ENTERTAINMENT AGENT FAQS

Happy New Year! We hope you’re starting 2020 feeling relaxed and refreshed. January sees a fresh start and new events to organise.. Perhaps you are recently engaged (congratulations!) or you may already be an event planner, looking for entertainment acts with the WOW factor for your guests this year. However we can help, we thought we’d kick off by answering some Frequently Asked Questions of Entertainment Agents, and give you a heads-up of some information that may be important when planning an occasion.

1) WHY SHOULD I BOOK THROUGH YOU?
Booking event entertainment is not necessarily something you do everyday. If you are new to organising parties, then we are here to take the worry out of finding the perfect act for that special event. If you organise events for a living, then you may want to be able to hand the donkey work of finding the right band, over to an expert in our field.

We don’t expect you to trawl through our website, looking at each and every act. All the bands we recommend are acts that we know and trust to do an outstanding job (or we wouldn’t recommend them!). We’re a friendly, caring team, here to listen to your requirements, go off and source the best options, and present something to you that will wow your guests and within your budget!

2) HOW MUCH, ON AVERAGE, DOES A BAND COST?
Prices vary based on a number of factors; line-up of band, size of venue, number of guests and equipment required, location, plus any additional extras such as a disco or requested songs. We ask you about your requirements and budget, and then do our best to put forward the most suitable options within your specification.

3) WHERE ARE YOUR BANDS BASED?
The majority of our bands are based around London and the Home Counties, however we cater for national and international clients, and most of our acts are very happy to travel to wherever the party is!

4) WHERE CAN I SEE YOU LIVE?
Because of the professional nature of our acts; most bookings are private events and whilst it is sometimes possible for you to see a band in action, we hope you understand that this is not always feasible unless they have some public/festival dates which are open to visit.

We do our best to ensure all of our acts have suitable promotional videos and audios on our site to give you the best idea of their performance, together with our recommendation and additional client testimonials. We hope this is usually enough to put your mind at ease, however please do let us know if you require anything else to enable you to make your decision.

5) HOW LONG DOES A BAND NEED TO SET UP?
Dependant on the size of band and the size of your venue (are they performing on the 28th floor, a mile away from the car park?!), we would usually allow a minimum one hour for set-up. This can be adjusted depending on your running order and accessibility, and we work with you to put together the best timings for your event.

6) CAN THE BANDS CHANGE LOCATION DURING THE EVENT?
Unless a band is acoustic and ‘roaming’, it is usually only possible to set-up in one location. Once the PA system, lights and stage has been set-up and sound checked, it takes time and causes distraction to de-rig, move, then to set-up again. To ensure events run seamlessly and to adhere to Health & Safety aspects, we advise against moving a non-acoustic act around in between sets.

7) DOES THE BAND PROVIDE ITS OWN EQUIPMENT?
As standard, most of our musical acts provide their own equipment. Our burlesque artists usually require a sound system to pay their music through however we always advise you on this and we can organise PA equipment if required!

8) DOES THE BAND INCLUDE A DISCO?
Every act has its own way of working. Many bands do provide disco as standard whilst others offer it as an optional extra. Please ask us if you require disco music around sets and we will be sure to include this in the quote.

9) MY VENUE HAS A SOUND RESTRICTION, WHAT SHOULD I DO?
All of our acts are used to working with sound limiters, due to many venues having restrictions on noise levels, and volume can be controlled via the PA system. Firstly, we will liaise with your venue and find out more about the restrictions and we would advise you if this is to pose an issue for your chosen act. Don’t worry though, even if a live band cannot work within the noise limits, we have smaller acts and solos that use professional backing tracks which can be easier to manage with a PA volume control.

10) WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO THINK ABOUT PROVIDING?
When you book a band, it is usually a full day/night at the ‘office’ for them. Entertainers work up in a different venue every day and so we appreciate our clients’ understanding by making their day/night of work as comfortable as possible. We request a suitable Green Room for them to use as a base to change and break-out– toilets are not really a suitable or comfortable office space! Our acts will also usually require soft drink and light meal within their time on-site, to ensure they are suitably fed and watered, and ready to give their best performance!

11) DO YOU OFFER OTHER SERVICES?
Yes we do! Whilst we have built up great relationships with the bands and entertainment acts that we have worked with over the years, we have also been lucky enough to meet some fantastic event suppliers such as marquee, sound & lighting, catering, mobile bars and event decorators to name just a few. Ask us what you’re looking for and we will do our very best to help!

12) CAN I CHOOSE THE SET LIST?
A band is usually very open to request lists from the client, and sometimes, a client is specific on what songs they would like to hear (such as the all-important first dance, for example!) so please do let us know if you would like input into the set list played on the night. Otherwise, sit back, relax, and leave it to our professional musicians who have years of experience in knowing what songs and what order works for which parties, and can also read your guests on the night, to adapt as they go and ensure everyone has a great time!

13) WHAT HAPPENS IF THE ACT CANCELS?
All our acts are fully professional and have ‘the show must go on!’ kind of attitude that we are happy to work with. It is extremely rare that an act is forced to cancel a performance, and in the unlikely case of this happening, then we would of course set straight to work to find a replacement act for you.

14) CAN I CHANGE MY MIND?
We pride ourselves on working with acts that are fantastic in their field and are highly sought after by clients. In the unlikely event of you needing to cancel, we have a cancellation policy in-place, which is there to protect our acts from loss of earnings and this is detailed within our terms and conditions:
In the event that The Client cancels an Engagement they will be liable to pay cancellation charges as follows:
i) Cancellation over 60 days prior to the Event Date: 20%
ii) Cancellation made 30-59 days prior to the Event Date: 30% of Total Invoice
iii) Cancellation made 15-29 days prior to the Event Date: 50% of Total Invoice
iv) Cancellation made less than 15 days prior to the Event Date: 100% of Total Invoice