When hiring an individual or organization to provide a service on campus (or virtually) you are required to complete a vendor contract with assistance from the Office for Student Engagement.
The purpose of a vendor contract is for all parties to agree upon payment, scope of services, and any other event logistics prior to your event. A contract helps to protect both parties from miscommunications or mistreatment during the course of working together. Please note that even if a vendor volunteers their time/services and does not request payment, a vendor contract is still required.
A vendor can include performers, speakers, caterers, consultants, off-campus rentals, and more. You will need to work with Student Engagement staff to complete your contract prior to your event. Be sure to plan far enough ahead to discuss and negotiate the terms, obtain all necessary signatures, and submit a payment request to the student body Treasury. We recommend allotting a minimum of four weeks for this process.
Hiring Caterers or Food Carts
If you plan on serving food during an event, please visit the prior section 'Making Food Arrangements'.
Hiring a Performer, Speaker, or Artist
How to Talk to Performers and Agents: Before reaching out to a performer or agent, consult the Office for Student Engagement or your direct supervisor (if assisting a college staff member/department with event planning). Students are encouraged to request the assistance of Student Engagement staff while navigating through this process. Below is a general guide that can be useful for student groups.
Making an Initial Inquiry to a Performer/Agent:
- Introduce yourself and your role in the event.
- Explain the goals of the group organizing the event, if applicable.
- Have a number of possible dates in mind for the performance.
- Have a clear understanding of the performance space in mind for the event. If you’re not sure what space is most appropriate, ask the agent for specifications.
- Ask for the following logistics:
- A technical rider, which outlines the specific technical, equipment and logistical requirements for a performance.
- Assess whether the artist’s technical requirements are feasible. This may require working with either Sound Kollectiv or AV Services.
- A hospitality rider, which outlines their required travel and hotel accommodations, as well as any green room requirements (when applicable).
- Be clear about expectations for the event (e.g. the number of people expected, an event open to only the Reed Community, no substances allowed, etc.)
- Events open to the public must be discussed prior with Student Engagement staff. If it will be a public event, be sure to stipulate this in the contract.
- If the event is not open to the public, request that the artist not publicize the appearance prior to the event.
- Try to gauge the performance fee. Do not offer a fee up front but get a sense for the range of offers that would be considered. Remember that all fees are negotiable.
- Let the agent know that you must take this information back to the college and will call them back as soon as possible.
- Be sure to leave your phone number, email address, and other pertinent contact information.
- Agents always appreciate hearing back from you even if the decision is no.
- Act professionally. Even if this event doesn’t work out, it is preferable for the Reed community to maintain a positive relationship with performers and agents.
Negotiating Performer Fees:
- Allow at least two weeks of response time from the performer/agent.
- Have a fee range in mind (i.e. a dollar amount that you will not exceed.)
- Try to get the agent to offer a price first and then counter with your offer. Usually, 15%-20% off the top is a reasonable ask. The agent may ask you to email a formalized proposal with a fee attached.
- Be sure to confirm travel and hotel accommodations at this time and what the performer’s expectations are for this.
- The agent may not accept the fee immediately or may counter offer. Allow the agent to call you back.
- If you feel uncomfortable with the negotiations, tell the agent that you will call them back later in the day after you have a chance to discuss the fee with other interested parties.
Once a Fee is Negotiated and Agreed Upon:
- Update the contract to include all aspects of the event agreed upon in the previous conversations (i.e. hotel accommodations, travel arrangements, performer fees, etc.).
- If the agent insists on utilizing their own contract, then this must be reviewed and approved by Risk Management. Inform the agent that you may need to include a liability waiver and an addendum with any additional specifications. Please note that this will delay the timeline of completion.
- Go over the technical guidelines once again. Refer to the tech rider and ask detailed questions about sound and light needs.
Contract:
- Please work with a Student Engagement staff member to make sure you are completing the contract process correctly. Be sure to plan far enough ahead that any contractors’ checks can be cut before your event.
- The college’s Student Organization Performance Agreement is preferred over using a performer’s or agent’s contract.
- If a performer/agent insists on using their contract instead, the Risk Management Office must review and approve it.
- Please be sure to attach a W-9 form to the contract when you send it to the performer. The name on the W-9 form must match the name on the contract.
- A Certificate of Insurance (COI) will be required from the performer for events incurring fees that are $1,000 or more, or for higher risk events. (The certificate date must be valid for the event date and 30 days afterward.)
- After you and the artist/performer/speaker sign the contract, send it to Student Engagement for a staff signature. Once Student Engagement has signed it, you can take it to the Student Body Treasury (if receiving SB funds) so that they can forward it to the Business Office for payment.
Negotiating the Contract:
- Work with the agent to determine an honorarium (the amount you will pay the speaker/performer) that is acceptable to both parties.
- Review the contract with the Office for Student Engagement and make note of any changes you would like to see.
- Send the technical rider to the signator of Sound Kollectiv (if sound is required for the performance) to make sure everything is doable on their end.
- All contracts should also be reviewed by the Director of Student Engagement. Student Engagement will forward them to Risk Management if further consultation is needed.
- Once cleared by each of those departments, send the revised contract back to the agent for their input.
- Repeat this process until all parties are satisfied.
- The Director of Student Engagement can help with negotiations.
Technical and Hospitality RidersThe artist's rider(s) (usually included in the contract) will specify their technical and logistical demands to be fulfilled by the host (you/Reed). If it is not included in the contract, you must also send the rider to Conference and Event Planning and Sound Kollectiv (or in some cases, AV Services) for their approval before the contract is signed. The rider requests may include:
- A comfortable hotel room. Reed’s website has a list of hotels in the area that offer discounts for the Reed community.
- A green room (see section below)
- May also specify that food or other amenities be available in the green room. However, Reed cannot accommodate requests for alcohol or drugs to be served.
- Additional security (if required then please contact Community Safety)
- Transportation
- Make sure the contract clearly specifies what you will and will not provide for the performer. It is often simpler for the performer to make their own transportation arrangements. For example, you may choose to specify that Reed will reimburse the performer for all transportation required “for Reed business only”.
- For performers requesting private car service, Reed typically uses Delta Town Car.
- Other suggestions:
- Reserve a Reed van through Facilities (make sure you find a certified van driver).
- The performer can use Lyft, Uber, or RadioCab and submit receipts to you after the event for reimbursement.
- Direct the performer to the Reed campus map so they will know where to go when they arrive.
- Check in with the Director of Student Engagement before making airline reservations.
Performer Hospitality and Green RoomIn addition to space for the main event that you will reserve in the IRIS student event portal, you will also want to reserve a “green room”—a space for the performer to prepare for the performance and wait until it is time for them to go on stage.
- For events in Vollum Lecture Hall, speakers typically use Vollum Lounge.
- For events in Kaul, there is a green room adjacent to the Catering Prep Room in the back hallway (nearest the Sports Center).
- For events in the Performing Arts Building, there is a green room in the northwest corner of the building.
- Consult Conference and Events Planning if the event is taking place elsewhere and you are unsure of an appropriate space to use as a green room.
Speaker Meet-and-GreetsIf time allows and the speaker/performer agrees, arranging a meet-and-greet or a dinner at the Parker House with 10-15 students has been very successful in the past. It allows a small group to ask more specific questions before the lecture and get to know the speaker in a more intimate setting. To arrange this, you will need to do the following:
- Negotiate with the speaker/performer's manager about their availability for a dinner/meet-and-greet/etc before the lecture. This may add to the booking price.
- Reserve space on campus by completing the IRIS event registration.
- If you would like to request the Parker House, please indicate this in the notes section. Conference and Events Planning will put you in touch with the Parker House Manager.
- You will likely need a faculty or staff sponsor to attend and be responsible for Parker House use.
- Note: Parking is not allowed in front of the Parker House. You will need to communicate this to the speaker and guests.
- Advertise the meet-and-greet and determine the attendees via a lottery.
- If food is served, arrange a menu with Bon Appétit Catering. Make sure they are aware of attendees’ dietary restrictions.
- Check that everyone who arrives for the meet-and-greet is on the guest list.
- Once everything is scheduled, make a detailed step-by-step timeline of how the day will run (and who will be doing what). You may also need to include the days immediately prior to the event, depending on the preparation required.
Musical Performances: Special ConsiderationsWe typically can't afford very famous acts, so danceable music will likely be the event’s biggest draw. Group bands tend to be more expensive than DJs or solo artists. You will also need to budget for lodging and travel, depending on the specifics of the contract. Booking local acts helps mitigate these costs.
- Before signing the contract, discuss all space and logistical needs with AV Services!
- For example, Kaul Auditorium is designed for orchestral performances--the acoustics for rock bands are terrible, and we discourage its use based on past experiences.
- If absolutely necessary, this may be ameliorated by renting a pipe-and-drape setup (large velour curtains that are hung behind the band to minimize echo). This can add anywhere from $500-$1000 to your budget.
- You will likely also need Conference and Events Planning to set up a smaller stage in front of the main Kaul stage and for the labor for everyone involved. Additional equipment rentals may also be necessitated by the technical rider. Keep these factors in mind when negotiating the honorarium fee.
- As an alternative to Kaul, the Student Union is a great venue option for concerts, bands, and DJs.
Preparation
- Conference and Events Planning will need a detailed diagram of where everything will be set up in the green room and the performance space. Set-up will often run right up until the specified time, so be proactive to avoid unexpected snags.
- On the day of, ensure that the green room is set up as specified in the contract before the band arrives. You must also get the check for the band from the Business Office before the event; acts may refuse to perform if they are not paid up front.
- You may want to recruit three to five students to assist with set-up and be available for troubleshooting, as well as a student photographer (as long as photographs are permitted by the artist’s contract!). You can put out ads for this in SB Info.
- If a student organization is hosting the event, this labor (with a few exceptions, such as Sound Kollectiv) will be on an unpaid, volunteer basis.
Other Vendors
If you are seeking to hire another type of vendor, and you are not sure which contract template to use, contact Student Engagement staff.