Wanna be the one who does DJ bookings for events? Let Igloofest‘s Marie-Laure Saidani give the scoop on her awesome job.

So you handle all the bookings for the festival.
►Yes, this is my ninth Igloofest. I do the bookings for Igloofest and Piknic Electronik.

That’s really cool you can work with both events. In a nutshell, what’s your selection process like?
►At Igloofest, you dance or you die. First you need to find DJs who can play Igloofest, then I start talking to the agents. We try to not bring back the same DJs twice in a row to keep things fresh.

How far in advance do you book someone? About a year out for either festival?
►I probably start in February or March for the next [Igloofest]’s bigger acts, up through mid-October. I’m always thinking about the next year; every night I’m like, “Next year I should do that, and not that.”

Do you notice some agents are much easier to deal with? What are some challenges when it comes to booking?
►Yes, for sure. A challenge is to negotiate and get a good price. Also, availability. A lot of people are on holiday in January/February and don’t want to come to Montreal in the winter.

How did you get into a position like this? Did it require going to school for PR or something music industry-related?
►I started volunteering at little events in France, then I attended cultural management school, and then I started with Piknic. I love big events like sports, big parties, and big entertainment… to see people having fun.

How would you advise someone who wants to get into a booking-related position?
►Be patient, get experience, and attend events.

Who is one artist you’re most proud to have booked?
►Maceo Plex! He played Piknic maybe four or five years ago, but he just played two live shows in North America so I really wanted him to play Igloofest for sure, and he made it.