Nashville Corporate Entertainment

Nashville Corporate Entertainment

Let us help you find the perfect
Nashville Corporate Entertainment
For Your Next Event.

Nashville may be the Country Music Capital of the world, but it’s also a great location for your next convention. Centrally located from almost everywhere in the U.S., Nashville has much to offer convention-goers. The Nashville Convention Center has 118,000 square feet of convention space as well as 25 meeting rooms. It’s just 8 miles from the airport, and it sits at the crossroads of three interstate highways. Located within walking distance of almost 20 different major hotels, all of your participants will have a great place to stay.

nashville corporate entertainmentWhile convention-goers are here, they can enjoy many of the activities and events the city has to offer. From taking in an unforgettable show at the Grand Ole Opry to visiting the Hermitage, the home of President Andrew Jackson, there are great activities for your participants or for the whole family if they’ve come to visit the city, too.  The Country Music Hall of Fame is a must-see and they offer multiple space venue rentals. If you want to play to the younger crowd, the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere has the largest volunteer-constructed playground in the world.

Sometimes the most difficult aspect of planning a convention, conference, meeting, or event, though, is ensuring your message is present throughout all of the sessions. Accomplishing that is a true feat, and making certain to plan a bit of fun that’s on-message is even harder. Fortunately, personalized corporate comedy can help. Tom’s personalized comedy show is customized to your event, so working in keywords, personnel names, or even funny little stories those inside your company would know well is absolutely no problem. It’s the ideal way to truly reach participants while still hammering home that message. Whether you add it to a breakfast meeting, a breakout session, or even dessert after your keynote speaker, personalized comedy may be a great way to help participants take more away from your Nashville corporate entertainment event.

Here are some other Nashville corporate event venues you may want to consider:

The Pavilion East: Looking for a fun outdoor venue? Named “Best Outdoor Venue” by the Nashville Scene, this is one spot you should definitely check out.

aVenue: A great venue for corporate and social events. Constructed in 1890it is located in Downtown Nashville close to prominent hotels, museums and the new Nashville Convention Center.

The Cordelle: In Nashville’s historic Rutledge Hill, this event space combines past and present. Great charm and a wonderful space for corporate events and private parties.  The Cordelle is easily accessible and a great choice for your special function.

The Cannery Ballroom: Another great space for your event. From a 500 person social hour to a 250 person seated meal, the Cannery Ballroom is also home to Mercy Lounge, High Watt and their newest private event space, ONE.

No matter what venue you select, entertainment will play a huge part in the success of your evening. With country music surrounding you, a clean corporate comedian makes a great choice to add variety. Contact our office today to discuss your Nashville corporate entertainment needs.

Start the conversation now to make your event amazing!

Office Party Entertainment

Office Party Entertainment

Build Morale,
Build The Team & Show Appreciation With
Office Party Entertainment

Need an entertainer for your office party? We are here to help. Entertainment is key to a fun party. Unfortunately it is sometimes the last thing event planners look at. Their budget allocated, the corporate entertainment they desire may not be within their grasp.

Smart executives know that throwing the annual or semi-annual office party is important in building employee morale. Entertainment takes office parties from simple work gatherings to meaningful functions. It shows the staff you value them enough to make a commitment to their happiness.

When your boss turns over the responsibility of planning the office party to you, you’ve got some important things to consider.

Where Should You Hold An Office Party?

The first thing you have to decide is where to hold the office party.  You could rent a banquet hall or hotel conference room. These venues can be expensive and often do not include catering. Traffic and parking are considerations. Getting to a site that is not near your company’s office may be difficult for many of your attendees. That can lower attendance and reduce the effectiveness of your event.

You should consider that banquet halls and hotels rent out their facilities to many other functions and may try to rush your company’s office party in and out.  The savvy corporate client has come to realize that an office party is often more successful when held at their own offices.

There are many advantages to holding an office party on site as opposed to renting a venue.  First, you cut down on a major expense. You know that the employees will be able to get there and have no issues parking.  By holding the event on site, your attendees will be able to see their work environment in a whole new light.

For office party decoration tips, check out this episode of the Savvy Event Planner Podcast. It shares an amazing office transformation. You can see photos of the office transformation here.

With the money you save on renting, you can go all out on two areas that are keys to a successful office party: the food and the entertainment. 

Feeding The Office Party …

People go to a party to socialize, eat, and have fun. The cost of food and drink is a major expense on your office party budget.  Many banquet halls and hotels insist that you use their specified caterer.  However, the caterer may be even more expensive than renting the venue.

There are plenty of options to save on catering. Instead of a meal, provide a buffet of Hors d’Oeuvres for people to graze. Another great option is to contact VMeals.  They make choosing a caterer and delivery of the food easy. With convenient billing, VMeals is quickly becoming the corporate event planner’s favorite catering source.

The caterer you select is certainly important to having a great office party, but don’t forget, you want your fellow employees to have fun, too.  That’s why you need to hire corporate entertainers who knows how to interact with corporate audiences and have a proven track record of success.  You wouldn’t pick a caterer who’s never worked a corporate office party, so make sure you get an experienced, engaging entertainer, as well.

Providing Office Party Entertainment

Before you hire office party entertainment, make sure you are clear on their purpose. What do you need the entertainer to accomplish? Do you want your co-workers socializing? Do you want them to share an experience? Or do you need to impart a message?

This will help you narrow down the type of entertainment you are considering. When you talk with prospective entertainers, you can share your needs and they will quickly recognize if they can meet your goals.

Ventriloquist Tom Crowl specializes in corporate events and has a proven record of success.  Whether your office party is for less than 50 or over 1000, Tom customizes his act to meet the needs of your company.  Tom’s quick wit and ability to interact with his audiences makes him a crowd pleaser.  Want to find out more about Tom’s services?  Then click here.

If Tom isn’t right for your office party, he is happy to help you locate the perfect entertainer. With more than 30 years in the office party entertainment business, he can put you in contact with entertainers and corporate entertainment services to help you host an amazing party. Contact our office today.

Hiring Entertainers For Corporate, Public Or Private Events

Hiring Entertainers For Corporate, Public Or Private Events

It never ceases to amaze us how some people go about hiring entertainers.  Most start calling entertainers to ask prices.  When we pick up the phone and hear “how much do you charge?” We know the person hasn’t done their homework.

Just because someone is an entertainer, it doesn’t mean they are right for your event and audience.   Would you hire a famous rapper to play music for a local fire hall’s country dance?  Like music, every form of entertainment has different genres and levels of artist.

That is why we recommend you do some homework.  Find out about the entertainer BEFORE you contact them for pricing and availability.  If you are looking to hire entertainment for a child’s birthday party, chances are, you don’t want to call a corporate event entertainer who performs at high end corporate functions.  If you are looking to hire a corporate entertainer, calling the birthday party entertainer is clearly the wrong choice.

Still not sure if the act is right?  Call them and ask.  When an event planner contacts our office and starts off by telling us about their event, it allows us to determine if Tom’s show is a good match with their plans.  Once the entertainer knows what you want, they can develop a proposal to show you how they can help.

When you want to hire corporate entertainment, research is made easy thanks to the Internet.  Do some homework, talk to the entertainers and you can insure your event is a success by hiring entertainers that are a perfect match.

Corporate Entertainment In Atlantic City, NJ

Corporate Entertainment In Atlantic City, NJ

Atlantic City Corporate Entertainment

Atlantic City offers remarkable advantages for corporate entertainment event planners.  The city is convenient to New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington DC.  The gambling and casinos offer an enticing draw and resorts and hotels provide top notch meeting locations and services.  With all this going for it, Atlantic City, New Jersey has become a major host for East Coast corporate functions.

The appeal of Atlantic City is undeniable, but it also presents an issue when it comes to planning corporate entertainment.   Clients want their people to benefit from their event and stay engaged.  If the corporate entertainment can’t entice guests to stay, and then deliver the goods, clients lose valuable time with their guests.

Because people often have widely varied musical tastes, many after dinner entertainment planners have looked toward comedy.  Everyone loves to laugh, so a comedian or variety artist is often “given a chance” before people will run to the exits.  If the act engages the audience, you’ve got a successful evening; in Atlantic City, with the draw of the slots, shows and nightlife, it had better be good!

Event planners often worry a comedian may resort to material that is too racy for their event.  You’ve probably heard firsthand or from an aquaintence, the language and topics used in comedy clubs.  Although the comedian claims their act will be clean, you worry.  If the audience’s response isn’t as expected, the material may drift over the limit.  Clean comedians sometimes suffer the opposite effect; their material is so generic it doesn’t produce strong laughs.

Magicians and jugglers are generally considered safe back up forms of entertainment.  Because so many events use magic, audiences have seen a bowling ball drop magically from a drawing pad, or a man wiggle out of a strait jacket.  And how many times has a juggler tossed around razor sharp machetes?

Give Your Audience
Different Corporate Entertainment!

Ventriloquists are one of the hottest comedy niches in America.  Two of them even hold places on Forbes list of the highest grossing entertainers.   With as popular as ventriloquism is, most people have never seen a ventriloquist perform in a live setting.  There just aren’t that many professional ventriloquists, and the number dwindles when you remove the ones that aren’t suitable for the corporate market.

Ventriloquism offers a combination of comedy, variety and the Muppets thrown into an incredibly entertaining show.   Tom takes things a step further by creating a program that is personalized to your event and audience.  The moment his puppets begin to recognize some of your guests, the room erupts into huge laughs.  Care is taken to ensure no one is embarrassed or offended.  Your audience will become the stars of the evening.

When planning corporate entertainment for your Atlantic City corporate event, contact our office for a complimentary event consultation.  We look forward to helping you make your next corporate function a successful one!

Reducing The Corporate Event Budget – Part 3

Reducing The Corporate Event Budget – Part 3

Reducing Your Corporate Event Budget – Part Three

Today, we share our last three tips on ways to reduce corporate event costs for your next company function.  We’ve already shared tips on setting your goals to guide decisions, planning the timing and location of your function, ways to save on catering, yet provide great food and how to reduce your corporate entertainment budget and still get excellent value from your entertainment.  If you missed those posts, just check them out starting here.

Now on to the good stuff; each of them worthy of serious consideration!

Technical A/V:

 For any event to be a success, your speakers and entertainment must look and sound fantastic.  Settling for a cheap sound system is not always advised.  Still, there are some excellent ways to save on the costs of A/V.

 You can sometimes save money by hiring an outside source for your audio-video needs.  In house AV is usually priced at a premium because of a contract clause that tries to restrict you to their use.  You can request they remove the “must use house AV” clause before you sign the contract.

As you plan your event, work with your A/V production manager on designing the right sized AV system(s).  Explain budget, your vision of the program, your venue set up, provide room layouts and give him or her the number of people you expect.  They can get a sound (and if needed, video) system that will be clear for the room.

Make sure to forward all technical requirements from your speakers and entertainers.  Don’t hesitate to ask them to contact your A/V manager if there are any questions.  Often, microphones can be shared, or set up can be adapted to make better use of equipment.  This helps you avoid having to rent more than you need.

Design And Décor:

 You can save money on your linens and décor, but don’t let your event look “homemade”.  If you do try to create and bring your own centerpieces, you can usually find deals online or in the event’s local area.  Use a candle package to make small floral arrangements look larger.  You may be able to find creative ways to re-use centerpieces for multi-day events.  Try utilizing hotel linens and less expensive place settings.

 Instead of commissioning a major décor piece, you could order a custom “gobo” of your company’s logo and use a light to project it on the wall or stage curtain.  These are not only less expensive than a banner, but add to the ambience of the event.  Your A/V company can provide the light, so all you need do is walk in with the “gobo” disk.  (For more information on custom Gobos search Google!)

 Another method of adding impressive ambience to a room without adding expensive decoration is up lighting.  Talk to your A/V manager about that option too, you’ll find that creates an incredible atmosphere.  Adding it to your A/V package is reasonable for the effect it creates.

Marketing:

 Marketing is the key that gives your event the visibility that it needs to succeed.  A successful marketing campaign keeps your event “hot” and on people’s radar.  If you don’t have attendees, you have no event.

 If you have a contact list, it makes connecting with your guests or attendees easier.  Buzz can be created through web site updates, e-mails, releasing video of your speakers or entertainment, and social media.  Consider social media contests to help spread the word.  These can be inexpensive, generate interest and because of the viral nature of on-line advertising, often free.

Finally:

Improvisation is necessary when reducing the costs of an event.  It is essential to restructure and use your judgment on which elements help you meet your goals.   Make partners of your vendors so they share your goals and objectives.  Be upfront about your budget and ask them for money-saving ideas that will still wow your attendees.  You are more than a single event, so build relationships and enjoy the opportunities they offer.

As always, we wish you a successful corporate event!

For more information on corporate event entertainment that can highlight your event, contact our office today for a free, no-obligation corporate event consultation!

Reduce Corporate Event Costs – Continued

Reduce Corporate Event Costs – Continued

Reduce Corporate Event Costs – Part Two

Yesterday, we shared ways you could reduce event costs for your next corporate entertainment event.  They included tips on setting your goals to guide decisions, and planning the timing and location of your function.  If you missed that post, you may find it here.

Today we continue with two very important areas.  People remember the food and the corporate entertainment, so these tips are extremely important.

Food And Beverage:

There are plenty of ways to save on food and beverage expenses without hurting the quality of the catering.  Great food makes happy guests – so don’t skimp on taste!

One of the easiest ways to save on food and beverage is to select a venue that has in-house service.  They will usually be flexible with you to help meet your budget.  Outside catering tends to cost more since food must be prepared and brought in for service.

A buffet is usually less expensive than a full service banquet.  If you choose to have a seated meal, make sure to arrange all vegetarian, diabetic or kosher dishes in advance.  This way you aren’t paying for an extra entrée that isn’t eaten because someone required a specific meal.  Special requests can also slow down service.

For beverages, consider a beer and wine bar, instead of full service.  A cash bar is also an option.  Some events offer guests drink tickets for a complimentary beverage or two.  If someone wishes to drink more, he or she can then purchase alcohol.

Corporate Entertainment:

You may think, being on a corporate entertainer’s web site, that we would encourage you NOT to cut your budget when it comes to corporate entertainment.  You would be wrong.  You can save money on your corporate entertainment; you just want to be careful how you proceed.

Big name entertainment makes a nice headliner, but they can be expensive.   They often come with a hefty price tag, an expensive technical rider and other travel/transportation fees.  With a bit of research, you can usually find great corporate entertainers that are less expensive.  They may not be an instantly recognizable name, but by working with you to create personalized content, they can engage your audience on a more intimate level.  You get value for your investment and guests receive a unforgettable experience.

These acts usually have less stringent technical requirements, meaning additional savings on your AV requirements.  In some cases, you can have the talent roll all travel into their fee.  This way you aren’t hit with any surprises.

That’s all for today.  Tomorrow we will close this series out with three more important tips to help reduce the cost of your next corporate event.  As always, wishing you success with your next corporate function!

For part three, click here