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The Lee Gabor Agency™ This is an overview of the agency and is quite lengthy. The agency was closed at the end of December, 1995 and we no longer book performers. The reason for including this is to suggest that persons who are opening an agency or persons who are planning to use one become aware that the more information you have available regarding various venues and formats of entertainment, the more effective an agent or client you will be.
CONTRIBUTING TO AN INDUSTRY It has been an honor for us to contribute to the music and talent booking industry by the way we operated the Agency. One of our important contributions in Texas was to show both performers and purchasers the same contract. This resulted in a standard percentage being taken that was cost efficient to both parties. Most Texas agencies had one contract for purchasers and another for talents. There were times when corporations paid $1000 for a trio and the musicians only received $300 of that. The agent kept $700. Lee believed this was unethical and would result in corporations hiring fewer live musicians and using more DJs, which is exactly what happened in Texas. All agencies affiliated with the AFM were expected to use standard commissions and this was greatly supported by Lee and the agents working in her company. We made another contribution to the industry, which has affected agencies throughout the United States. At one time, our agency was the only one in Texas and nationally to divide music into very specific segments. Now, most of the agencies do this, at least to some extent. For a list of our divisions, click here. By segmenting, purchasers were guaranteed to receive exactly the type of performance they requested. I discovered during the early years of booking talents that clients needed to be educated in purchasing the services of talents. For example, in most agencies, when a buyer would call and request "jazz," the agent would book his or her idea of what kind of jazz was being requested. Unfortunately, when the musicians arrived and started performing, the jazz they played could be "Avant Garde" or some other style, when the party was advertised as featuring "Dixieland jazz." Musicians, audience, and purchasers would be stressed, if not downright angry because of this oversight. You may be able to recall your own experiences of the wrong acts booked due to lack of detail. This was simply not acceptable at my agency. Because I'm so extremely detail-oriented, I was able to devise a system to prevent such stress. Our agents took the time to educate clients. Starting with a music venue, we defined the various sub-venues through explanations in brochures and PR materials, videos, audio tapes, and by taking clients to enjoy the specific venue of music. For example, in the venue of "Jazz," there is the sub-venue of "Dixieland." Through educating the purchaser on the various sub-venues, including Dixieland jazz, our client could request exactly what was desired. Even more important, that client would know for the remainder of his or her life the difference between "Dixieland" and "Avant Garde" or any other jazz. This education of individual and business clients made them more confident in purchasing as well as more valuable and successful in their own careers. We are great believers in educating people. Education can be "the ounce of prevention" that deletes the need for "a pound of cure." Client ListOur clients have been both commercial establishments and private individuals. Among our commercial clients have been. Adam's Mark Hotel, Houston TX Aladdin Casino & Hotel, Las Vegas, NV The Benchmark Gourmet Restaurant, Michigan Inn, Detroit MI Bent Tree Country Club, Dallas TX Boca Raton Hotel and Club, Boca Raton FL The Breakers, Palm Beach FL Canyon Creek Country Club, Dallas TX Capital City Club, Atlanta GA Capital City Country Club, Atlanta GA The Cellar Door Restaurants, Houston TX Chicasaw Country Club, Memphis TN The Conrad Hilton Hotel, Chicago IL The Crescent Club, Dallas TX The Dallas City Club, Dallas TX Engineers Association of Texas Gleneagles Country Club, Plano TX The Hilton Hotel-Westgate, Houston TX The Hopkins House, Minneapolis MN The Houston City Club, Houston TX The Houstonian, Houston TX The Inn on the Park, Houston TX Italian Club of Dallas The Landmark Casino, Las Vegas NV The MGM Grand, Las Vegas NV The Mansion, Dallas TX The Marriott Hotel Downtown, Atlanta GA The Piedmont Driving Club, Atlanta GA The Playboy Club, Chicago IL and Lake Geneva WI The Sheraton Downtown, Houston TX The Sheraton Gretna New Orleans, LA The Sheraton on the Park, New York, NY Sheraton Prudential, Boston MA The University Club, Dallas TX The Warwick Hotel, Houston TX and many individuals and businesses Types of Events
OTHER INFORMATION Associated businesses established so that our talents could get the very best quality products at the most reasonable prices. LSG Langton St.Clair Grosvenor Printing Company Laura Symington Worth Jewelry Leciana St.Clair Fashions and Hand Painted Silks Lee was a Founding Member of Association of Certified Business, Social & Wedding Etiquette Consultants Event Planning & ManagementAs owner of The Lee Gabor Agency from 1971 to 1996, I personally accumulated 25 years of experience in planning and managing events. With an eye for detail, I strived to make sure every occasion went off without a hitch. This required extensive planning and plenty of experience. It MUST be a hands-on project and one cannot be lax at any moment. I've personally attended many large corporate events and small private parties at which there was NOT a manager controlling the occasion. Nightmarish situations have happened, for example:
You cannot depend on the staff at the convention center, hotel, country club, or restaurant to oversee every moment of your special event. Someone representing YOU should be in charge throughout every event! Successful implementation requires attentiveness to the details you've planned and/or approved. If your occasion is already planned, be sure you hire someone with clipboard and checklist in hand to oversee every moment (day or evening), leaving you and your people free to perform your functions or just enjoy the event.
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