I have seen some of the best entertainment for corporate events. I
have attended a lot of corporate events as a professional magician. I
have seen the most amazing entertainment and watched some of the world's
best professionals. How do you decide who will be best for your event?
As
a professional magician I am often employed to work the tables during
the meal to provide entertainment at corporate events. At the larger
affairs artists often perform between courses or at the end of the meal.
I
have seen members of Cirque Du Soleil flown over from the states for a
ten minute spot during an expensive corporate banquet. I have seen top
charting bands provide amazing entertainment for corporate events.
I
have seen some of Britain's top comedians perform after the meal with
varying amounts of success. The larger corporate events with thirty plus
tables can be difficult to negotiate particularly if you go on late in
the evening.
To provide the best entertainment for corporate
events the artist does have to have some sort of recognition prior to
going on stage. At these large affairs where the attention span of the
audience is limited you need some sort of hook. This does not have to be
celebrity status, although that helps. It can be recognition in the
Industry.
This was brought home to me when I was performing at The
Great Room, Grosvenor House, London. The event was an award ceremony
for the food and drinks industry. The first half of the evening had been
hosted by a celebrity chef, who had held the attention of the audience
and commanded great respect.
Later in the evening as guest became
more dispersed it was time for the awards themselves. I had finished
work so I stood on the balcony waiting to see who the company thought
could proved the best entertainment for corporate events. It turned out
to be a comedian, reasonably well known to me. In fact I had met him a
couple of times. However the audience was unlikely to have known who he
was.
He launched into what was supposed to be a thirty minute set
but it didn't hold the audience well. There were a number of factors but
most importantly he seemed out of place. His material had no real
relevance and was not suited to the room. Coupled with the fact that it
was late and guests attention spans was reduced.
After fifteen minutes he cut to the chase and the awards began, at which point things improved and the night ended well.
The
best entertainment for corporate events needs to be relevant or the
artist needs to be well known. For smaller events the performer just
needs to be good, such artists are also hard to find and need careful
thought
