Reading Arts Marketing Information for Promoters

readingartsmarketing@reading.gov.uk

The Hexagon
Queens Walk
Reading RG1 7QF

Reading Town Hall
Blagrave Street
Reading
RG1 1QH

The Hexagon (and/or logo)
Show date, time
Box Office: 0118 960 6060
whatsonreading.com/hexagon

Reading Town Hall (and/or logo)
Show date, time
Box Office: 0118 960 6060
whatsonreading.com/town-hall

Please request venue logos by contacting readingartsmarketing@reading.gov.uk

All poster frames and flyer holders in our venues are portrait orientation. No landscape print materials can be displayed.

Hexagon: 
A5 flyers x 500
A2 x 2
A4 x 4
Pop-up Banners if available x 1

Town Hall: 
A5 flyers x 300
A3 x 2
A4 x 2
No pop-up banners or 4-sheets

Please address all print deliveries FAO: Reading Arts Marketing

Event Page main image: 800 x 540px landscape, jpg/png under 3 MB
Extra images and videos can be added to event page.

Copy for website: minimum 50 words, maximum 150-200 words

Video Trailers: 
MP4/MOV 
Wherever possible please subtitle videos
Any videos for socials, 1:1, 4:5, 16:9 and 9:16 aspect ratios

Images: 
Jpeg/png
Please provide any photographer credit needed, and wherever possible Alt Text descriptions

In Venue Screens: 
1920 x 1080px landscape for Hexagon foyer/Town Hall - The Pantry Cafe screens
1080 x 1920px portrait for Town Hall foyer screens

A well‑designed poster, flyer, or graphic is invaluable in helping both you and us to sell tickets for your unique show. The recent proliferation of AI‑generated print and graphics has led to an overwhelming sameness. In an already crowded marketplace, these materials offer little distinction and no meaningful cut‑through, and many audiences find the use of them unethical and off-putting. The defining feature of live events is that they’re real, tangible, lived experiences right in front of you in the room. AI-generated materials just don’t resonate with audiences craving these experiences. 

We therefore strongly encourage artists and companies to work with professional designers, create their own poster design, or purchase a stock image rather than opting for the perceived speed and convenience of AI‑generated design, which all too often produces near‑identical, tacky-looking results. In short: please don’t send us AI-generated assets, as they can harm rather than help efforts to convince people to book for your show.

What’s On Reading
Facebook facebook.com/RDGWhatsOn 
Instagram @whatsonrdg 
BlueSky @rdgwhatson.bsky.social

The Hexagon/The Town Hall
Facebook facebook.com/readingartsandvenues 
Instagram @thehexagonrdg
Threads @thehexagonrdg
YouTube @readingartsandvenues

- 24 hour pre-sale to Reading Arts Members offered as standard

- Event page on whatsonreading.com published

- Announcement Eshot sent to targeted list approx. 10-15k contacts
(Announcement eshots will be solus, unless we have multiple events announcing at the same time, in which case we will include all those shows in one announcement eshot)

- Announcement post on all social channels

- Included as ‘New On Sale’ item on that week’s Weekly Eshot, sent Friday at 10am to approx. 25k contacts (RG post codes, bookers from last 5 years)

- Inclusion in appropriate monthly genre eshots: Comedy, Music, Theatre, Classical, Family

- Inclusion in Weekly Eshot as a ‘Coming Soon/On Next’ from approx. 3 weeks before the show

- Regular organic posts on all social media channels

- Inclusion in monthly What’s On listings flyer. Flyer is displayed at Reading Arts venues and Reading Borough Council sites

- Print distributed & displayed at Reading Arts venues, The Pantry café, all Reading Borough Council libraries

- Option to offer discount code to Reading Borough Council Staff and Royal Berkshire NHS Staff, circulated via email

- Your Press Release circulated to local contacts, including BBC Berkshire Radio

All paid marketing will be discussed and agreed between venue and promoter, and recharged on the settlement as per the event contract. 
Costs shown are as up-to-date as possible, but may be subject to change. 
All costs shown are exclusive of VAT.
Any spend will be double-checked with the promoter before being actioned.

Image or Video ads on our Facebook & Instagram, tailored to your budget. Most promoters choose to spend £100-£350 and run for 7-14 days. 

Please note we cannot integrate the Meta pixel with our website, as advised by RBC’s legal team.

£150, goes to targeted customer list of at least 10k contacts. 
Recommend scheduling 6-8 weeks before the show. 
Includes more in-depth copy, production photos and trailers

Broad Street Mall: 
Approx. £1000 per month. 
Large Screen on outside of building facing town centre. 
Can run video and static image. 
1 x 10 second ad every 2-3 mins. 
Artwork must be landscape 864 x 576px, 72-300dpi, RGB colour, JPG/PNG/MP4.

Richfield Avenue: 
£99 per week, 2 week minimum booking. 
Roadside screen on a main road linking North Reading to West Reading. 
Static image only. 
Artwork must be landscape 576 x 384px, JPG/PNG. 
 

£30-£40 print costs per banner approx.
Displayed on railings outside The Hexagon
Artwork dimensions: 3m wide x 0.6m high

£150 per month approx. for Route 17 (busiest Reading bus route going through town centre and Reading Rail Station) Screens that display the clock and stop information, with rotating ads. 
Can increase budget to secure more bus routes, longer time frames, etc.

Wokingham Today/RDG Today weekly newspapers. £190 for Portrait 130mm x 160mm jpg, to appear in both newspapers.

RDG Today Online. £100 for 10k impressions. Landscape 300 x 250px jpg, 72dpi under 1MB, links direct to event page on whatsonreading.com

Reading Chronicle weekly newspaper. £103.62 for Portrait 114mm x 160mm jpg.

Muddy Stilettos Berkshire online lifestyle magazine, high end, targeted towards women. Packages can be negotiated, but as a guideline: £700 approx. per month for digital ad, review/blogs, socials etc.

Henley Life Magazine. £200 approx. for Portrait 99mm x 135mm jpg. Monthly glossy magazine delivered to households. Best suited to Classical/Ballet/Opera/Theatre.

Primary Times Berkshire Magazine. £350 approx. per issue, Spring/Summer/Autumn. Family and children’s shows.