Recruiting Celebrities for Special Events

Here are five secret tips to keep in mind so that the next time youáre recruiting celebrities for your special event or PR campaign, youáre more likely to have a great experience.

1. Put yourself in a starás shoes and ask, “Whatás in it for me?”

Before asking a celebrity to participate in a project, PR campaign or special event, ask yourself this question as though you were that celebrity: “Whatás in it for me; why should I do this?”

We all would like to think that celebrities get involved with cause-related events because they really care about the cause. While this can be a contributing reason (if they personally have been touched by the cause or have played a role in a film related to the cause), the truth is that most celebs are motivated by other factors:

– Money & gifts. If you have money, itás a great motivator. But when budgets are slim to none, great perks and gifts can go far in getting a celebrity to say “yes.” Itás simple – celebrities are human beings like the rest of us, and everyone loves gifts.

– Media exposure. The type of media exposure that can be gained through the event also may motivate celebrities to accept an invitation. However, be forewarned that those who are motivated by this the most include the up-and-coming and the down-and-going. There also are some celebrities who, because of personal circumstances in their lives, do not want to be exposed to the media.

– Personal interests. This might include a celebrityás personal interest in the activity or sport, personal connections to the city, a desire to change oneás image, the fun/exclusivity/prestige of the event, who else is involved, or simply who asked them.

2. Make a list of everything the celebrity might want to know.

Once a celebrity has agreed to participate, make a list of absolutely everything he or she might want to know and do – every question this personality might have – from arrival to departure. Then list all of your answers.

Celebrities and their representatives can become very demanding and difficult to work with if the celebrity feels insecure about his or her involvement. The best way to help make celebrities (and their representatives) feel secure is to demonstrate that you have considered every little detail and have anticipated their every question. From their arrival to the event, during the event and at the end of the event.

Celebrity greeters or escorts should know the answers to every question the celebrity might have. If celebrities feel secure and trust that whoever is taking care of them will really take care of them, they will be much easier to work with.

3. Respect their time.

Time is a celebrityás most valuable commodity; donát waste it.

The bigger the celebrity, the less time he or she has. There are so many people wanting a piece of the celebrityás time, celebrities have to ensure that the time they do have to make an appearance is time well spent.

One timesaving strategy that celebrities really appreciate is limousine service to and from the event. This is not only convenient for the celebrities – they donát have to worry about traffic or parking – but it also gives them extra time to get some work done, make some important calls or study the briefing notes you sent them last week.

Limousines (which also can be chauffered sedans) also are helpful to the event organizers. Thanks to cell phone communication with the driver, itás not necessary to stress over wondering whether the celebrity has gotten into the car yet, and itás helpful to know when the celebrity is five minutes away from arriving. Itás also less likely that celebrities will cancel at the last minute when they know that a limousine is scheduled to pick them up. If, however, they do need to cancel, youáll know before the event, rather than wasting your time waiting around for someone who turns out to be a no-show.

Bottom line – make it easy for a celebrity to participate by offering limousine transportation, ask the celebrity for the minimum amount of time that will fill your needs, donát ask celebrities to arrive earlier than needed, and never make them wait!

4. Keep briefings brief.

When a celebrity briefing session is necessary, determine whether it must be in person or if it can be handled by phone, fax or e-mail. Of course, we all would rather meet celebrities in person, but bear in mind that time is their most valuable commodity. So use phone, fax or e-mail if you can.

If you must meet in person, have no more than one or two people at the briefing session, and make it as to the point as possible. More than an hour is seldom needed.

Celebrities wonát want to memorize lots of facts and figures – unless they are being paid quite handsomely. Therefore, for briefing notes, use no more than three to four bullet points of the most important information you want your celebrity to communicate to the media.

Fax or e-mail briefing notes about a week in advance, and have a small reminder sheet that you can hand to the celebrity on site when he or she arrives – they will appreciate it. It is very embarassing for both the celebrity and the event organisers where the celebrity is talking to the media and has forgotten the name of the event or why they are there.

5. Donát make any promises you canát keep, and keep all of the promises you make.

This business is so much about relationships. The quickest way to ruin a relationship with a celebrity or his or her representative is to not come through with something that was promised. Thatás why this is worth repeating: Donát make any promises you canát keep and keep all of the promises you make …