On the Road - Presenters Handbook
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Practical Advice on Some Presenting Basics
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“HOW DO I …?”
Negotiations
The negotiation is a conversation between you and the artist or his or her representative, the purpose being to sort out all details surrounding the performance. Neither you nor the artist wants any last-minute surprises.
Contracts
Contracts can range from very simple to very complex. Often the contract is merely the signed, accepted offer, provided that it contains all the required information. When a presenter and an artist contract in good faith, a contract is a written version of what has been agreed to. It will only be used if something goes wrong, at which point the legal protections offered by the contract come into force. If nothing goes wrong, the artist performs, gets paid and everyone is happy.
Production/Technical
When the time comes to present a show for which a contract has been signed, several steps need to be taken between this time and the moment when the audience enters the auditorium.
Venues
One of the duties of the presenter is the auditorium rental, which takes up a significant amount of time.
Front of House
The chosen venue may have the resources to manage the audience experience, in which case it is simply a matter of two-way communication: you have to pass performance details to the venue, and the venue has to tell you what charges you will pay for services.
Ticketing
Many venues operate their own ticketing service and, if they do, they usually require you to use them. In some cities, the venue has a contract with a commercial ticketing service. Alternatively, you may sell your own tickets, taking reservations over the telephone and using volunteers or local retail establishments to deliver tickets to customers.
Accommodation, Transportation and Hospitality
Sometimes, when the artist or artist's agent and the presenter negotiate the artist's fee, the artist can ask the presenter to include hotel rooms over and above the fee. For artists travelling by land, the presenter may cover local transportation without it becoming too costly. Welcoming the artists, as you surely already know involves much more than a simple greeting. It is warmth and generosity in gesture, as well as speech.
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