Booking Policies and Procedures

The Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center (SSPAC) employs a carefully managed process to obtain maximum utilization of the facility, in a fiscally responsible fashion, for the purpose of enhancing the quality of life and sense of pride for the community through diverse events programming, while providing fair and equitable booking availability to a diverse array of cultural, educational, civic, commercial, and performing arts productions.

The information below provides a general outline of how to request and secure a date in the facility, and how to execute an event. For the best possible outcome, clients are encouraged to involve the SSPAC staff early in the planning of an event to ensure clear communication around issues of access, costs, and logistics.

Date Requests

In order to officially request a date for an event, please initiate a booking request. In some cases, based on the event requirements, an additional Application for Lease may be required. Upon receipt of an official inquiry, the potential client will be granted a hold for the requested date, pending availability and approval.

Performance Season

Date bookings in the SSPAC are based on an annual performance season that begins on September 1 of any year and concludes on August 31 of the following year. In order to accommodate city events and affiliate groups, confirmed status cannot be granted to any hold prior to July 1 preceding the start of any performance season. Dates can only be confirmed through the end of the season immediately following the current season. For example:

For events that fall between: September 1, 2019 – August 31, 2020
A contract cannot be issued until: July 1, 2019

For events that fall between: September 1, 2020 – August 31, 2021
A contract cannot be issued until: July 1, 2020

For events that fall between: September 1, 2021 – August 31, 2022
A contract cannot be issued until: July 1, 2021

Holds

All holds are considered tentative until a fully executed contract and deposit is received. Holds will remain valid until they are either contracted or released. In any case, SSPAC reserves the right remove any holds, without prior notification to the potential client, if no action has been taken by the client within 90 days of placing the hold, or if a contract has not been executed less than 60 days in advance of the proposed event date.

Potential clients shall not assign or transfer any right or interest in tentative hold dates, including, without limitation, the right to receive any payment without SSPAC management’s approval of such assignment. Any such assignment without the written approval of the SSPAC management shall be null and void.

Holds are assigned according to booking policies based on guidelines approved by the City of Sandy Springs. Management of the SSPAC reserves the right to place holds on dates at any time for an indefinite period in accordance with the mission of the facility. Holds placed by management are not subject to the challenge process.

Challenges

If a potential client requests a date that is already on hold for another client, the requesting party will be given a secondary hold behind the client with the primary hold. If at any time the client with the secondary hold is prepared to sign a contract and submit a deposit, the client with the primary hold will be notified and given 48 hours to submit a deposit and sign a contract. If the client with the primary hold does not submit a contract and deposit within the 48 hour window, or does not respond to good‐faith attempts to notify him/her of the challenge, the SSPAC has the right to release the primary hold and offer the date to the challenging party.

Contracts

For a hold to be confirmed, clients must execute a contract and submit a deposit. Potential clients with active holds must notify the SSPAC of their desire to confirm a date, at which point the contract will be generated and forwarded to the client. SSPAC must receive sufficient information from the client in order to generate the contract, which may include an overview of event or production requirements, technical riders for artists, a fully completed application for lease, insurance certificates, and any other information which SSPAC staff may deem necessary.

The SSPAC will continue to hold the date for 14 days following the issuance date of the contract. If the potential client does not return the contract within 14 days, the SSPAC has the right to remove the hold, and offer the date to another party without prior notification to the potential client. Once the signed contract is returned, fully executed by SSPAC, and the appropriate deposit is received, tentative holds will then receive a confirmed status.

For ticketed events, tickets may not go on sale until a deposit, fully executed venue contract, and when requested, a fully executed artist contract has been received by the SSPAC. All promotional and marketing materials must be pre‐approved by the SSPAC prior to distribution. Such distribution may not occur until a fully executed contract and deposit has been received by the SSPAC.

Deposits

For ticketed events, a non-refundable deposit in the amount of 50 percent of the total rental fees and expenses will be required upon submission of a signed contract. Multi‐day engagements may require a larger deposit. Should the amount held in box office escrow (the funds from tickets sold by SSPAC) plus the required deposit(s) be less than the total projected billing, the difference must be deposited with the SSPAC in certified funds no later than three business days prior to the first performance.

For non‐ticketed events, a non‐refundable deposit in the amount of 50 percent of the total rental fees and expenses will be required upon submission of a signed contract. Final payment of the remaining estimated balance will be due five business days before the day of the event. Final payment must be made by money order, certified check, or credit card (fees may apply for credit card transactions). Any additional charges incurred on the day of the event will be settled via invoice following the event. A client may cancel a hold or confirmed date at any time. Any deposits paid are non‐refundable and may not be applied to future events.

Rental Fees and Estimates

The best way to plan financially for an event is to discuss the event requirements with a SSPAC staff member who can translate those needs into an estimate. For a basic understanding of some of the rental fees and expenses associated with all spaces in SSPAC, please see our Rate Sheet. The rental rates are subject to re-approval each year, and are valid from July 1 – June 30 of each calendar year.

Rental fees include access to the space, utilities, basic event staffing, in-house marketing elements, and all items on our House Inclusion list per the contract. Rental fees do not include part-time staffing (ushers, stagehands, security, police, ticket sellers, EMTs, cleaning, electrician), technical equipment, pianos, box office fees, outside marketing platforms, and other variable expenses as agreed upon per the contract. Please note that the rates for these services are still being negotiated and we are not able to publish firm costs at this time.

Affiliated Groups

An “Affiliated Group” is a community organization that helps fulfill the goal of providing cultural diversity of the arts in their performances/events. This could be ballet, classical dance, symphony, etc. These groups also bring a quantity of events to the SSPAC that would help to fill up the calendar and drive traffic to City Springs on a regular basis. Affiliate Groups receive special consideration with respect to date availability. Also, they may receive some financial consideration based on the volume and type of events and the attendance that they bring.

In order to receive Affiliate Group status, an organization must meet the following criteria:

Hold a current status as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Produce 50% or more of its own artistic content each year (as opposed to presenting organizations who do not produce their own content).
Commit to producing six or more individual performance events or multi-day productions in a single season.
Demonstrate the capacity of the organization’s leadership to successfully produce arts programming in accordance with industry standards, by providing biographies of key personnel and collateral from previous events.
Demonstrate a three-year history of financial stability as an organization, or other acceptable financial plan as approved by management.
Conduct its business and operations in accordance with accepted community standards, morals, and values.

Confirmed status cannot be granted to any Affiliate Group hold prior to June 1 preceding the start of any performance season. Dates can only be confirmed through the end of the season immediately following the current season. Affiliate Groups will be offered a flexible deposit schedule due to the quantity of dates booked.

Special Conditions

Rental rates may be negotiated dependent on market conditions. For meeting spaces and the Terrace Meeting Room room, discounts on rental rates may be negotiated based on Food & Beverage catering dollars spent. Half day and hourly rates are available for some spaces on request. Non-profit and non-commercial clients are eligible to receive a 25 percent discount on rental rates for all spaces. On Sundays through Thursdays, some spaces may be available for a 50 percent discount. The 50 percent discount can only be obtained by non-profit and non-commercial clients when the booking is made within 60 days in advance of the event, and is not available for the performance hall, performance hall lobby, studio theatre, city bar, or city green.

Insurance

Upon request of SSPAC management, clients holding events in the SSPAC may be required to provide a public liability policy with coverage limits no less than $1,000,000 each occurrence / $2,000,000 policy aggregate. A Certificate of Insurance noting the coverage limits above, and naming the Licensor, Global Spectrum, City of Sandy Springs, the City of Sandy Springs Public Facilities Authority, and their trustees, directors, officers and employees as additional insured, must be received no later than fourteen (14) days prior to the event. The SSPAC cannot host an event without the above policy and certificate.

Regardless of insurance coverage, client shall indemnify and hold harmless the SSPAC, the City of Sandy Springs, the City of Sandy Springs Public Facilities Authority, and their directors, officers, employees and agents from all losses, liabilities, claims, demands, suits, actions, payments and judgments arising in any way from the use of the facility or any other facilities by client and its employees, agents, contractors, subcontractors, customers, guests or other persons using the facilities as a result of the contract, including any and all expenses, costs, attorney’s fees incurred by the SSPAC and other indemnified persons or entities in the defense of any suit or claim. The SSPAC is not responsible to client for the loss of any personal property by the guests or employees of client.

Damages

The client is responsible for any equipment or building damage that occurs as a direct or indirect result of preparing, producing, or striking the event, including accidental damage by SSPAC personnel under the direction of the presenter, the artist, or his/her representative.