Corporate Entertainers – Can You Really Find The Perfect One?
You are planning an event for a small or mid-sized company. Perhaps it is a corporate christmas party, an award banquet, a sales luncheon, a client appreciation event, a retreat, a conference, a seminar, or a company picnic. Regardless of the nature of the event, the entertainment you choose will set the overall tone and influence the ultimate outcome. Therefore, it is important to follow these four expert guidelines for choosing the perfect corporate entertainers in order to ensure your success.
1. Engagement is Key
Everyone knows that unless you can engage your target audience, the employee workforce, or the imagination of your clients, valuable performance and productivity will be lost. But, when it comes to planning events, many HR departments or managers forget to apply this all-important principle.
Be sure to analyze the engagement factor when selecting your entertainment. Will the audience be involved in an interactive way, for example, that will command their attention and stimulate their imagination? Does the corporate entertainer have the ability to connect on a level that amuses, informs, and inspires? The best entertainment is a kind that is engaging and uplifting on a personal level as well as on a group dynamics level.
2. Know Your Guests
In order to ensure that your guests are fully engaged, you have to know them and understand their preferences and tastes. That is why it is a great idea to solicit their feedback in advance. Otherwise you run the risk of taking the blame if the event does not go well. Involving your target audience ahead of time also heightens their interest and anticipation for the event.
One of the best ways to gain insight is through an email-based survey. You can use inexpensive services like Survey Monkey to make it quick and simple for people to answer your questionnaire. Inquire about their taste in music, about what they watch on TV, and if they enjoy comedy or stand-up entertainment. Taking the pulse of your attendees as you plan virtually guarantees that the entertainment will be well-received.
3. Fresh and Fun
Keep in mind, though, that no matter how good the entertainment may look on paper, it must provide a fresh and fun experience. Just because last year’s entertainment was a big hit, for instance, doesn’t mean that a repeat performance will be equally exciting. Audiences all want change, and people tend to respond in a more memorable way when you surprise them.
Also, try to pick entertainment that triggers laughter so that you know you will have a winner. A great way to gauge how well an act or an entertainer goes over with your crowd is to observe whether or not they laugh. While an audience may politely applaud even if they were not thrilled with the performance, laughter is a much more spontaneous display of feelings.
4. Brand Alignment
Another common pitfall for planners of company events is that they fail to maintain a goal-oriented perspective. Remember that the event – and the entertainment you select – will be a direct reflection upon you, your company, and your organization’s brand and image.
Consider your underlying objectives to make a wise choice. Are you trying to inspire the audience, for instance, or is there a particular core value you want to emphasize? If at all possible, pick corporate entertainment that can be customized to suit your message and your brand. Then you not only get great, fun entertainment, but you strengthen your company’s brand, workplace morale, and overall team spirit.
Contact our office for a no-obligation entertainment consultation to gain additional entertainment ideas for corporate events.
