Let's make a deal

[David Houck]

Clear communication.  One member of a band I was in was pretty good about getting gigs; if he was sitting at a bar, he would strike up a conversation with the bartender or manager, and then later in the day call me up and say we had a gig there.  This is a good thing; having someone in the band who will go out and book the band is good.  On the other hand, I would start asking him questions and find that stuff that I would think important was stuff that he didn't really focus on; like the stage, or even if there was a stage, much less power outlets at the stage, or how much we were actually getting paid, etc.  So in general it can be a good thing to write down all the important stuff for each member to take with them when booking the band just so they remember to get all the details for the rest of the band.  And it can be good to get full agreement between band members when making the list; it could be that for some members a long stair carry just might be an issue.

[briant]

Its hard to dbl check for big events especially if you're booking future jobs...most times the big events come after you've booked as fate will have it.
 
Of course they do.  I wasn't trying to imply that they don't.  I should have been more specific in stating that you should cover your bases as best you can when making gig decisions.
 
So in general it can be a good thing to write down all the important stuff for each member to take with them when booking the band just so they remember to get all the details for the rest of the band. And it can be good to get full agreement between band members when making the list; it could be that for some members a long stair carry just might be an issue.
 
Sure.  Which could be your booking person(s) version of your stage plot/requirements that you have of the venue.  Which you should also have (stage plot) so there are no surprises.  Even when playing a little bar for $100.  You need them to understand up front that you require X number of mics, Y number of instrument inputs, Z mixes, etc...  That way if they don't have it you can work with them to supplement their setup or hire a suitable rig for the night.
 
All this stuff might sound like a tremendous amount of work.  It is and it isn't.  Once you have all your requirements together and know what to ask of the location it is actually not bad.