CLANG! A young banquet hall employee loses his grip on a silver serving tray as he attempts to swiftly clear the head table. The crashing noise lasts only a moment, but it was too late.

The punchline to a very funny joke I had crafted over the last week, specifically for the corporate audience watching me, had already left my microphone.  No one heard the joke, so no one laughed.  The dishes continue to talk for the next five minutes of my forty-five minute performance.

The holiday season (November – January) is peak season for many private entertainers. Companies and families assemble to celebrate their accomplishments and share in each other’s company.  Many hosts have discovered that hiring an entertainer is the perfect way to make their party more memorable. This is absolutely true (I may be a little bias), however, we need your help in planning the event to ensure our show will be a hit with your guests.

99% of the time, a banquet hall employee in a hurry or weak emcee will not be remembered by your guests and the show will go on (forgive the expression). But in my experience, those types of unplanned surprises are often the difference between a “fun” evening or an evening that will have your guests and employees laughing and talking for months.

Here are my top 10 TIPS!

1. Less can be more! Clients may think a 75 minute show is what they want when they really should have is a 30 to 45 minute show. Event nights can get long and it is nice to leave an audience feeling energized, and wanting more.
2. Always request that the wait staff not clear dishes during an after dinner show. It is a major disturbance for your guests.
3. Give some thought as to how to best set up the room. Site lines are important for your guests.
4. Keep things moving along throughout the event. Often people are done eating and just sitting and waiting for things to happen. Dessert shows can work great to keep the evening moving along.
5. Try not to have a break between your meal, program, and the performance.  Keep things moving and flowing. Once people get up and start moving and talking it is hard to get them sitting back down and refocused. Things should be ready to go and Jared will be all set so he can jump on stage and keep the evening flowing.
6. Make sure you have a strong MC. Try to have someone who is energetic and articulate do the MC work for your event. It makes the night a whole lot better for your guests. This might be someone who typically would not have that role in the company.
7. Allow enough time and space. Jared will arrive and set up and do sound and light check prior to your guests ever entering the room.
8. Pay attention to the little details required to make the show the best it can be. Stage size, power needs, set-up time, and a dressing room for Jared to change and warm-up in are all things that help a show be its very best.
9. Even if you have a committee selecting entertainment, have only one person act as a contact for the entertainer prior to the day of performance and the night of the performance. Things tend to get mixed up when three different people are telling Jared three different things.
10. Lastly, have fun and enjoy the event!