Karaoke is often perceived as an indoor activity practiced in a restaurant, bar, or in your own living room. However, during the last few years, outdoor sing-along karaoke events have seen an upswing and are becoming more and more trendy.
Now is the time for enjoying hot summer nights outdoors, and adding karaoke can make them even better. Filling up a bar terrace or a park with happy, singing people is actually pretty easy to arrange – all you need is a karaoke software like Singa, public karaoke performance rights, and an audience. This guide has all the information you need to make your outdoor karaoke session a success.
1. Be sure you have the right karaoke setup
We assume that your venue has a functioning AV system – if not check out our professional karaoke setup guide. Then you just need to pull the plug from the socket and move everything outside. However, you should be aware that an AV system designed for an indoor bar might not be powerful enough for the outdoors where you have less or no echo.
If you feel like your own equipment won’t perform well enough, or if you do not feel like dragging it outside, it is always a good idea to rent the AV system from your local AV integrator.
When organizing karaoke indoors you normally get on just fine with some TV screens, but a bigger image is definitely a must when outside. A video projector can be a good option, but there are some challenges that might come along with it. Strong light usually affects the image negatively and it will get hard to see the lyrics.
A powerful projector, a reflective surface protected by shadow, or a dark evening as a setting will make your task a lot easier. If you don’t own a projector by yourself, they are easy to rent.
2. Get a high-energy karaoke host
A big audience can make your outside karaoke event a roaring success. However, we recommend a karaoke host that can see to the practical issues and contribute to a more organized event.
A karaoke host or karaoke jockey manages the singing queue, invites new singers up on the stage and plays a big part when it comes to lifting the spirits among the audience. A karaoke host also has to be informative and able to market the whole event. It can be a good idea to combine karaoke with some other programme, like a DJ playing music, a live band, or why not stand up comedian. Even if Singa has a background music function, you can boost the atmosphere with customized music that suits the event.
3. Market your event everywhere
Remember to start spreading the word about your outside karaoke event in good time. Traditional posters providing potential customers with clear information about when and where the event takes place never go out of style.
Be sure to also decorate the surroundings further away from the physical place of the event in order to attract more people. Think about where you can reach people who are interested in performing and singing. Music schools or music and sound shops are great places to start with. You might find a bunch of new, potential customers if you do some extra work when marketing the event.
Even if posters are great, the easiest and most efficient way to reach out to your audience today is with social media. If your bar or venue isn’t on Facebook or Instagram, you should fix that first thing in the morning. Snapchat and Tik Tok are also good channels for reaching younger people.
On Facebook it’s easy to create events on your page, informing your followers about the time and place of the event. If you make an extra effort you can look up groups focusing on karaoke where you can promote your event. For a small amount of money you can market your event for Facebook users outside of your existing follower group. Instagram on the other hand is great for sharing pictures and video clips both before, during and after the event.
Learn more about how to create a Facebook event here.
4. Secure partners to run the event with
Inviting partners to arrange the event together with you is a great way to share costs. An outdoor karaoke event guarantees a lot of exposure for a company, so finding a partner should not be too hard. Why not approach your local hamburger bar and offer them commercials on the karaoke screen during the event?
With Singa’s digital signage service you can easily show ads on your screen. Show ads before, after or even in-between karaoke songs. For instance you can show ads with the logo of the partner restaurant, food offers, pictures of the food or even a video. In return, your partner can share your event in their own channels. Why not use the profit from the event on a better AV system for your next banger outdoor karaoke session?
PS! If you’re planning an outdoor karaoke event in a densely populated area, contact local authorities and check if you need special permission for the event.
Lacking the most modern karaoke system? Check out Singa’s alternatives for your business on www.singa.com/business or contact us at sales@singabusiness.com - we're happy to help you!