The best tip for successful corporate entertainment!

I do a lot of corporate shows.  A lot!!!  And there are things that you can do to ensure the client gets the best results possible.

Of course hiring the right entertainment is a good start.  I wrote an article on how to do that already here.

But once the proper entertainment is hired, the job is still far from finished.

There are many things that can be done to make the event a success,  but here is the absolute biggest thing that can help, based on my thousands of shows.

Drumroll,  here it is:

If you have a major door prize, or a thank you from the CEO, owner, or anyone else,  save it until directly before the entertainment.  I mean have absolutely no break between this last bit of business and the entertainment.  Zero break.  Absolutely no pause.

The reason for this is, once people leave their chairs they quite often simply won’t go back.

I hear it all the time, “Oh our group will not do that, they will stay seated”.  “Our group will not go far!”.  These comments are usually followed at the end of the night with, “You were correct”,  or, “We should have listened to you.”

Here is an example from just a few months ago.  I told them to have no break and they swore it wouldn’t happen.  Here is the room before they took the break:

And here is the room after their quick break that “everyone will be in their seats” from:

As you can see they just got up and left.  This has nothing to do with who you hire for entertainment.  It’s just that a lot of these people have had a long day and they stand up and get sidetracked.

Often it can take me half the show to get the audience back where they need to be.

The bar can be a huge problem.  The people go to the bar and get a drink.  But then it’s gone so they get back in the long lineup.  Sometimes people just go to their rooms where the drinks are cheaper.

Regardless, this situation can be avoided overtime if you simply have no break between supper and entertainment.  And if you do take a break, make sure you have a door prize, long term service award, or speech to get everyones attention.

I promise you, it will make your event better, and give you the best value for your entertainment dollar!