There are many inexperienced corporate entertainers out there and booking the best ones for your corporate event can be a challenging experience. Booking a motivational speaker or comedian who has generic experiences and no real unique message to pass on can be de-motivational for your audience. Many bad motivational speakers use their achievements in the work place which they embellish to inspire others and that’s it. Audiences can see through this and are usually unimpressed. To ensure that you find good entertainment follow some simple advice and avoid generic inexperienced entertainers that will more than likely have a negative effect on the audience than a positive one.
Planning early is necessary as the best corporate entertainers are often booked in advance. It is important to know the theme and type of entertainment you want as soon as possible as this will dictate the type of corporate entertainment you hire.
Once you have established the theme and focus of the event make a short list of the entertainers that will fulfill this. Briefing all the entertainers thoroughly is essential for them to tailor their material to suit the focus. Good corporate entertainers know how to match their material to the brief established. The brief should also include information about the audience which the entertainer is going to address. This could involve the company overview, the level of the participants in the company and any deficiencies which need particular attention. There is no point telling people things they already know.
Meet the entertainers in person is crucial. You will be able to establish in the meeting the level of professionalism of the entertainer, their attitude and whether this will fit in with the corporate culture as well as their likeability. Good entertainers are able to establish rapport immediately and make the audience like them. Likeability and attitude are important as it will determine how the audience will accept and connect with the entertainment.
Ask for references and level of experience. The corporate entertainer you choose should be a full time entertainer and should have performed at events like yours in the past. They will be able to supply you with a Demo of their work. Don’t be afraid to also request a dry run through before the event to make sure that the presentation meets the purpose for which it was intended. At the dry run through you should be able to suggest and make changes to the material.
Remember that people usually have a short attention span and can easily get distracted or bored. An experienced entertainer knows how to keep the audience engaged and also wanting more. A good presentation usually lasts between half an hour and forty minutes. Any longer will certainly make the audience distracted. If the entertainer has a longer presentation then they should present it in multiple parts as to ensure that the audiences, interest are maintained.
Stage craft is extremely important in corporate entertainment, as everyone wants to feel that presentation is directed at them. Experienced entertainers know how to work the stage. They know how to walk in and to command attention and are experts at keeping the audience on point and the crowd under control.
So when booking the corporate entertainment for your next event, ensure that you hire the best entertainment possible by following some simple guidelines. Ask as many questions as possible and book the entertainer that will make your event a success.