“Use the know-how of a professional entertainer
with experience from thousands of successful events
to make your next event one for the record books!”
What I am about to share is for people who are planning parties, either private individuals or professional event planners.
– Dr. Gary Flegal.
Everyone knows what I’m about to say, but it has rarely been put into words.
People who attend events are looking for something fun, exciting, and memorable – something they can talk about tomorrow by the water cooler at work, or next week, or even something they’ll remember a year from now.
The parts of an event include the venue/decorations, the food, and the entertainment.
People enjoy a fun venue and decorations (I am grouping decorations with venue because decorations become part of the venue). The location for your event creates the tone and gives your occasion “atmosphere” – that indefinable something that sets the stage. If you are spending first class dollars on your venue, make sure you have allotted enough budget for comparable food and entertainment. People expect a nice venue as the backdrop for their evening.
Food is expected when people get together. Simply that – it is expected. Food needs to at least be decent. If the food is particularly exceptional, people will comment on how nice it is. The problem with making food that people will remember is simply that people eat every day. They will appreciate great food and comment on it, but most people will not be talking about the food from an event more than a day or so later, no matter how great it is, simply because eating is a daily occurrence.
The thing that people will be talking about next week, or even next year, is the thing that was unexpected – the thing that they don’t experience every day. That thing is Live Entertainment.
Out of the total population, less than ten percent of people see Live Entertainment with any regularity, and I have heard it said that of this ten percent, barely 10% of those have seen a professional magician perform in person (if you’re keeping track, that is less than 1% of the total population). People will remember your Live Entertainment because most people don’t experience it very often.
Finding the right entertainer for your group is the most important decision you will make for your event because this is what people will remember and talk about for days, weeks, and even years. Choosing the right Live Entertainment is what will make people come up to the event planner afterwards and call him or her a hero because the entertainment made the event memorable.
Finding excellent Live Entertainment takes a bit of work. The Internet has made this process both easier and more difficult at the same time. It’s easier to find people because anyone can put up a website or be listed on a page that people search for entertainers. But it’s more difficult because having a website doesn’t make someone professional or good, it just makes them available. There are lots of people who call themselves professional but are really just part-time performers who want to do entertainment on the side and do not have the expertise you need.
What you want and need is a full-time dedicated professional who can provide you with real references and preview videos that demonstrate the quality of the work they do. And while a higher price won’t guarantee high quality entertainment, you should expect to pay more for what you will receive.
Consider how much per person the food and drink is going to cost. Are you spending $20, $25, even higher for what each person will eat, but then turning around and only wanting to spend $1 or $2 per person on entertainment? A good rule of thumb is to plan at least as much per person for entertainment as you spend per person on food.
And before you hire someone, have a conversation with them on the phone. Listen to their ideas and suggestions and take advantage of their knowledge. Then, based on the evidence (their references, video previews and experience), evaluate if this person can create the vision you have for your event.
You don’t want to be blind-sided no matter who you hire. You need to have confidence that this is the act, the entertainer who is going to have people coming up to you after the event and saying, “Where did you find this person?” and, “Thank You for planning such a great event!”
All of the parts of an event are significant, but don’t skimp on planning for the Live Entertainment – one of the most essential parts of your successful and memorable event.
CLICK HERE to contact Dr. Gary Flegal for your next event, or call 615-812-7280
Other posts from Dr. Flegal to help in planning your event:
