A meet and greet is scheduled, staffed and short. It sits in the day sheet like a soundcheck, usually 20 to 40 minutes, and it ends on time because the show does not move.
How it runs
Fans wait in a marked area with a member of venue staff. They come in as a group or in small batches, get a photo and a signature, and leave. Someone from the artist's team takes the photos so the queue keeps moving. The tour manager picks the room, which is rarely the dressing room.
Where it sits in the day
Before doors is the common choice: after soundcheck, before the meal. Some artists do it after the show instead, which is harder to control and always runs late.
What to agree in advance
- Numbers. Fifteen people is a different thing from sixty.
- Whether anything gets signed, and who supplies the marker.
- Photos: phone snaps, or a photographer with a backdrop.
- Security, and where the queue forms.
A meet and greet sold inside a VIP package is a promise the promoter has to deliver, so the details belong in the contract.