When Should I Book My Event?

In today’s world, everything is instant...
Need toothpaste and oranges? Instacart will have it to you in a few hours.
Need a last-minute gift for your roommate? Amazon Prime will have it to you in 24 hours.
Going out to a restaurant? You can check on OpenTable who has space available tonight.
Want to go to a concert? You can decide 24-48 hours out and still likely get resale tickets.
You get the picture.

With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that student activities teams are coming up with ideas and trying to book talent for events on a pretty last-minute basis. Sometimes those teams are being tasked by folks above them in administration to pull off last-minute events. People want what they want, when they want it.

However, when booking entertainment - there is more to consider. Artists have to book travel and make plans, and contract processes now take longer than ever to complete because of all the extra steps campuses require.

So, when is the best time to book your talent?
Ideally, 3-6 months before your event, and here are a few reasons why:

More Options

When you plan far enough in advance, you will have more choices for artists, talent, and events teams to hire. The closer to your event, the less likely someone will be available. Having to move to your fourth favorite artist can be unnecessarily disappointing for planning teams, and you’re cutting yourself even shorter on timing when you have to keep making offer after offer to find an available artist.

Contract Processes

Every campus has a multi-step contract process, with several folks needing to review all documents and paperwork. Processing a check or ACH payment can also take time, even if you don’t have a Net 30 policy. Most campuses cannot even begin to process a payment until all contracts are finalized. Some campuses also do not allow students to market their event without a fully-executed talent contract. And, often talent is traveling and only signing paperwork every few days. Each of these steps can take time, which you don’t have if you work on a last-minute basis.

Marketing

If you are not allowed to market your event without a signed contract, this can delay your marketing efforts and decrease your audience attendance. Even if you’re not held up by a contract process, give yourself enough time to properly market your event. Be sure to market your event in a variety of ways, including posters, social media, fliers, word of mouth, sidewalk chalk, campus calendars, and more. Try to aim for 7 different ways of marketing for each event in order to reach your possible audience.

Travel Planning / Cost Savings

Travel is more expensive than ever. Booking flights, hotels, and ground transportation further in advance saves the artist money, and in turn saves your organization money. If artists know throwing together a last-minute booking is inconvenient, don’t expect discounts for their frantic efforts. You may very well be paying a premium.

Quality 

In general, planning further in advance will give you a higher quality event in many ways. Planning in advance gives your team enough time to think of ways to make your event better. You’ll be able to do everything from executing your contract without having to ask for special favors, make print deadlines, strategically market to multiple audiences to diversify your attendees, and generally execute an event without as much stress. 

Stress Levels

Less stress is important to retention within your organization’s members. If members are constantly being asked to throw together last-minute events, scramble to plan out the details, and then sit uncomfortably in a small audience because there was not enough time to market the event, they won’t stick around. Give yourself enough time for your team to get excited about an event, work as a team, and have a mental health day if they need it. When you’re planning down to the wire and your marketing student gets sick, you’re in a huge bind. When planning well in advance, you have time for “life to happen.”

However, if you are tasked with a last-minute event, or you run into hiccups and it just ends up being last-minute despite your best intentions, do not panic. NACA has many agents and artists that are well-versed in these situations and can help you pull it off. That is why forming close relationships with NACA vendors is important. They are the experts that you need on your side. A good middle agent can help you put it all together quickly and successfully. If working direct, have a few key agents that you can call, who can quickly check calendars, get your contract executed because they know your processes and which artists move the fastest, and give you quick and clear marketing direction. Don’t try to pull off miracles on an island. Use your resources and trusted connections and try to plan further in advance next time.

You’ve got this!