You are planning an event and want to book entertainment. You know a couple of guys in a band that plays down the road at that bar with the crazy name. Maybe you should call them. Then you look on the internet and find dozens of groups of all shapes and sizes playing everything from goth rock to sacred steel and a myriad of other musical styles. Hmmm....what should you do?
In town there are two or three agencies that specialize in booking entertainment. Maybe they are worth a call. But wouldn't you be paying more for a band you could get on your own terms?
Having been involved with booking and producing live entertainment for almost thirty years I have probably heard most of the stories, both good and bad, that people have from their experiences booking entertainment both with and without a booking agent. I have to confess that some of my colleagues leave much to be desired. Then there are others that are consummate professionals and well worth the fee they charge.
How does it work? Most agents will charge an artist a commission for helping them to secure work. In the State of Florida professional agencies are licensed by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation in the same manner as a realtor, although there isn't the extensive educational program that exists in the real estate profession. Talent Agents are bonded and insured and required to follow a set of guidelines set forth by the State. The regulations are all designed to protect you, the consumer.
A good agent will take much of the guess work out of selecting the right entertainment for your event. By asking a myriad of questions he or she will build a profile and then be able to provide you with options from which you can choose. Maybe there will be audio samples, maybe some video. Perhaps you can go and catch the artist at a performance, as long as it isn't something private that is by invitation only. However the process unfolds the agent will only succeed by providing you the client with timely information on a quality entertainer that is right for your event.
Music is perhaps one of the most subjective items you can purchase, the quality and value is purely determined by an individual's personal tastes. How many times have you been involved in a discussion where someone is talking about an entertainer and how wonderful they thought the person was when you couldn't stand them and considered them to be awful? An agent has to negotiate that 'personal taste' minefield and provide you with entertainment that will appeal to the majority of your guests. After all, if they are happy then you are happy. Right?
Entertainment agents aren't mind readers. They should be good listeners...asking questions and then wait for the answers. They will ask you what your budget is. Not so they can extract every last dime from your wallet (although I am sure there are some that would!) but so they can provide you with options within your budget.
They will have seen the entertainers in person. They will know how the entertainers are 'off the bandstand'. My company doesn't work with entertainers who feel the need to become guests at the event and feed from the buffet or belly up to the bar on their breaks. That is not their job. Most agencies have similar guidelines and the entertainers they work with are of the same mindset. After all, they are looking for referrals and repeat business.
With all that agencies do to promote quality entertainment that is professional, reliable and for which they are accountable it may just be worth the while to build a relationship with your favorite agent and allow them to help you the next time you are planning a celebration.
My suggestion is find an agent with whom you have a rapport, work with them and benefit from their experience and expertise. You may be pleasantly surprised as it will save you a lot of extra work, stress and maybe even a few dollars as most artists will only work with you once but they rely on the agent for dozens of performances each and every year!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy 4th July! Celebrate your independence.
Today I am not writing about my business.
As I sit in my office, the phones quiet for a change, I have a little time to reflect on a few things.
I have lived in the United States for nearly thirty years, almost two thirds of my life to date. My entire adult working life has been spent here although I have been lucky enough to travel with my work to a variety of different countries. As a business owner I work many more hours than the 'national average' to pursue my dream. I am not alone.
These have been challenging times for many of us both personally and professionally and I am no exception. In recent years the loss of parents, family illness, the economic downturn and trouble from quarters you would least expect have all taken their turn front and center in my life. We all have those tales of tough luck but there are times when, no matter how dark our own horizon appears to be, we are reminded that there is someone else near to us that is much worse off. Somehow it helps to put things in perspective.
Independence Day is particularly interesting to me as a Brit abroad. We all know what happend more than 200 years ago and through the trouble and the strife a new, exciting and vibrant country was born. A nation that would endure its fair share of challenges as it evolved and became a super power, a global powerhouse that everyone could look up to and many could only dream of what it would be like to live in a place where anything was possible. All you had to do was work hard, be diligent about your responsibilities and you could create a better life for you and your family. That image has been hit hard in recent years but this is a resilient nation that is bound and determined to continue to grow and evolve as a leader should, keeping that dream alive for generations to come.
In spite of everything I am one of the lucky few to be living that dream. I am pursuing my chosen career path and have been my own boss for almost as long as I have been working. The first years of my professional life I worked alongside my father, my personal hero, and learnt all I could from someone who had spent a lifetime in the music and entertainment industry and had seen great success. I also got to care for him in his final days and repay him in some small way for the many gifts he gave me.
Perhaps this is more appropriate as a Thanksgiving Blog. It really has little to do with the day to day activities of my business so maybe it should be a personal blog. Then again, if it hadn't been for some brave souls who said "Enough!" and shook the status quo, took a chance and forged out on their own against almost insurmountable odds that my fellow countrymen could muster I wouldn't be here today enjoying the fruits of my labor and having the strength and ability to face my challenges head on. So in some ways it is a business blog.
On this Independence Day I am grateful for my personal independence...my freedom to follow my dreams and share my successes and failures with my family, my ability to help people in some small way by providing them with a moment, albeit brief, with music and entertainment that brightens their life.
Remember the spirit that got us to this place and keep it alive in everything you do. This is just one of the days we set aside to celebrate that spirit. Thanksgiving will be upon us before we know it and we can share it with family and friends. Memorial Day, the most somber of all, is celebrated in Great Britain on November 11 as Armistice Day, the day the Allies signed the treaty that would end the bloodshed of the "War to End All Wars", World War 1. Just twenty years later Europe was torn apart again and then the rest of the world followed suit. All these days resonate with similar sentiment, remembering sacrifice, celebrating human spirit and casting an eye to a future of promise yet to be fulfilled.
On this Independence Day I am grateful for the many gifts I have received from a truly great nation and I am proud to share in the celebration of independence, something for which many around the world can only yearn.
Happy Fourth of July!
As I sit in my office, the phones quiet for a change, I have a little time to reflect on a few things.
I have lived in the United States for nearly thirty years, almost two thirds of my life to date. My entire adult working life has been spent here although I have been lucky enough to travel with my work to a variety of different countries. As a business owner I work many more hours than the 'national average' to pursue my dream. I am not alone.
These have been challenging times for many of us both personally and professionally and I am no exception. In recent years the loss of parents, family illness, the economic downturn and trouble from quarters you would least expect have all taken their turn front and center in my life. We all have those tales of tough luck but there are times when, no matter how dark our own horizon appears to be, we are reminded that there is someone else near to us that is much worse off. Somehow it helps to put things in perspective.
Independence Day is particularly interesting to me as a Brit abroad. We all know what happend more than 200 years ago and through the trouble and the strife a new, exciting and vibrant country was born. A nation that would endure its fair share of challenges as it evolved and became a super power, a global powerhouse that everyone could look up to and many could only dream of what it would be like to live in a place where anything was possible. All you had to do was work hard, be diligent about your responsibilities and you could create a better life for you and your family. That image has been hit hard in recent years but this is a resilient nation that is bound and determined to continue to grow and evolve as a leader should, keeping that dream alive for generations to come.
In spite of everything I am one of the lucky few to be living that dream. I am pursuing my chosen career path and have been my own boss for almost as long as I have been working. The first years of my professional life I worked alongside my father, my personal hero, and learnt all I could from someone who had spent a lifetime in the music and entertainment industry and had seen great success. I also got to care for him in his final days and repay him in some small way for the many gifts he gave me.
Perhaps this is more appropriate as a Thanksgiving Blog. It really has little to do with the day to day activities of my business so maybe it should be a personal blog. Then again, if it hadn't been for some brave souls who said "Enough!" and shook the status quo, took a chance and forged out on their own against almost insurmountable odds that my fellow countrymen could muster I wouldn't be here today enjoying the fruits of my labor and having the strength and ability to face my challenges head on. So in some ways it is a business blog.
On this Independence Day I am grateful for my personal independence...my freedom to follow my dreams and share my successes and failures with my family, my ability to help people in some small way by providing them with a moment, albeit brief, with music and entertainment that brightens their life.
Remember the spirit that got us to this place and keep it alive in everything you do. This is just one of the days we set aside to celebrate that spirit. Thanksgiving will be upon us before we know it and we can share it with family and friends. Memorial Day, the most somber of all, is celebrated in Great Britain on November 11 as Armistice Day, the day the Allies signed the treaty that would end the bloodshed of the "War to End All Wars", World War 1. Just twenty years later Europe was torn apart again and then the rest of the world followed suit. All these days resonate with similar sentiment, remembering sacrifice, celebrating human spirit and casting an eye to a future of promise yet to be fulfilled.
On this Independence Day I am grateful for the many gifts I have received from a truly great nation and I am proud to share in the celebration of independence, something for which many around the world can only yearn.
Happy Fourth of July!
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