--- name: book-and-advance-artists description: "Hold dates, make offers, send contracts, collect riders, advance performers and settle shows in Ticket Fairy. Use when an organiser books artists or speakers for an event." --- # Book and advance artists This skill covers holds, offers, contracts, riders, advancing, applications and settlements on Ticket Fairy. It lists the 14 published guides for this area and what an agent can do for each one. ## How to work 1. **Find the guide.** Pick the guide below that matches the task. If none fits, search all guides: connect an MCP client to `https://www.ticketfairy.com/docs/mcp` (Streamable HTTP, no account or key) and call `search_guides` with the task in plain words. 2. **Read it before you act.** Call `get_guide` with the guide's slug. It returns who the guide is for, what to have ready, every step and the common questions. Follow those steps; do not guess the dashboard from memory. 3. **Do the work, or hand it over.** Each guide below says what an agent can do: - **Command line.** With the organiser's permission, install the official CLI (`npm install -g ticketfairy`) and sign in with `ticketfairy login`, or use a Personal Access Token that the organiser stores in `TICKET_FAIRY_API_KEY`. Then check the account and pick the brand: `ticketfairy auth status`, `ticketfairy brand list` and `ticketfairy brand use `. Add `--output json --non-interactive` to every command you run that does not already choose its own mode, such as `--output csv` or `--interactive`; the commands below leave them out to stay short. - **MCP.** `ticketfairy mcp --read-only` starts the CLI's MCP server with read tools. Drop `--read-only` only when the organiser wants you to make changes. - **Fai.** Fai is the assistant inside the organiser's dashboard. When a task is not on the command line, give the organiser the suggested prompt to paste into Fai. - **Dashboard.** Otherwise, send the organiser the guide link and walk them through it. 4. **Keep secrets out of the chat.** Codes, passwords and tokens that the organiser receives go into the Ticket Fairy dashboard: the page that asks for them, or Fai there when the guide says so. They never go into your conversation with the organiser. 5. **Keep actions within the organiser's approval.** Use their explicit approval for this exact action, or show what you will create, change, send, refund or cancel and wait for their yes. Installing a skill or asking for a draft does not authorise sending messages. Use only the approved brand, event and recipients, and only what the person's team role allows. 6. **Organiser access does not authorise ticket payments.** A buyer uses a separate supported checkout with their explicit approval, or pays in the browser. Bank, tax and payout details stay in the organiser's own browser. 7. **Recover the original result after an uncertain change.** Read the original order or operation before retrying. Reuse its idempotency key when the documented operation supports one. Never repeat an uncertain refund, transfer, message send or ticket grant as a fresh operation. ## Guides - [Advance your performers before the show](#advance-your-performers-before-the-show) - [Build a dressing-room shopping list from your event's artist riders](#build-a-dressing-room-shopping-list-from-your-events-artist-riders) - [Fill in each performer's advance for your event from tour books, riders and emails](#fill-in-each-performers-advance-for-your-event-from-tour-books-riders-and-emails) - [Handle the contract, invoice and riders an artist's agent sends for your event](#handle-the-contract-invoice-and-riders-an-artists-agent-sends-for-your-event) - [Hold dates for shows at your venue](#hold-dates-for-shows-at-your-venue) - [Keep rider lists and notes for your event's artists](#keep-rider-lists-and-notes-for-your-events-artists) - [Make an offer to an artist's agent for your show](#make-an-offer-to-an-artists-agent-for-your-show) - [Review act and talk applications for your event with your team](#review-act-and-talk-applications-for-your-event-with-your-team) - [See the all-in cost of each act on your event](#see-the-all-in-cost-of-each-act-on-your-event) - [Send event document packs to your performers, traders and crew](#send-event-document-packs-to-your-performers-traders-and-crew) - [Set each performer's guest list, hotel and meal allowances for your event](#set-each-performers-guest-list-hotel-and-meal-allowances-for-your-event) - [Settle a show with an artist after your event](#settle-a-show-with-an-artist-after-your-event) - [Show each act their whole stay and what changed](#show-each-act-their-whole-stay-and-what-changed) - [Track every artist booking for your event](#track-every-artist-booking-for-your-event) ### Advance your performers before the show Slug `advance-your-performers-before-the-show`. Guide: https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/advance-your-performers-before-the-show Collect each performer's travel, hotel, schedule, technical and hospitality needs for your event, let their agent or tour manager fill in their part from a link with no sign-in, and sign each advance off when everything is confirmed. For: Getting every performer's details agreed before show day. What an agent can do: Fai reads every advance, fills in empty answers from the booking and documents, changes a section's answers or status, leaves out a section the act does not need or sets its due date, adds contacts, emails a contact the link to their part and signs an advance off or reopens it. She shows you each change or email and waits for your yes first, and she never shows the link itself in the conversation. Prompt for Fai: "Which performers at still have their advance open, and send Bicep's tour manager a link to fill in their travel and technical sections" #### Then: Reopen a signed-off advance What an agent can do: Fai reopens a signed-off advance when you ask, after you confirm. Prompt for Fai: "Reopen Bicep's advance for , their flights have changed" #### Then: Stop a link What an agent can do: Fai stops a contact's link when you ask, after you confirm. Prompt for Fai: "Stop the advancing link we sent Bicep's agent for " ### Build a dressing-room shopping list from your event's artist riders Slug `build-a-dressing-room-shopping-list-from-artist-riders`. Guide: https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/build-a-dressing-room-shopping-list-from-artist-riders Turn every act's hospitality rider and your standard dressing-room packages into one shopping list for your event, with how much to buy each day and which dressing room it goes to. For: Buying hospitality for the acts on your event. What an agent can do: Fai reads the shopping list by item or by day, and adds, changes or takes off an item when you ask. She shows you each change and waits for your yes first. You set up packages and copy another act's items in the dashboard. Prompt for Fai: "What do we need to buy for the dressing rooms at on Saturday?" ### Fill in each performer's advance for your event from tour books, riders and emails Slug `fill-in-advances-from-tour-books-riders-and-emails`. Guide: https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/fill-in-advances-from-tour-books-riders-and-emails Let Fai read an act's tour book, rider, their team's email replies and last year's advance, and suggest each answer for their advance for your event, with the words she found it in. You accept, replace or reject each answer, and nothing a person entered is overwritten without you saying so. For: Filling in performer advances from what their team sends you. What an agent can do: Fai lists the answers waiting on an act's advance with where each came from, and accepts, replaces or rejects them when you tell her which, after you confirm. She never replaces a person's answer unless you ask for that answer by name. She cannot add a file for you; select Add a tour book or rider in the dashboard for that. Prompt for Fai: "Which answers did you find for Bicep's advance at , and accept the ones that fill empty questions" ### Handle the contract, invoice and riders an artist's agent sends for your event Slug `handle-the-contract-invoice-and-riders-an-agent-sends-back`. Guide: https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/handle-the-contract-invoice-and-riders-an-agent-sends-back Once an agent answers your offer, Fai finds their contract, invoice and riders in your email or in files you add, and says what each one is. Compare their contract with your offer and upload the countersigned copy, put their invoice into payments due, and send their riders to the act's advance, and see one next step for every act on your event. For: Getting every act's paperwork from their agent sorted. What an agent can do: Fai lists each act's files from their agent and the next step, checks your email for new ones, confirms what a file is or sets it aside, reads one again, puts an invoice into payments due, sends a rider to the advance and puts the offer's or a file's terms on the booking. She shows you each change first and waits for your yes. She cannot upload a file; select Add a file or Upload the signed copy in the dashboard for those. Prompt for Fai: "What is still missing from the agents for , and add Nova Lights' deposit invoice to payments due" #### Then: Bring back a file you set aside What an agent can do: Fai brings back a file you set aside when you ask, after you confirm. Prompt for Fai: "Bring back the Nova Lights invoice I set aside for " ### Hold dates for shows at your venue Slug `hold-dates-for-shows-at-your-venue`. Guide: https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/hold-dates-for-shows-at-your-venue Hold a date on your rooms and stages for an artist, promoter or client, see every hold in queue order on one calendar, challenge the first hold when you need the date, and confirm the date once the event is agreed. For: Keeping first, second and third holds on your rooms in order. What an agent can do: Fai reads your calendar and holds, places a hold, challenges or confirms the first hold and releases a hold when you ask. She shows you each change and waits for your yes before she makes it. Command line: - List the events, holds and offers in a date range, with each space id: `ticketfairy event-os venue calendar --brand --from 2026-11-01 --to 2026-11-30` - Place a hold on a space. The answer says which place in the queue it took: `ticketfairy event-os venue holds place --brand --space --starts-on 2026-11-14 --hold-for ""` - List the holds that are still held: `ticketfairy event-os venue holds list --brand --status hold` - Confirm the first hold and keep the holds behind it as backups. This changes the booking and asks you first unless you add --force: `ticketfairy event-os venue holds confirm --brand --lower-holds keep` - Release a hold, so the holds behind it move up. This asks you first unless you add --force: `ticketfairy event-os venue holds release --brand --reason ""` CLI MCP tools that read: `get_venue_operations`. CLI MCP tools that make changes (not available with `--read-only`): `place_venue_hold`, `decide_venue_hold`. Prompt for Fai: "Hold Saturday 14 November in the Main Room for and tell me which hold we are" #### Then: Release a hold you no longer need What an agent can do: Fai releases a hold when you ask, after she shows you which hold it is and you say yes. Command line: - Release a hold. This asks you first unless you add --force: `ticketfairy event-os venue holds release --brand --reason ""` CLI MCP tools that read: `get_venue_operations`. CLI MCP tools that make changes (not available with `--read-only`): `decide_venue_hold`. Prompt for Fai: "Release the hold for on in the , the tour has moved" #### Then: Change a hold's details What an agent can do: Fai changes who a hold is for, its times, contact, lapse date, event or notes after you confirm. Prompt for Fai: "Change the hold for on to lapse on " ### Keep rider lists and notes for your event's artists Slug `keep-rider-lists-and-notes-for-your-artists`. Guide: https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/keep-rider-lists-and-notes-for-your-artists List what each artist's rider asks for, tick each item off as it is sorted, and keep your team's notes on the artist in the same place, so every rider is sorted before your event. For: Getting every artist's rider sorted before show day. What an agent can do: Fai reads an artist's rider items and notes, adds or ticks off items and adds notes when you ask. She shows you each change and waits for your yes first. Prompt for Fai: "Add "Car from Heathrow on 7 Oct" to Bicep's hospitality rider for , and tell me what on their rider is still to do" #### Then: Add a day to the schedule What an agent can do: Fai adds a day and its opening hours to the event when you ask, after you confirm. Prompt for Fai: "Add Sunday 9 October to , open from 14:00 to 23:00" #### Then: File a document under an artist What an agent can do: Fai files a document under the artist and part of the booking it belongs to, archives it or restores it, after you confirm. Prompt for Fai: "File the rider I uploaded for Bicep under their hospitality on " ### Make an offer to an artist's agent for your show Slug `make-an-offer-to-an-artists-agent`. Guide: https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/make-an-offer-to-an-artists-agent Build an offer for a performer from a template or your last deal, and see what you paid them before and the fee Fai suggests. Email it to their agent, record their counter-offers and book the artist on your event once they accept. For: Sending offers to agents and turning the accepted ones into bookings. What an agent can do: Fai creates an offer from a template, a hold or your last deal, drafts the email to the agent, sends it once you have read it, and records their answer, counter-offer included. She asks you before each change and before anything is sent. Command line: - Create a draft offer. Nothing is sent: `ticketfairy event-os venue offers create --brand --performer "" --show-date 2026-11-14 --space --terms '{"currency":"GBP","guarantee_cents":900000}'` - Get the email Fai drafts for the offer: recipient, subject and message. Nothing is sent: `ticketfairy event-os venue offers draft-email --brand ` - Email the offer to the agent. This sends an email and asks you first unless you add --force: `ticketfairy event-os venue offers send --brand --to --subject "" --message ""` - Record that the agent asked for different terms, as a new version: `ticketfairy event-os venue offers record-reply --brand --reply countered --terms '{"guarantee_cents":1000000}'` - Record that the agent accepted. On an offer linked to an event, this also books the artist on it: `ticketfairy event-os venue offers record-reply --brand --reply accepted` CLI MCP tools that read: `get_venue_operations`. CLI MCP tools that make changes (not available with `--read-only`): `manage_venue_offer`, `send_venue_offer`. Prompt for Fai: "Make an offer to for Saturday 14 November in the Main Room, start from what we paid them last time, and show me the email to their agent before you send it" #### Then: Save an offer as a template What an agent can do: Fai saves an offer as a template, and adds, changes or removes templates, after you confirm. Prompt for Fai: "Save the offer to as a template called