How to get your Corporate Entertainment just right!
It wasn’t in your job description, you didn’t sign up for this, but you’ve been passed the buck anyway – the challenge of booking your corporate entertainment. Get it right, and you’ll be the man or woman of the hour, the individual who made the night – a night to remember forever, for all the right reasons. Get it wrong however and you’ll be the talk of the office, and your evening will make for one of ridicule for all eternity. Make no mistake – there’s a lot resting on your choice of corporate entertainment. So we’d better get to work with these four simple, but super important, tips for making the right choice.
Talent versus budget – It’s one or the other
First things first – How much do you have to spend? It’s an unfortunate fact that must be faced – if you want a skilled entertainer (or entertainers) then you’ll need to commit a reasonable budget to this element of your evening.
Choice of entertainment
What type of entertainment will fit in with you evening? Should it involve your guests or be one sided? Are your guests the type to get involved with belly dancing, or might they prefer to sit back and watch others do the dancing, magic or singing?You should consider the expectations of your audience – are they a sophisticated group of VIPs who are expecting an equally as sophisticated act? Or are they your everyday office team who are up for a fab, fun night out? Whoever they are, there’s usually one thing that’s always a winner – and that’s acts that make your audience laugh.
The friendly and professional touch to Corporate Entertainment
Reputation and references – Check them, without fail
This one’s critical – do not skip it… Check references from past clients and be sure to call the contacts that are handed to you. When speaking with past clients ask them about their audience and event.
Dot the I’s and cross the T’s – Get the legalities in order
A contract – when booking corporate entertainment, you need one. It should outline what, exactly, you’ll get for the price you are paying. It needs to cover the hours of the booking, the fee, the arrival and departure time. It’s critical that all of your expectations are covered within this legal document. This should also cover the needs of the group or individual entertainment – what they may need during the night in terms of food, drink, comfort, and so on.
Provide your entertainment with all that they need to do their job well
You could hire the most talented entertainer in the world, without the right tools and preparation, they’ll be as sure to flounder as if this were their first night on the job.Think about lights, staging, space and equipment – ask them what their needs are and whether they have a technical rider to read (a one page doc that outlines all of the technical needs of the act).
Or forget all that we’ve said, and leave it to the professionals
OK, let’s be honest, with almost two decades in the business, we’ve got this corporate entertainment thing down to a sparkling tea. But we’ll be the first to admit that for the uninitiated striking their corporate entertainment just right can, at best, be a minefield and at worst, be a chance to put on an evening to remember, for all of the wrong reasons. So our ultimate top tip, above all others? Well that’d be to choose your single stop shop that can handle event organisation from top to toe – from health and safety, to venue booking, to catering organisation. Which, handily enough, is right about where we step in. Give us a call on 0800 083 1172 and you’ll soon realise how smooth and easy this can be!
Want to find out more? Of course you do! Pick up the phone and talk to one of our corporate entertainment experts who will guide you effortlessly through the different choices and considerations of your next fabulous event. Need to keep it a secret and too many ears in the office? Pop us over your contact details and we can go all secret squirrel and correspond initially through email – it’s no problem and we are definitely used to it!
