THE COST OF BOOKING INTERNATIONAL ACTS

MBABANE - Some event organisers have revealed how much it costs and takes to bring an international act to the country.

Without going into actual amounts, a number of interviewed event organisers in the country mentioned that bringing an international act to the country required a good rapport with other organisers. First to be interviewed was DJ and organiser, Culolam Dlamini. He is well-known for bringing acts like Maphorisa, Lamiez, and next month he will be hosting SunEl Music and Msaki at the Malkerns Country Club.

Cheaper

The seasoned organiser mentioned that most of the international acts he had brought were good friends of his. “For me bringing an international act, I do it with someone I’m friends with and then it becomes cheaper, like E80 000 cheaper and that is just an estimate because it is not advisable to mention the amount,” he said. He further said international acts were no different than local acts if you played your cards right as an organiser. Meanwhile, Uncle Karly B, professionally known as Khulekani Mamba owns and runs Platinum Concepts. Without mentioning the prices, he said a lot went into booking an international act.

Elements

He said the prices vary with different acts, as there were certain elements that usually influence the price tag, for example, if it was a live band and their brand value. “It really depends on your reasons for hosting the show. If you are looking for numbers, you intend to give patrons a memorable experience. For venue owners, the South African acts (who usually have higher brand value) will make more sense because they will possibly amass larger audiences, which influences sales at the bar, but it comes with higher costs,” he said. In addition to that, he mentioned that, it also depended on gate takings, which is why it was safer to go local. The collections may be lower, but so are the costs he said.

“Contractual agreements usually determine the direction but the most common is for the one in breach to facilitate refunds of the funds committed to them,” he said when asked on what usually happens when a international artist does not show up. One would know that Karly B has always been an advocate for promoting and hiring local acts. Whether it’s personal or professional, there is so much to get right when you are planning a big event. Also, it is vital that everything goes according to plan on the day, event organisers are worth their weight in gold.

Renowned

Manager and renowned event organiser Melusi ‘Zox’ Dlamini said if someone played their cards right with international acts, they would not spend over E200 000 on an artist. Worth noting is that this cost has covered flights, accommodation and refreshments for the act before and after the show. Dlamini further said hosting an international event was not as simple as just making a couple of bookings and ensuring the room was great on the day. “Things a good event organiser will do behind the scenes cover a huge spectrum and it is vital that the person in charge is open-minded, flexible and focused on the job at hand.  While the basic elements of event organising might be similar, every project is unique and has its own individual requirements. So for it to be the best it can be on the day, a good event organiser will explore every possible option to make it go well and adapt their working practices accordingly,” he said.

DEMANDS OF INTERNATIONAL ACTS
International acts that have graced the country have had their fair share of demands.  A recent South African act that has been in the country last month is  Lamiez Holworthy, she had a number of demands.

Photographer

During her performance, on her left side she that she have a bottle of water, a designated photographer and videographer. Meanwhile, SA singer and season 12 Idol winner Karabo Mogana, mentioned that when going to perform, whether in South Africa or outside there were a couple of things he expected. “As an artist, you need to perform at your best, I always require to be flown out, have a certain number of people from my team come with me. Then it is other small things like the hotel room booked for me, types of food I want and I always, always have to have my water with lemon,” said Karabo. In addition, he mentioned that some of these requirements differ with each country he performed in and the relationship he had with the organisers.

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