We consider what makes the world’s best event companies so special.
When Feeding the Fish travel to perform we often get to stay in smart hotels. The kind that lay on a sumptuous breakfast buffet, with heaps of glistening fruit and exotic dishes from all around the world. Of course it doesn’t do to go overboard at the buffet when you have Pixel Video Suits® to fit into, so our plates are not generally piled quite as high as some. And yet it’s hard to resist that temptation to try a little of everything, even if it means nasi lemak rubbing up against maple syrup pancakes, with a bit of wurst on top. Everything looks so good and it would be just awful to miss out.
Browsing at the world’s top event websites creates the same feeling. The choice of entertainment is so great, and everything looks so enticing; performers with a vast array of talents, whose shows are bound to amaze, delight, inspire and amuse. Who wouldn’t want a bit of everything? But event planning is not like a trip to the breakfast buffet, it’s more like an expensive restaurant, where everything has a price and hard choices have to be made. That’s where a good entertainment booker comes in.
Just like a good maître d’ an entertainment booker needs to listen and interpret and know their menu back-to-front. They have to guide clients through the options, reducing the selection to a manageable range that meets the client’s stated (or very often unstated) expectations. They need to be able to answer tricky questions; not so much “does it contain gluten?” or “where do you source your beetroots?” as “is the show suitable for all ages?” “how much space does it need?” and “what’s the rider?” That’s the value that a great booker can add. And it’s not just for clients, but for acts as well. At Feeding the Fish we know we look great (just saying!) and we have some cracking videos of the team in action. But we also know that the difference between being booked and being passed over is a knowledgeable agent who says “these guys never let me down” or “real innovators….a class act!”
Which is why we still love a buffet, but there’s nothing like being the maître d’s favourite.
