Booking Talent
How to book talent on Vynue — what the request asks for, how the deposit works, and what happens while you wait for the partner to accept.
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Booking talent takes one form and one payment. You choose a date, a start time and a duration; the total is calculated for you; you pay a deposit to hold the date. Nothing is negotiated over direct messages, and no price is hidden behind an enquiry.
Before you book
Every listing shows what you need to decide:
- Rate — usually hourly, sometimes a fixed-price package.
- Minimum booking length — most partners set one. A request shorter than the minimum is rejected before payment.
- Categories — what the partner actually does. Vynue covers dancers, musicians, bartenders, photographers, hosts and MCs, and a partner may work in more than one category.
- Verification — whether our team has reviewed and approved the account. See Verification.
- Cancellation policy — Flexible, Standard or Firm. Read this before paying, not after. See Cancellation Policy.
What the request asks for
- Date, start time and duration
- Event type — wedding, birthday, corporate event and so on
- The address or venue where the booking takes place
- Anything the partner needs to know in advance
The total is exactly the partner's own listed rate — Vynue's fee comes out of their payout, not added to what you pay. There is no surge pricing and no fee added at the end.
A date that is already booked, blocked, or on the partner's recurring days off cannot be requested. If a date disappears between opening the form and submitting it, you will be told rather than double-booked.
Paying the deposit
A deposit confirms the date. Every partner takes one — there is no "pay on the night" option, because a booking with nothing collected is not a commitment.
- The default deposit for talent is 25% of the total.
- A partner can set theirs anywhere between 10% and 50%.
- The percentage is locked to your booking when you book. If the partner raises their deposit later, your booking is unaffected.
The remaining balance is charged automatically seven days before the event, to the same card. You do not need to do anything.
Full detail in Payments & Deposits.
Waiting for the partner to accept
Most partners review requests manually. They have 24 hours to accept, decline, or come back to you.
| What happens | What it means for your money |
|---|---|
| They accept | The deposit is charged and the booking is confirmed |
| They decline | The authorisation is released — you are not charged |
| No response in 24 hours | The request expires and the authorisation is released |
Partners with Instant Book turned on skip this step entirely: the deposit is charged and the booking is confirmed the moment you pay.
Until a partner accepts, your card is authorised rather than charged. You may see a pending amount on your statement; it disappears on its own if the booking does not go ahead.
After the booking is confirmed
You can message the partner through Vynue. Keep it on the platform — off-platform payment requests are a common scam signal, and messages are the only record you will have if something goes wrong. See Safety.
After the event
Both you and the partner get a one-tap prompt once the booking's scheduled end time has passed: it went well, or there was a problem.
- Both confirm it went well — the partner is paid immediately.
- Neither responds — the payment is released automatically 72 hours after the booking ends.
- Either side reports a problem — the payment is frozen and our team reviews it. See Disputes.
A partner cannot release their own payment by confirming alone. Both sides are required for early release, which is what makes holding the money meaningful.