What are some key elements to include in a live event contract?

In a live event contract, include: Event Details: Date, time, location. Payment Terms: Total fee, deposit, balance due, payment method. Transport and Accommodation: Who's responsible - you or the organizer. Equipment: Who provides it. Payment Security: Receive all payments before the event. Damages Clause: Responsibility for equipment damage. This approach ensures clarity and protects your interests.

Definitely have a clause in the rider about M&Ms. For example, you can ask for them to be sorted by color before being placed in the green room or dressing room.

The first step of all is doing some heavy pre-work, and making sure the event has the chance of making a profit. With corporate events or private shows, the criteria can be different. Events are a lot of work, if there's not a reasonable chance of turning a profit. If all that homework is done and there's a clear and unbiased opportunity for financial success, then you can turn your attention toward the event management details. If the total numbers just don't work, or the price, or any other variable, best to pass on this one, and survive to put on a show that is profitable.

State your needs for bad weather, sun, no power etc. Is there a tent, umbrellas, heaters, generators. A few drops of rain doesn't bother guests but the amps must be turned off. The key is Anticipate!

Music for all ages. Musicians from all earas. Many different size stages. Quality musical output. Top quality hardware. Weather resistant.

For any cancellation or postponement you should have a reasonable period of time on how to reach the conclusion for a cancellation or postponement. For example the show had to be postponed for any reason and you have not reached an agreement on a date with the artist after a few weeks of attempting to find a new date. There should be a clause on the maximum amount of time allowed to issue a new date for the fans to issue refunds or make tickets valid for new date. If that time is expired then you can proceed to a cancellation and a full refund without penalty to you as a promoter/producer.

First thing to come to my mind is one of the big runs in Minnesota each year, which got cancelled 2 hours before the first cohort start time. It was major breaking news in Minnesota and elsewhere since it is a hallmark event from Minneapolis 10 miles to St. Paul. Runners from many countries do this annually and hence the cancellation policy has a lot riding on it from sponsors, volunteers, & the runners+family/fans. I’d love to know how they handled whatever was not “handled” in their cancel policy…but as a fan of no specific runner this year, I was still disappointed and I have no right to a cancel policy remedy. I just hope they get it right-righter going forward…and I hope you find what they learned to your benefit. Kindly LMK @shrepfur

Get this one right. There are going to be disputes. Whether they are disputes which fall under "normal handling", or they balloon completely out of scale, this is the language where it's settled. Don't be fuzzy - be clear in exactly how the process will be handled. Get rock solid language for this and use it in every contract.

Events today are in the constant glare of your social media-loving attendees! Congratulations! These folks can broadcast out great things, or horrible things. Don't hold events without training on customer issues and responses, and a clear channel of escalation that points the problem toward management. This is mandatory today, responses are too important, and it relieves the line workers from direct response or interaction leading to misunderstandings with angry guests.

One thing I realized in event planning and its contracts is the "deafening silence" on health and safety -its often not clearly stated and in Nigeria for example, you learn the add way, the safety commission in Lagos show up o. The day of your event... I believe if it is incorporated as part of the contract it will be clear which part is responsible and the strategy for dealing with emergency.