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@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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