Scaling & Growth

Scaling sounds like a fancy MBA word, but it just means: “Can I do this again without wanting to cry?” It’s repeatability with fewer headaches. You tighten the system first - then add volume. Do it the other way around and you’ll be that person in the grocery store at midnight buying ice for a 300‑person festival you forgot to staff.

I learned this the hard way. My first “successful” workshop had 40 people. I thought, “Great, I’ll do two a month!” The second one had 12 because I burned out and sent a promo email that basically said “Hey, um, this is happening again, I guess?” The format was fine. The system was missing.

For Indie Festival Directors: Chaos doesn’t scale. A 500‑person festival is just a 50‑person workshop with louder feedback and more porta‑potties. Build dashboards and clear roles early.

For Growth Marketers: Scaling isn’t about more channels - it’s about a predictable funnel. Know your conversion rates like you know your coffee order.

For Ops Captains: Your job shifts from “do everything” to “make sure the right person does the right thing at the right time.” That’s a different skill. Practice it.

Cadence & Formats: Protect Your Downtime

The biggest mistake is thinking “more is better.” It’s not. Predictable is better.

• Decide what repeats monthly, quarterly, seasonally. Lock it in your calendar. Then protect your downtime. If you don’t, you’ll be planning Christmas events in July and wondering why you hate your hobby.
• Keep the core format stable. Change the theme, the guest, or the flavor, but not the shape. People come back for the shape. The shape is your promise.

Example: You run a monthly “Show & Tell” night. It’s always 90 minutes, always 6:30 start, always three presenters. The only thing that changes is who presents. That stability is what lets you sell tickets three months out without writing a new description each time.

Sponsorships (Without Selling Your Soul)

Sponsorships feel icky when you do them wrong. When you do them right, they’re just partnerships where someone pays you to reach the people you already serve. The key is clarity: what are they buying, and why is it valuable?

Your one‑pager skeleton (keep it to one side of paper, please):

• What this is (1–2 sentences): “A monthly gathering of 60 UX designers who share war stories over pizza.”
• Audience (size, type, demographics): “60 mid‑level designers, 70% local, 30% remote, average 5 years experience.”
• Why it’s valuable (outcomes, engagement): “Sponsors get a 2‑minute welcome slot, logo on materials, and direct access during networking. Past sponsors report 10–15 qualified leads per event.”
• Tier options (keep it simple):
  • Supporter: $200, logo on page, thank‑you tweet
  • Partner: $500, welcome slot, table, logo in all emails
  • Headline: $1,000, co‑created content, VIP seats, full branding
• Price ranges and contact: Make the ask. People respect a clear number.

Benefits ideas that don’t feel gross: Co‑created content (they write a blog post with you), a short welcome (2 minutes, no pitch), a table for swag (if it’s useful), VIP seats (early access, not velvet ropes). The rule: if it makes attendees roll their eyes, it’s out.

For Festival Directors: Protect the experience. If a sponsor wants to blast a video ad in the middle of your acoustic set, the answer is “No, but you can host the green room lounge.” Attendees come first. Always.

Team & Roles: Divide to Multiply

When you’re solo, you wear all hats. When you scale, you assign hats. That’s the whole trick.

Core owners:

• Marketing: owns promotion, email, social. Not design - just distribution.
• Operations: owns venue, gear, day‑of flow. The ROS is their bible.
• Partners/Sponsors: owns outreach, one‑pagers, relationship. Not sales - relationships.
• Finance: owns pricing, tracking, payouts. Usually you at first.

Write one‑page SOPs. I know, “SOP” sounds corporate. But a one‑pager that says “Purpose: Get 50 people in the room. Steps: Post to Instagram Monday, email list Wednesday, remind Friday. Owner: Marketing. Output: 50 tickets sold.” is just a recipe. You wouldn’t bake a cake without a recipe. Don’t run a series without one.

Run weekly 20‑minute standups in the two weeks before showtime. Not daily. Not hour‑long meetings. Twenty minutes. What’s blocked? What’s done? What’s next? That’s it.

Automation & Templates: Your Future Self’s Best Friend

You will forget to send the reminder email. You will forget to export the attendee list. Automation is just a way to not rely on your brain for things it’s bad at.

Automate these immediately:

• Reminder emails (T‑3 days, T‑1 day)
• Confirmation + calendar invite
• Post‑event survey
• Refund flow (if you offer them)

Templates you’ll actually use:

• Outreach email to potential partners
• Partner blurb for your site
• ROS template (the one from Execution & Ops)
• Check‑in script for volunteers (“Hi, name? Great, here’s your tag, restrooms are to the left”)
• Incident notes doc (so you remember what broke)

Store them in a shared drive. Name them clearly. “Email‑Outreach‑Partner‑v2” not “untitled document (5).” Your future self is already thanking you.

Forecasting (Simple Is Fine)

You don’t need a Monte Carlo simulation. You need a napkin math that’s right enough to plan around.

Start with your past funnel. If you’ve run one event, you have data. If you haven’t, make an educated guess and adjust.

Example:

• Page views → 300
• Conversion rate → 4–8% (industry average for niche events)
• Seats → 12–24

So if you want 50 people, you need ~1,200 page views. That tells you how much promotion to do.

Adjust for seasonality. Summer usually slumps. Tuesday nights beat Mondays. Holiday weekends are cursed. Lead time matters: 4‑week runway gets you a steadier crowd than 10‑day sprints.

Track actuals vs. forecast in a simple sheet. After three events, you’ll know your conversion rate, not the industry’s. That’s when forecasting stops being guesswork and starts being planning.

Multi‑City or Bigger Venues (Don’t Skip the Pilot)

The urge to go big is real. Resist it. Pilot first.

• Pick one new location. Partner with a local who knows the venue scene. Pay them a flat fee or revenue share. Don’t try to scout a city from your laptop.
• Vendor shortlist: For each category (A/V, rentals, security, insurance), find 2–3 reliable options. Build the list over time. It’s your treasure map.
• Legal/permits: These escalate fast. A 50‑person meetup in a library? Probably fine. A 300‑person event in a park? You need permits, insurance, maybe a fire marshall. Consult local authorities early. Budget both time and money for this.

Don't be the guy that skips permits for a rooftop gathering. The fire department could shut it down 30 minutes in. You'd lost deposits, reputation, and the deposit on your pride. Don’t do it.

Quick Checklist: Are You Actually Ready to Scale?

• [ ] Series calendar locked and protected from your own over-enthusiasm
• [ ] Sponsorship one‑pager ready (and you’ve sent it to 3 prospects)
• [ ] Roles and SOPs documented (even if it’s just you wearing different hats)
• [ ] Automations turned on (tested, not just set up)
• [ ] Forecast updated monthly (you know your numbers)

Where to Next

You’ve built the machine. Now keep it oiled: Execution & Operations for day‑of playbooks, and Marketing & Promotion to keep demand warm.