12 Insights on Curating the Right Talent and Entertainment for B2B Events

After Domino’s Worldwide Rally 2026, Wayne Gretzky reportedly ordered a pizza to enjoy on his flight home. The hockey legend joined Michael Phelps and Lindsey Vonn on a panel at the brand’s flagship event, delivering inspiration – and a once-in-a-lifetime experience – to thousands of attendees from around the world.

Behind every standout talent moment like this, there’s a complex process of planning, coordination, and precision. LEO Events’ Michael Dalton and Kevin Underwood with Domino’s Head of Franchise Relations, Debbie Sweeney, and Robert Norman, Head of the Private and Corporate Events Division at Creative Artists Agency, offer their expertise on how to select and incorporate the right speaker, artist, athlete, or influencer.

How to Start with the Right Strategy

• Begin with the audience, not the celebrity. Developing a clear understanding of what the talent should accomplish and how attendees should feel after the event is a crucial first step. “I want 9,000 people to walk away saying, ‘This was the best Rally they ever had,’” Sweeney said, noting that every decision about the Domino’s event is filtered through the attendee experience.
• Keep business objectives front and center. The best talent choices reinforce key messages rather than distract from them. Whether it’s a keynote speaker, athlete, or musical performer, talent should support the larger story the event is trying to tell.
• Set a clear-cut budget. Defining expectations early helps narrow the field, keeps discussions productive, and ensures the team focuses on talent that aligns with the event’s goals and financial constraints.
• Dream big, but do a reality check up front. Transparency with clients on what’s possible is key, Underwood said. “Sabrina Carpenter might be the hottest thing out there, but it’s probably not going to work for a corporate private event; so, let’s talk about realistic options that we know will work.”
• Get the right talent for the job. Celebrity status doesn’t guarantee great emcee skills. “For the emcee role, having the celebrity and the skill set to perform is about half the battle,” Dalton said. “The other half is making it relevant on that day.”
• Ensure genuine alignment. In addition to considering the audience, it’s crucial to consider the brand identity and how the talent pick reflects the values and personality of the organization.

How to Manage the Process

• Expect to get granular. Once the general framework is established, the LEO Events team explores the available options and the best matches. At the authorization step, it’s important to confirm every detail that will be slated in the contract, from promotion to photo ops to autograph sessions and any specific messaging. Both talent and the brand need to be in complete understanding of what will happen. This is a “Speak now or forever hold your peace” moment.
• Consider special experiences. Some artists are only willing to do their performance, while others will work with the brand to develop a truly special moment. As part of a recent performance, singer Michael Bublé agreed to do a composition masterclass with select students and brought them up on stage, Norman said. The key is working out these moments in advance.
• Preparation equals show-site success. The more clear expectations are in advance, the more flexibility event teams have to manage the inevitable surprises that arise on-site. “We’ve taken care of the black and white so onsite, we’re just managing the gray and the unexpected,” Underwood said.

How to Deliver the Moment

• Trust your team so you can focus on your part. “I rely on Kevin and his team to keep every promise they make during the planning process,” Sweeney said. She trusts LEO to expertly manage everything and ensure success.
• The work is invisible… “It might look like a P!NK concert, but it is really a feat of negotiation, cooperation, and production,” Dalton said. “This is not about getting someone famous and writing a check and putting them on stage and hoping for the best, or getting someone because your children are listening to them and you think that it’s going to make you look cool. There is both art and science mixed into the fandom, and the celebrity and the fame game is the easy way to look at all of this. But in reality, it’s a much more complex process.”
• … But the magic is real. After all the negotiations, contracts, logistics and rehearsals, months of work are distilled into a single shared experience that drives brand loyalty. The next question we ask is: how do we top that next time?