Corporate event entertainment in Los AngelesSo you’ve been put in charge of the entertainment.
Maybe it’s a holiday party, a client dinner, or a reception for 200 with a budget somebody else picked. Whatever you book, the aim is the same: an event people leave in a better mood than they arrived in, and a boss who thinks you nailed it. I’m biased about one of the options below, so I’ll try to be fair about the rest.
First, what’s the entertainment for?
At a work event it’s nearly always doing one of three jobs. It fills a hole in the schedule, or it gets people mixing, or it gives the night a high point. Most of the disappointing events I’ve been to had perfectly good entertainment that was hired for the wrong job. A great band doesn’t help if what you needed was for sales to talk to engineering.
Bands and DJs
Nothing beats them for energy late in the night, and if your crowd dances, book one. They need a footprint, power, a sound check and load-in time, so bring your venue coordinator in early. The cost is conversation. Once the music’s up, the talking is over, and at most company parties about half the room doesn’t dance.
Photo booths
People like them and they go home with something. They’re busier after dinner than before. Be aware that people use them with whoever they came with, so they don’t do much for mixing.
Comedians
A good comic in a quiet, seated, attentive room is a wonderful thing. A good comic in a room where people are still eating and the bar’s open is painful for everyone, mostly the comic. There’s also content risk, so ask to see a full corporate set on video before you sign.
Speakers
If you’ve got a message to deliver, fine. Just know your people will experience it as one more session. It won’t feel like a break to them.
Caricature artists, tarot readers and so on
Charming, and slow. One artist gets through maybe a dozen guests an hour, so you end up with a line.
Strolling performers (this is me)
A strolling mentalist or magician is strongest in the first ninety minutes, when people are arriving and feeling a bit self-conscious and would love something to talk about. I need no setup whatsoever, which in a hotel ballroom or a restaurant buyout counts for more than you’d think. Where I’m weak is a very loud room. I also go well with a band, because we want different parts of the night.
Five questions worth asking anybody you hire
- What do you need from the venue, and when do you need to get in?
- How many of our guests will actually experience this?
- Is it clean? Describe a typical piece for me.
- Can you provide a certificate of insurance?
- Is the price flat, and what would change it?
My own answers are on the company events page and the page for planners.
Want to talk it through? I’ll call you.
I’d rather talk for ten minutes than trade six emails. I’ll ask about the crowd and the timing, tell you what I’d do, and give you a price before we hang up. You don’t have to decide on the call.
Sets start at $700.