Houston.Astros.MLB.com

Player/Staff Appearances
Many fans are interested in having Astros personnel participate in their events. Please read through the guidelines and helpful hints to help guide you through the process for requesting a special visit. After reviewing the information below, complete the online Player/Staff Appearance Application and submit it for consideration.

Guidelines

	All groups requesting a player appearance must complete a Player/Staff Appearance Application and submit it four weeks in advance of the event - we cannot accept requests over the phone.
	The application should be for a specific event and must be completed in full. Flexibility is appreciated however, requests submitted without any dates cannot be considered.

Procedures

	When a request is received, every attempt is made to satisfy the petition. The team game schedule, practice schedule, travel schedule and each player's individual/family schedule determine availability. Unfortunately, many requisitions are not filled due to scheduling conflicts and the sizeable interest in celebrity appearances.
	Because we receive many requests, the fulfillment process may be lengthy. As a result, it is difficult to follow-up with phone calls on the status of your request. When information about your requisition is available, we will contact you directly whether we can or cannot arrange an appearance.
	Once an appearance has been arranged, confirmation materials will be sent.
	Should the confirmed player be unable to appear due to illness, injury, roster transaction, an act of God, or circumstances beyond his control, best efforts will be made to find a suitable replacement.

Appearance Fees

	Associated with any celebrity engagements are appearance fees that need to be mutually agreed upon by the requester and the player.
	Fees are based on a one-hour visit and payment is expected upon the players' arrival.
	Generally appearance fees start at $1,000 and can range upwards of $5,000 for a one-hour appearance in Houston. (Fee information is an approximation and is subject to change.)
	Honorariums vary according to a player's stature and the length and nature of the appearance.
	Maximum appearance time is two hours.
	Any appearance requests from outside the Houston area are more difficult to arrange.
	Non-profit, 501 (c)(3) organizations not enlisting the assistance/sponsorship of a commercial partner (radio station, retail outlet, business etc.) may be eligible for a fee waiver. In an effort to try and assist those causes which are not-for-profit, players may forego the normal fee associated with appearances.
	In many cases non-player appearances (i.e. front office staff) do not require an honorarium.

Helpful Hints
It is highly recommended that your event not center around a player appearance because many requests are unable to be arranged. Plan your event and approach a player appearance as an added bonus to your program.

If your event is scheduled during Spring Training (Feb. 1 - April 1):
1. Astros personnel are in Florida for spring training and not available for appearances.

If your event is scheduled on the day of an Astros night game (April 1 - Oct. 1):
1. Best times for an appearance are between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
2. Players report to the stadium around 2:30 p.m. and leave no earlier than 11:00 p.m.

If your event is scheduled on the day of an Astros day game (April 1 - Oct. 1):
1. Players report to the stadium around 9:00 a.m. and leave no earlier than 4:00 p.m.
2. It is difficult to schedule appearances on a day when the players have a day game.

If your event is scheduled when the team is on the road (April 1 - Oct. 1):
Players are not in Houston and not available for appearances.

If your event is scheduled on an off-day (April 1 - Oct. 1):
1. Off-days are not good for appearances as the players schedule family/personal time on these days.
2. The players have two to three days a month when they do not have to work or travel (off-days).

If your event is scheduled when the team is in the playoffs (Oct. 1 - Nov. 1):
Astros personnel are not available for appearances.

If your event is scheduled during the off-season (October 1 or Nov. 1 - Feb. 1):
Because very few players live in Houston during the off-season, our ability to fulfill appearance requests is limited.