The 7 Keys to Hiring the Best Entertainment for Corporate and Private Events

Posted by alisonreid29 on March 25th, 2014

Booking entertainment for your event can be a daunting task!  You want it to be fun for everyone, extra special and stay within your budget.  Where do you start?  What can you do to ensure a successful event?  How do you know you are making the right decision?

Being part of the Chicago party industry for more than 20 years has taught me that the cocktail hour entertainment definitely sets the tone for the entire event.  Here are 7 important considerations when hiring cocktail hour entertainment:

1.            The more unique the entertainment, the more people will remember your event.  Why hire the typical  magician or palm reader that you saw at the last event you attended?  Also, be sure to ask if the entertainer can customize their performance specifically for your event.

2.            Get more for your money with entertainment that can involve lots of your guests.  For example a tarot card reader can only entertain about 10-12 guests/hour, whereas a caricature artist can accommodate about half that many guests.

3.            The entertainment should be all about your guests and not about how talented or cool the performer is.  Personalized entertainment is truly more enjoyable and memorable.

4.            The entertainment should be “squeaky clean” so as not to offend anyone. 

5.            Hire a variety of entertainers so they can entertain more guests with their different skills.  A good ratio is one strolling performer for every 50-60 guests/hour and a performer at a fixed location for every 10 guests/hour.

6.            If the performer wasn’t personally recommended to you, ask for references. If they can’t provide any, do not hire that performer.

7.            Ask about a guarantee.  If a performer has a quality product and enough experience, they should absolutely guarantee their services.

These 7 Keys are courtesy of, Michael Kett, a sought- after Chicago event entertainer. His one-of-a–kind Lip Print Reading and Strolling Psychic entertainment is guaranteed to make any event planner look like a super hero. For a free event consultation, contact Michael at www.MichaelKett.com .