You’ve found the perfect performer for your corporate event. They’re booked, the contract’s signed, and you’re feeling pretty pleased with yourself. Fast forward to the day before the show, and you discover they need a grand piano, a dressing room with no mirrors, and exactly seventeen white towels. Suddenly, that triumphant feeling evaporates.
It happens more often than you’d think. And it’s almost always preventable.
Before you book any performer, artist, or speaker for your event, there are questions you need to ask. Not because you’re being difficult – because you’re being professional. Here’s what experienced event planners know to cover before the ink dries.
What’s in their rider?
A rider isn’t a wish list. It’s a contractual requirement. Some are straightforward: bottled water, a private changing area, a specific microphone. Others are more complex: full catering specifications (including a certain brand of sparkling water!), security requirements, or technical equipment that your venue may not have.
Ask for the rider early. Read it carefully. Then work out whether you can deliver it – and what it will cost if you can.
What are their technical requirements?
This goes beyond the rider. You need to know exactly what sound, lighting, and staging they expect. Do they travel with their own engineer? Do they need backline equipment? What format are their backing tracks in?
Get this in writing and share it with your technical team immediately. Nothing derails a rehearsal faster than discovering the performer expected something nobody arranged.
How much time do they need for soundcheck?
A fifteen-minute changeover might work for a solo acoustic act. A five-piece band with complex visuals? Not a chance.
Find out how long they need to soundcheck, how long their set runs, and how long the changeover will take before and after. Then build that time into your schedule properly – not squeezed into the gaps between presentations. Remember, these sound checks can often take way longer than you expect too. Once you start, you can’t really make them stop until they are done either!
What backstage facilities do they require?
Some performers need a green room with catering. Others need a quiet space away from guests. VIPs might need separate access routes entirely.
Ask what they expect backstage, confirm your venue can provide it, and make sure someone is responsible for keeping that space ready throughout the event.
Do they need an escort or artist liaison?
Performers at corporate events often don’t know the venue, the schedule, or the client. Without someone looking after them, they can end up wandering corridors, missing cues, or – worse – being bombarded by delegates or getting lost completely.
A dedicated artist liaison solves this. They meet the performer on arrival, handle all the logistics, and make sure talent is where they need to be, when they need to be there. If your event involves multiple performers, high-profile speakers, or complex timing, this role isn’t optional – it’s essential.
Who handles communication on the day?
There should be one person responsible for relaying information between your production team and the performer. Mixed messages cause problems. Clear, single-point communication prevents them.
Decide this in advance and make sure everyone – including the performer’s management – knows who that person is.
What happens if things go wrong?
Performers get ill. Flights get cancelled. Equipment fails. What’s the contingency plan?
Discuss cancellation terms, backup options, and who bears the cost if something falls through. It’s not pessimistic – it’s professional.
Your corporate event needs an artist liaison
Booking performers for corporate events isn’t just about finding talent. It’s about managing every detail around that talent so your show runs smoothly.
Ask the right questions early. Get the answers in writing. And if managing artists feels like too much to handle alongside everything else, bring in someone who does it for a living.
That’s where a professional artist liaison earns their fee – and then some.
