bookings come from strong venue relationships:
- Show up on time - Professionalism matters
- Promote the gig - Help them bring in customers
- Be easy to work with - Flexible, prepared, and friendly
- Follow up after - Thank them and ask about future dates
- Stay in touch - Periodic check-ins even when not booking
💡 Pro Tip: Use the Data
The Band Plan tracks your entire communication history with each venue. Review your past interactions before reaching out again to remind yourself what was discussed and show continuity in your relationship with the venue.
Questions?
If you need help with venue booking, opportunities, or tracking interactions, we're here to help!