San Diego is like Los Angeles in many ways. We have the beautiful weather and beautiful people, but lack the chaos, traffic and stress that the City of Angels is infamous for.

Those are big reasons why celebrities flock here when they need a mini-getaway. Plus, the locals enjoy celebrity watching more than in other cities. From the outside, celeb appearances are about glitz and glamour, red carpets and champagne. But for the VIP management teams at any club, including us at Stingaree, there is a lot of hard work that goes on behind the velvet rope for these appearances.

Depending on the occasion, appearance fees can range from bottle service and a guaranteed good time to thousands of dollars for larger-scale events, all of which needs to be negotiated. For high-caliber celebrities, we like to join forces with either a sponsor or a local promoter to help with all associated costs. Most recently, for example, we teamed up with Dom Perignon to host Kevin Dillon, of HBO’s Entourage, for a blow-out birthday celebration on August 21. However, when celebrities are looking to just come in on their own, fly under the radar and enjoy their evening, clubs typically offer bottle service and security.

The night of a large-scale celebrity event is always filled with energy, a million things on the to-do list and a million more that come up last minute. When the step & repeat is up and the media and crowds congregate, that’s when the frenzy begins!

The arrival time almost always occurs later than scheduled. Once the celeb’s manager lets me know he or she is on the way, it’s go time! Celebrities are escorted down the red carpet, stopping for press interviews and photos. He or she is then swept into the club and to their table. Though they will still be in a public place, once in the club, they are able to leave press and photographers behind, allowing the celeb to relax and party free from the flashes of the paparazzi. Isn’t that why they escaped LA in the first place?

It is exciting and fun to be involved with bookings of celebrities in San Diego. But at the same time, it requires a lot of hard work and intricate planning. We usually develop friendly relationships with the celebrities because they just want to relax and have a good time and we can’t argue with that – so do we! It is a great experience being involved with the elaborate details and fast-paced environment of booking a celebrity. After all the details are worked out, and the night of operations goes smoothly, we’re all set to enjoy the evening inside.

Shane Brennan is a Managing Partner/VIP Manager at Stingaree.

Just a few of the celebrities San Diego has welcomed to Stingaree are Jamie Foxx, Tyrese Gibson, John Legend and Estelle, Samantha Ronson, Kevin Dillon, and the San Diego Chargers.

Pictured: Shane Brennan, Kevin Dillon, James Brennan