Thinking about booking a celebrity for your corporate event? Great idea. An appearance from a celebrity can elevate your event to new heights and set it apart from others.
But booking a celebrity appearance can feel like something that is shrouded in mystery. You can’t just get in touch with famous people directly (most of the time anyway), and knowing where exactly to begin can feel like a mission.
At Noisy Kitchen, we represent artists and celebrity DJs in the UK, connecting brands with celebrities who are a great fit for their corporate event and making the entire process simple.
We consider ourselves experts in this field, which is why we’ve put together this blog to run through the basics for booking a celebrity for your UK corporate event. Read till the end to be clued-up on the process, rather than in the dark!
Basics to arrange before booking a celebrity
Hiring a celebrity from your corporate event is a very exciting prospect, but you must get the basics sorted before getting carried away with the excitement.
The very first practicality is confirming your budget for a celebrity appearance. You won’t get far without knowing the maximum amount you can spend.
Be aware that you may have to be a little flexible with your budget to leave yourself a spot of wiggle room when negotiating - but knowing the very top amount you can spend is crucial. It’s a good idea to overestimate your budget rather than underestimate it, as there may be unexpected costs, such as accommodation.
We highly recommend that you decide upon the venue and date for your corporate event before thinking about a celebrity guest. The location of your event and how far the celebrity will have to travel will all affect the price you are quoted.
Plus, the style and vibe of the venue may also help you get a feel of which celebrity would be a good fit for your event, which brings us to…
Finding a celebrity guest who will align with your UK corporate event
A top priority should be finding a celebrity who will complement your corporate event.
You need to carefully consider what they will add - never book a celebrity for the sake of it or simply because you think they will give your event some kudos. Your event won’t have the desired prestige if your guests are left scratching their heads, wondering how the celebrity fits with the vibe of the event and brand!
At Noisy Kitchen, we’re big believers in the positive impact celebrity guests can have at events, but we are also big believers in carefully matching the right celeb to each event so that our clients get the most for their money.
Consider the demographics of who will be attending your event and which celebrity guests they are likely to recognise. Then think about what the celebrity will actually do at your event. Do you want them to deliver a talk, simply be a special guest and mingle with your invitees, or are you interested in how a celebrity DJ could add top-class entertainment?
Check out our roster of celebrity DJs
Whatever you want the celebrity guest to provide, it should flow seamlessly into the schedule and theme of your corporate event. Remember, if you’re going through a celebrity booking agency (like us), they can help you with this, too.
The booking process for celebrity appearances
That moves us nicely to the ins and outs of the actual booking process.
This will depend on whether you go through a celebrity booking agency or directly to an individual agent. Generally speaking however, you should reach out to the booking agency or agent and let them know the details of your event - date, time, location, theme and style. Be professional, clear and confident.
Let’s give you a more tangible example: To enquire about booking a celebrity DJ for an event via Noisy Kitchen, clients often get in touch by email and let us know their event details. They may also let us know which celebrity they are interested in hiring, or we will match them with a celebrity who will fit their event and requirements.
(It goes without saying that if you're going directly to an agent, that’s because you already know which celebrity you would like to book for your event!)
Don’t stress if you don’t hear back immediately; agents and booking agencies are busy people/places. But it’s a good idea to politely follow up in around three days to make sure your email arrived safely.
Negotiating the fee & sticking to your budget
Knowing your maximum budget will come in handy at this stage.
You’ll only waste your own time and the agent's time if you begin talks to book a celebrity guest for your event and then find out they’re totally out of your budget. This can potentially be very embarrassing, so it’s best to avoid it.
Your negotiating skills will also be helpful here. Be prepared for a bit of back and forth haggling, but as long as you don’t go above your budget, it’s all part of the fun. As a rule of thumb, never offer your top budget first.
Ensure you communicate clearly and assertively, and remember that you can walk away if the price is too high.
Good luck!
We hope this blog has given you some helpful insights into hiring a celebrity for a UK corporate event.
A celebrity appearance can lift an event from mediocre to exceptional if well thought through - your guests will have a fantastic experience that they will be talking about for weeks to come. Use our tips to create a clear strategy so you can go into the process feeling confident.
If you’re looking to elevate your corporate event with a special appearance from a celebrity DJ, check out Noisy Kitchen today.
