I have put on shows and festivals for years, and I still do. People assume it must be complicated, and it is not really, but it is a lot of small things that all need taking care of, and the work is in not dropping any of them.
Here is roughly what it takes. You pick a date and a place and you commit to them, which sounds trivial and is actually the hardest part, because committing is what makes the rest real. Then it is planning and a great many emails. Posters, and planning on where and when to spread them. Some kind of presence online so people know it exists (socila media is not the only place you can promote). Meeting the right people, the venue, the acts, whoever can help. Send reminders in time, because everyone forgets. Ask for volunteers, because you cannot do it alone. Backline and a backstage and food and drink for the acts. Making sure everyone gets paid, which means understanding how the venue handles money before the night rather than during it. Get someone on the door., someone at the merch table, and a merch table for them to sit at. A sound engineer, or yourself with a borrowed desk if it is small enough, and if the venue allows it someone for the lighting, or discuss with the acts how they want it. Making sure the bands start on time and stop on time. Cleaning up afterwards, which is always more than you expect.
The smaller it is, the simpler it gets, and that is where you should start. Set up a show in a practice studio. Let people pay what they want at the door and let the acts agree to that in advance, so nobody is surprised on the night. Once you have done one you will see that none of it is difficult on its own. It is just a list, and the skill is keeping the list in your head while the night happens around you.
A few things make it much easier. Bands almost always know how to set up their own gear, so that is one worry you can let go of. Whenever I can, I get the bands to share backline, the drum kit and the amps, because it saves an enormous amount of time and stress in the changeovers, and a fast changeover keeps the room warm. And you learn, after a while, to ask for help early and often, because the people around these rooms are mostly there for the same reason you are.
Start small and you will find it is all very manageable. It is not clever and it is not glamorous. It is care, applied to a lot of details, on behalf of people who came out to hear some music. Do it once and you will want to do it again.
Love,
Marten
