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XYZ

Build Your Own Team – Director Of Operations

Intro

As a director of the company and operational manager, you are the front line of the organization. Although liabilities fall on you, you are personally protected as a director of the registered company.

Nevertheless you are the face of the organization and it’s your name on the dotted line, policies and letters of agreement to all clients and contractors. You are the signatory of the bank accounts, you are the sole authorisation of transactions for and on behalf of the company and you will ultimately need to have performed all jobs you coordinate. But don’t let this put you off. The XYZ director is the key role in maximizing efficiency of operations and minimizing waste – time and money.

The Director’s role

Development

- Draft a business plan
- Property searching
- Loans and funding
  1. - Register as a legal entity: eg. LTD, CIC, NGO, CIO
    - Create roles and responsibilities / job descriptions
    - Recruit legal
    - Recruit accountancy
    - Recruit board of directors / core group of professional artists
    - Elect / recruit core management
  2. - Branding
    - Networking
    - Recruitment of artists
    - Start shows (find ancillary spaces to build audience)2.0
- Create team
- Renovate property
- Develop arts programme
- Generate commercial subsidies / licenses
  1. - Establish marketing strategy
    - Create an event management plan
    - Market and community research (primary, secondary and tertiary
    - data collection)
    - Design community outreach programme
    - Curate the gallery year

Build Your Team – Sales

Intro

As associate in charge of sales you will be responsible for attending all shows and liaising with clients and artists. You will also be responsible for communications with accountants and the director, ensuring that all invoices have been provided and paid. You will be a signatory on the business bank account and responsible for providing statements and account updates upon request.

Tasks:

Uploading new artwork onto the organization website ecommerce.
Collating images and statements for artist’s show price lists.
Able to suggest prices for work if required*.
Able to operate and instruct on PDQ or equivalent card
machines.
In charge of monitoring post and payables, including services
and rates.
Responsible for postage and packaging of artwork to clients.
Responsible for comms with clients and organizing collection of
work at the end of each show, including satisfactorily packing
artwork.

Skills required:

Basic understanding of Excel spreadsheet, Xero and Dext
software.
Proficiency using website CMS – word press, square space etc.
An understanding of online transactions.
Able to draft commercial invoices using online accounting
software or independently.

*FORMULA 2: (Hourly Wage × Hours Spent) + Cost of Materials

Build Your Team – Event Management

Introduction

Using XYZ as an administrative toolbox will allow you to monetise
space and time. Running your space will require multiple revenue
streams; event management can offer good margins, if managed
carefully. With your core administration never more than two or three people, there is potential to streamline your operations through outsourcing. Running an event space within a gallery environment has many benefits. You would have designed a neutral space for artwork to feature as the main source of visual information. This allows for a new and refreshing change with every show, an asset when re-hiring the space to the same clients, or offering the space to clients who have a vested interest in supporting emerging artists.

An XYZ event manager should be able to build an event from the ground upwards. This means:

Creating marketing assets to promote the venue (stills and
video content).
Creating campaigns to market the venue through arts and events
listings (see marketing).
Monitoring an online booking form database through the
organization website (Square space recommended)
Monitoring and editing the organization’s online calendar
(team-up recommended).
Liaising in person and on site with the client
Creating a comms strategy and timeline for the event, including
meeting minues.
Drafting a letter of agreement with the client that protects
both parties (see: other resources).
Able to process payments and deposits.
Able to contact and coordinate contractors for the event if the
client is unable or unwilling.
Being qualified to discuss logistical solutions for private,
open and ticketed events.
Being qualified to discuss the full specs of in-house media
and A/V equipment.
Obtaining the correct personal and premises licenses.
Being aware of contractor and in-house staff costs.
Being aware of the premises capacity and configurations.

Venue for hire

The cost of the event will include all aspects of administration and the hours required to execute the procedures. You, as core
administration of XYZ will be remunerated for your time, on an hourly basis, and this will be factored into the overall cost of the event to the client. The rentable value of the venue will be calculated by in depth comparative research if in urban areas, based on hours of admin vs, square footage (meterage) if outside of calculable urban zones or business districts.

Resources:

Event planning software
https://www.openrent.co.uk/rent-calculator-property-value-by-po
stcode

Alcohol licensing

Licensing required for the sale of alcohol in a public space will
differ depending on country and region. In the UK, this permission
can be obtained once a series of courses have been completed by the
director, or associate of the organization, elected to be a DPS
(designated premises supervisor). The conditions of the license will depend on the area, the building or business planning consent and intended hours of operation.

Resources:

https://www.innpacked.com/services/premises-licence-application/
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/alcohol-licensing

Temporary events license

At the very least you can apply for special events licenses that will come with a fee you will integrate into your venue for hire policy. Most of the licenses available from local authorities will allow you to supply intoxicating beverages but not sell them, unless you have a premises alcohol license. Noise restrictions are ubiquitous in the city and the price of licenses will go up depending on the breadth of conditions, mainly due to music for extended hours.

Resources:

https://www.gov.uk/find-licences/temporary-events-notice
Insurance:

Public liability insurance will be mandatory for you as an operator. This is something that all artists working on site or exhibiting off the premises wil need. It relates to all installations and potential damage csued by teh flow of visitors expected in your studio, event and exhibition space.

Artist’s portals and forums are the best to guide you to inexpensive brokers and specialist artist’s policies, of which there are many available.

Resources:

https://spacesstories.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAy9msBhD0A_RIsANbk0AJlNZZEMt1iPqNYVpcPrRD3AErTNXPzrtU2tofkb6CFw8iacWqUa__AmGUEALw_wcB
Event space portals

Creating your own events

Types of events:

Private receptions
Corporate receptions
Film clubs
Film screenings
Media launches
Book signings & launches
Craft workshops
Acting workshops
Fringe performances (see: theater groups*)
Shared workspace
Community broadcasting
Music events
Fitness classes

Staffing:

Job title: Freelance curator (project development)

Job description:

To propose, coordinate and implement solo & group shows in partnership with the Directors as well as external curators and artists.

Roles & responsibilities:

Project development

Recruit and interview participating artists
Draft project and curation briefs in collaboration with gallery
management
Provide curation plans two to three months in advance of proposed show dates
To work with associate curators and the director to coordinate
logistics solutions
To liaise with artists and marketing personnel during the
development of the show/project

Project implementation

To coordinate collection and / or delivery of work on agreed
installation dates
To work with gallery management to coordinate invigilation
throughout group shows
To liaise with marketing throughout project development
To act as artists liaison throughout development and for the
duration of the proposed show/project.

Payment:

Hours must be logged monthly and invoiced before the end of the month. Further fees and expenses must be approved in advance with the director and no later than 24hrs prior to incurring extraneous costs relating to the proposed work. Payment will be made within seven days of invoice.

Date (s) of work:

Proposed hourly rate:

Total hours:

Director of operations:

Signed

Accountant / signatory:

Signed:

Job title: Freelance Technician

Job description:

To supervise the delivery and installation of work, in partnership with the featured artist and based on a pre-approved curation plan.

Roles & responsibilities:

Installation

– To make good walls and surfaces to be ready for the instal

– To be on site to accept deliveries from artists at 0900 on install days.

– To work with the vision of the artist, and in accordance with a pre-approved curation plan.

– To be up to date with gallery inventories of fixtures and fittings.

– To supply tools, if resident equipment doesn’t support the artists brief.

Scheduling

– To coordinate collection and / or delivery of work on agreed installation dates

– To work with gallery management to confirm dates of shows at least one month in advance

– To schedule work around instal days or provide substitute technical support if absent from instal dates.

Payment:

Date (s) of work:

Proposed hourly rate:

Total hours:

Director of operations:

Signed:

Accountant / signatory:

Signed:

The Muse at 269 (Gallery & Studio) / UK Charity for the Arts – 1162300

Build Your Team – Marketing

Intro

The most efficient way to run a business? Do it yourself. You
maximize time, avoid duplicating work and the often impermeable
membrane of communicating ideas accurately. This is simply not always possible, especially if you’re running a multifaceted operation. It doesnt after what the scale of your operation, every department needs the same leve of attention – the rest is scalability. This applies double if you’re a professional artist, covering your own overheads and maintaining studio time. Even if you don’t have the additional workload of an arts practice, running operations single handedly can only last so long, before the onset of oversights and ultimate burn out. With this in mind, collaboration before delegation is recommended; marketing can be approached as a creative collaboration and integrated as regular an interesting routine to share with an associate.

Recruitment

If you do not have anyone in your team with these skills, I would
invest your time in upskilling yourself. The level required to
successfully market your space, artists, shows and events is
achievable with a rudimentary knowledge of PC and / or MAC OS. If you have experience already, as most graduate artists do, take the time to share the workload with an associate and double your resources. Keeping marketing in-house will save you considerably and becomes an easy addition to weekly schedules, especially if you are able to discuss campaigns in person at least once a week on site.

The basic skills required for marketing are:

Intermediate level research experience, academic and/ or
professional.
An understanding of spreadsheet and database management to
populate e-mailout campaigns using generic subscriptions eg.
Mailchimp.
A basic level experience of using industry standard software.
This is essential for artwork and copywriting, software
including: