ORGANIZING A CULTURAL EVENT: HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT IT?

A fundamental pillar of humanity, culture has the ability to amaze, confront and bring people together in a pleasant setting. During a concert, an exhibition or a show, the public is carried away by sounds, images and colors.

Whatever the cultural event you’re planning, there are a number of project management and organizational measures you need to take into account to ensure it runs smoothly.

But how do you organize a cultural event?

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CULTURAL EVENTS?

What makes culture so rich is that it’s made up of countless themes, events and enriching experiences.

Visual, sound, theatrical, literary or urban arts: culture is always in the plural, and gives way to a wide range of events:

• art exhibitions and vernissages ;
• fashion shows ;
• literary and musical encounters ;
• concerts ;
• plays ;
• shows…

OBJECTIVES AND PLANNING OF A CULTURAL PROJECT

Before embarking on theorganization of a cultural event, it’s essential to define your objectives and target audience.

Every occasion has its own needs and objectives, and there are many in the cultural world:

• accessibility, opening up culture to as many people as possible ;
• visibility of an association, a collective, a cause ;
• highlighting an artistic movement or an artist’s career;
• celebration of key cultural events: Heritage Days, Museum Night and many others in the cultural calendar.

Once you’ve determined your objectives, defining your target audience will enable you to sketch out your event in broad strokes so as not to spread yourself too thin.

To help you in this phase of your project, there are effective methods such as the 5 contextual questions: What? – What? Why? – Why? Who? – Who? – How many? – Where?

We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with what has already been organized in your sector, in particular through a competitive analysis or benchmark.

PLANNING AND ORGANIZING A CULTURAL EVENT

Once your objectives and target have been defined, you’ll need to draw up a roadmap that will serve as your cultural event‘s identity card. This is known in the trade as a “cultural event data sheet“.

In the spirit of practicality, it should, among other things, show :

• Choice of venue: rentalconcert hall, exact location of thepublic-access venue (ERP), and accessibility details.
• Outline of theevent, including objectives and expected results.
• Dates and duration of thecultural event.
• Number of participants: capacity.
• Budget and event service providers: technicians, decorators, caterers…
• Selected communication media.

Once the event planning phase has been completed and the venue rental contract signed, it’s time to get down to the operational side oforganizing your cultural event.

This essential stage includes more granular but indispensable elements such as ticketing and detailed programming, as well as logistical elements such as catering, artist transport, venue layout, seating, sound and lighting control…

WHO SHOULD YOU CALL TO ORGANIZE A CULTURAL EVENT?

Good event organization goes hand in hand with project management, which will give your cultural project every chance of success. No detail should be overlooked, especially if you’re planning a cultural event for 200 people or more.

So hiring a culturalevent organizer could free up your time, while leaving the design, planning and logistics phases to skilled professionals.

As an expert in event organization, Lille Grand Palais offers rental spaces and services toorganize a cultural event from A to Z.

Whether you’re looking to rent the Zenith in Lille, or call on our staff to welcome your guests, or rent a modular exhibition hall that can accommodate several hundred people… we can help you meet almost any need!