How to Master the Art of Booking
- By Declan McManus
- Dec 31, 1969
The traditional way of booking talent is messy. It typically involves multiple phone calls, emails, faxes, and online conversations that ultimately end up consuming your time and money.
The good news? Booking culture is finally evolving to meet the standards of our digital age. The rise of Speaker’s Bureaus and online platforms are transforming the way consumers interact with talent. There is no doubt that booking processes are changing for the better, yet, there are still challenges that arise when searching for and utilizing digital booking platforms.
Here are 3 tips to help you avoid problematic booking platforms:
1. Don’t Let Google Determine Your First Choice
Most of the time, the first few websites that Google brings up when searching for “Booking Sites for Celebrities” or “Best Speaker’s Bureaus to Book a Sports Star” will be paid advertisements. While the first site you click on could be OK, you should still do more research and find out for yourself. If the website is too centered around celebrities, rather than the actual process of acquiring the talent for an event, you want to keep looking. Always consider user accessibility and trustworthiness as you determine what Booking platform to use, which leads us to our next point:
2. Evaluate the Site’s Layout and UX Design
Some booking sites may actually make the process more complicated, which ultimately defeats the purpose of using technology. A tell-tale sign of a difficult system is the inability to directly submit a request for the particular celebrity you want. Be aware of celebrity booking sites that lead you to a general “Contact” page when submitting a request. Other online booking platforms, like Engage, have clean, user-friendly, and personalized request pages. For example, if you wanted to book Johnny Damon, you would submit a direct request on his page, and he would be able to see it and communicate back. Engage’s platform excludes the unnecessary third-party source, which often times disregards requests on the speaker’s behalf.
3. Prioritize Platform Over Talent
This may seem crazy, especially if you have a particular celebrity you want to book. If you are planning an event, then you know how the organization of talent can affect the execution of the event. It is a lot easier to book a celebrity when the payment processing is legitimate, the files uploaded are secure, and you can communicate with the talent directly. There will be great and inspiring names on every platform and booking website, but not all booking platforms are the same. Choose a platform that is easy to navigate, accessible, and allows you to directly contact the talent.
In Conclusion:
The online ecosystem of booking celebrities, sports stars, and talent for events relies on efficiency and convenience, but most platforms are difficult and almost impossible to use. Platforms like Engage organize the booking process, contract phase, and requests all in one place to make your experience easy and even…(might I say it) enjoyable.
