Show Tips: Booking a National Act

talent network show tips
By David Sedelmeier
Owner/Operator of talent network, inc.
Offering 30 years of insight and knowledge

Have you ever considered booking a National Act? Wondered how to begin and what it entails? Read this week’s Show Tips Q&A with talent network’s David Sedelmeier, where we cover what you need to begin the process of booking a national act, and what may work best for you next event. As always – let us know if we can answer any of your questions!

Could you take me through the process of booking a national act?

Once the client or buyer has established who they want, we then call the agent or management of that artist and make the formal offer predicated on all of the buyer’s information: the date, location, how many people, a variety of information. Once the agent says “yes, the act is open,” we have to give a formal offer, and if they accept that offer, we are committed to the act and to the date for that act.

So the client will come to you first and say “I want to book this person…”

Clients usually come to us and say “We’re looking at doing a show. We have this many people that we want to entertain, and we want to wow them. What do you think?” So, we come up with some ideas…We establish a budget, look over the setting of the room, find out what their goal is, and what they want the entertainment to do. All those things factor into it.

When does that venue come into the equation? Is it a vital piece right from the beginning?

You have to have a venue…

Before you pitch?

Yes, the artist will want to know where they’re playing. Often, the performance date is tied-in to the availability of the venue. You really have to have the date first. As soon as you have the date and the venue, then you can go after and pursue an act.

What type of events do you typically use national acts for?

We do a lot of comedy because it is a type of entertainment that transcends all different age groups and so forth; people always like that. Comedy is huge, but the hard part with comedy is finding someone who is clean and affordable. Some of the big names are doing movies now, and you can’t touch them: Kevin James, Ray Romano. So, you have to focus on the ones that have name drawing power and are clean and affordable, but the list quickly gets very small.

Music wise, we do a lot of country. Country is popular in corporate. It is corporate-friendly, wholesome. Country acts often tour on a bus, so you are routing them in, you don’t have additional travel costs; they are easy to deal with. Their music is actually great. I was not a big country fan, but by booking a lot of them and seeing them live, you actually become a fan. Phil Vassar and some of these guys are phenomenal entertainers. That has great appeal in a corporate setting.
Did we answer your questions? Is there something about booking a national act that you want to know? We’re happy to help. And check out the national acts and all of the entertainment available on talentnetworkinc.com.

Utilizing our 30 years in the industry, covering shows and events across the world, “Show Tips” is our way of sharing what we’ve learned – and continue to learn – with every event we do. We divulge our behind-the-scenes experiences of working and producing live shows – so you know how to create the best show possible. Let us be your sounding board for your next event! Have questions? Concerns? We are always on-hand – just call and/or email and let us know how we can help. You can also read more about the artists and events in our area on talent network news.

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