Five mistakes to avoid when booking entertainment
There’s no doubt that booking entertainment for a UK event, whether corporate or private, can feel overwhelming. You might feel overwhelmed by choices and possibilities, especially when you don’t know how far your budget will stretch.
As entertainment specialists, our role is to streamline the process to make your booking process easy and enjoyable. We manage the logistics for you, so you don’t need to worry about organising contracts, providing directions or making sure there’s a parking space for your entertainer.
However, we also know that sometimes, you just want to manage the booking yourself. That’s why we’re sharing some insights into the common pitfalls that you need to consider to guarantee a seamless experience for you, your venue, and your audience.
Mistake #1 – Not Matching Entertainment to Your Venue Setup
You might be surprised how often this comes up in event entertainment. You might see a showreel of a fantastic performer, who may be within budget and have your chosen date available.
That’s great – but will that performer be able to work within your chosen venue?
From the very start of your booking process, loop in the venue to confirm every spatial and technical detail.
When you talk to your venue, you need to find out the following details.
- Stage dimensions and load-in routes. Can your performers and their gear move freely?
- What are the access points for instruments, props or bulky set pieces?
- Are there any venue-specific restrictions? Often, historic or listed buildings may need to impose rules on décor, noise levels or pyrotechnics which could impact your choice.
Next, as part of your booking process, you need to compare any technical requirements with the venue’s capabilities.
- Does the power supply support a full band, orchestra or elaborate light show?
- How many audio inputs are available?
- Will you need additional distribution boxes, cabling or generator backups?
Finally, you need to clarify exactly who provides and installs each piece of kit, from the PA systems to speakers, microphones, lighting rigs, mixers or any speciality equipment. You should never assume who will take responsibility for this. Use your contract to outline whether responsibility falls to the venue, the entertainer’s production team, or your own technical partner.
Mistake #2 – Booking Entertainment Too Late for Your UK Event
You may feel that you’ve got ample planning time, but the best entertainers will be snapped up months ahead of your event.
We always advise booking as early as possible. The best advice is to book your entertainer as soon as you have your date and venue confirmed – that way, you’ll know you’ve got your preferred act.
Here are some of the risks you face if you do not book your entertainment early.
- Limited availability or last-minute booking requests could result in price hikes. As event planners, we all know the value of the early bird booking price.
- Late bookings mean you may end up settling for an act that doesn’t match your theme or audience.
- Rushed decisions could increase your risk. You have less time to vet your performer, organise contracts and schedule test performances. A lack of time might cause you to overlook some glaring red flags.
- Your ticket sales might depend on the calibre of the performer. Having a known act as a highlight of your event could be instrumental in driving booking sales.
- You’ll have no buffer for any contingencies in case the act cancels at the last minute.
Mistake #3 – Skipping the Contract When Hiring Performers
We always panic when we hear people booking entertainment acts without a contract in place. Without a solid contract, misunderstandings around timing, logistics, or payment can easily derail your event.
A detailed contract is much more than just paperwork. They will outline any expectations (for all parties), detail the event logistics and provide you with legal protection.
Here’s why they matter:
- They set expectations and clarify the minor details. Your contract should outline everything from dates, set up and rehearsal times, performance times, and teardown windows.
- They should outline the venue, including address, parking and access points.
- A contract will outline any technical details, such as lighting and stage layouts (including responsibilities). It will also highlight any artist’s needs including food and drink or dressing rooms.
- Your contract will be there to protect you in case of contingencies such as timing disputes, emergency replacements, and dress codes. A well-written contract should also identify who the point of contact will be on the day.
- It will be there to provide you with legal protection. Having a detailed contract will safeguard you from cancellation disputes, payment disagreements and liability issues. If something were to go wrong, your contract could be crucial if you need to claim on an insurance policy.
Mistake #4 – Choosing the Wrong Entertainment for Your Event Audience
If you’ve read our previous articles, you’ll know that we always advise that you need to match your speaker or entertainer to your event type.
Getting the wrong entertainment could make or break the success of your event. It’s a common mistake that we regularly see, where an event planner chooses an act based on their personal likes or dislikes rather than a performer who suits the event or the audience.
Let’s imagine a scenario where you’ve booked a carnival act for a black-tie dinner, or a string quartet for a sports awards night. Both would feel wildly out of place and could cause guests to raise an eyebrow at your choices.
When you’re searching for an entertainer, we recommend the following.
- Research your audience demographics and expectations. Knowing your audience and what their likes and dislikes are could make it much easier to filter through choices.
- Always review YouTube demos or showreels and gather testimonials. It’s not just about the performance itself. You want to find out if the performer is open to suggestions or easy to work with.
- Always ask the performer for references. You might be tempted to ask on Facebook for performer recommendations, but are they genuine and trustworthy?
- Have you aligned the act’s energy and tone with your event’s theme and goals?
Mistake #5 – No Contingency Plan for Event Entertainment
If you’re booking an entertainer directly, it’s easy to forget about the importance of contingency planning. After all, if you’ve checked their references and watched their showreel, what could go wrong?
Ideally, your contract will outline what steps to take if your performer has to cancel at the last minute. When you work with a booking agency (like us), those contingency plans will be built into your booking, and we will be able to secure you a suitable last-minute replacement.
Within your contingency planning, you need to think of any eventuality.
- Replacement clauses in your contract could outline notice periods and financial penalties for cancellations (which will help you in a payment dispute)
- Where possible, try to identify two or three alternatives (at the time of booking) so you don’t need to stress trying to find someone suitable. If you’ve already seen their showreels and read their testimonials, you’ll be able to make decisions quickly.
- Try to think about fallback content that you can rely on. If your DJ has cancelled last minute, could you have a suitable playlist ready to go?
- Make sure you have cancellation insurance. This could recompense you for any losses caused by force majeure or no shows. Make sure you’ve read the policy details or claims processes and know how to make a claim quickly to minimise any financial losses.
Partnering with an entertainment agency will ensure a smooth booking process.
The mistakes we’ve outlined in this article are very common. We see them regularly, and it always concerns us that someone is risking their event (not to mention their stress levels) because they haven’t thought through every aspect.
As an entertainment agency, our job isn’t just to match you to the right performer. It’s to work with you, so you don’t need to worry about any of these issues from cropping up. Our expert booking teams would work with you, your venue and your performer to ensure that there are no logistical issues, no crossed wires or issues caused by something being overlooked.
If you’re spending hard-earned money on your event, you need to know that it will go off without a hitch. With our help and support, we can become the additional pair of hands you need to facilitate the smooth running of the event.
Avoid the stress and guesswork. Whether you’re planning a gala, launch party, or team event, The Entertainment Fixers are your UK specialists in booking reliable, impactful entertainment. All you’ve got to do is get in touch.