As an event planner, finding celebrities and actually getting them through the door of your event can be very challenging. Here are 12 tips for how to recruit and host a celebrity guest, for the success of your event.

Who doesn’t love attending events with a star speaker or celebrity guest? Celebs are, of course, very busy people and they limit the time that they give away for events or engagements. While they may be busy, there are a variety of ways you can grab their attention and encourage them to attend your event.

A little hard work and a few clever ideas can set you up for success in attracting a celebrity guest. Here are some great tips to help you track down your next special guest and to ensure they leave your event singing your praises!

Use Your Connections

Asking around within your niche or your community can often lead you towards finding the guests or speakers that you are seeking. Many of us are so well connected online and throughout social media that these “relationships” can translate into real life opportunities.

Celebs may receive countless approaches to speak every day and are much more inclined to attend an event because someone they know has reached out to them. The worst they can say is no and it is always worth a shot!

Be Genuinely Interested

Do your research on the person before you make the ask. Are they on tour in your city around the date of the event? Where are they from? What projects are they currently working on? What school did they attend? Do they have a family or spouse that would be interested in attending the event? Celebs are not going to respond to someone who hasn’t done their homework. This is a very easy way to stand out when you show that you genuinely have an interest in not only the celebrity, but the actual person.

Know What They’re Passionate About

Find a celebrity that is truly connected to the mission or purpose of your event. At the core celebrities are real people like you and I, and they have passions, interests and things that they want their name to be associated with. For example, if you are planning a charity event, you should seek out celebs who have a true commitment to the cause you are representing. They will be much more inclined to attend and spend their time with your attendees.

Give them a Reason to Attend

Every celeb will have different reasons for attending an event and having an interesting or unique draw can provide additional incentive to attend. Perhaps you sell them on your audience because they are a great market for the celebrities new product, album, movie, etc.

For example, you could offer them the chance to sell books at the event with a book signing. Are you working with a prestigious PR firm on the event? You might highlight this along with the media coverage they will bring surrounding your event and it would provide great publicity if they attend.

Spend the Money

Most of the time a celebrity will have a fee for attending an event. If you really want a specific celeb to attend and you have managed to get them interested in your event, look at your budget and make them a reasonable offer. This goes a long way in showing that your value their time and the draw that they will bring to your event.

Make Your Needs Known

Make sure your requests are reasonable and be careful to make sure that you provide very specific details on what is expected of the guest while they are onsite. Many celebs will have their own requirements or their management to approve items such as recordings or photography. If you leave something to question or it is not previously discussed, this could lead to be bad experience for your celebrity guest and ultimately for your attendees. Being up front, courteous and efficient will go a long way in the interaction that you have with the celeb.

Be Appreciative

When your guest is onsite at the event make sure they know how much you appreciate their time and willingness to attend. Recognize them in as many ways as you can. Examples of this could include everything from greeting them with a nice gift in their hotel room upon their arrival, giving them love on your social media platforms and most obviously sincerely thanking them during your (or the MC’s) portion of the event presentation.

Send a ‘Thank You’ Note

Depending on the size of your event I would encourage as many people as possible to write letters to the celeb thanking them for attending. If you have a large group this might be challenging, but you could ask people to tweet at them to say thank you or encourage each of your staff members or volunteers to write a thank you. Handwritten letters are so uncommon these days and they really go along way in showing your gratitude.

Recruiting and hosting celebrities at an event can be a challenge, but if you approach it in the right way and with bit of finess you are sure to find success. Celebrities and high profile presenters can bring a huge boost to your event revenue, marketability and overall attendee experience. Using the tips above you will be well prepared to find and retain celebs for your future events.