Immediately before the visit the activities focus on arranging interviews
with performers and helping brief local media. Touring shows are often built
around starry ‘names’ – but if the artist in question is unpredictable, or
unwilling, a lot of pressure can be put on the venue’s marketing department.
Here the political skills of the touring company marketer may come into
play, as the performer may well feel a greater loyalty to the company than to
the venue. Like the members of any distribution channel, touring companies
and the venues which receive their productions are links in the same chain
connecting to the final customer. While this gives them common cause, their
perspectives on the process and their ways of operating may differ.
Marketing staff have a pivotal role in ensuring the success of the relationship.
This is recognized by the fact that a number of successful touring managements
and receiving venues exchange marketing staff
for extended periods as an element in their training and development policy.