As an event highlight, corporate event entertainment has the potential to engage and inspire your attendees. It creates shared memories that will last far beyond the event. It’s a chance for them to snap out of their everyday thinking and experience something new. Your attendees might as well be back in the office if they don’t think they’re using their time productively—or if they’re not having a good time.

Choosing the entertainment for your event can be the difference between a so-so event or a great one. You can avoid common mistakes when you book corporate event entertainment for your next event. Like every aspect of event production, entertainment choices are most effective when guided by strategy. 

Strategize a balanced event

When designing and producing a corporate event, it’s crucial to understand what purpose the entertainment will serve at the event. Once you’ve uncovered the need for entertainment, you can make strategic entertainment choices. You can then determine how best to measure the success of those choices. 

For example, if your primary event goal is to share new information, you may want to formulate a plan to balance entertaining and educating your attendees. Seating your attendees in classroom-style rows to listen to speakers all day might not be the best way to keep your attendees engaged.

You might consider live music or a dance group to create energy as people walk into the General Session or an idea wall during a break outside the ballroom (or meeting room). It’s essential to capture the collective brain power in the room that will be lost by the time everyone gets back to the office. If your attendees have been watching PowerPoint presentations for a few hours, allow them to get up and move with a dance instructor or something that involves interaction. It may be exactly what your event needs to gain more powerful momentum. 

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Consider timing and location

Timing is essential for corporate event entertainment. Understandably, the entertainment for an awards show on the final night will differ from a general session. The entertainment should benefit the overall flow of an event. That can mean a musician between breakout sessions or an illusionist to reveal the CEO. Corporate event entertainment is an excellent opportunity for event managers to get creative within the strategy for the event.

The room layout will affect the entertainment experience. If you want your attendees to dance or sit during a musician’s performance, you’ll need to plan for that and create the room layout accordingly.  

Think about your audience

Who’s going to be in the room? Corporate event attendees are often a very diverse group of people, and it can be challenging to find entertainment that reaches every demographic of your audience. Consider what will be most exciting and engaging to everyone who’s there. 

For example, executive leadership may have different entertainment preferences than most younger employees. Is there an entertainer that the 30-somethings and the 60-somethings can all enjoy? It may be that Lionel Richie would create a better overall experience than Harry Styles (assuming both are in budget).

To create a successful experience, work with leadership and follow their lead to create the appropriate experience. If a team has experienced significant setbacks this year, they may not be looking to celebrate with a concert. But if sales are up and employees are ready for their first post-pandemic reunion, then it may be time to party (Karamu, Fiesta, forever…all night long).  

Artists with corporate event entertainment experience 

Once you know what you’re looking for, you’ll want to prioritize finding artists who can be enthusiastic about your event, ideally with experience and a willingness to give the audience the attention they deserve. A corporate event requires special attention and great performers willing to provide it. 

You must be ready to set your entertainers up for success. For example, they’ll need information about the organization, the attendees, and the messaging of the event. Your performers should know who they are performing for and the event’s purpose. Performers should also understand any challenges with the company or venue regarding timing, content restrictions, or sound ordinances.

When given preparation time and information, we’ve seen rockstars bring down the house with unforgettable performances of original songs written specifically for a corporate event. On the flip side, we’ve seen what happens when comedians haven’t been correctly informed or guided, to the shock and dismay of leadership (particularly HR). For better and worse, the effectiveness of corporate event entertainment strategy lies in attention to detail.

Have some fun

Corporate event entertainment has the power to transform the mindset of your attendees. When it’s all said and done, you can measure an event’s success by your attendees’ engagement. Best case? Your event attendees will be talking about the performance long after it’s over, cherishing the lasting memory of an event that brought people together around a common goal.

If you’re looking for corporate event production that goes above and beyond, call Heroic.