🏛️ Venue Quick Start Guide

Everything you need to set up your venue profile and start receiving artist bookings on Island Gigs.

Welcome to Island Gigs — the platform connecting venues and artists across Cyprus. This guide walks you through setting up your venue profile in 9 steps so you can start attracting and booking the right artists for your events. Estimated reading time: 5 minutes.

📝 STEP 1: Basic Info

Your profile starts with the essentials — who you are and what you look like.

🏷️ Venue Name

Your venue's official name (1–40 characters). This is how artists and the public will find you.

🏢 Venue Type

Choose the category that best describes your space:

Type	Best For
🍸 Bar	Casual live music, acoustic sets, DJs
🕺 Club	Nightlife, DJ sets, electronic music
🏨 Hotel	Corporate events, weddings, private functions
🎭 Theater	Concerts, performances, ticketed events
🍽️ Restaurant	Background music, dining entertainment
🎉 Private Party	One-off events, special occasions
🏟️ Event Hall	Large-scale events, multi-genre
🎪 Other	Anything that doesn't fit above

📝 Short Description (optional)

Describe your venue in up to 500 characters. What makes it special? What kind of atmosphere does it have?

💡 Tip: Even though the description is optional, a good one helps artists decide if your venue is a match for their style.

🖼️ Venue Photo

Upload a high-quality photo of your venue (JPG, PNG, or WEBP, max 10MB).

💡 Tip: Use a photo that shows the performance area or the best side of your venue. Artists want to visualise where they'll be performing.

📍 STEP 2: Location

Let artists know where you are. You have two options:

Manual Entry

District — Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos, or Famagusta
City — Your city name
Street Address — Full street and number
Zip Code — 4-digit Cyprus postal code

GPS Auto-Fill

Tap "Use Current Location" to let the app detect your position automatically. A map with a draggable marker appears — adjust it if needed. The address fields fill in automatically.

💡 Tip: Use GPS for maximum accuracy. Artists use distance filters when browsing venues.

📞 STEP 3: Contact Details

How can artists reach you directly?

Phone Number — 8 digits (displayed with +357 Cyprus country code)
Email — Your booking or management email

💡 Note: Your venue contact details are visible to artists on your public profile. Use a dedicated bookings email or phone if possible. Artist contact details, on the other hand, are kept private and only shared with you once a booking is confirmed through the app.

🎸 STEP 4: Genres You Book

Select at least one genre that represents the type of music your venue hosts.

Examples: Rock, Jazz, Electronic, Pop, Hip-Hop, House, Techno, Traditional, R&B, and more.

Why this matters:

Artists filter venues by genre compatibility
Your selected genres appear in artist searches
Genres you select here also appear in your Weekly Schedule (Step 5) so you can assign different music to different nights

💡 Tip: Add all the genres you're open to — not just your primary one. A bar that books both Jazz and Electronic will appear in more searches.

📅 STEP 5: Weekly Schedule

This is your venue's operating calendar — one of the most important steps.

For Each Day of the Week:

Toggle the day open — set it to "Open" if you operate that day
Set Opening Time — when you open
Set Closing Time — when you close
Assign Genres for that day — choose from the genres you selected in Step 4

Time Rules

Rule	Detail
⏱️ Minimum duration	15 minutes
⏰ Maximum duration	20 hours
🌙 Overnight support	Yes — e.g. 22:00 → 03:00 works fine
⚖️ Open = Close	Not allowed

Example Schedule

Day	Open	Close	Genres
Friday	21:00	03:00	House, Techno
Saturday	21:00	04:00	House, Techno, R&B
Sunday	20:00	01:00	Jazz, Pop

💡 Tip: Be as accurate as possible. Artists check your schedule before proposing performance dates — if a day is marked closed, they won't be able to request it.

⚠️ Important: Keep your schedule updated. If your hours change seasonally, update this step so artists see current availability.

🏟️ STEP 6: Capacity & Stage

Venue Capacity

Enter the maximum number of people your venue holds. This helps artists gauge whether their style suits your audience size.

Performance Area

Where can artists perform at your venue?

Option	Meaning
🏠 Indoors Only	Covered performance space only
🌿 Outdoors Only	Open-air stage or area only
🌐 Indoors & Outdoors	Both options available

💡 Tip: If you have both, select "Indoors & Outdoors" — it opens you up to more artists and event types.

💰 STEP 7: Pricing

Set your venue's entry pricing model so artists understand the commercial context of your events.

Option	When to Use
🆓 Free	No entry charge — walk-in events
💵 Fixed Price	Set entry fee in Euros (e.g. €10)
🤝 Negotiable	Pricing varies by event

Notes field (optional): Add any extra pricing information, e.g. "Free entry before midnight, €10 after" or "Ticketed events only".

💡 Tip: Pricing transparency helps artists understand your audience and frame their fee expectations accordingly.

🔗 STEP 8: Social Links (Optional)

Connect your online presence so artists can learn more about you before reaching out.

🌐 Website
📘 Facebook
📸 Instagram
🐦 X (Twitter)
▶️ YouTube
🎵 TikTok

💡 Tip: Even one or two links make a big difference. Artists research venues before sending offers — a strong Instagram page or website builds confidence.

🚀 STEP 9: Review & Publish

The final step shows a checklist of all your profile sections:

Section	Status
All required steps complete	✅ Green checkmark
Required step incomplete	❌ Red exclamation mark
Optional step	⭕ Grey circle

The Publish button activates only when Steps 1–7 are all complete.

How to Publish

Review the checklist — fix any red items
Tap "Publish Now"
Your venue profile goes live and artists can find you

⚠️ Important: Unpublished profiles do not appear in artist search results. After publishing, the button changes to "Update Public Profile" — you can edit any step at any time.

✅ Published = Bookable! Artists can now discover your venue and send you booking offers.

💼 STEP 10: Working with Offers

Once your profile is live, offers will start arriving. You can also proactively reach out to artists.

📥 Receiving Offers from Artists

When it happens: An artist finds your venue and wants to perform.

You receive a notification — a new offer has arrived
Open the offer to review the artist's profile, genres, videos, proposed dates and fee
Choose your response:

Action	What It Means
✅ Accept	Confirm the booking — the artist is booked!
❌ Reject	Decline the offer — it's closed
💬 Message	Negotiate terms, ask questions, discuss details

📤 Sending Offers to Artists

When to use: You've browsed the artist directory and want to book a specific performer.

Go to your offers section and tap "Book an Artist"
Browse the artist list — filter by genre, location, and availability
Select an artist and tap "Send Offer"
Follow the 3-step offer wizard: choose dates, set times, review and send

💡 For the complete guide to the offer system, see the How Offers Work guide.

💡 Best Practices & Tips

🏛️ Profile Tips

✅ Complete all steps — a full profile gets significantly more offers
✅ Use a professional venue photo — first impressions matter
✅ Write a good description — tell artists what's special about your space
✅ Link your Instagram — most artists check it before sending an offer

📅 Schedule Tips

✅ Keep your schedule accurate — outdated hours mean missed bookings
✅ Assign genres per day — Friday house music, Sunday jazz, etc.
✅ Update seasonally — summer vs. winter hours may differ

💬 Communication Tips

✅ Respond promptly — fast replies signal a professional venue
✅ Be clear about expectations — share set times, sound requirements, setup access
✅ Message before rejecting — a quick question can turn the wrong offer into the right one
✅ Honour commitments — only accept offers you can deliver on

💰 Booking Tips

✅ Be realistic about fees — your pricing type sets artist expectations
✅ Consider the audience — match artist style to your typical crowd
✅ Plan ahead — book artists weeks in advance for special events

🏛️ Quick Action Checklist

☐ Add your venue photo
☐ Fill in your name, type, and description
☐ Set your location (GPS or manual)
☐ Add contact phone and email
☐ Select the genres you book
☐ Set your weekly schedule with opening hours
☐ Enter your capacity and performance area
☐ Set your pricing model
☐ Add social media links (optional)
☐ Publish your profile
☐ Browse artists and send your first offer!

Island Gigs — Connecting Artists and Venues | Version 1.0