Selling to planners and agents

Planners and entertainment agents control a large share of performance bookings, and they choose acts that make them look good and cause no trouble. Learn how each one buys, how to approach them, how agent fees and pricing work, and how to stay on their shortlists.

Read the transcript

Selling to planners and agents.

When a couple or a company books entertainment through a planner or an agent, you are not really selling to the end client.

You are selling to a professional who is lending you their reputation.

Two kinds of intermediary.

Planners and agents both stand between you and the client, but they earn money differently and worry about different things.

Some planners book acts directly; others prefer to use an agency for anything outside music, so that one company handles contracts, substitutes and invoicing.

What a planner needs from an act.

A planner is juggling a caterer, a venue, a photographer, a florist and a client's mother.

The act that wins repeat bookings removes work from that list.

Working with agents.

An agent is a sales channel.

A good one can keep your calendar full in seasons when your own marketing would struggle.

Worked example: a consistent rate policy.

Harbourline Brass, a fictional five-piece brass band in Oakville used here as an illustration, charges 2,400 dollars for a two-hour wedding reception booked directly.

An agent wants to sell the band and asks for a 20 percent commission.

Reaching planners and agents.

Cold emails to busy planners rarely work on their own.

Combine three approaches over a season.

That is the lesson. The worksheet and the quiz are just below this video.

What you will be able to do

• Explain how planners and agents choose acts, and what risks each is trying to avoid
• Write an outreach email and follow-up plan for planners and agents that respects CASL
• Set a consistent rate policy that protects your relationships with agents, planners and direct clients

When a couple or a company books entertainment through a planner or an agent, you are not really selling to the end client. You are selling to a professional who is lending you their reputation. They will recommend the act that delights the guests, arrives on time, follows the run of show and never makes them take an awkward phone call. That is what you have to prove.

Two kinds of intermediary

Planners and agents both stand between you and the client, but they earn money differently and worry about different things.

Some planners book acts directly; others prefer to use an agency for anything outside music, so that one company handles contracts, substitutes and invoicing. Ask each planner how they like to book.

What a planner needs from an act

A planner is juggling a caterer, a venue, a photographer, a florist and a client’s mother. The act that wins repeat bookings removes work from that list.

• A promo kit the planner can forward to the client as it is
• A clear quote within one business day, with an all-in price and what it includes
• A one-page technical rider sent before the planner asks
• A confirmation one week out with arrival time, contact number, set times and parking
• Arrival on time, in the right clothes, with the volume set for the room
• No selling to guests at the event unless the planner has agreed

That last point matters. Handing your card to the client’s guests at a planner’s event is the quickest way to lose that planner. If guests ask for your details, give them the planner’s contact or ask the planner first.

Working with agents

An agent is a sales channel. A good one can keep your calendar full in seasons when your own marketing would struggle. Before you sign, understand how the money works. Some agents take a commission from your fee, and some quote the client their own price and pay you a set fee. Both are normal. What matters is that you know which applies, and that you agree in writing on:

• The fee you will receive, and when it will be paid
• Whether the agreement is exclusive, for which regions and for how long
• Who owns the client relationship, and what happens if the client contacts you directly for a future booking
• Whether you may perform under your own name and brand at agency bookings
• Who handles cancellations, deposits and substitutions

Most disputes between acts and agents come from the third point. Agree on it before the first booking, not after an awkward email from a client who found your website.

Worked example: a consistent rate policy

Harbourline Brass, a fictional five-piece brass band in Oakville used here as an illustration, charges $2,400 for a two-hour wedding reception booked directly. An agent wants to sell the band and asks for a 20 percent commission.

If the band accepts the commission from its own fee, it receives $1,920 for agency bookings. If the agent instead adds 20 percent on top, the client pays $2,880. Either is workable, but the band must avoid two mistakes. First, it must not undercut the agent by quoting the same client $2,400 directly after the agent quoted $2,880. Second, it must not let its direct price drift so low that agents cannot sell it at a profit.

The band set a simple policy. Its public rate is $2,400. Agents receive a net rate of $1,920 and may set their own client price. Any inquiry that arrives from an agent’s client is referred back to that agent for 12 months. Agents trust the band because the rules are written down and the same for everyone.

Reaching planners and agents

Cold emails to busy planners rarely work on their own. Combine three approaches over a season.

1. Be seen. Showcases, open houses, industry mixers and vendor nights at venues let planners see a short sample of the act. Bring a printed one-sheet and collect business cards.
2. Be referred. Ask venue coordinators, photographers and DJs you have worked with which planners they recommend, and whether they would introduce you.
3. Write a useful email. Keep it short and specific to the planner’s events.

A template you can adapt:

Subject: Strolling magic for your corporate holiday parties. Hi Jordan, I saw your team’s work on the downtown product launch in October and noticed you plan a lot of corporate receptions. I perform strolling close-up magic for receptions of 50 to 400 guests, with no stage, power or sound needed. Here is a 30-second clip from a holiday party last December and a one-page sheet you can forward to clients. If you have a December reception still looking for entertainment, I would be glad to hold a date for you. Corvo, Corvo Illusions, followed by your mailing address, phone and an unsubscribe line.

Follow up once after two weeks with something new: a clip, an available date or a short note about an event you both worked. Then stop until you have a genuine reason to write again.

Log every planner and agent in a simple tracker: where you met, what they plan, what you sent and when, and every booking they produce. After a year, rank them by bookings and fees. Spend your next season’s showcase time and thank-you notes on the top ten, and send the rest a short seasonal note with your availability.

In Canada and the GTA

Emailing planners and agents under CASL. An email offering your act to a planner is a commercial electronic message, so Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation applies unless an exemption does. Three routes are relevant. First, if a planner publishes their business email on their website without a statement refusing unsolicited commercial messages, the CRTC says you can rely on it when your message relates to the person’s business role. Entertainment for their events fits the role of an event planner. Second, a business card handed to you at a showcase or mixer can support implied consent; the CRTC suggests a follow-up email that mentions where and when you met. Third, messages between representatives of two organizations that already have a relationship, about the receiving organization’s activities, are exempt under the Electronic Commerce Protection Regulations. Contact between two individuals alone does not create that relationship. Whatever the route, include your business name, mailing address and a phone number, email or website, and an unsubscribe link that works for at least 60 days. Process unsubscribes within 10 business days. The CRTC’s guidance on consent has examples.

CASL’s penalties are serious: the maximum administrative monetary penalty per violation is $1,000,000 for an individual and $10,000,000 for a business. Regulators set penalties case by case, and most small businesses never come close to the maximum, but buying a list of planner emails and blasting them is the kind of conduct the law targets.

Commissions and disclosure. Agent commissions and markups are normal business arrangements. Problems arise when a recommendation is presented as impartial but rests on an undisclosed payment. Under the Competition Act, a representation to the public that is false or misleading in a material respect is reviewable, and the Competition Bureau treats undisclosed material connections as relevant even when the opinion is honest. If you pay a planner or venue a referral fee, the client should be able to find out. The core module on preferred vendor lists covers this in depth.

HST. Once your taxable supplies exceed $30,000 in a single calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters, you must register for HST, at 13 percent in Ontario. Agents and planners who are registered will expect your invoice to show your HST number and the tax charged. Make your rate card clear about whether figures are before HST.

The GTA intermediary market. The GTA has entertainment agencies of every size, from one-person agents to companies that supply dozens of acts to corporate clients, and many planners rely on them for anything beyond the DJ or band. Corporate planners book holiday parties from late summer through October, and wedding planners finalize entertainment roughly three to six months before the date. Showcase season tends to follow the same rhythm: autumn for corporate, winter for weddings. Venues in Vaughan, Mississauga and Markham often host vendor nights where planners and acts meet, and downtown hotels and convention venues host industry association events. Planners who serve cultural communities often want acts who understand specific traditions, such as dhol players for a baraat or a lion dance team for a Lunar New Year banquet, and they share names with each other within those communities.

Insurance. Many GTA venues ask every vendor, including performers, for a certificate of liability insurance before load-in. Planners notice which acts can send one on request. Keep a current certificate as a PDF in your promo kit folder, ready to attach the same day, and know whether your policy can name the venue as an additional insured if asked.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check the official source or a lawyer for your own situation.

Worksheet

Download the worksheet and complete it for your own business, using Lantern & Lane as the model where it helps. Keep it with your marketing plan. It takes about 10 minutes.

Download the worksheet (PDF)