So, you want to book a celebrity for your event. You may want to hire a celebrity booking agency, but how do you book celebrities with one?
First, you need to understand your hiring budget. Celebrities have added costs above their base fee. The price of the celebrity does not include travel costs, if there is a rider request, catering, production costs, and anything else they may ask for. For someone that cost $50,000, this price can double when you add in the expenses they require.
Second, be aware of your audience and their expectations. Matching the talent of the celebrity to your audience is the most vital element to have success. For example, an audience of young techies may not work well with an old-time country singer. You should also consider what you want to achieve with the celebrity for your audience. Do your guests want a full comedy entertainment act, a musical performance, or a Q&A session? Will your guests want an event where they are up on their feet or is a sit-down show a better option?
Third, you need to make your offer count. Know exactly what you want from the celebrity before you make your offer. The first offer is when you should ask for everything you want from your entertainment. Be very specific, and ask about meet and greets, what types of acts you expect, the music you want them to play, etc. Include everything you want in your offer as many celebrities do not want to make changes after the offer is final.
Fourth, once you have chosen your celebrity, you will need to work with the celebrity and the booking agency to have enough time for the entire event, including setup, soundcheck, and so on. Also, if the celebrity is going to be a surprise to the audience, you need to plan where your guests will be when the celebrity is preparing for the event.
Lastly, it is important to never skimp on catering. People think this is a good way to save money. But the dressing room catering is one of the only things your celebrity is going to see. Making cuts here will make a bad impression. If you need to cut costs, you may want to cut out some of the lighting or other production costs. Work with your booking agency to determine how to keep costs under control.
If you keep these ideas in mind, you should have more success booking noteworthy celebrities from a celebrity booking agency that will fit with your event.
Bio:
Alyson Theriot has been involved with talent bookings for the past ten years and wants to share her knowledge with others. https://www.cultivatedent.com/