Karen Koren: Showing how to put on a show

My lovely staff and I are taking a wee trip up north for a couple of days. I am going to motivate them... show them how to make our new shows work outwith the Festival.

I keep telling them that the fact that there are so many people around in the summer months and so many shows, raises the excitement to a unique level but there is still life outside of August. Yes, there is more to promoting and producing comedy than the Fringe.

Over the weekend we will discover how we can be more proficient at promotion. It means days spent having meetings, taking long walks and embarking on brain storming sessions. Believe it or not, it really does help.

We will also speak to other venues desperate to stage comedy events. It never ceases to amaze me how people believe that all you have to do is ‘put on a show’ and the audiences will come.

It just doesn’t work like that, I wish it did. Putting on a show is hard work. You need the right combination of performers and a venue with the right ambience. Ask any comic - if the chairs aren’t arranged properly, or if they are too far away from the stage, then it doesn’t work. Equally, if the stage is too high or too low you have a problem.

So, we will work to make new things happen and then we will have our annual fireworks party on November 5, attended by staff, family and friends. Oh yes, and kids, some of whom will hide in the house because it’s just too noisy, others will jump around waving their sparklers in the dark.

I, on the other hand, will be dishing out pumpkin soup and hotdogs, and probably miss the fireworks again. I just love seeing everyone have a good time, just as I do at one of our shows.