International stages, prestigious venues, enthusiastic audiences and exciting excursions.
Anyone will tell you that this is the basis of a great band tour. But with work and home life commitments often getting in the way, it can sometimes be difficult for that dream to become a reality.
Dream basics
Here, Jo Porter, Concert Tours Manager at Rayburn Tours, runs 4BR though the basics of how to organise a band tour, revealing some tricks of the trade that will make your life as party leader that little bit easier.
Many benefits
“Unquestionably there are many benefits associated with taking your band on tour.
It is a great motivator for groups and as departure day draws closer, rehearsals become of paramount importance as you strive towards perfection!
Extra confidence and passion come from the opportunity to try something new and showcase talents to an international audience.
Fantastic time
Apart from the obvious positives — that you’ll have a fantastic time, get to perform in some new, exciting and prestigious venues and experience some incredible sights of the world — you’ll also witness the talents of individuals, and the group as a whole, developing dramatically whilst experiencing an incredible bonding as members engage in their hobby together.
Once you have decided that yes, you want to go on tour, there must undisputedly be a party leader. Do not shy away from this role as this ultimately means that you are the one who gets to influence what the tour includes and what the group do!
Rely on the expertise and the itinerary planning service offered by Rayburn and you won’t go far wrongRayburn Tours
Specialist
Plus, with so many specialist tour companies in existence ready to help, being a party leader is simply following a step-by-step process in order to reach that departure date.
One of the best bits of advice would be to get some help and not to go it alone! Give everyone in the band a job to spread the workload and take a look at the tour companies who are already out there.
Strong relationships
A good company will have all the paperwork you need, have thoroughly audited the transport and accommodation, know the destination inside out and have strong relationships with the most sought after venues.
Not only will all of this save you time and considerable effort, you’ll also benefit from their years of experience in organising music tours and the advice they can offer will be invaluable.
Protection
As with all holidays, make sure your company you go with is reputable, look out for ones promoting their membership with associations such as ABTA and ATOL which will provide you with financial protection should the worst happen.
Finally, yes — using a tour company will incur a slightly higher price of tour (they exist to make a living, let’s not forget), however, sum up the time and headaches it would incur were you to try and arrange all the above yourself and it suddenly seems a small price to pay.
First things first
First things first, have a think about your preferred destination and not just as far as what the weather will be like and what the shops/beach/nightlife amounts to. Think carefully about your repertoire, the types of stages your group flourishes on and the style of your performance.
Are you suited to open places such as central squares or piazzas with large stages so you can move around easily?
Or would a more intimate setting such an enclosed bandstand or café courtyard be better?
Expertise
Again, this is where the expertise of a specialist tour operator is useful as they will have inside knowledge of each destination in their portfolio and will be able to recommend ones which offer a choice of venues to complement your band’s performance style.
You will undoubtedly make the process much easier, secure better venues and receive bigger audiences if you choose a destination where the culture suits your style. If you’re unsure, just get on the phone and start talking, not only will the ideas start flowing but your excitement and enthusiasm will be ignited too!
Different ideas
When you have an idea of where to go and some prices, the next stage is to sell it to your band and get them on board. Get your group together and present your findings, get a couple of destinations to choose from at different prices and gauge interest.
New York may be the dream but if only half the band can afford to make it there you may need to re-think — so be realistic as to how far you can go and how much your members will want to spend. If far off destinations are really and truly the dream of the band, plan ahead and start fundraising.
Effort
Put on some performances and collect entrance fees to help fund the trip, put some effort in and you’ll soon have the deposits available.
Another tip if using a tour company is to check your tour inclusions so that you know exactly what you’re paying for.
A good tour operator will cost in a number of performances based on the length of your tour at an average rate per venue and this cost should include the necessary publicity to promote your concert.
Know in advance
If however, after the booking stage, you decide that you want to perform in 4 highly prestigious venues, you should expect to have to pay a little more due to the high venue hire costs. Let your operator know in advance if you have particular venues in mind so that they can tailor the tour to your requirements.
Furthermore, unless you specifically request it, leisure activities and excursions will rarely be included in your quote for a number of reasons: one, it offers greater flexibility whilst on tour so that you have the freedom to change your itinerary to fit around your concerts, secondly, since tours are generally booked up to a year in advance, entrance fees regularly change with some visits even closing down and finally, group members often want the flexibility to do their own thing whilst on tour instead of doing everything as part of a group.
Rayburn expertise
Rely on the expertise and the itinerary planning service offered by Rayburn and you won’t go far wrong.
After deciding on the destination and confirming numbers, it is time to collect the deposits and book the tour! Then you’re onto the fun stage of fine-tuning what you’re actually going to do whilst there.
Advice
Advice here would be to ensure you balance performances with leisure activities and speak to you tour operator as they will have loads of ideas on what works and where’s good.
Whilst you’ll naturally want to do as much as you possibly can, remember that coach journeys, performances, tours and museums are tiring, so be sure to build in some free time to simply sit back, relax and soak up the local culture.
Practice
With the tour details decided, all that’s left to do is practice, practice, practice in preparation for the big departure day!
Be sure to start planning early and get lots of help so that all you have to do whilst on tour is enjoy the experience!"
Jo Porter, Concert Tours Manager, Rayburn Tours
