Expanding to New Markets. When & How.

Expanding your event series to a new market is a big move, but it requires more than just copying what worked in your home city. Every new market has different audience behaviors, venue logistics, and marketing challenges. A well-planned expansion ensures that your brand not only lands in a new city but thrives. Here's how to know when you're ready and the key steps to take.

"Expanding isn't just about selling tickets—it's about building the same energy and experience you have in your home city." – Alex Fox, founder of Fox Collective (@afoxcollective)

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When to Expand: Are You Ready?

Expanding before your event series is truly ready can lead to low attendance, wasted marketing spend, and brand dilution. Before you take the leap, ask yourself:

• Is demand strong in your current city? If you haven't consistently sold out events or built a core community, focus on strengthening your home base before expanding.
• Do you have repeat attendees? A healthy event brand retains attendees. If your audience keeps coming back and bringing new people, that's a sign you have a scalable model.
• Are people from other cities asking for your events? Organic demand—such as attendees traveling for your event or social media DMs asking for events in other cities—is a key indicator that expansion makes sense.
• Do you have strong operational systems? If your event planning process is still chaotic, launching in a new market will multiply those issues. Your booking, marketing, and operations should be seamless before expansion.

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Researching the Right Market

Not all cities will work for your event concept. Choosing the right new market is about finding the right fit, not just the biggest city.

Key Factors to Analyze:

• Audience Fit: Does the city have a community that aligns with your event's theme, music style, or purpose?
• Competitor Landscape: Are there similar events already? If so, can you differentiate yourself?
• Cost Considerations: Venue rental costs, bar minimums, staffing fees, and local marketing expenses can vary dramatically.
• Event Culture & Local Trends: Some cities have a strong late-night scene, while others are more focused on early evening gatherings. Research what works locally.

How to Gather Insights:

• Talk to local event organizers (without positioning yourself as a competitor).
• Analyze current listings in the city to see event types and ticket pricing trends.
• Leverage social media to engage with potential attendees before launching.

"Test a city before fully launching—throw a pop-up or collab with a local organizer first." – Ben Hernandez, founder of Be Louder Group (@beloudergroup)

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Establishing Local Partnerships Before You Launch

Expanding successfully isn't about dropping into a new city—it's about embedding yourself in the local scene.

Find Local Promoters & Influencers

• Work with trusted community leaders who have an existing audience to tap into.
• Offer commission-based incentives for promoters to drive RSVPs and ticket sales.

Secure a Venue & Strategic Partnerships

• A well-connected venue owner can introduce you to potential collaborators, helping your brand gain early credibility.
• Partner with local bars, record labels, brands, or collectives that align with your event's vibe.

Collaborate with an Existing Organizer

• Instead of immediately launching a full-scale event on your own, host a takeover or collaborate with an existing community in the city.
• Co-hosting helps you test audience response with lower risk while leveraging an established crowd.
• Established organizers will ask what you bring to the table - you’ll need to offer a similar partnership in your own city, access to pre-show data you’ve already collected from their market, or quantify the value that building affinity between your brands will provide to them.
• Collaborating with Organizers that have smaller brands than your own may be necessary to start off, given your more established brand (more followers, better flyers, etc.) will provide them with added credibility within their own market that makes the collaboration worthwhile.

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Building Pre-Launch Hype

Even if your event is well-known in your home city, your brand is new in the target market. You need a strong pre-launch marketing plan to generate demand before announcing.

Key Pre-Launch Strategies:

• Soft Announcements on Social Media – Gauge early interest with polls, teaser posts, and sign-up links for exclusive early access.
• Build a Local Email & SMS List – Collect contact info through social media and local partnerships.
• Host a Small Meetup First – A pre-launch happy hour or invite-only gathering allows you to introduce your event brand in an organic, in-person way.
• Leverage Influencer Partnerships – Pay or barter with local micro-influencers to promote your first event.

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Launching Your First Event in the New Market

Your first event in a new city needs extra attention to detail since it sets the tone for all future events.

Essential First-Event Strategies:

• Keep It Exclusive: A sold-out 150-person event builds more hype than a half-empty 500-person venue.
• Invest in Strong Content Capture: Hire a local photographer and videographer to document the first event and create marketing assets.
• Ensure High Energy & Hospitality: Make sure your core team is present to ensure execution matches your brand standard.
• Get Post-Event Feedback: Talk to attendees, collect survey responses, and adjust based on local feedback.

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Scaling to Recurring Events

Once you've successfully launched in a new city, the real challenge is maintaining momentum.

Building a Sustainable Model:

• Hire a Local Operations Lead – A trusted person on the ground ensures consistency without requiring your team to constantly travel.
• Maintain Consistency in Branding & Experience – While small tweaks can help fit a city's culture, your event should still feel recognizable across all locations.
• Test Expansion Pace – Don't rush into launching in multiple new cities at once. Focus on perfecting two markets before scaling further.

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Expanding to new markets requires patience, strategic partnerships, and a strong pre-launch plan. Done right, it can double or triple your brand's reach while building a sustainable multi-city event business. Take your time, build relationships, and let demand drive your expansion—not just ambition.

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