| NEWS 04.07.09 11:42 AM |
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| Oprah Leads Talent Bookers to Ponder When Celebrity Appearances Matter, and How to Make the Most of Them |
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In its final effort to woo the International Olympic Committee, Chicago 2016 hosted a gala dinner at the Art Institute of Chicago on Monday evening. Dinner guest Oprah Winfrey, whose attendance drew a line of reporters to the museum's entrance, told The Chicago Sun-Times that she came to the gala in hopes of "having a real, honest conversation about how great this city is." We asked a few local talent bookers to weigh in on how helpful the media mogul's presence will be in helping the city win the Olympic bid, and—in general—when appearances from big-name stars are most effective.
"Will Oprah's presence hinder the bid?" asked Marcy Manley, cofounder of WPI Event Partners, before yesterday's event. "No. But will it help? Probably not. And will it be the end all and be all in clinching the deal? Absolutely not." Oprah Winfrey is a a brand in and of herself, Manley pointed out, and although she's from Chicago, "she's not Chicago. She's freakin' Oprah."
Other, not quite as famous celebs to appear at the dinner included blues singers Buddy Guy and Koko Taylor. This kind of talent, Maley said, is "the bread and butter of the city," and their performances will likely be more successful than Oprah's appearance in showing the Olympic committee what Chicago is made of (which, after all, was the goal of the evening).
So when does it help to have an Oprah-caliber star at an event? According to Donna Iacobazzi Pecci, founder of entertainment and event consulting company Leverage 8, it all depends on the nature of the star's commitment. "There's a difference between wrangling celebrities to an event and paying them an appearance fee," Pecci said. Although asking a star to simply appear at an event "does not guarantee that they will walk the red carpet, do interviews, or even show up," if planners are paying a performance fee, "there is a specific return on investment," she said.
To maximize the return on those performance fees, Pecci said, it's important to "be very selective when choosing a celebrity. You don't want Tara Reid falling off bar stools when you are raising funds for Unicef." And once the right guest star has been chosen to attend an event, companies must "make the connection clear. You have to find a way to incorporate your message or you're just throwing money out the window."
Pecci advised prepping celebs on a company or brand before they walk the red carpet. "Give them one or two facts to share during interviews," she said. "If you have several celebrities, a little media training will ensure you have the opportunity to get a few key items about the brand slipped into conversations with the press." If a star is performing at an event, "make sure that the talent is prepped enough to know why they are there and mention key facts before or after the performance," Pecci said. "It may sound obvious, but you'd be surprised at how many companies just don't know that they can do this."
Jodi Wolf, president of Paulette Wolf Events and Entertainment, advised having celebrities share the spotlight with leading figures from a company during the press portion of an event. Having an organization's C.E.O. appear in pictures or on camera with a celebrity is a good way to cement the connection between a star and a company and "a great way to maximize your celebrity dollar," she said. Wolf added that in her experience, celebrity appearances are particularly effective at product launches, corporate anniversaries, and grand openings—and that in the latter scenario, planners should incorporate stars into ribbon-cutting ceremonies to make the moment more of a photo op.
—Jenny Berg
RELATED TOPICS
Oprah Winfrey, Chicago 2016, 2016 Olympics
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