My OCD has been suitably placated now the first two Hitchin Mostly Comedys of 2019 have sold out.
While it's fair to say this is a common occurrence at the club these days, I'm never complacent; there's always a niggling concern a show won't do well and suddenly we're at risk of making a loss we can't afford. Again, there's been no evidence of this looking likely for years really, but there's always the possibility, and while things have been reasonably comfortable for the club financially for a little while, the last-minute cancellation of November's show with James Acaster did result in us writing off a profit we were counting on. Then purchasing some light & sound equipment left us playing catch-up ever since.
There's also always the worry people will either lose interest or expect too much. In some ways the club's hands are tied by its success: last year saw a handful of big names perform who'd either never been on the bill before (eg Harry Hill) or hadn't done it for a while (eg Rory Bremner, Reginald D Hunter and Phill Jupitus); consequently I find myself having to hit a very high standard of line-ups to either match or surpass last year's bills. On top of this, additional dates in Hendon and St Albans meant we got through our act roster quicker than usual.
Thankfully, January and February's sales are a great indication of what's to come, while the healthy interest in March and April also looks good. Now I just need a couple of the other names I'm working on for this year to come good; this accidental promoter has his fingers crossed.
While it's fair to say this is a common occurrence at the club these days, I'm never complacent; there's always a niggling concern a show won't do well and suddenly we're at risk of making a loss we can't afford. Again, there's been no evidence of this looking likely for years really, but there's always the possibility, and while things have been reasonably comfortable for the club financially for a little while, the last-minute cancellation of November's show with James Acaster did result in us writing off a profit we were counting on. Then purchasing some light & sound equipment left us playing catch-up ever since.
There's also always the worry people will either lose interest or expect too much. In some ways the club's hands are tied by its success: last year saw a handful of big names perform who'd either never been on the bill before (eg Harry Hill) or hadn't done it for a while (eg Rory Bremner, Reginald D Hunter and Phill Jupitus); consequently I find myself having to hit a very high standard of line-ups to either match or surpass last year's bills. On top of this, additional dates in Hendon and St Albans meant we got through our act roster quicker than usual.
Thankfully, January and February's sales are a great indication of what's to come, while the healthy interest in March and April also looks good. Now I just need a couple of the other names I'm working on for this year to come good; this accidental promoter has his fingers crossed.