How to Book Entertainment for a Corporate Event

Posted by on October 12, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

By Joshua Gair

When it comes to having entertainment for a special event or party, there are certain steps you can take to ensure that you and your guests have a wonderful and successful event. It all starts with choosing the right kind of entertainer, and ensuring they will represent your business in the manner in which you’d expect.

First, figure out the type of people that will be at the event, and determine a theme. You may want to incorporate a current project that is being done in the company or a certain message you wish to convey to your employees. For instance, if you want to emphasize personalized service and stress more customer friendly interaction at your company, perhaps you have a band perform only song requests. Along with that, you could hand out awards to employees who go above and beyond the call of duty to deliver exceptional customer service.

When you want to theme an event based on a corporate image or mission, the most important thing to consider is the reason for the message. Is it to boost employee morale? Increase profits? Is it a charitable event to enhance your reputation in the community? From there, you can decide the ways in which you convey your message to the event attendees. You can try something as simple as a slide presentation, or something more unique like a comedian who uses observational humor to discuss the lighter side of a new initiative. A corporate event will be looked at as an extension of your brand or your philosophy, so choose carefully.

The next step is to take an informal poll, by simply asking some of the prospective attendees what kind of entertainment they enjoy. Too many times, entertainment for an event is delegated to one person or a large committee without ever finding out the tastes of the guests.

To book any kind of act, it is essential to work through a reputable entertainment company. Entertainment companies, or talent agencies, can provide you with an array of services, not the least of which is making sure the entertainer you book arrives at your event on time, is courteous, and is professional in every way. Because an entertainment company lives and dies based on the acts that it books, the good ones only deal with the best entertainers.

Schedule a conference call or meeting with any agency you are considering, ask for references and tell them about your event. If you have a certain type of entertainer in mind, be sure to let them know. Also, let them know what kind of budget you will be working with, so you don’t waste time with a company whose prices are out of your budget. The entertainment company should then offer a couple of options for the type of entertainment and the price range. Talk over the options given to you with some of the people who will be attending the event.

Once you decide on an entertainer, make sure you understand and read the contracts completely before signing anything. A day or two before the event, make sure to be in touch with the entertainment company to confirm the date and times. You don’t want any surprises the day of the event. The performer should show up on time, and even interact with guests, if appropriate. Ask your guests for feedback and take a few minutes to make sure you also enjoy the event. If you’ve planned it right, a good time had by all will be the obvious result!

Filed under General Business