[Organizers] Questions about booking performers for a series

[Mary Collins]

Here in Buffalo we have a band booker, me, and another for callers (I call
and don't want conflicts). I usually try to send out emails to all our
local talent with dates and ask for interest and availability. I try to
book first choice. I do try to book local for winter dates and farther away
bands for better weather. If I have more than one vying for a date I take
type of band,weather, travel and caller into consideration and book
accordingly. The longer you do this the better you get. I try to get booked
by August for Sept.-June series so I can focus on other things. My local
bands are all aware that they may be asked to change dates if a travelling
band or national band somehow lands in this "backwater". Oh, I keep a
spreadsheet and plug in requested dates. Once all bands respond, I click
dates, finalize the schedule and then confirm with bands.  I also send a
confirming email about 1.5 weeks prior to dance with particulars. If
perchance the band has a favorite caller or vice versa we try to
accommodate.

I think that's it other than I tend to nag the caller booker 😂.

Happy booking!

On Mon, Jun 25, 2018, 7:49 PM jim saxe via Organizers <
organizers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

> Hi, folks,
>
> I'd like to hear about different people's approaches to booking bands and
> callers for a dance series. For example:
>
> * Do you ask a bunch of bands and callers at once for their availability
> dates and then try to fill in the schedule based on the combined responses,
> or do you contact folks sequentially on an "if you're available for date X,
> you've got it" basis?
>
> * How far in advance to you seek to book your talent?  Does it vary for
> different people (callers vs. bands; locals vs. out-of-towners; top-tier
> locals vs. others; musicians who don't want to commit too far in advance
> because they might get offered a wedding gig; ...)?
>
> * What if a band or caller asks you about some date and you were planning
> to ask someone else that you'd prefer but might not be able to get?  or if
> you ask about availability of band X and your band contact comes back with
> something like "No can do, but what about (lower cachet) band Y?" or "...
> what about most of band X with substitute fiddler TBD?"?
>
> * Have you found ways to mix different approaches to booking so as to get
> "the best of both worlds" instead of the worst?
>
> * Are there other questions you think I should have asked and, if so, what
> are your aswers to them?
>
> It would be easy to go on at length about the *potential* plusses and
> minuses of various ways of doing bookings.  What I'd prefer is to hear
> about *ideas that have worked well in practice* for other organizers.
>
> Thanks.
>
> --Jim
>
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