E3 Group

The E3 Group team would like to say a huge thanks to all our clients, suppliers and associates for your much valued input into our business in 2009. Everyone at our head offices in London and Brighton including, David Hill; Martin Harrigan; Jamie Greaves; David Parker; James Hubbard; Dan Kujawski, Gita Wallis and Ryan Curtis would all like to wish you a Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year.

Requests to hire Olly Murs, Stacy Solomon, Jamie Archer and many of the other X-Factor contestants from this year’s competition on ITV have accounted for the vast majority of enquiries that we’ve received here at E3 Artists this month, and in fact, for the last twelve weeks whilst the show has aired. In a series that has attracted up to a staggering 20 million viewers at its peak, the interest from both the general public and from our existing clients to book this year’s acts has been unprecedented.

Although the show is now over, with a worthy winner decided in Joe McElderry, the interest is unlikely to dissipate for some weeks and months to come. With event planners booking X-Factor singers for dates up to six months in advance, the careers of many of this year’s acts are certainly looking secure for 2010.

Each month our booking agents are taking a vote on their most frequently recommended bands for hire. November is traditionally our busiest time of year for this type of booking and this year is no exception. An increase in requests for Swing bands has proved to our agents that Swing is, well, still in. Following it’s rebirth in the early noughties, thanks to artists to such as Robbie Williams, Swing has continued to be a popular style of music for corporate events and private functions. As a genre it exudes glamour, style and sophistication making it a perfect choice for slightly more formal occasions.

A particularly high-quality and versatile example is Swing Connection, voted by our agents as band of the month. This highly skilled collective features musicians who have performed with the likes of The National Youth Jazz Orchestra, The BBC Big Band, John Dankworth, Cleo Laine, Buddy Greco, Jools Holland and Jamie Cullum to name just a few. They create the ultimate “big band” sound aided by one of the UK’s finest jazz male vocalists. Scaleable from a 2 piece upwards, Swing Connection still have some limited availability for Christmas events. Contact one of our entertainment agents for further details.

Our booking agents here at E3 Artists have been dealing with a flurry of requests today from clients looking to hire Jamie Archer for their events in December. Jamie left the show last night after receiving the fewest public votes, yet despite this fact his unique style and vocal ability has made him one of this year’s most popular contestants.

The X-Factor’s leaning towards pure pop has made Jamie a unique act in the X-Factor roster on account of his genuine rock credibility. From the Kings of Leon to Queen, Jamie can belt out just about any rocking number. Jamie has limited availability for private and corporate bookings. For furthers details please contact one of our agents.

Following a surge in enquiries for cheeky stand-up Russell Howard, our booking agents here at E3 Artists have decided to honour him with our “comedian of the month” award. A familiar face from BBC Two’s Mock The Week and Nevermind the Buzzcocks, Russell is emerging as one of the UK’s favourite comic personalties.

Although he’s about to embark on a national tour in December, performing at Arenas from London to Manchester, Russell does have limited availability for private and corporate appearances in November and the New Year. For availability and cost information please contact one of our agents. Alternatively to view other available comedians for hire, visit our E3 Artists pages.

Our monthly pricelist is back by popular demand following a short absence. In a change from previous months we will now post a monthly top ten reflecting the acts we are most often requested to provide a quote for. As fees for celebrities and entertainers can vary on a day-to-day basis according to demand and other factors such as the date and location of your event, please be aware that the fees indicated below are just an approximate indication. Please call our office for a more precise quote:

1. Derren Brown
The master illusionist and psychological magician is in hot demand following his recent C4 events. He’s available to hire for corporate and private events from £20,000.

2. Noisettes
Freqently requested by our clients, indie pop group the Noisettes can be booked from £15,000.

3. Diversity
Requests to hire the winners of this year’s Britain’s Got Talent contest flood our offices daily. Their current fee expectation is over £12,000.

4. Flawless
BGT runners up Flawless are also in hot demand and they are currently accepting offers over £10,000.

5. Russell Howard
The popular comedian from Mock the Week is proving a popular choice for private events. His current fee expectation is in the region of £8,000.

6 - 10. Rikki Loney, Miss Frank, Rachel Adedeji, Lucie Jones
Positions 6 to 10 this month are populated by 2009’s departing X-Factor finalists, all proving to be very popular booking choices. Fees start at around £2,000.

For a more accurate quote please contact our London office.

X-Factor singer Lucie Jones is now available for corporate and event bookings following her shock exit from the ITV show last Sunday night. The talented contestant has spent the last few days engaged in television interviews, publicity and negotiations for her future appearances.

Despite losing out to novelty act John & Edward, Lucie’s exceptional vocal ability has already made her a popular choice for event bookings this Christmas. She joins Kandy Rain, Rikki Loney, Miss Frank and Rachel Adedeji who are all also available to hire for events. For further details on booking this year’s acts, contact one of our entertainment agents.

Although entertainment budgets for business events and conferences have undoubtedly been reduced by many companies in light of the recent economic difficulties, some requirements remain very much stable. In fact, requests to book live function bands have very much increased here at E3 Artists throughout the busy September to November conference and pre-Christmas planning period.

This seems to reflect the fact that both many businesses and private event planners are considering reliability and cost-effectiveness as important factors in their entertainment booking decisions. Although many businesses continue to pursue the “wow-factor” through celebrity appearances and unique acts, many others feel that this approach is out of synch with the current climate.

In any case, whether a conference features the “wow” of a celebrity speaker or not, the inclusion of a first-class function band in the line up of the entertainment is an essential that most event planners can not dismiss. This goes some way to explaining the requests for ten, twelve and fourteen piece bands featuring the UK’s best musicians. Quality, alongside reliability and cost, also informing this year’s decisions.

Our entertainment agents here at E3 Artists are currently inundated with requests from our clients to book acts from this year’s X-Factor contest. Kandy Rain, Rikki Loney and Miss Frank are proving popular choices with Christmas event planners looking for current, up-to-date acts to entertain their guests. With some X-Factor finalists fees as low as £2,000 for a performance, it’s also a cost-effective option for securing a high-profile act without the high-profile price tag.

For advice on booking an X-Factor act, please contact one of our agents at our London office on 020 7836 4759 or click here to contact us via our online form.

E3 Group are now recruiting on behalf of the Thomas Cook Group for 2009 Winter and 2010 Summer entertainment positions. Auditions are set to take place this November in London and Manchester in December for a variety of exciting jobs as part of an overseas team.

E3 Group, the global provider of entertainment services to Thomas Cook worldwide, has a long history of working with the tour operator giant; providing complete entertainment solutions to its hotel properties including partner chain Hi! Hotels. For details on how to attend the audtions and apply, visit our E3 Careers page.