10½ TIPS FOR THE BEST ENTERTAINMENT
AT YOUR NEXT EVENT
For a successful event, not only the right choice of entertainment is important, but also the way it is integrated. Too often overlooked small details make a huge difference and strongly inuence the long-lasting memory of your event. For more than 20 years I have been providing entertainment for exclusive events and gained extensive experience, which I wish to offer you herewith. Magically yours,
Š Lucca Lucian, Vienna 2016
1. DEFINE YOUR GOALS Knowing exactly what you want to achieve with your event is essential. The entertainment will set the mood and should support your event. 1.1.
Do you want to provide entertainment for only some of your guests, while the others are mingling and chatting in the back or do you want all of them to be mesmerized?
1.2.
Do you want to introduce a new product or deliver a message at your event? Some artists can help you embed your product or message in their performance and thereby create an emotional impact in your guests’ memory.
1.3.
For how long and when do you want the guests to pay full attention? A set time and duration is fine, but sometimes you may want to stay flexible and react to the audience’s reaction. Arrange a secret sign with the artist, if you want him or her to extend the performance. This could also help if anything else goes wrong (i.e. delays with the catering service).
1.4.
What mood do you want the guests to be in after the performance?
1.5.
One commonly overlooked danger is that the artist and the performance can become too dominant. You may not necessarily want to entirely turn your wedding into a comedy-club or your corporate gala into a pop concert. Some artists have specialized in certain types of events or developed unique shows that keep the focus on the main theme of your event.
2. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE Naturally you will consider what type of entertainment could appeal to your guests, but you should also consider what mood they may be in: 2.1.
How long will they want to meet & greet and network?
2.2.
How long will they have to drive home and when will they want to leave?
2.3.
How much alcohol will they consume and when?
2.4.
Do they know each other or would it be helpful to get them to talk to each other? Interactive acts with audience participation can break the ice between strangers and give them something to talk about and start a conversation.
3. CONSIDER THE VENUE 3.1.
If any columns, walls or pieces of furniture restrict your audience's view to the stage, ask everybody to move to a better position shortly before the performance. Advise the service staff to be ready to help with the chairs!
3.2.
Likewise, ask everybody sitting with their back to the stage (i.e. at round dinner tables) to turn around before the act starts.
3.3.
If your event location has multiple rooms, where, when and how you serve food and drinks will have a great impact on where your guests will stay and how much attention they will pay to the entertainment.
3.4.
Smokers or the weather may drag people outside on the terrace, garden or to another room.
3.5.
If you cannot fit all guests into one room, walking acts can be the best choice, but consider that every guest will see much less. For every 100 guests, one artist may only be able to perform for around 3-5 minutes per guest, so you may consider hiring more artists.
4. BE AWARE OF EXTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES Are there any public holidays before or after your event? Could there be delays due to rush hour traffic jams, other big events or searching for parking spaces? How will the season affect your event (Christmas parties, school holidays, major sport events, etc.)?
5. TIME SCHEDULE AND SETUP 5.1.
5.2.
For theatre seating: Consider some variable time slots in your schedule in order to compensate delays. 5.1.1.
For entertainment acts that require the audience's attention, the perfect time slot is immediately after the official part on stage.
5.1.2.
Don't mix entertainment with speeches, presentations, award ceremonies or similar, unless it contributes to the programme. Don't divide the act into several parts. You will impede the flow of the performance and after the first entertainment act, the audience will feel reluctant to get back to business.
5.1.3.
A seated audience will only stand up once! This means that once your guests have left their seats, it is almost impossible to get them all back again.
5.1.4.
Fence off or block the back rows in the beginning, so the guests fill the first rows first.
For dinner tables or stand-up: 5.2.1.
Try to separate dining and entertainment. I case of a seated dinner, the ideal time is almost always between the main course and the dessert. You guests aren't hungry anymore, very attentive and often even happy to get some time to digest. In such a case don't serve or open the dessert buffet before the end of your stage performances.
5.2.2. Instruct the waiters to stop serving during the show and to announce this to the guests. They should take the last order 10-15 minutes before the performance. 5.2.3. Let the waiters know how they will recognize the end of the performance (last act or a given time).
6. LIGHT AND SOUND 6.1.
If you don't hire a professional event organizer, don't underestimate how much light you may need for your stage performances to be seen. Only one light source from one side will certainly be insufďŹ cient, create shadows and if it breaks down you have no lighting at all.
6.2.
A sound check is crucial. Schedule it as soon as possible, at the latest 1 hour before the ďŹ rst guests arrive.
7. DOCUMENTATION The impression your event leaves may be the strongest for your attending guests on site, but the biggest impact could be the media coverage about it. Photos and videos are essential for any press release or social media coverage.
8. ANNOUNCEMENT 8.1.
If you are announcing the entertainment act on the invitation, do not just mention the name. Unless it is a superstar whom everybody knows, you should raise expectations by giving an emotional preview (“will leave you speechless”, “will present his new book/album”, etc.) and mention merits or awards (International Champion, Award Winner, etc.) in order to attract guests. Indicate the exact times of the entertainment act on the invitation.
8.2.
Never let an artist to come on stage without announcement! If you don't have an MC, then the head of the company, the organizer of the event, the host or at least the most entertaining member of your party should announce the performer. An audience that is prepared to expect something extraordinary and gives their full attention will actually have a great impact on the performance of the artist. Just imagine a football team having to start playing while spectators are only slowly taking their seats and not cheering when they come on the field. Such a game can be won or lost in the first few minutes.
9. CHOOSING THE RIGHT GENRE 9.1.
The age of your audience, cultural background, education, nationality, religion, gender, the venue, your goal, the remaining programme and the time of the day will have an impact on how the entertainment will be received. Consider these factors!
9.2.
Do you just want to make them laugh or also wonder?
9.3.
If you don’t have any genre that appeals to you, try to find out what type of entertainment was well received by similar audiences or, in the case of an annual event, what worked well 3 or 4 years ago.
10. CHOOSING THE RIGHT ARTIST Once you've chosen the genre, you want to find the right artist. Professional websites, brochures or videos may give you a good impression, but here are the details you should consider: 10.1. A TV-performer may not necessarily be a good stage artist and vice versa. Look for testimonials of clients with similar events to your own. 10.2. Ask the artist if he or she can perform the requested act on your stage. 10.3. Compare how the artist or his management prepares for your event. Do they ask any of the questions mentioned above? Do they understand your priorities? 10.4. Do you want members of the audience to also be involved in the act? 10.5. If you want to include some persons in the show no matter what or under no circumstances, inform the artist in advance. While this may be possible in many cases, it may have a negative impact on the performance on the other hand. Ask the artist straightforward what his advice would be, he is the only one to know. 10.6. Ask the artist if he has any ideas for (personalized or branded) giveaways. It may save you time to find something on your own and it could reinforce the memory of your event.
10 ½ I’m not giving this last tip a full point because I consider myself biased about it and it will come at no surprise that I consider my own genre to be ideal for almost any type of exclusive event. On the other hand, I can honestly say that I still have to come across a single spectator who wasn’t interested at all in my genre AFTER seeing my performance. Amazement is a feeling that everybody knows and understands all around the world, no matter what their cultural background, age, gender or education may be. Mental Magic (or Mentalism) thrills and fascinates almost everybody. Although it has become increasingly popular over the last decade, a great majority of the population has never seen a live performance in their whole life. A live experience of the impossible will be remembered forever. No other genre is so much stronger live than on TV or online. The chances are very high that this modern form of entertainment can be the ideal highlight at your next event. Have a look at my website www.LUCCA.world and see what my clients have to say about my performances.
In any case, I hope that some of my tips have been helpful to you and we will stay in touch! Good luck for your next event! Magically yours, LUCCA
ABOUT THE AUTHOR LUCCA is one of the leading and most creative illusionists & speakers worldwide.
His performances and illusions, many invented by LUCCA himself, almost exclusively involve the audience. He thereby solely performs magic with everyday items or simply creates illusions in the minds of his guests.
He is the creator of the dinner-show "The Salon of Wonder" and he works mostly for corporate events and high luxury hotels around the globe.
Vice-World Champion of Mental Magic 2015 2 x Austrian Champion of Mental Magic 2012 & 2014
For more information, visit www.LUCCA.world