26 Jun
2018
26 Jun
'18
12:09 a.m.
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(a)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
_______________________________________________
Organizers mailing list
Organizers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net