Q. This is my first time booking Talent. What do I need to consider?
A. We know booking a speaker, comedian or other talent for the first time can be a little daunting.
But once you consider your end goal – and speak with our knowledgeable and helpful staff – the pieces will fall together.
You should decide on your audience – who do you want to reach: The local ‘unchurched’ community? Teens? Married couples?
You should also think about your message: do you want a light-hearted evening of comedy or solid, Biblically-based apologetic teaching? You should consider how much room you have for your event: are you trying to fill a large auditorium or do you have an intimate “coffee shop” style setting? All of these factors will help you narrow-in on the best speaker, comedian, or performer for your event.
Q. What does the whole process for scheduling Talent look like?
A. Although every event is different, the process for bringing in Talent is all relatively the same.
- THE INITIAL INQUIRY - You can either visit our website to fill out a Booking Inquiry Form, or place a call to one of our Event Specialists at 866-400-2036. Our Event Specialists are trained to help you narrow the range of choices based upon the information they gather during this phone call. Once we have become familiar with your organization and its vision, we can steer you in the right direction, send you links to online promo videos of possible Talent, provide letters of reference, and make some helpful suggestions. You may already know who you have in mind – and that’s great, too! Our staff can answer questions and give you a price quote.
- THE OFFER TO THE TALENT - Once your organization is ready to move forward and has nailed down specifics such as date of event, budget, and so on, we contact the Talent with your offer to see if they are available. (This generally takes a few days to a few weeks.) We will follow up with you either via phone or email (your preference) once we hear from the Talent. If the Talent is available, we move to the Event Agreement (contract). If they are not available, we evaluate some other great options; either a new date if there is flexibility or a new speaker if your date is firm.
- EVENT AGREEMENT - Once the Talent has confirmed their availability for your date(s), we email you an Event Agreement. This contract outlines your event details, agreed-upon-costs, payment options, and legal information. The Event Agreement also contains a general 'rider' which contains basic needs and stage requirements for your Talent. Your date will be held for 14 days, during which you will need to review, sign, and send in your deposit.
- CONFIRMATION – This is the best part – other than the event itself! Once we receive the signed Agreement and payment, your event is locked in! We will send you an Event Confirmation via email, which will also contain the contact information for the Talent or their assistant. You will connect with the Talent to discuss things like booking flights and any specific instructions.
We continue to provide our expertise to you even after the event is confirmed. You can always call our office with any questions you might have. As your event date approaches, you will be contacted by one of our Event Specialists to take care of the final payment for your event.
Q. What am I getting for the price I’m paying?
A. The honorarium generally – but not always – covers one 30-75 minute presentation, depending on the speaker or comedian you are booking and the type of event you’re putting on. This is negotiable based on your circumstances and each event’s parameters. Please discuss this with your Event Specialist to figure out your options. All of our Talent are Christ-following, Bible-believing Christians, committed to sharing their stories with your organization with tact and relevance.
Q. How much does Talent cost?
A. Talent fees are impacted greatly by factors such as name recognition, demand for their services, date and location of event, length of presentation and many more. At Outreach Events, our Talent’s honorariums range from $1,500 to $15,000. But everyone on our roster is flexible and takes offers on a case by case basis. In addition to the Talent’s honorarium, you will be responsible for the expenses during his or her appearance at your event. These expenses can include airfare or driving mileage reimbursement, ground transportation, hotel accommodations, meals, and incidental expenses. Some of our speakers need to travel with an assistant or spouse, so two plane tickets are requested.
Q. You said I have to cover ‘expenses’ like flight and a hotel. How much will that cost me?
A. We can never give you an exact answer on how much a flight or hotel room will cost, as these rates are determined by many factors. As a rule, we generally suggest that you budget a flight at $400 - $600 and a hotel room around $100.
Q. Who handles the airfare for the Talent?
A. This varies depending on the Talent; some prefer to book their own travel and be reimbursed, some want you to handle this, with their direction. When you get your Event Confirmation you will be able to connect with the Talent or their management to iron out these specifics. Most speakers and performers do not like to book airfare more than 2 months in advance, as their departure city may change.
Q. When do I have to pay?
A. A 50% deposit is collected upon the booking of your event date. This deposit locks the date on the Talent’s calendar. In the event of a cancellation, the event will be rescheduled or the deposit will be forfeited. The final balance will be due two weeks prior to the actual event date. Outreach Speakers will take care of payment to Talent for their honorarium. Travel is paid for a number of ways and should be discussed prior to the Event Agreement being signed.
Q. Do speakers or comedians ever do free events?
A. We are a speaker’s bureau that handles faith-based, paid events for our Talent. Every so often our Talent will do a free show, but those are for events that have some connection to the Talent personally. Generally it’s an event that is close to their heart, or an organization with a standing relationship. In these cases, the event is worked out directly between the Talent and the organization; Outreach Events does not handle these types of requests.
Q. What if I have to cancel my event?
A. We never want an event to be cancelled, but we understand that sometimes unforeseen things happen. In the event of a cancellation, we will work with you to reschedule the Talent for a different day. Money paid will not be refunded, but rather transferred over to the new event date.
Q. The Talent I want lives close to my event. Do I have to pay full price for local talent?
A. Sometimes Yes, sometimes no. Every event is taken on a case by case basis, but generally our Talent is able to accept lower honorariums when the event is within driving distance. Plus you save the cost of airfare and hotel, since those are not necessary in most local cases. (We do ask that you reimburse the Talent for the driving mileage if the event is more than an hour from their home.)
Q. I am interested in a speaker, but the theme of our event does not fall under their speaking topics. Do speakers ever do events for topics not listed?
A. Yes, in most cases. You would need to discuss the details with one of our Event Specialist, but usually the topics listed with the speaker’s details is a general idea and not a complete list of what they can do.
