A Guide To Booking Corporate Entertainment In Ireland

A Guide to Booking Corporate Entertainment

5 easy steps & a list of Unique Corporate acts!

Having worked in the events industry prior to the entertainment industry, I feel qualified to offer a quick tutorial on the basics of booking corporate entertainment for events. This is a quick run-through of the main variables to take into account when planning entertainment for an event. If you just started an event manager position or even if you are organizing a once-off event for your company make sure to tick all the steps on the list below – to ensure everything runs smoothly with the preparation for your event.

At the end of this quick & easy tutorial, I will leave you with some recommendations for Corporate Entertainment .

Meeting with the client to make sure you have a structured and detailed briefing of what is expected on the day of the event is very important. The event brief is a complete overview of the event you were tasked to plan – should include all dates, requirements, the purpose of the event, resources, limitations, timings, tasks, budget, roles, and deadlines. This is the only way you can track your progress and stay on target. It is very important when booking entertainment that you make sure it suits both the vision of the event and the budget.

This applies to any event planning task, not just booking entertainment. But for the purpose of this article, I will keep it focused on Entertainment. The entertainment industry is a fast-paced competitive industry – meaning, all the most popular/best acts book up fast and months in advance. Especially, if your event is running on a peak season, (like Christmas or NYE, or any local Bank Holidays) you need to make sure to hold the perfect entertainment as soon as you find it so your client doesn’t have to compromise for a second best.

The budget is inherent to the briefing discussed above. However, it’s a subject you should really spend some time discussing before even contacting any performers/agencies. If you pay peanuts you get monkeys, truly applies here. The most accomplished entertainers will have a busy schedule, a professional proven track, probably a booking agency, and a reputation, this all comes at a cost – the cost of quality. However, the entertainment, when done right, will be remembered for years to come. Plus, it creates a nice flow of word-to-mouth publicity, which is the best kind in this industry.

• Step one – do your research, check the experience of the performers and make sure they have a presence online with genuine testimonials. Also, always revert back to your briefing to ensure the act blends in with the theme and vision of the event.
• Step two – Contact the agency that represents the artist asking for a quote and what is included in the fee. Give them all the information: Venue, location, timings, nature of the event, how many guests you are expecting, and what equipment you can provide. I can tell you from personal experience that an entertainment agency will let you know if the act you are looking into is not suitable for your event, as they have a reputation to uphold.
• Step three – Make sure you are very clear about the setup/soundcheck time required and equipment provided by the performer (if any). Also, keep in mind that most bands/musical acts will have to hire PA Systems for bigger events and this comes at an extra cost.
• Step four – Always, and I mean always, ask for a contract. I believe in this day and age we all know that this is very important. However, sometimes we get caught up in all the tasks to be done and this slips between the cracks -the contract gives you some safety. When booking through an agency this usually is done naturally to protect both parts.

The best way to have a successful event is making sure all the parts involved are informed of every single detail. Communicate openly with your performer regarding changes, special requirements, your vision, nothing is unimportant. The performer is also interested in the success of the event, the feedback from the event may lead to new opportunities thus more business for everyone.

Check out below a list of our most booked Unique Entertainment Acts:

Drinks Reception / Smaller Bands:

Jazz and Soul Singer backed up by Jazz Guitarist for an intimate performance

Experienced Guitar and Vocals Trad Duo

Latin Walkabout Acoustic Trio

Drums, Vocals and Piano sophisticated soulful act

Main Bands:

5-piece popular cover band with a repertoire to please all tastes.

Funk and groovy corporate party band with both female and male vocals

DJ Acts:

Mix fusion of live DJing and Saxophone

Live DJ Act Duo | fully customizable to any event

Futuristic Wireless Headphone DJ entertainment, two playlists simultaneously

Unusual Acts:

Surprise singers act during the meal: Opera, Divas, ABBA, etc.

Characters Meet and Greet | Troopers, Batman, Robot-Ted, Bumblebee, etc.

Fully Customisable Visual performance – no danger!

Get in touch for your Guide to Booking Corporate Entertainmentfriendly advice on +353 (0)1 201 3660