How does planning a corporate party for your employees and partners on a yacht in the Caribbean sound like? If you’re a small business owner, it probably just sounds like totally out of your budget – at least for now.
That’s why we’ve decided to provide you with eight entertainment ideas that are actually within reach.
Try These Corporate Entertainment Ideas for Your Next Corporate Event
You don’t have to put a dent in your budget to ensure your employees and partners will have a good time at your event. You just have to be judicious when choosing the entertainment.
It just so happens that we have some awesome recommendations for you.
1. A Magician Will Make Your Event Stand out
A magician who can cut up the CEO in half is bound to get a lot of applause from all employees!
However, if you’re worried that a conventional magician might seem too childish, pick someone who can take magic into the 21 century.
Simon Pierro would be perfect for the job. He is a digital magician who incorporates technology into his acts. You definitely won’t have to worry about people getting bored!
2. A Musical Comedian Can Elevate the Spirits
Laughter brings people closer together – there’s no doubt about it.
That is why you can’t go wrong by choosing a corporate comedian. Want to take it to the next level? Go with a musical comedian! Ask them to write a song incorporating certain aspects of your industry or company and give them a funny spin.
3. A Speaker Will Inspire and Educate Guests
If you want your event to be more on the professional side, you can always just choose a corporate speaker. They can incorporate your company’s values into their speech and provide guests with a valuable learning experience.
That is an excellent way to improve certain areas of your business such as leadership, productivity or team building. If that’s something you want for your event, we suggest you check out Mark Sanborn.
4. A Famous Juggler Is Hard to Forget
That is not among the standard corporate entertainment ideas you might be used to. But it works!
If you want guests to remember your event and talk about it for a long time ahead, we recommend someone like Jeff Civillico. His amazing juggling skills are completed by his ability to interact with the audience throughout his number.
5. A Celebrity Impersonator Will Make the Event Memorable
If that’s something that will never cease to entertain people, it’s imitation. Celebrity impersonators appeal to most people, so it’s a safe choice.
Also, if you can’t have a famous singer perform on that yacht in the Caribbean, hiring an impersonator is the next best thing, right?
Employees will line up to get autographs and take pictures. Moreover, you can have impersonators customize their act. That way, the representation will seem more personal to your guests. The more particular the number is, the funnier it gets.
Be Ahead of the Game with These Entertainment Ideas
Stealing the show with the event you are organizing can be a matter of good planning, smart budgeting or a successful promotional campaign.
Moreover, sometimes, it is just about finding the best corporate entertainment ideas to keep the guests merry and in good spirits. Or in awe. Or inspired.
You cannot really have an event without the extra bit entertainment offers. Besides arresting people’s attention, entertainment can also have educational value. So you can explore several approaches.
6. Why Not Both?
By ‘both,’ we are referring to different ends of the spectrum – motivational speakers and comedians.
We have worked with countless corporate event planners, and in many cases, they seemed to limit themselves only to one of the options above while searching for the best entertainment ideas. When, in fact, they could have opted for both.
Either you book two separate acts, or you take the time to look for an artist who combines both.
7. Growing Knowledge Is Entertaining
Usually, when digging for corporate entertainment ideas, the instinct is to cast out those which imply an educational factor.
We are not referring to passing information on in the form of interviews or keynote talks necessarily. If you do opt for the latter option, you should also make sure you add a complementary factor to it (a fun quiz or an interactive interlude, for instance).
What we had in mind, however, is about growing other kinds of knowledge – educating your guests on topics like:
- wine tasting
- chef skills
- bartending.
Guests will learn new information from experts you will invite for the demonstration. Plus, you can think of a way to go beyond an event by testing the guests on the knowledge they acquired – but in a fun way (you can set up a cocktail-making competition, for instance).
8. Hip Event Theme
Let’s face it – glam, hip, and cool themes send a specific message to a target audience: you have to be there! This instant effect can be achieved by having a cool design on the promotional materials, a diverse guest list or maybe just having the right persons spread the news in the right media.
However, what do ‘hip’ corporate event ideas mean?
Let us take an example: urban art. This kind of art is the mark of collective, emergent art and can always be adopted as a breath of fresh air for the corporate event environment. Just invite a graffiti artist, for instance, and you will wake up to tons of social media photos from your event.
It is hip. Therefore it is share-worthy.
Do You Have a Corporate Entertainment Ideas List?
A great strategy for any event planner is having a secret stash of ideas for any kind of events.
This way, you will always be on the lookout for ideas to jot down. Whenever you see something which inspires you, whenever you take part in an event which gives you great ideas for your events you have to organize throughout the year.
How to Get Creative with Your Entertainment Ideas
Corporate entertainment ideas – that part of event planning which has the power to elevate an event from average to stellar.
It can establish you as a trustworthy, resourceful event planner who’s able to see their craft from a different perspective.
However, where do you begin to improve these skills?
You are just in the right place to get an answer to this question and be a step ahead whenever you have to deliver corporate entertainment for everyone to remember.
Significant Details First
Say you have a specific set of rules you have to follow for your event and there are no innovative corporate entertainment ideas you could implement.
In this case, you can still involve your creative spirit, but this time you will use it to work on the detailed aspects like:
- Invitations
- Lighting
- Seating arrangements
- Decorations or props
- Stage design
- Table centerpieces
- Table cards
As insignificant as they might seem within the grand picture, these details can elevate the entertainment number you opt for.
If you do your research in time, you will be able to find artsy or cutting-edge artists who work with less used concepts and top-notch execution, as well.
Always Be on the Lookout
The majority of people in the corporate environment are tech-savvy. Moreover, even if they are not necessarily tech geeks, they do enjoy a good deal of technology in their lives.
That is why, as a planner, you always have to be in the know about the latest tech trends. You could use the latest apps or devices as a creative and surprising entertainment elements (e.g., 3D mapping can be used for teambuilding events).
If you are a step ahead, you stand a good chance of succeeding at the creative event planning game. Especially with corporate events, where hundreds of formulas have been tested, and it is quite hard to come up with something new.
Especially with corporate events, where hundreds of formulas have been tested, and it is quite hard to come up with something new.
Play with the Available Entertainment Options
It may sound a bit artificial, but in this day and age, it is all about the package. Personal brand, communications, social media – all these are aspects at which you can excel only if you have a smart, straightforward and original packaging.
So why not apply the same mindset when looking for corporate entertainment ideas you find for company events you are in charge with?
To be sure, not all acts at company events will be able to stir interest at the mere mention on the line-up.
So what do you do, in this case? Find a distinctive element within the performer’s story or craft and use it as a backbone of the event social media promotion strategy.
Pro tip: if you work with an entertainment agency like The Grable Group, you can get the best suggestions on how to get more creative.
Go off the Beaten Track with Your Corporate Entertainment Ideas
In this day and age, it is not enough to go with the flow – especially in your career as an event planner. You will need more than just organizational skills. You have to be able to deliver customized experiences, be adaptable and assertive.
Good news is, event entertainment is a creative industry which can inspire you to come up with a fresh point of view every time.
Looking for More Ideas?
If you want more corporate entertainment ideas, feel free to browse through our list of artists and speakers. You’ll surely be able to find someone to accommodate your budget and entertainment preferences.
There are plenty of ways of maintaining a learning curve when it comes to entertainment ideas. One of them is subscribing to The Grable Group newsletter and getting fresh materials to draw entertainment insights from.
Also, we are here to help you up your game – either with top-tier entertainers and corporate speakers or with the articles we are publishing on our website.
For more information regarding the performers we manage, don’t hesitate to contact us!
