I had deliberately decided to start my tour of South Wales bus stops late at night.
There were 2 major considerations. Firstly, with less traffic around it might be easier to find a place nearby to park the car before grabbing my phone and making for the shelter. Secondly, hopefully there wouldn’t be too many people around waiting for buses at that time of night. I had nothing to hide. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was just hoping to avoid any embarrassing situations.
My first stop was the shelter outside the Law Courts at Quay Parade opposite Sainsburys. The roads were glistening from the recent rain showers which I thought might lead to some rather atmospheric, arty shots.
Carefully looking around I walked up to the bus shelter and popped my head around the corner. Too late. There was someone sitting there waiting for a bus. Trying to look unconcerned and nonchalant I looked at the ever changing advertising display. Thinking I was looking for a bus timetable the lad said ‘Mate, you’ve just missed the No 21.’
I thanked him, took a seat next to him and slowly took out my phone. I knew it was only a matter of time before the advert for my Golden Jubilee Celebration Concert at Swansea Arena would come around again. When it did I stood up and started to take a selfie. ‘Mate’, he said, ‘that’s you!’. To be honest it wasn’t a hard connection to make. I actually had the same hat, jacket, t shirt as well as similar glasses on as I was wearing in the poster.
‘Do you want me to take the photo for you?’. By the time he had grabbed my phone and positioned himself for the best angle the advert had changed to getting a job as a bus driver. ‘No worries’ he said, ‘my bus isn’t due for 10 minutes. There then followed a slightly awkward few minutes as I tried to give some context to the concert I was performing at the Arena. 
As I stood there explaining to my new friend that 50 years ago I made records with Elton John and this was a big celebration I was starting to think to myself…he doesn’t believe a word of this.. and then it got even more awkward as I tried to explain why I was out late at night taking pictures of myself in various South Wales Bus stops.
I think we were both relieved when the advert came back on screen. He took a number of pictures; we shook hands and I walked as fast as I could to my car without looking back.
For me, my Swansea Arena Concert in October is my Olympic Final. Over the past couple of weeks I have watched amazing athletes from all over the world run, jump, swim, climb, swing, throw and test just about every attribute the human body has to try to be the best in the world. Some sports only seem to exist every 4 years. I’d almost forgotten that Kayak race that starts with 4 people dumped from a great height and when it comes to climbing boulders, well I’d forgotten about that altogether.
The preparations and arrangements that have to be made to practice and train for the games never stop. We see the athletes on the day but don’t see everything that has gone on before getting them prepared for their big day. There’s an old saying
‘You can’t fatten a pig on market day’
That’s true with sport and concerts too.
With just under 2 months to go we are now into the final timetable for our preparations. Booking the Arena happened a year ago. Once I had the date I had to make sure that my band put that date into their diaries. As they work on lots of different projects there was always a chance of a clash. Getting in early hopefully meant they would all be there.
Planning over a cuppa in the Kardomah with producer Ian Parsons.
Recently we have been working on all of the technical requirements. How many lights do we need, what extra sound equipment? Can we get the right sound and lighting personnel?
One of the tricky elements has been guests. I had a number of people in mind but of course anyone who is good is also busy. Also, I didn’t want to have to twist people’s arms. My usual first invitation always said, ‘it’s not a problem if you can’t join me but I’d love to have you there.’
Soundcheck with Elio Pace Bloomsbury Theatre London May 2024.
Having lined up some very special guests you then have to put their announcement into the promotion diary. The wonderful Elio Pace had agreed to be a guest some time ago, but we made the announcement last week to coincide with a major concert he had broadcast on the BBC. Over the coming weeks we’ll make further special guest announcements.
The Promotion Diary is possibly one of the most important elements of a big concert like mine in October because timing is everything and you want regular stories to maintain momentum. We announced the show in December hoping that some people might think buying tickets for the show would solve some Christmas present headaches.
Throughout the year we have timed the regular release of new records to help keep the music and concert in people’s minds. Every new record has led to a spike in ticket sales.
It is often said that advertising is either a complete waste of time and money or the most important part of any concert budget. Approach any marketing company and they will give you a whole range of options. How much do you spend on print, newspapers or digital?
The world of digital advertising seems like a magical land of opportunity and it does give you amazing tools to work with. These days the social media platforms give you the ability to target the exact demographic that might be interested in you or your product, but you need to understand that before boosting a post or setting up an event. You might spend hundreds of pounds but actually send the advert to people who would never be interested in what you have to offer.
Having worked on a digital strategy and timetable where else should you spend your PR budget?
Our bus poster campaign makes the Heritage Chart Show.
Last year, before my concert at the Swansea Grand Theatre, we decided to try bus stops. All around South Wales various councils had upgraded their bus stops offering advertising opportunities at strategic locations. There are 2 options, printed posters which stay in the same place for a month or so and digital posters which change every few minutes as you share the space with other advertisements.
With printed posters having proved so successful last year we decided to also go digital this year. That was why I was out late on Thursday evening touring bus stops with my phone, making sure they were working and also hoping for some images to post on my socials.
Next comes really old school flyers and posters in local shops as the clock ticks down to October.
Over the next few weeks, as we try various advertising tools we will monitor ticket sales and hope that we have made the right decisions but as well as likening my career to an Olympic athlete my job is also a bit like being a farmer. You plant as much seed as you can in the best places you can find…and then you wait to see if anything bears fruit!!!
To book you tickets click on the photo below or follow the link.
https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/mal-pope-golden-jubilee-concert/swansea-arena/