Corporate Event Entertainment
It is all about relationships.
You host company events to build your team. You may be building co-worker relationships. You might be building employer/employee relationships. Or you could be building company/client relationships.
Team building means helping co-workers find common ground outside of the work setting. Because people who enjoy working with their colleagues are happier. They are more productive and loyal to a cause.
Properly executed events make teams a much stronger group. They work together better so your company grows and continues to progress.
So what does any of that have to do with corporate evening entertainment? Corporate entertainment is about relationships too.
When was the last time you stood and cheered about something that didn’t engage you? Chances are, you haven’t.
The best corporate entertainment creates bonds with your audience. It engages guests on a personal level and holds their attention based on that relationship.
Tom has entertained executives, V.I.P.’s, employees and clients of company across the United States. If you are planning an evening event, awards dinner or function, contact our office to discuss your corporate entertainment event goals.
If Tom isn’t right for your event, he is happy to direct you to entertainment that will help you achieve a successful evening.
Corporate Event Entertainment
What is on your bookshelf? What books have you read that you refer to time and again?
As a corporate entertainer, I wear many hats in my business. Providing clients with an incredible program, is only one small, albeit important part of my job. I want to make certain they have a wonderful experience from start to finish.
This means I am involved in long term planning, strategies, marketing, advertising, prospecting, delivery, followup and everything in between.
Someone recently asked me what books I’m currently reading. That question prompted me to take a deeper look into the books that have helped me formulate my career.
Three books jumped off my shelf the moment I looked. Here they are, along with a brief description of what the book offered me:
There’s A Customer Born Every Minute by Joe Vitale
P.T. Barnum’s 10 “Rings Of Power” business practices helped the legendary showman achieve success. They allowed an entertainment business pioneer to become a legend. Joe shares that these effective key principles still work in today’s highly competitive markets. If you are in any phase of the entertainment market, this book is a must read!
Maximum Achievement by Brian Tracy
Let’s face it, corporate entertainment isn’t easy. There are so many facets that keeping up with all of the details can be a herculean exercise. That is why I love Maximum Achievement. The strategies and skills Brian shares help you to focus and reach greater heights than you imagine. Don’t allow details to overwhelm you. Read this book.
Awaken The Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Some people love him, others hate him, but Tony Robbins is a legend. I’ve always found Tony’s writings, audios and videos inspire and motivate me. His insights allow me to take control of a moment and squeeze out every ounce of possibility.
I find all three of these books have helped me in my business. Using the skill sets developed by implementing ideas they present, I am on top of my game when working with clients. This makes me a better event partner and a more flexible showman.
And now I return to the first paragraph of this article: What is on your bookshelf? What books have you read that you refer to time and again?
Share in the comments and let us know!
If you are searching for corporate entertainment for your function, contact our office to see how we can assist you in creating a successful event.
Comments are now closed for this topic, so please email Tom with your book recommendations!
Corporate Christmas Party Entertainment Ideas, Corporate Event Entertainment
Hey, summer is just starting and no one wants to think about December – but it is time …
Planning a corporate event is no easy task, with all the small details to look after and a bunch of possibilities to explore. Add to all that the hassle and trouble of choosing between corporate Christmas party entertainment ideas and event service providers, and the planning becomes nothing less than a nightmare for the organizer!
An employee just been assigned the task of planning and organizing a corporate event is sure to find himself in a tight fix, with the challenging task of ensuring the success of the event. Planning a corporate Christmas party is a difficult task, and an employee with no idea where to start has lost the battle even before it began. The trick is to be focused and plan out the event to avoid any errors on the big day.
When you have to plan the corporate Christmas party …
Here are some company Christmas party tips to make your event a success:
Choose A Suitable Venue
The venue is the most important feature of an event. The organizer needs to explore and select venue options based on the crowd magnitude, nature of the event and any preferences of the company executives.
The event can be hosted in a large conference hall, auditorium, formal or casual venues and even within the office premises. The capacity and condition of the chosen venue needs to be according to the predetermined needs of the event, so that a well planned and organized Christmas party can be held without any problems.
If the company seeks to hold a more formal event, a proper reception venue is the ideal choice. While if a small company wants to host an informal party, it can be easily organized on the company premises. A large family informal event can be held either at an indoor or outdoor venue for added fun.
Explore Decoration Options
Christmas decorations are a must to inspire the holiday spirit in the event participants and foster a relaxed and joyous party environment. Both indoor and outdoor party venues can be decorated to improve the ambiance and add value along with charm to the event.
If the corporate Christmas party is a family event, colorful decorations to attract children will be an added need. Suitable seating arrangement, lighting display, stage settings and all the other minor details will be chosen with an eye to the nature of the event.
Opt For Suitable Event Refreshments And Menu Options
Refreshment and menu options depend on the event being a formal occasion or an informal affair. A small party can have cookies and punch as a light fun meal. But in proper formal events, appropriate catering services are needed to satisfy the requirements of the occasion.
Choose A Full Blown Party Entertainment Option
To top off the event and make it a sure success, it is important to choose the ideal Christmas holiday party entertainment option. Some of the more popular ideas include employing the services of corporate entertainers, like standup comedians, magicians, ventriloquists, or musicians for dancing and a swinging ambiance.
These ideas are sure to assist in planning out a successful corporate event.
If you want to make your company Christmas party a successful event, then contact Tom Crowl for corporate entertainment ideas, and get a free no obligation event consultation!
Corporate Event Entertainment
Employees, and their employers, can raise money for charity at the next company event, whether that event is a casual summer picnic at a local park or a Christmas party at a fancy restaurant. The following ideas will get you started with brainstorming the perfect fundraisers for your organization.
Donate Your Change Jar: Put a gallon jar on a table and ask everyone attending the get-together to donate all the change they have in their pocket/purse at that time. The person with the most change gets to be first in the buffet line (or similar prize.)
Unwanted Item Swap: Have everyone bring an item they have lying around the house, something in like new condition, that they don’t use. Remember that even “trash” like bubble wrap from a package is a good item for this swap. Put all items on a table, and sell each one for $1. Anything that doesn’t sell gets donated to a local thrift store.
Vacation Day Drawing: Get your employer to agree to raffle off a vacation day with pay. Raffle off other similar prizes – leave early on a Friday, extra half hour for lunch every day for a week, etc.
Wall of Fame: Ask employees to bring special photos of their pets. For a company Christmas party, participants can bring a holiday photo. For a company picnic, participants can bring a summer activity photo. Employees vote for their favorite photo, votes are $1 each.
Raffle: Ask businesses to donate items, and place the items on a table with a cup in front of each. Employees buy tickets, choose the items they’d like to win, and place their tickets in the appropriate cup. Of course, employees are welcome to make a donation, some may want to create items such as jewelry, artwork, and crafts. Remember that services, as well as products, can be included in the raffle.
Silent Auction: Same as the raffle, with bidders writing down their bids. The last (highest) bidder wins the item.
50-50 Raffle: Sell tickets for $1. The winner gets half of the money raised and a charity gets the other half. So if 300 tickets are sold, the winner gets $150.
Food Raffle: Ask a local grocery store or bakery or specialty food store to donate a food item, such as a turkey or decorated cake, and sell tickets for $1 for a chance to win the item. Or make up an entire meal with donations from a few businesses and sell tickets for $5.
Dress Down At Work: If your company doesn’t currently raise money for charity with dress down days, a company event is the perfect time to announce the start of the practice. Company standards define the specifics. Anything from $2 for casual Fridays to $20 to wear jeans every day for a month can be offered.
The next time you and your colleagues are enjoying a corporate entertainment event, share the good time with others by raising money for a worthwhile cause. Set a goal for the event, and work hard to surpass it. And next year, do it again!
Corporate Event Entertainment
Awkward …
That is the perfect description for some people.
After hours work events can be tough to sell. People are giving up their free time. They have to dress nice and act respectable.
For some, the after hours corporate event is time to socialize people you may not choose to hang with outside the office.
These reasons make plenty of event planners worry. Will their event draw the crowd? Or will excuses dampen the date?
Some employees feel they have to attend if they ever want a promotion. But that mindset throws a blanket over your event planning.
Luckily, there are plenty of fun, corporate social ideas you can try. Getting people excited about an activity banishes the negatives and keeps co-workers engaged.
Here are our top ten ideas for fun social corporate events:
At the office, try hosting:
A Ping Pong Tournament – Start with departmental playoffs, and advance all the way to a grand champion. People will love the fun spirit of competition. Fun inter-office rivalry will have everyone cheering their co-workers to victory.
Other tournaments may include:
- Horseshoes,
- Wii, XBox, video games
- Office Chair races
- and Mini-Golf
Imagine each department setting up mini-golf holes around the office. Then everyone can play to see who has the best score!
Bartender Academy – If you’ve got a fun crowd, try a drink mix party. Hire a bartender to teach mixing and allow your staff to concoct the perfect company drink for your next corporate event!
Out of the office events could include:
Bowling – A physical activity, bowling promotes teamwork and friendly competition. Rent a few lanes at the local bowling alley, get some snacks from the snack bar and you have an instant, easy and fun event.
Wine Tasting – An educational and relaxing social event if ever there was one. Local wineries can share information on the region and state of the economy for their industry. Wine tastings are fun and help support the local economy.
Comedy Club – Take everyone out for a night of laughs. Comedy is a great stress reliever, creating moments that co-workers will recall over and over again.
Host your own comedy night – If you worry about someone’s sensitivity, rent your own venue and bring in a business comedian. The program may be personalized to your group, creating a truly special evening.
When you are looking for corporate entertainment, contact our office to discuss your event. We help clients find entertainment that keeps guests engaged.
Corporate Event Entertainment
As the event planner, your job is to create an experience guests will remember. An event that will provide a positive reflection on your company or client, and create a valuable ROI. To do this, you must create a network of reliable corporate event services that can help you achieve your goal.
Many companies want to stay trendy, providing their attendees with the latest and greatest. It is almost impossible for one person to keep up with everything that is happening in the world of events and entertainment. That is why building your network is so important.
Here are some top
corporate event services
you should have on your team:
Corporate Event Venues:
Get to know your local event venues. These include hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars and gaming locations such as bowling alleys. Build relationships with their sales and catering management to learn how they can best serve you.
Destination Management Companies:
Planning out of town events requires an indepth local knowledge of your destination. DMC’s maintain relationships with a variety of corporate event vendors and hospitality services. For evening or off-site events, a DMC can handle the logistics to make sure everything goes smoothly. They are a valuable partner to have as a part of your network.
Corporate Entertainment Specialist:
A corporate entertainment specialist is different than an entertainment agency. Agencies will look to their roster of talent to fill your entertainment needs. A specialist will look at the broader picture and draw talent from a wider pool.
Tom Crowl has thirty years of experience providing corporate entertainment across the United States. During that time he has networked with some of the best corporate entertainers and agencies in the business. If Tom’s program is not right for your event, he works with you to find the perfect solution. Contact our office for a complimentary no-obligation corporate entertainment consultation now.
Communications And Social Media Consultant:
From invitations and agendas to conference materials and promotion, events require communication. Event planners who try to handle these details can make better use of their time by having a consultant on their team. The consultant works with writers, graphic designers, printers and social marketers. They make certain your event has a cohesive message, brand and theme.
Party Rental Supplier:
As an event planner it makes sense to establish a relationship with a party rental supplier. While venues will often handle this piece of the puzzle, there may be times you need to rent supplies directly. Party rental suppliers can provide audio-visual equipment, chairs, tables, place settings, linens, lighting, tents and more. They are a great source for discovering themes for an event too.
From a local event to a multi-city event tour, having a dedicated corporate event services team will make your life easier. Make sure to partner with people you like to make the experience pleasant.
If you have any questions or we may be of help with your event’s corporate entertainment needs, please contact our office. We look forward to helping you deliver an incredible event for your client.
Ventriloquism
Ventriloquist comedy acts combine the delivery of a stand up comedian with a universal fascination of puppetry.
Think about the crazy ad-lib antics of Robin Williams in a Muppet-style puppet. Add in a straight man and you have a winning stand up ventriloquist comedy act.
Using lip control and puppet manipulation, ventriloquists create the illusion their characters are alive. When blended with acting, showmanship and great comedy, the illusion is complete. Audiences forget that only one person is on-stage and begin to believe the puppets are real. The first time an audience laughs at something the puppet says, a ventriloquist has achieved the magic of ventriloquism.
Ventriloquist Tom Crowl is a master of the art. His show has opened concerts for major recording artists. Tom has appeared on television, including the hit NBC show, Last Comic Standing. In the ventriloquist community, Crowl is known for his unique teaching methods. He has developed several courses that help others learn to perform and hone the skills of ventriloquism.
To keep his ventriloquist comedy skills sharp, Crowl works a variety of venues. One of the most challenging is street performance. Several days each summer, Tom entertains at BeachStreet USA in Virginia Beach. It is a difficult challenge to draw and hold an audience on the street. Some performers juggle fire or knives, or offer flashy magic. Standing on a street corner with a puppet talking to yourself almost creates a “homeless” vibe. To his credit, Crowl draws large audiences for his performances. Each show becomes unique as the puppets interact and comment on what is happening around them.
His ad-lib skills are what draw audiences into Tom’s performance. He uses this ability to his client’s benefit when working corporate programs. The company’s guests, executives, event and product or service become integrated into the program. Crowl excels at interaction as his characters begin talking with members of the audience. This completes the illusion creating personalized ventriloquist comedy.
Audience participation is a key ingredient in Crowl’s program. In one of his most popular routines, he invites two volunteers on-stage to become Human Puppets. Providing the volunteers with articulated jaws, everyone begins laughing. The Human Puppets get cartoon-like voices and everyone, including Tom, is surprised by what they say. It is often hard to tell who is laughing harder, the audience, or the volunteers.
Triple D – Dangerous Dudley Duck is another crowd favorite. This cute little white duck has a worldly attitude. He gets around and has no trouble offering his opinion on any subject. (Including ones he doesn’t know about.)
Crowl’s posse of puppets also includes Wilson the Tennis Ball and Nancy Drew, a sketch of an audience member that comes to life. A newer addition to the suitcase is Taco, the world’s dumbest dog. This adorable creature has audiences falling in love with him the moment he comes on stage. He is also the archenemy of Wilson, who Taco loves to chew.
Contact our office to discuss bringing ventriloquist comedy to your next event. A co-founder of the International Ventriloquist Society, Tom is a friend of some of the best comedian ventriloquists in the business. If Tom’s act is not available, we are happy to recommend a quality stand up comedy ventriloquist for your event.
Corporate Event Entertainment
How well do you know your
corporate entertainment agency or producer?
Most of the entertainment agents, event planners and producers I know are honest, hard working people. They realize their success depends on happy clients. That means focusing on the client’s needs and living up to their promises.
Unfortunately it only takes one or two bad apples to ruin everything. For that reason, I present you with a link to this video from Fox 2 in Detroit.
It turns out, this “agent” had multiple web sites that appeared to be different agencies. He used false names to mask his real identity. He also sold clients one act, then at the last minute, substituted a less expensive act as a “fill-in”. Clients were told the booked act had an “accident” or “problem” and couldn’t fill the date.
As a result, clients were getting inferior acts and being cheated out of money. The artists being booked were often not even aware of the event. This “agent” was not only cheating the client, he was playing with the act’s reputation.
On the Internet, anyone can put up a false front and appear to be anything. Are they really?
When contracting corporate entertainment, ask to speak directly with the artist. Ask them questions about their career. Do their answers match with what you already know about them?
Do they understand your event needs? What do they require? Get to know your entertainers. Because that night, if they don’t show or they aren’t as represented, it reflects on you.
Since 1984, Tom has been a full time entertainer, performing for clients across the United States, the Caribbean and Mexico. He has worked with some of the best entertainers and event planners in the business. When you are planning corporate entertainment, contact our office to discuss your event needs. We are happy to help you, or put you in touch with a corporate entertainer or corporate entertainment agency you can trust.
Corporate Event Entertainment
When event messages and goals combine with brand awareness, amazing things happen. People begin to associate the vision with your company, stamping your brand in their mind. We’ve assembled some corporate event ideas to help you create an impact using your brand.
Before The Event:
Use social media to take full advantage of free branding opportunities. Create a hashtag for your function so attendees can search and share their experience. Make an event page on FaceBook and invite people to join. Don’t forget Twitter, Pintrest and Tumblr, take your brand and event where people are!
Setting The Mood:
Decor is a great way to brand your corporate event. Don’t just slap up logos and signs. Color choices should reflect the company colors. From the table cloths and napkins to uplighting along the walls, color is a clever way to show off your company’s brand. If you do use your logo, make it stand out. Consider projecting it on the ceiling using a gobo light. Other ideas include ice sculptures, video projection screens and original artwork.
Incorporate Your Product Or Services:
Use your company specialty in an unexpected way. As an example, paper manufacturers or stationery supply companies could hold origami classes. A trucking company could have Go-Kart Races for a safest driver award. Use fun and exciting ways to pull your brand expertise into the event.
Hospitality:
Hire a bartender to create a company drink. Have it match your brand colors and make sure it is tasty! Every time someone orders, your company’s name and brand will be used. Logos and colors are also great on desserts!
Corporate Entertainment:
Hire corporate entertainment that can customize their program. Have them highlight your brand, company and guests. Impressing guests with a personalized program benefits your brand through the connection. Our office can offer some excellent entertainment ideas for corporate events.
Premiums:
People love to walk away with something. We don’t recommend giveaways for the sake of giving something away. In fact, the term giveaways sounds cheap, and you don’t want your brand associated with cheap! Depending on your event, you may not even need to put your logo on the premium. A memorable quality gift will be kept, used and keep people remembering your brand and event.
Planning your next corporate event? Contact our office to share your goals. We will work with you to find corporate entertainment that will match your brand and make you look incredible!
Corporate Event Entertainment
Everybody loves a good laugh. It reduces stress and builds a sense of community through a shared experience. So when you want guests to have a great time, a corporate comedian may be the best choice for your entertainment.
But there are different kinds…
Which corporate event comedians would be right for you and your company?
An Imposter is a great way to break up long sessions of speakers. They come in posing as a dignified speaker or a member of your management and the laughs develop as the presentation appears to fall apart. This unexpected form of comedy can be a real hit when you hire the right Imposter.
An Emcee can keep your event entertaining and running smoothly.
If you can’t afford a big star, a celebrity impersonator could be an option.
Stand up comedians offer comic monologues.
For after dinner entertainment, a ventriloquist can deliver material in a dialog, creating hilarious interaction and providing a larger feel for the program.
If you are looking for corporate event comedians, business comedians, standup comedians, prop comics, variety comedy or just good strong laughs, we can help.
Corporate comedian ventriloquist Tom Crowl personalizes his program to fit your needs, event and audience. Providing you with clean corporate comedy show that involves your guests and makes memories! Contact our office now for a no-obligation corporate entertainment consultation.
for major recording artists. Tom has appeared on television, including the hit NBC show, Last Comic Standing. In the ventriloquist community, Crowl is known for his unique teaching methods. He has developed several courses that help others learn to perform and hone the skills of ventriloquism.
Before The Event:
Everybody loves a good laugh. It reduces stress and builds a sense of community through a shared experience. So when you want guests to have a great time, a corporate comedian may be the best choice for your entertainment.
