Everybody enjoys a good Holiday Party. The fun and laughter enjoyed at a company function is one the best ways to create and cement relationships with your colleagues, staff and customers. Company functions should be a highlight and something to look forward to, and given the important role a company event plays in strengthening relationships and friendships, in-house party planners are often under a lot of pressure to making sure that their event will be a success. Frequently, though, the staff-member responsible for planning the event does not have the experience or knowledge to plan and organise the many different parts of the puzzle – and it’s normally not his or her primary job function.

The key to a successful event is to ensure that your guests shared experience is so much fun that they talk about your party for a long time afterwards. Be careful though, many event co-ordinators make the mistake of spending too much attention, time and money organising things that are not going to make a difference in making the function memorable.

Think about the last event you attended that you really enjoyed. Can you recall the venue and, if you can, was the venue the most important or memorable thing about the party? Was it the food? The drinks? I going to guess the most memorable thing about the entire event was how much you enjoyed the company of your friends around the table rather than the table setting itself.

It’s not how elaborate the venue is, how ‘inventive’ the cuisine is, or how much there is to drink that defines the success of your event. These things are still very important to ‘spark’ the kind of spirited atmosphere your guests need to have a great time, but a successful event is one where your guests have fun, are relaxed and feel comfortable.

So, how do you ‘break the ice’ so that your guests are keen to share an experience that creates this level fun? In my experience, working with professional event entertainers can be instrumental in creating the kind of atmosphere that will directly contribute your event’s success! By working with a performer who is dedicated to keeping your guests laughing, and involved, you will have the opportunity to sit down and also take part in the festivities. The benefits of working with an entertainer who is a corporate event specialist far outweigh the potential problems you may encounter and need to deal with if you choose the ‘cheapest’ entertainment, or take on all the responsibility of interacting with the guests yourself.

Selecting and hiring professional entertainment can be quite daunting, particularly if you do not have a plan or enough information available. How do you know if the entertainment will be of good value? What if it’s inappropriate or the entertainment doesn’t arrive? Selecting and hiring the right entertainment to ensure your event is a success can actually be very simple and easy.

Here are a few tips and suggestions to help you choose the right entertainment for your event:

Have a plan for your event – otherwise how will you know what you are trying to achieve? Your plan should include the following information:

► Date and time for your event
► Proper Venue (Good sightlines, Stage)
► Theme (Holiday Party, Staff Awards)
► Reasonable Budget 
► Timeline
► Notes and special requests

Start looking for entertainment options when you start your event planning.

Check if your choice of entertainer is available right after you book the venue. The success of an event depends heavily on the quality of entertainment, yet many planners make the mistake of leave this important aspect to the last minute. 

Decide how important it is for your guests to interact with the entertainment.

Do you want an entertainer that incorporates every guest into the performance such as a strolling performer or do you want stage entertainment? Interactivity is very important to create memories so look for something that your audience will likely not forget about after a few minutes.

Be prepared to have several alternatives available.

If your requested entertainer is not available, ask them who they recommend. Professional performers will know other entertainers who would be suitable for your event, and be able to give you suggestions and their recommendations (Hint: the willingness to reccommend colleagues is a sign of a true professional).

Credible and qualified entertainers will offer you testimonials and referral letters.

Find these accolades on your entertainer’s website and Google them to find any additional positive or negative comments. Taking a moment to read through your prospective entertainer’s list of previous clients gives you the best indication of the level of experience your entertainer has and do not hesitate to call previous clients to ask them for a personal recommendation. Ask your friends and colleagues if they have recently seen an entertainer who they would recommend. Just doing this can save you a lot of time, money and trouble in the long run!

Consider whether the entertainment is going to be suitable and appropriate for your guests.

Do they work clean? Are they appropriate for the CEO and the just-hired college intern? How much experience do they have in the industry? Do they provide a show or a time-filler for an hour? Establish your company’s accepted policies with your performer very early in your enquiry process. Make sure to select an entertainer that is certain to help you be remembered for all the right reasons? Nobody wants their guests to tell their friends how rude or boring your entertainer was, and this can be prevented if you chose the right performer.

How your prospective entertainer treats you will be a great indication how he or she will treat your guests.

When meeting with your entertainer, ask as many questions as you like – do not hesitate to make specific requests, since your performer is going to representing your company to your guests. If you feel that the entertainer doesn’t care about you or your event, you’re probably right. Keep looking around until you find someone you really feel comfortable with.

Have an appropriate budget available

A quality entertainer isn't cheap and a cheap entertainer generally isn't qualified. The biggest per-guest cost at most holiday parties is also usually the least memorable part of the entire event - the meal. In fact, if you break down the average timeline of a Holiday Party, one-third is the cocktail hour, one-third for the meal and one-third is left for the entertainment. The last third of the evening can make or break the event and yet it's the portion where most planners think they need to save money. Guests never talk about the great chicken they had on the weekend, but they do talk about a fun show they saw - and they spend as much time eating as they do watch that show!

Plan on a reasonable budget for entertainment from the outset. Don't look for someone who can do a show for what you have left. While each entertainer will have a different fee, a good base fee for you to consider will be 50% of meal cost, per guest. One hundred guests will cost you $4000 for the meal, on average, so be prepared to spend at least $2000 for a good entertainer.

If you know what qualities you’re looking for, then selecting and booking the right entertainment for your event or function can a lot of fun! You’ll be interacting with interesting personalities who love to laugh, are passionate about their work and who are eager to be in front of an audience. So when you’ve confirmed the right person for your event, you will not only relax — knowing that you’ll be working with a professional — but you’ll be certain to have just as much fun as your guests. You also deserve the type of event that you will remember and talk about for a long, long time! Just remember – aim to make your event fun, personal and unforgettable and you can be sure that your event will be talked about for a long, long time afterwards.