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How to Get a Celebrity to Come to an Event

Getting a celebrity to come to an event is now more popular than ever. By inviting a popular artist, you will not only add originality to any event but also create a special and festive atmosphere.

There are some good reasons why you may want to get a celebrity to come to your event or even host it. As you already know, the very first event impression is always positive when a celebrity is invited. It causes a stir and attracts media attention while promoting good PR and making the event more fun for everyone.

Your plan should include the following:

  • Which celebrity to invite
  • What event details need to be considered when having a celebrity invited
  • Which agency is best to contact

When booking a celebrity for your event, the following tips will be very helpful.

Tips on how to get a celebrity to come to your event

A blog called priceonomics recently published a fairly thorough list of what it costs to hire dozens of major bands and artists. The list ranges from Madonna ($1 million) to the Ying Yang Twins ($10k–$15k) to a bunch of bands you probably have never even heard of. Also, the prices you are about to see as “pre-expense” means if you hire one of these acts, you might also have to pay for things like airfare, hotels, food, a pound of weed, bowls of green M&Ms, etc.

If you have a budget and the guts to invite a superstar to your event, there should be a plan in place on how to invite a celebrity to an event and succeed.

First of all, when choosing an artist, you need to define the role of the celebrity (guest, host, etc.) and then decide on your event type. If this is an anniversary of or a celebration for a person you know well, then you can choose one of their favorite artists. If you are planning to reserve an artist for a corporate party, then you will most likely be guided by the tastes of the majority of your attendees. In this case, well-known artists with popular hits will be a great fit.

After deciding on the candidates, it is very important to estimate the budget. Prices for artists vary considerably. For example, you can find a suitable but less well-known artist for around two thousand euros, while the fees of top artists can cost you more than twenty to thirty thousand euros. The popularity of the artist and his or her demand also affect the artist’s fee. Therefore, before requesting an artist, you need to prepare several options that fit into your specific budget.  Here are some price tags for the most expensive pop artists:

how to get selebrity to come to an event

After the budget is set, start preparing a message to the celebrity, whom you can contact through a press center, agent, booking agency, or privately. Remember that negotiation may take time. Many famous people are difficult to contact.

To establish a contact with a celebrity, be ready to perform a rider. What is a rider?

A rider is a list of the conditions and requirements of an artist, which are fulfilled by the receiving party, that is, by the customer. Any artist provides both a rider.

  • The technical rider is a list of sound, stage, lighting, and any other technical equipment necessary for the performance.
  • A rider is a document containing conditions of a domestic nature, such as accommodations, food, transportation, security, and more.

Control and performance of riders is important and necessary for the artist’s successful performance. In the case of non-compliance with the norms established by the riders, the artist has the right to refuse to negotiate.

Turnkey orders are in addition to fees. As well as costs associated with the implementation of riders, the customer also pays all costs associated with logistics, accommodations, and meals. When requesting an artist, you can choose several options:

  • A traditional option is when the fee is paid separately to the artist or agency representing the artist, while the other conditions (transport, accommodation, per diems, etc.) are paid separately.
  • The second option is in many ways more convenient for those who want to save some time, which is to request an artist on a turnkey basis. In this case, the agency you choose gives the price while already taking into account the above-listed expenses, and the responsibility for the performance lies with the performer (the agency of the artist).

 

Use a booking agency. Obviously, it is unlikely that you will be able to find the information for contacting a celebrity directly. All contacts with the artist are maintained through agencies. The most important thing is the professional activity of the agency, its reliability, and its reputation. When inviting a celebrity to an event, keep in mind that in most cases, event agencies cooperate with the artists through intermediaries, which significantly increases the cost. Therefore, the best and most cost-effective option is to request a celebrity through a booking agency that works without intermediaries and to send an official letter to invite the celebrity to an event with an offer with all of the details.

Deal with payment issues. All artists work on a prepaid basis. In some cases, the prepayment is 100% in advance, although the more common payment option is 50/50. When the contract is signed, the remaining 50% is paid a certain number of days before the event. The terms of payment are always individual since everything depends on the format of the event, the terms, the conditions of the artist, etc.

When a celebrity says no

Apart from recommendations on how to get a celebrity to attend your event, there are also some other tips on what to do when a celebrity says no. Just in case, you should have a Plan B:

  • List of celebrity alternatives
  • Extra budget
  • Influencers among existing contacts
  • List of alternative booking agencies

There may be other celebrities to book in reserve, who are looking for good PR to raise their profiles. They may be available and keen to attend or host your event, possibly even free of charge. Present them with a list of tangible reasons why they should attend your event, how it fits with what they expect, how it meets their current demands or simply fits in their schedules, or how they can benefit from it, such as below:

  1. a) Helping a charity
  2. b) Positive press and the celebrity is looking to raise their profile
  3. c) A celebrity promotion on your own website or through your brand

There are lots of options here.

Conclusion

When planning how to get a celebrity to come to your charity event, don’t forget to include all the necessary information: date of the event, type of the event, budget, etc. Learn the terminology you may encounter during the process, and also be prepared for the fact that the fees of artists can be quite large and they may say no at the eleventh hour. Choose only proven booking agencies that collaborate with artists without any intermediaries. Adequately assess your budget. If you are planning to spend only several thousand euros, you are unlikely to be able to invite Mick Jagger or Lady Gaga.

An agency with a good reputation will always provide the latest reports on the most recent performances.

Use these tips to increase your chances of attracting a celebrity to your event.

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