[Organizers] Saying "no"

[David Cain via Organizers]

I was the booker for a dance for a bunch of years and saying no was one of
the more challenging responsibilities that came with the role. It's hard
because you are basically evaluating someone's creative effort, something
they are presumably quite hopeful and invested in.

When turning down a band or caller, I say be gentle and somewhat easy in
your reply. It's like dating; the reasons one person may not want to go on
a second date are rarely "reasons" so much as impressions or intuitions.

The situation can be reversed as well--inquires to bands or callers to come
play can go unresponded to, or met with "be in touch after the new year"
type vaguery that eventually become clear they are trying to gently say no
without being harsh, and frankly I think that works.

To Don's point about burning bridges, I think you have a sense pretty quick
if there's a promising spark there, even if it is early in a band's career,
and if there is that spark, I say act on it.

Cheers,
Dave

On Tuesday, May 5, 2015, Donald Perley via Organizers <
organizers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

> Of course, beware of burning bridges.. 10 years later they could be a
> big draw name, or at least good enough, and the only one available
> when your scheduled caller comes down with ebola.
>
> On Tue, May 5, 2015 at 6:24 AM, Jeff Kaufman via Organizers
> <organizers at lists.sharedweight.net <javascript:;>> wrote:
> > When you're handling booking for bands or callers, there are generally
> some
> > proper you don't want to book. When the reason is straightforward it's
> not
> > too hard to communicate ("you need to get more experience; play some
> smaller
> > dances and get back to me" or "on even days our series only books local
> > callers, ago the dates you suggested don't work, but what about DATE?")
> but
> > sometimes the reason is "we don't think you're very good, and you've been
> > doing enough dances that we don't think booking you for ours will help
> you
> > improve"? I'd like to just say "no" without getting into reasons, but
> > everything I write sounds either too short and curt or overshary.
> >
> > How do other bookers handle this?
> >
> >
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