RECORDING: Summer as a Secret Weapon: Building Year-Round Resilience
Join our July webinar to learn how top venue leaders are using creative programming, audience-building, and festival collabs to boost revenue (even during "slow" seasons!)
Written by
Joel Hubartt
Published on
July 9, 2025
📣 Watch the recording of our July webinar event!
The strongest venues are creating steady revenue streams even in unpredictable seasons. Watch the below to explore tactics to smooth out the bumps, featuring guest panelists Michelle Swing, CEO of Noise Pop Presents and Nic Smith, CEO of S&S Presents, we cover:
Clever and creative festival/venue collaborations
Programming strategies to drive attendance and consistency
Audience-building moves that reach beyond your usual crowd
Watch the Recording:
Take a look at the Top 5 Takeaways from the discussion:
The two industry leaders shared strategies venues can use to boost resilience and revenue, especially during the summer months. Here are the top insights:
1. Build Relationships with Local Government Before You Need Them
Don’t wait for a crisis to introduce yourself to city officials.
Show your impact: share data on tax revenue and economic contributions.
Connect with departments like economic development, nightlife, and parks to stay top-of-mind for funding and partnerships.
2. Turn Sponsorships into a Steady Revenue Stream
Aim for 20–40% of event revenue from sponsorships (per Michelle’s recommendation).
For smaller events (under 5,000–10,000 attendees), local businesses are your best bet.
Customize sponsor packages based on each partner’s goals.
Consider hiring a sponsorship specialist who knows your market inside and out.
3. Design Events with a Clear Identity
Focus on a defined audience. Don’t try to be everything to everyone.
Niche programming often brings more loyal fans and lower risk than broad, catch-all shows.
Make sure your marketing clearly communicates the unique value of your event.
4. Bring in Experts for Production & Ops
Even if only part-time, experienced production managers can save you thousands in mistakes.
Always get multiple quotes, and build trusted vendor relationships over time.
Prioritize working with people who’ve handled similar-sized or style events.
5. Maximize Summer with Smart Seasonal Programming
All-ages events tend to perform better in summer, per Nick’s data.
Take advantage of indoor/outdoor hybrid spaces when possible.
Collaborate with community groups to co-create standout summer experiences.
Weddings, corporate events, a reading, a short run on your dark nights, a local orchestra, a touring show between stops. Organizations that treat rentals as a real revenue line build income that doesn't depend on how their own season is selling — and that line keeps climbing year over year.
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