Advancing - part 2

Build a routine

One of the most important things to do if you want to have fun on show day is advance the show with the venue, your teammates and the promotor. Advancing is also one of the most time-consuming aspects of a show so getting it right and streamlined will make your live a whole lot easier.

Emilíana Torrini getting organized on stage in Reykjavik 2022

In the first article we focust on getting the ball rolling and how to start up the advance with a well written and complete advancing mail, today we take a closer look at how to create a workflow and routine to keep on top of things even while on the road and/or advancing multiple shows at the time.

Advance Create a solide workflow

If you and the venue have done there homework the communication will be smooth and the advancing should be no more than an exchange of information and confirmations to make sure all aspects of the show are covered.

You’ll probably have multiple shows to advance at more or less the same time so keeping things organized and easy to find will be a crucial aspect of your work. A good workflow will help you keep an overview of where you are for each date and it will help you get the info to your band and crew in a smooth, complete and clear manner.

A good way to do so is to develop a system of files and folders to hold all information during the advance, a better way is to do so in such a way that it can be adapted and updated for future shows and tours, even with other bands.

I’ve set up my system in Notion. It’s simple and minimalistic but it helps me to focus on the work and keeps all info and links close together and easy to find.

Start-up window in my Notion TM workspace

Off course there are other ways to organize yourself, you can mimic this workflow in a system of folders and spreadsheets on a drive for instance. The most important thing is to find a way that suits your way of working.

Keep it organized

As information comes in and questions get asked you need to keep an overview of what’s being agreed and make sure this information reaches everybody who’s involved. Your goal is to file all information that comes in such a way you know exactly where to find what you’re looking for and eliminating time searching for info.

This is where a (tour)log comes in handy. The log is a list of all your shows organized by date on a show-to-show basis. It should look something like this:

In one view I have an overview of all the upcoming shows and most important info on each of these shows:

1. The show date, off course

2. The status, shows me where I am in the advance of this show

3. The venue name

4. The city we’ll be playing

5. The type of show, this is important for a lot of things such as crew planning, transport and gear needed

6. Doors time, this is important to plan the day of show and get-in/travel times

7. Show time

8. The next ting I need to do for this show, in Notion this is generated automatically from my to do list

9. The main local contact for advancing

Inside each of these log entries I collect all relevant info on the show and a log of all communication about the show. This makes it easy for me to collect info as it comes in and find it when I need it to inform our team about the show

All files are organized in Dropbox folders easy for me to reach directly from this page but also easy to share with our crew and useable as reference for future shows at the same venue.

The log helps me keep track of all communication to and from the venue, all agreements made and keeps track of all the small questions from band and crew like guests, early get-in or parking issues. The To do lists helps me getting things done on time and give me en view on where we stand with the advancing of the show and the contact list makes it easy to reach out to someone fast.

Keep it moving

In short your tourlog and show pages (or folders) should be the backbone of your workflow. They will help you stay on top of things, even if you’re advancing multiple shows at the time or while on the road. It should be easy to file incoming info, such as venue specs, parking maps, outing info or other show related documents when they come in and it should be easy to find them again when you need them or when it’s time to advance the show with your band or crew.

A good system should also help you keep up the routine of moving forward with the advance, you can use the free advancing checklist as a guide and at dates to each step to ensure you don’t drop the ball somewhere and everything gets addressed at the right time.

Final thoughts

Hope this view on my advancing routine helps you to create your own and gives you the focus you need to prepare for a show without stress.
If you are interested in my Tourmanagement OS build in Notion, it will be available as a template soon.
Subscribe to my newsletter to stay up-to-date or drop me a line via mail if you want me to help you build your own!
The Advance checklist is part of my Tourmanagers Toolbox that includes a bunch of useful templates any band or tourmanager can use.

Next time we’ll talk about how to wrap all the info into clear and useable call- and day sheets to ensure your crew and band know where to be, when to be there and what to do.

Talk soon,

E