If you’re in charge of planning a meeting, banquet, or other special
event, you may want to make some kind of entertainment a part of your
function. Good entertainment that is well planned can make a huge
difference in how successful your event will be. In fact, even more
than the location, the decor, and other elements, the right
entertainment can set the tone for your event and give your guests a
unique, memorable, and truly enjoyable experience that they can carry
with them for many a day to come. The right entertainment can add
atmosphere and class, humor and fun, or inspiration and encouragement to
the tone of your event.
Some questions you may want to ask yourself are:
“How many people will be attending?", “What kinds of guests will be
present?" (For example will it be all men, women only, couples, or
families? Do the guests know each other and have something in common,
such as working for the same company? Etc.) “Where will the party take
place, and what kind of function will it be?" (A sit-down dinner, just
hors d’oeuvres, just cocktails, or all of the above? What other
activities will be taking place?)
What Kind of Entertainment?
Once you’ve established some of these basic
parameters, you can begin to decide what type of entertainment will be
most appropriate for your party. Will the entertainment be the main
event of the evening, will it be one of several highlights, or will it
simply be background to everything else?
If it is the main event, you may want to have some
sort of feature performer such as a variety act of some sort; a magician
(An excellent choice! Though I may be just the tiniest bit biased!), a
comedian, a juggler, a singer, a show band, etc., and you will probably
want the entertainment to last somewhere between thirty minutes to an
hour or so.
If the entertainment is simply one part of a bigger program or of
several highlighted activities, the same type of performer might still
be appropriate (yes, magic is still a great choice!), but you may want
the length of the performance to be shorter, somewhere between twelve
and twenty-five minutes.
And if the entertainment is to be simply background
to the party, you may want some sort of ongoing, low key entertainment,
such as dance music, strolling close up magic (yes, it works well here
too!), strolling musicians, or a small orchestra, depending on your
budget. And of course depending on the schedule and time frame, you may
decide to use a combination of more than one of the above choices.
(Such as strolling close up magic for the cocktail hour and a stand up
magic show after dinner!)
Scheduling
Which brings up another important aspect of your
planning; how to arrange the schedule of events for your party. If you
want the entertainment to be anything other than background filler, such
as dinner music, it’s important that you schedule it at some point in
the evening when your guests will feel comfortable giving it their
attention. Occasionally inexperienced event planners will make the
mistake of scheduling entertainment during the dinner hour, in which
case the guests must either continue eating and risk missing part of the
show, or they have to interrupt their meal in order to watch the
entertainment, in which case their food will probably get cold. The
show should probably either be before dinner during the “cocktail hour"
(this is particularly appropriate for strolling performers), or it
should be after dinner, (especially if you want it to be the evening’s
main event).
Setup
Having some familiarity with the party location and
knowing how the room will be set up can also be helpful in making your
entertainment a success. If the entertainment is anything that is even
somewhat visually oriented, such as with magic or variety acts (but also
even with a comedian or singer), it’s important that everyone have a
good view of the performing area. Obviously a stage or riser is
helpful, but if these are unavailable, you should at least make sure
that the room is arranged in such a way that there will be a clear view
of the performer no matter where you sit.
If the room is long and narrow, such as in many
banquet halls, you may want to arrange the tables so that the
performance can take place at one end of the room, since if the
performer is in the middle of the room, someone somewhere will
inevitably end up having a great view of the performer’s back for much
of the show, and this can be quite frustrating, particularly if the
performer is visually appealing in any way.
Depending upon the size of your group and the type
of entertainment, it may also be necessary to obtain or rent special
equipment, such as a microphone, PA system, and/or lighting equipment.
Most cities have rental companies which can assist you with these
items. (Often the banquet facility may already have some or all of
these available at no extra charge or for a nominal fee. So make sure
you check to see if they can provide them before you look into renting
the needed equipment.)
Shopping Around
You can find a variety of entertainers in the yellow
pages or on the Internet. Don’t assume that the one with the biggest ad
will be the best. As with any other service professional, make sure
they have experience and good references. Any quality entertainer
should be able to provide you with background credits, testimonials, and
reference letters from past clients.
And don’t make the mistake of letting price be the
only deciding factor. It’s important that the entertainment not only
provides a fun filled, lively experience, but also that none of your
guests are put off or offended in any way. If your audience is
conservative, or a family group, make sure that the entertainer’s
material is appropriate. Comedians and other performers who are used to
working in adult nightclubs can sometimes have a very different idea of
what’s “clean" than what you may have. So make sure you’re clear and
specific about your needs.
When looking for entertainers, it’s never a bad idea
to ask for references. Any performer worth their weight will be able
to provide a list of former clients. And remember, as with anything,
you get what you pay for; the least expensive performer is not
necessarily the best value. You want to be sure that the entertainer
that you hire will not only thoroughly entertain your guests, but will
also act in a professional manner and NEVER, EVER embarrass or offend
any of your guests in any way.
Keep these tips in mind, and you should have no
problem designing a meeting, party, banquet, or other special event that
will be an enjoyable and memorable event for all your guests.
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