How do you know if the your corporate event entertainment will get you the most bang for your buck?  What if the group is inappropriate or leaves you waiting while you have a room full of guests?  Selecting and hiring the right entertainment to ensure your event is a success can actually be very simple and easy if you’re working with the right group! Here are a few tips to help you choose the right entertainment for your event that we’ve compiled after years of working corporate and private events:

1. Have A Plan

You must have a plan for your event – even if it’s a rough one. Otherwise, how will you know what to measure the success of it afterwards?  Again, at first it doesn’t have to be an entire itinerary.  Start simple with the following information:

• Date & Time
• Venue
• Theme (if any)
• Rough budget – don’t be conservative.  You can always scale it back once you start shopping, but the last thing you want to do is go over budget – especially if you aren’t paying for the event!
• Timeline
• Notes and Special Requests/Needs

2. Start Looking At Entertainment Options Early

There are several good reasons for this.  First,  if you’re looking at a band of any amount of reputation, you want to make sure that they are available.  It’s no secret that special events and corporate entertainment are usually a band’s favorite gig to play and will do their best to be availalble for one, but any band worth their salt will be booking a year ahead, so check their schedule early.  The success of an event lies heavily on the quality of entertainment, yet many event planners make the mistake of waiting until the last minute to secure their group.

3. Guest Interaction

Do you want a entertainers that incorporate each guest into the performance or are you looking for background entertainment?  Remember, since interactivity can be incredibly important to personalize an event, consider if you really need something that your audience might not engage with or worse, forget about after a few minutes.

4. Have Backup

If the group you want is not available for your date, ask them who they recommend.  Fun DMC have a list of groups we very much recommend in the event that we can’t take a date.  These are top-notch entertainers who we trust to uphold our reputation as well as ensure that your party will be in very, very capable hands.

5. Testimonials

Most groups will be happy to offer references and testimonials on their behalf. Fun DMC is always happy to put a potential client in touch with a former client, and we’re confident that they will always speak highly of our contribution to their event.  Additionally, you can always get digital and do a Google search on an entertainer to find any additional positive or negative comments.  Taking a moment to read through your prospective group’s list of previous clients and events gives you a great indication of the level of experience they have.  Never feel like it is inappropriate to call previous clients on that list to ask them for a recommendation!

6. Are They Appropriate?

Not everyone enjoys has the same tolerance for rique’ music or wants to see an inexperienced or awkward performer struggle on stage.  Establish your company’s acceptable policies with your performers early in your booking process.  Many corporate events are family affairs, and the last thing you need are the children learning new words.  Additionally, nobody wants their guests to tell their friends how rude or boring the band was, and this can be prevented with a little research and good communication.  Fun DMC considers themselves  “family friendly” entertainment, in order to be able to easily adapt to every generation and every situation.  You can be sure that there will never be anything lewd or inappropriate included in our performances.

7. The Golden Rule

When meeting with your entertainer or during early discussions, please make sure you ask as many questions as you can.  Do not hesitate to make specific requests!  The group you hire is going to be representing you and your organization to your guests.  If you feel that they do not care about or respect you or your event, that’s a red flag. Keep looking until you find someone you feel comfortable with and confident in.

If you know up front what qualities you’re looking for in your event entertainment, then finding and booking a group can be a lot of fun!  You’ll be interacting with interesting personalities who are passionate about what they do, and who are eager to be in front of your audience.  When you’ve decided on the right entertainment for your event, you will be confident in knowing that you’ll be working with professionals and you can be certain to have just as much fun as your guests.