8 STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL ENTERTAINMENT
You are the person who has to hire the band or other entertainment. Where do you start? Here are 8 steps to help you be successful in hiring entertainment.
1. Know how much time you have to put into the project. Searching for, and hiring entertainers can become time consuming. The more time you put into it, the better chance you have of finding good talent.
2. Start your search early. The good entertainers may already be booked. The closer you get to your event date, the less chance you have of finding talent everyone will be happy with. In a perfect world, you want to give yourself as much as nine to twelve months.
3. Find agencies and consultants. When we speak of agents and consultants, look for those who represent many talented performers. You want to have choices. A misconception is that it will cost more. The fact is, most professional performers pay the agencies from their proceeds.
4. Ask questions. When presented choices, a reputable firm will give you the information you need. They will provide references from past clients. They will have video for you to watch. Ask questions like, how many times has this performer been in front of an audience just like ours? Find out how many clients actually plan on re-hiring the same performer because they were pleased with them.
5. Understand the time frame and all of the paperwork. To have the best chance of successfully hiring talent that is matched to your event, let the experts do most of your work for you. There is more to hiring someone than saying “be there at 7:00”. There are details specific to each performer, and contracts to be signed. The contracts will protect you, and detail exactly what has to happen to make the performance a success.
6. Book Early. Redundant to step # 2, this will give you the opportunity to have more choices for better entertainers. Many agencies and performers offer a book early discount.
7. Have a backup plan. We have heard stories from others, who call us at the last minute, telling us “the performer we hired just flaked out on us, can you help?”. Your best plan of success includes working with a group who will always have a backup for you in case of illness, weather or other unforeseen events.
8. Be professional about the process. Those who represent talent, and the performers themselves, work on a schedule. There is a saying in this business – “the date is not on the calendar until the contract is signed”. Don’t make them wait. When you find the entertainer you want, secure them. Every day a date is penciled in is a date that the performer may lose potential income if you don’t get the paperwork done.
Recap
Give yourself plenty of time to make the right choice. When you have made your choice, get the paperwork finished. Then you can sit back, and have a successful event!
[si-contact-form form=’5′]