What’s NEXT in Special Events

sponsored by Kerr Entertainment Group

Panelists:

Yasi Agahnia, CAA
Jacob Luftglass, UTA
Max Wiebrecht, Wasserman Music
Travis Wolfe, WME

Moderated by:

Paul Creighton, T. Skorman Productions

Moderator Paul Creighton began the panel by asking each agent to breakdown their business – how much corporate, how much it's social, how much fundraising?

For Travis Wolfe, it’s 50% corporates, 25% fundraising, and 25% private. Wolfe has seen a significant post-pandemic increase in private parties.

Max Wiebrecht is at about that same percentage and added, “I think we're gonna see a lot more in the fundraising space and special event space, so I think that percentage is gonna shift.”

Jacob Luftglass agreed and noted that we're going see more political fundraisers since next year will be an election year.

The percentages are the same for Yasi Agahnia. She added, “But I think with COVID dying down, there'll be more social, more parties, and fundraising as well.”

The Next Generation of Acts

Creighton posed the question: “When we talk about the up-and-coming acts, how do they look at the corporate market?”

All panelists agreed that corporate and special events is much more a part of the artist strategy than ever before. “We are in on the process early,” said Wiebrecht. “We are doing a lot of artist development. We are identifying the artists who want to do it and educating them on how.  We're in on the touring conversation and we're in on the bigger picture discussions because this is a big part of their business.”

Agahnia elaborated, “Younger acts are super willing to do privates and corporates. And they'll jump on a plane faster than maybe the older acts will. It's a matter of teaching buyers who they are and what they do. I have seen a lot of people who want younger and newer acts. Someone like Ice Spice -- who's a big deal right now, all over the radio, TikTok, commercials, everything.”

Luftglass added, “I think this an essential part of a younger comedian’s business. It's something they're already thinking about. Somebody who can do a clean 60-minute set, that is non-political.  Corporate dates are a bonus and it's something that doesn't conflict with their club and theater plays.”

Wolfe said, “It used to be what I call holiday bonus money. Artists would see it and say, ‘Oh, this is great. Now I can tip out the band and crew a little bit more because of these two or three dates.’ Now it's on everybody's radar. We are invited into a lot more signing meetings. Regarding developmental acts, this is an important part of their world too. In the country space, they are also very into getting that tour slot. So, it's a delicate balance.”

Creighton asked the panel, “Do you see interest growing or shrinking for developmental acts?”  

Wolfe answered, “With private events, yes. You get someone who is very interested in an act and wants to have them at their house or something of that nature. I see that kind of growing.”

Wiebrecht is seeing growth in the corporate side of the business, saying “The audiences are changing -- what they're listening to. The audience attending corporate events is getting younger and they're listening to the acts that we're talking about right now.”

Luftglass agreed and added, “We get more inquiries for developmental acts because of social media. It's easier to discover the next generation of acts.”

“Specifically with comedy,” Creighton added. “For a while, it felt like comedy was maybe on a decline in corporate world because meeting planners are cautious by nature. Do you see an increase of corporate business? Is it staying the same?”

“Definitely an increase,” answered Luftglass. “Comedy continues to grow in all verticals. There are more comedians playing arenas. There are more comedians doing large theater residencies. More acts want to work in this space and are willing to invest in creating their own sizzle reels to show what their actual show looks like.”  

Creighton asked, “Are more comedians capable of doing a clean show, or are audiences more willing to accept an unclean show?” Luftglass said, “Both. I think more audiences want comedy. With that, there's gonna be more who want each type of show.”

“In signing meetings, this is our secret weapon,” Agahnia added. “If you're doing a birthday party for somebody, you never know who that end client is. If it's the head of Netflix’s daughter's wedding, he might pitch you for a movie deal. You maybe do a fashion show for Dior. It's not a sponsorship gig, but maybe you sing a song there. If they like your look, you might get a brand deal. You never know what could come from these events. It could just be a nice cash grab, but it might also be something developmental as well. It’s a pitch newer acts like to hear.”

Music Genres Poised for Growth

Wolfe believes country is obviously becoming more mainstream and added, “I think the style of country is expanding and bringing in more audiences. What I've seen is the variety shows, the mix of different genres on one date. Could be with a band like a Sixwire or All-Star Jam, or just a show with a country act and a hip-hop act. Wiz Khalifa has done a lot of stuff with some of our country acts. Variety is what's probably changing.”

Luftglass noted the rise of international acts too. “There is something to be said about having those international acts perform for domestic shows, but we also get a lot more requests from a U.S.-based company that's in Mexico City or in Poland. They want somebody who's going to appeal to their employees in that place. Having a roster that can meet those needs is super helpful.”

Agahnia added. “We get more requests for UK acts but we are seeing a big rise in Latin and the Reggaeton as well. That appeals to everyone – young, old.”  

Agents & Buyers Working Together

Creighton asked the panel, “What challenges are you facing that people in this audience can help you with? What are some of the things that we could work on together that will help make our industry stronger?”

Wolfe replied, “Uniformity. If we could figure out a way for everybody to work in a similar way. That would be great.”

Creighton quipped, “A common language across all agencies? There'd be a Nobel Peace Prize for somebody.”

For Wiebrecht, it’s the paperwork. He said, “I think the paperwork becomes more of an issue when it's addressed after the paperwork has been issued. We need as much info upfront as you can – if we can address issues prior to the paperwork.”

Creighton asked, “What do you attribute this to? Is this because there's a new group of younger buyers who are not as experienced in how to format an offer? Or has there been a fundamental change on the end client? Because what we're talking about is not new. But you're talking about it as though it's bigger. From your side, what's at the heart of it?”  

Wolfe replied, “Coming out of the pandemic, there are a lot of newer companies and newer buyers in our space. A lot of companies that now think they can do this on their own – they don't need to hire an event producer. I think buyer confidence is the thing. I'll say too, and I think I speak for all of us, we will all work with you on different language or different situations or production – things you guys need. We will do that. But I always say with every action, there's a reaction. If you have a client saying, ‘I need an answer in three days,’ please know we've got to have time. We've got to work through those kinds of things. So just be mindful.”

“Where's the problem?” Creighton continued. “Do you agree that it's the client? From your view, why is this growing?”

Wiebrecht agreed with Wolfe, saying, “I think the key word is access. Everybody thinks they have access to the artist. A lot of end clients are trying to reach out to people. Everybody thinks they know someone who knows someone who can get a better deal. I think that stems from trying to keep the end client with you – you try to move very quickly and get that offer in. Just like we're trying to move quickly to get you an answer in three days.  With that comes a lot of questions. A lot of the developing acts ask a lot of questions. So, we must be ready with those answers. You guys need an answer quickly and, if we don't have that answer going into the offer, that just delays the process more on both ends.”

Turnaround Times

Creighton transitioned to his next topic, “Are offers coming in with shorter expirations? Are you expected to give answers faster?”

“A lot of people think we can do a faster turnaround. But if it's a newer artist, it takes a second,” answered Agahnia. “That artist wants to know every detail, even if it sounds like a cool event.”

Luftglass added, “When we talk about things that should be universal, I would argue that, unless the date is within the month, we should be given at least a week to get a turnaround. I understand if you had a fallout you're trying to replace and the date is next week. But if it's something in 2024, we should have a week to get real feedback.”

Creighton followed up, “If you get 100 offers, how many of them give you a week? How many give you longer? How many people are you getting offers from that need an answer in two days?”

Wolfe answered, “I wouldn't say a lot, but more than some. Not many offers include expiration dates. I actually encourage putting an expiration on an offer – 10 business days is usually good for me.”  Wiebrecht agreed.

Wolfe continues, “If somebody says two days, we understand that you guys are trying to get this date done quickly. Many buyers and many end clients shop. We're all in sales. We're in service. The customer is always right. We are trying to work with you. At the same time, it is very tricky when you're dealing with different artists, different contract language. This goes back to educating the buyer or the end client. If we all knew this usually takes X amount of time, that would help. So, if there's not an expiration on it, internally I always put 10 business days. I've got to keep the managers and the agents going. We're an assembly line; we got to keep it moving.”

Wiebrecht added, “This is just one part of the strategy with developing acts. If you give me a three-day deadline on a developing act, we can't get that done because there are other pieces that we're discussing. Not necessarily trying to route your date, but also looking at what else we want to do, what we're going after. We are developing that act in a bigger picture. Just today, I had a three-day deadline. We had to pass on the offer because of the expiration, and then a week later the manager said, ‘Can you see if they'll bring the offer back?’ Now they're ready to make that decision. So, it's not like we're asking for months. But there is thoughtfulness behind why we can't get an offer on developing acts done within three days.”

Creighton wrapped, saying, “Since we're on the topic of short turnarounds, there are downsides as well – you don't have as much time for a protracted back and forth.” Creighton noted that Wolfe has a great term for it: “You may only get one at bat.”

Corporate Sizzle Reels

Creighton moved to his next item. He said, “If I asked the audience what they needed from you to help them do their job better – specifically with new acts – I'm guessing one of the answers would be getting live footage, ideally corporate footage. It's one thing to see an artist play a party in a nightclub, but it's another in a corporate setting. Corporate buyers are cautious by nature. Where does the promo come in in your world? Do you get a say in it? And how much do the people listen?”

“Obviously, a sizzle reel is great,” Agahnia said. “With the older acts, they may be a little outdated. The good thing about newer acts is that younger kids are filming them, even when they're not supposed to. And it ends up on YouTube sometimes. We do ask artists a lot. If they have anything, we ask them to please send it.”

“Developing acts have really good content because all of them travel with photographers & videographers,” Wiebrecht added. “But here’s the thing, if we go to the manager and ask them to make a sizzle, they're gonna call me in three months and say where are my offers? A lot of newer acts have newer managers who don't know the marketplace.”

“That's an interesting point,” Creighton said. “Thank you for sharing what's behind the scenes. We do understand that they are your clients and we understand that pressure. But, if they want to be in the market, that's the cost of entry. As I've said many times, the planners are cautious because their jobs are on the line. They want to see what they're buying. Anything that can be done to accomplish that will go a long way. You made a comment earlier that most of the comedians have reels of their show. So you're in good shape if you've got reels that represent the show as it is.”

Luftglass agreed, “If there's a jump ball and the client can't decide between acts, if one act has a sizzle reel and one doesn't, it is clear which artist invested in the space and actually cares. But – and it’s important – it's one thing to watch a clip or a great sizzle reel. But to see a show in person, or have your end client see it, that is such a bonus.  We send out routing all the time – just for corporate buyers – so that they can actually go see the show and pitch it themselves.”

Variety Shows with Developing Acts

Creighton moved the conversation back to variety shows. “Clients are looking for recognizable music, which is the antithesis of new and emerging artists. For the mainstream corporate world, could you package two or three up-and-coming artists? Each act was only responsible for 20 minutes. Is that a dream? Or is that something that could be explored? To me, that’s exciting because it speaks to variety and the audience is hearing more songs.”

 “Yeah, All-Star Jam does it,” Wolfe replied, “Maggie Speaks does it as well. There are a lot of really good core house bands you can add with up-and-coming acts. The main thing to keep in mind, or tell a buyer, is an up-and-coming act may not have a lot of live performance experience. With artists hitting on TikTok, they may have millions of followers and views but have only done a handful of live shows. If you go to some of those acts and ask them to perform with an act they’ve never performed with, it might be a little bit difficult. But there are other options. Talk with your buyer about the concept of an experience like that.”

“We sell those developing acts as quality over quantity” Wiebrecht added. “You don't want a 90-minute set from that act.  You really want a good 30 minutes. Instead, have two developing acts each do a 20-minute or 30-minute set.”

Luftglass added, “Comedians are multi-hyphenate. People might know them from television or from film. People want the “Weekend Update” style shows. That gets tricky. You can get a good act who's super into it and one that’s just not available. Having a contingent can blow up an offer. It makes things extremely tricky. We deal with this day-to-day. So, make sure the client knows this is contingent on both acts.”

Crystal Ball Predictions

Creighton closed this session by asking his panelists for two or three acts from their roster that they think will be big in the corporate market in the next few years

Agahnia: “Masie Peters. She just opened for Taylor Swift on her stadium tour. She also opened for Ed Sheeran. She’s a great corporate act. Also Tate McRae. She's a 20-year-old Canadian artist. She was on So You Think You Can Dance. She can put on a good show and has an incredible voice. Chloe and Halle Bailey. They are sisters and are Beyonce's proteges.  They were both on the show Grown-ish.”

Luftglass: “Since we're in Nashville, I would say Dusty Slay, who's a beloved Nashville comedian. He's so funny. He's so good, clean, nicest guy. Very much down to play in the space and wants to do more of it. L.A.-based comedian Leslie Liao is very new and developmental. She is really on this rocket ship. She just got her first Netflix special. I think she is going to triple or quadruple in price soon. One more from Nashville – James Austin Johnson. He's a cast member on SNL. He plays Trump and Biden on the show. Amazing impressionist. he has a full 60-minute clean set that's non-political. He can do the political side as well, obviously. But he's great and really, really wants to work in this space.”

Wiebrecht: “Quinn XCII is an absolute home run on stage and getting a lot of special events right now. You'll see him take off in the corporate market as well.  Not on the developing side, but Walk the Moon is going to take the place of the artists that you’ve booked 150x. They're in the marketplace already, but you're going to see them in the marketplace forever.”

Wolfe: “I would have said Lainey Wilson, but she 10X'd herself in a span of a year. In the country space, Jordan Davis. He had the most streamed song last year. I don't know if you call him up-and-coming because he's certainly hitting that next stratosphere. Jackson Dean – he’s country, he's blues, and all kinds of stuff. He won a country radio's New Faces this year. Finally, I think you guys are probably onto Yellowstone and people doing those themed events. There's an act called Red Clay Strays – just amazing. We're really, really excited about those guys, and they fit into that American roots genre.”

Creighton wrapped up with “I was on an event with a client, and they had one of the actors from Yellowstone. I've never seen an audience go nuts like that. It was amazing.”