Corporate events are an essential part of any company’s annual activities. These events help reinforce brand values, send more powerful corporate messages, improve employees’ morale and build relationships with potential new clients.
Whether you are organizing a convention, awards dinner, banquet or conference, corporate event entertainment can be hugely beneficial, as it can leave guests with a memorable experience.
As a result, your company’s image will receive the positive recognition it deserves.
Because we want your corporate events to be special every single time, we wanted to create this easy to follow guide which will explain every aspect when it comes to event entertainment.
Putting together corporate event entertainment is a complex process which requires much careful planning and making inspired decisions. As the one in charge of organizing the event, your goal is to put on the best possible event, without going over the budget.
There are plenty of details, both big and small, which can significantly influence how successful a corporate event is going to be.
However, in this article, we are going to focus on event entertainment and share a few practical tips on how to get the full benefit. If that’s something you want to know more about, keep reading.
Finding the Corporate Event Entertainment
You may not know right away what type of entertainment you can book, but these pointers can help a lot:
- The type of event you are hosting. Will your event be live in person or an online program? Awards dinners or galas are more formal than a casual corporate event where employees get to hang out and party for a few hours. So, the type of corporate event you are organizing will point you towards a specific type of entertainment. For example, for a gala, you can book live classical music band, and for a casual corporate entertainment, you can book a clean comedian, while for a virtual meeting you will need virtual entertainment.
- Venue size. We recommend booking the venue before deciding on an entertainer, simply because you may discover later on that the location is not suitable for their performance.
- Budget. This is another essential pointer which can affect your decision. If you have a strict budget, then you need to narrow down your options or work with an agency which can help you find the right entertainment within your budget.
Another important tip here is to start your research early, ideally immediately after you have set the date and booked the venue. Quality entertainment is often booked months in advance, so you want to maximize your chances when it comes to finding the best option.
Narrowing Down Your Options
The pointers above are meant to help you create an initial list of corporate entertainers. Then, you can go ahead and look more closely at each option to figure out which one will fit your event like a glove.
Here’s how to narrow it down:
- Read reviews about them. Reviews can give you a pretty good overview of the atmosphere the entertainer created at previous events and also whether they were a good match for certain types of events and audiences.
- Watch them perform. Many if not all entertainers will have videos of them online, so event planners can see exactly what they are like on stage. If you were to choose a comedian, for example, seeing them perform will let you know whether they use explicit language or not.
How to Wow Your Guests with Corporate Event Entertainment
The point of hiring corporate entertainment is to wow your guests and make your event stand out. So how do you do that?
- Make sure that the entertainer can incorporate your brand’s message in their performance. This is going to be unexpected, and because it will come from someone outside the company, your guests will appreciate the idea.
- Be aware of the latest trends in the entertainment industry and try to book a popular performance which your audience will want to see.
- Choose an entertainer who is well-known for interacting with the audience. Even though they might not be able to do that with everyone at the event, it is important for them to create a one-on-one connection with a few people. This is especially important if your are having virtual meeting.
Time It Right
How you stage the entertainment experience can influence its overall impact on your guests. This usually depends on the details of an event, but as a general rule, it’s best if you don’t incorporate the entertainment too early on in the event’s program.
This way, you can build up anticipation and give attendees something to look forward to. That said, make sure the act doesn’t come too late either. Assuming guests haven’t left the venue, they may be too tired to enjoy the performance to the fullest.
Use Entertainment to Incorporate a Corporate Message
Entertainment is an excellent vehicle for communicating different messages or ideas, as it instantly commands people’s attention and keeps them engaged.
Also, it’s an excellent way to make sure the idea communicated will be remembered long after the event has come to an end.
Granted, not all entertainment options allow for this, as the act needs to be customized to include the message you want to deliver. So we wanted to recommend a few picks you may want to consider.
- Corporate Speakers. Some of the best keynote speakers out there will be open to customizing their presentations to meet your organization’s specific needs.
- Clean Comedy. Through how they plan their shows, savvy clean comedians can include ideas you want to communicate. For instance, they can add relevant stories or shape certain characters to suit this purpose.
- A variety act which involves storytelling. Storytelling is compelling when it comes to sending a message to an audience and when it’s combined with a performance which will wow your guest, it’s even better.
Leverage Entertainment to Increase Brand Exposure
One of the main goals of organizing a corporate event is to reinforce and raise brand awareness, both internally and externally.
Well, the right type of entertainment can increase the odds of guests talking about your event for a long time ahead, thus ensuring continued exposure for your company.
Plus, it can help your event go viral, which will help increase brand exposure in a big way.
To maximize the likelihood of this happening, it’s best to have an act which is incredibly surprising – something which will make people want to grab their phones hit record and then share the footage all over their social media accounts.
Regardless of your choice of entertainment, though, make sure you keep the company’s social media accounts updated with pictures to maximize the event’s exposure.
Focus on posting images depicting those WOW moments from your event other people will want to share.
Types of Corporate Event Entertainment and Tips for a Meaningful Experience
For each special occasion, your company wants to celebrate; there is a type of corporate entertainment which will complete the guests’ experience.
Your employees do not just want to have fun. Most of them want to feel they are making a positive global change. It is one of the reasons you could try to tailor your next corporate event accordingly.
Be it volunteering or announcing a new strategy, having the right entertainment can ensure a more meaningful experience. The event will make your employees feel like working for you is the best experience they could ask for.
Here are a few tips and a few options of corporate event entertainment to consider for your company’s next big occasion.
Turn the Summer Outing into an Event Reinforcing Your Mission
Making your employees feel like they work at the best employer in the world is a good way to boost their engagement. It is a vital aspect which can lead to a massive increase in productivity.
So use the summer outing to bring everyone on the same path. Find a theme and incorporate it into every activity.
Rock and roll, for example. You can ask your employees to become your business’ industry rock stars. To achieve it you could, for example, organize the outing somewhere in the mountains. Fun competitions could involve real rocks.
When it comes to corporate event entertainment, you could hire a rock band or a pop singer to energize one of the nights.
Take Dave Fenley, for example. He has shared the stage with musical royalty like Dwight Yoakam, Miranda Lambert, and Dierks Bentley. You may have seen him on America’s Got Talent and The Voice.
Provide Cool Swag and Random Acts of Kindness
While not an event per se, you can create a meaningful working experience for your employees by handing out cool company swag now and then.
These could be t-shirts or thank you notes recognizing their performance.
If you want to take it a step further, you could hire a live painter like Heidi Schwartz to create a masterpiece in front of your employees. You can then hang the painting in the office to constantly remember your staff about that day.
Corporate Event Entertainment that Helps You Seize the Day
If you are planning a big event for your employees and business partners, going the extra mile is highly recommended. Besides finding the right location and getting the perfect menu, entertainment is a vital aspect as well.
You will want someone who will help you make a statement. You will want guests to feel like their work matters.
Tenors Undercover could be the perfect corporate event entertainment you are looking for. Their act involves male and female performers intricately masquerading throughout the event.
They could be anything from guest speakers to award-winning chefs, wine experts, ushers and planted guests. Your event will culminate in a dynamic performance guaranteed to be a hit with any audience.
Start Your Search for the Best Corporate Entertainment Now
In our portfolio, you will find over 2,100 corporate speakers and artists who are sure to enliven your event and turn it into a memorable experience for all those involved.
Conclusion
The right Corporate event entertainment is an essential part of event planning, and it can contribute to its success.
If you follow the tips above, then you will have no issues picking the right choice for every type of corporate event you will be planning.
Make sure to give it a look and don’t hesitate to call us at 615 283 0039 in case you have any questions.
