So the boss tapped you on the shoulder and said, “You are in charge of hiring the entertainment for the company party this year.” After you swallow hard and begin to collect your thoughts he adds, “And I want some unique office party ideas this time. Something new and fresh that will blow our minds! Not the standard magician who pulls a rabbit out of his hat, or a juggler who can only do three balls at a time. I want something the folks will be talking about for a long, long time.”
Easy enough said, boss, you think. Where do I start in planning my unique office party ideas?
Finding good entertainers like stand-up comics, magicians, jugglers and musicians who fit the tastes and interests of your company and its employees would be nearly impossible without the help of a professional talent and booking agency. Moreover, fortunately for you, the job has been made even easier through the use of the internet. Now you have the ability to work online with a talent agency and view all of their recommendations before making any final bookings for your unique company party ideas.
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For instance, would any of the following performers fill the bill of planning unique office party ideas that would knock the socks off your boss and fellow employees?
The Best Talent for Unique Office Party Ideas
Adam Trent, billed as a magician who combines magic with comedy, music and dancing, Trent interacts with his audience in mystifying ways. Described as ‘Justin Timberlake meets David Copperfield,’ Trent does nearly 300 solo events each year as well as appears on the show “The Illusionists – Live on Broadway” under the billing of ‘The Futurists’ along with six other entertainers who perform a wide variety of on-the-edge magic and illusion acts.
Joe Castillo, showcased on America Has Talent, this Mexico-born artist and performer creates wondrous sand pictures using only his hands, raw powder, a clear flat table, and a projector and screen. His talent has been described as awe-inspiring, captivating and hugely entertaining. He speaks in Spanish or English when he creates his “SandStory” images for his audiences. The unique sand art form has been described as inspirational and captivating and often brings cheering crowds to their feet after each sand picture is completed.
Catapult is a talented troupe of dancers uses an Interactive Shadow
Screen to project their live shadow performances in silhouette. Very popular at corporate functions, Catapult often creates storylines for each company and invites personnel on stage to interact with the troupe in front of the shadow screen. Their founder and director, Adam Battelstein, spent 19 years with a renowned dance company and had performed at the Oscars and on the Oprah show.
Ron Pearson is a well-known comedian has been called “a comic ball of fire,” by The Hollywood Reporter. A Los Angeles Times reviewer wrote, “I laughed so hard my jaws ached.” The Seattle native held a World Record for juggling at the age of 15 before taking his street performance act to Hollywood. Person has been seen on hundreds of television sitcoms and as the host of shows on the Disney and Discovery channels.
Bob Stromberg is a man of many entertaining talents, Stromberg performs a hand puppet show, entertains audiences with his family stories and performs what he calls ‘clean-comic therapy.’ He was also a writer and performer with “Triple Espresso- A Highly Caffeinated Comedy”, a vaudeville-style comedy act popular in the U.S. and Europe in the late 1990s through 2008. The Chicago Sun Times called the show, “Mesmerizing!” The London Metro added, “Stunning!”
Piff the Magic Dragon, the stage name of John van der Put; the British magician and comedian perform in a corny-looking but funny dragon costume along with a Chihuahua. Recently seen on the TV show America Got Talent, his raw humor, zany antics, and an array of magic tricks makes for a fun night for any audience. Piff’s dog, dressed in a matching green dragon costume, is nearly as funny as Piff as he performs an assortment of dumb-dog tricks.
Typical of the wide array of entertainment talent to be found on talent agency websites, your choice of acts like these that fit your criteria for unique company party ideas will hinge on several factors. What’s the size of the audience? How large is the venue and what are its physical characteristics and limitations. Most important, what is the size of your entertainment budget? Once you narrow your choices down using the above criteria, you have to determine if they are available for the date of the corporate function. Hopefully, you’ll have more than one act to choose from. This is the time to bring in some peers, or even the boss, to review video presentations. Never mind that the Edsel was designed by a committee, using your fellow workers to help pick the act that will perform at your company party and blow the minds of everyone in attendance is sage advice.
