Music for Corporate Entertainment
For many years I have supplied music for and played in bands that
provide music for corporate entertainment. Clients have included Audi,
The Evening Standard, Sainsburys, P.C. World, Safeways, Large corporate
clients at Henley and Ascot, I.T.V. and H.M. Treasury. Because of this
experience I felt it would be relevant in putting down some pointers in
helping clients choose the right kind of music for their particular
corporate entertainment.
Interestingly enough, most corporate hospitality entertainment work
tends to require music as an ingredient to a larger recipe. What I mean
by this is a great deal of corporate events are offering a multi
service package. Typically an organization may be putting on an
evenings entertainment to thank its workforce for a particularly
successful year. They may be offering music, food, comedy, a close up
magician, a casino and a caricaturist. The corporate client organizing
needs to decide what part the music has to play in the days/evenings
entertainment.
Questions he or she needs to ask are:
Is the music specifically for entertainment or is the music for background listening?
Do we need one style of music early on in the proceedings and then a change of style later in the days/ evenings entertainment?
Do you expect the corporate clients to be networking and discussing business or are they just there for a good time?
What overall atmosphere do you want to project with the event?
Is there going to be a change of location for the music as the entertainment event unfolds?
Different styles of music bands lend themselves to different
corporate hospitality situations. Below are a number of typical
corporate hospitality events with music suggestions for suitable music
entertainment.
Corporate entertainment model 1.
Evening reception with dinner and speeches.
In a situation such as this you will typically need music from the
outset as part of the meet and greet of the corporate evening. A
four-piece swing or Latin group is ideal with a larger ensemble for
particularly large gatherings. A professional outfit can pitch the
music at just the right decibel level so your guests can talk and enjoy
the entertainment without it encroaching on conversations. The
musicians would typically be dressed in Lounge Suits or Tuxedos (or the
female equivalent) to mirror what the guests are wearing themselves.
The music portrays an atmosphere of sophistication, which again
hopefully reflects the evenings overall ambience.
It is rare for corporate clients to want to dance especially as
clients there relationship is business not pleasure! In most cases it
is more important that the band is flexible in when it is needed over
the course of the evening i.e. At the top of the night for the
reception, a smaller version of the band (The pianist maybe for the
dinner), stopping for speeches and then after the speeches to play
until other entertainment is put on for the corporate clients. In this
situation give the band a clear idea of how you expect the evening to
go. What to wear, when they will be needed, when they need to get their
instruments in the building and be set up, when breaks will be
required, let them know if it is convenient or not to feed them and
then finally how they can leave when finished so as not to disrupt the
rest of the entertainment.
Corporate entertainment model 2.
Company Party.
Still corporate entertainment, still corporate hospitality but a
totally different set of requirements for the music. Ask yourself these
questions: Are your work force the type of workforce who will want to
dance at some point in the proceedings? If they are, then a
professional band with flexibility is essential. My experience is that
people of all ages will join together to dance to music from the
sixties and seventies. Whatever background music you require earlier in
the day/evening be it Latin, Swing, Rat Pack or Lounge, if you are
hoping to provide entertainment that will get people dancing remember
this fact. Sixties and Seventies. For some inexplicable reason this is
the music that gets people up on their feet.
When choosing your music ask the band if they can cover this part of
the corporate entertainment requirement. Get samples of their music if
need be. There is nothing worse than an ill equipped band struggling
through alien repertoire. However good the band is, if they do not play
the right repertoire, the right style of music then the corporate
entertainment will fall on deaf ears.
Let me at this point provide a caveat. Your workforce work together
They are not always going to be the best of friends however
professional their relationships are at work. Answer truthfully, will
they really want to dance together or is it asking too much? I would
say that in all the years of providing music for this kind of corporate
entertainment / hospitality , as long as the music is right, the
workforce tended to dance 30 or 40% of the time. It could be said that
a workforce who will enjoy each others company in this way is a
reflection on the talent of senior management to create a happy team!
Corporate entertainment model 3.
Company Fun Day.
These come in two types. The type to entertain your own workforce or
the type to entertain prospective clients. Both types of corporate
entertainment require music that is fun. This means that the music must
be perceived as fun and the band must be perceived as fun. In both
cases Jolly Dixieland Jazz or the summer sounds of Latin music are most
suitable.
Ask yourself these questions: does the band need to be mobile?
Meaning do you want the music to move around the site at various points
in the proceedings? If so then the jolly jazz route is most suitable. A
good professional outfit of four or five players can play acoustically
and move around a site as directed.
If the band can be static and close to electrical power then either Jolly Jazz or Latin Music is suitable.
Is the event outdoors or indoors and do you have provision for bad
weather? This is England, never trust to luck, assume the worst! Any
band that needs power cannot play in the rain for health and safety
reasons. At the first hint of inclement weather a band will have to
breakdown their equipment. Build this situation into your corporate
entertainment music decisions.
How do you want the band to dress? It is a fun day after all! In the
past I and my musicians have dressed as Elvis, Cavemen, Circus Clowns,
in fact all manner of characters in the name of corporate entertainment
and corporate hospitality. Good bands will have suitable outfits for
most situations but don`t hesitate in providing something off the wall
for a special event. Most professional players have a strange urge to
jump into such costumes at the earliest possibility! As someone who has
played at a nudist camp and for a toga party, both dressed accordingly,
take my word for it!
To draw this article together let me say this. Choose the right kind
of music for the event. Brief the band accordingly but make sure you
have a professional and flexible outfit, things can change over the
course of the event and you want to make sure the band are both
co-operative and able to fulfill your needs. Don`t hesitate to ask the
band for any special requirements you have. Do it in plenty of time so
they have time to prepare.
The corporate entertainment and hospitality you offer to your guests
reflects directly onto your company. The music and musicians must be
the type who are aware of this. Dont go for second best just to save a
small amount of money. You need a well prepared, well dressed band who
are both polite and charming to your guests. They need to play the
right kind of music for the event in order to help make the day or
evenings corporate entertainment a resounding success!
About the author
Jeff Williams is a London based trombonist and vocalist who has worked
all over the world in most areas of the business. He also runs a
successful, specialist, live music agency using the best of London
musicians, servicing both private and corporate clients playing all
over the country. He would be happy to advise you with your own event
or party and offers bespoke solutions for the perfect occasion.
Watch the video related to entertainment
Lilly Allen is in the doghouse with her record label. It seems the singer gave a copy of a cover song to a radio show host to play on his weekly New York show. The reason EMI is unhappy is because the played song is a cover of the Britney Spears track, Womanizer, and listeners stole the Lilly Allen version and put it all over the internet. Whoops, is right. Gossip around town points that J-Lo and hubbie Marc Anthony are having marital issues. Jennifer got spotted without her wedding ring …
Help answer the question about entertainment
How violant was Roman entertainment compared with today?
I have a project on Ancient Rome sport and entertainment, and i need help with this question. Got any ideas?
About Author
Contact him on +44(0)20 8761 8932 or +44(0)7747 801471
Email him on bonejeff@aol.com
Visit the website http://www.jazznotjazz.co.uk
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Nini
use online resources, check out all the info there but most important read reviews or ask people who have used the entertainers so you wont end up with surprises
Daydreamin'
Well, I certainly don't think she is the "Jesus Christ of Music Entertainment" but damn, many people are just crucifying her and judging her way too much these days!! Neither, do I think Britney’s performance was that horrendous as the majority of people say, and neither do I think she looks fat, she might be curvy, but definitely not obese. Since when looking a size 12 to 14 became a federal offense.
Yes, I do agree her performance lacked of charisma, energy and consistency, but come on, you can’t compare her with an American Idol reject, she’s way far from that. The woman has a lot on her mind right now, I applaud her for trying to better herself, and ignore negative comments and people. But she needs to wake up when it comes to her heavy partying and drinking ways if she wants to be taken seriously again. She has developed this atrocious reputation of being irresponsible, not professional enough and a terrible mother. And to make matters worse, she seems to have all this entourage of negative family members and false friends around her, that instead of helping her and giving her the emotional and psychological support she needs now, they don’t stop gossiping with the tabloids about her “mental instability” and “erratic behavior”. With family and friends like that, who the hell needs enemies!
Nobody knows what really happens behind closed doors, she needs to wake up and focus on what’s important right now in her life: her two children and being a loving and caring mother for them and then her career, not the other way around. From day one, as we all know, Mr. Kevin “Yahoo! I hit the jackpot when I married Britney!” Federline has only been after her money and fame, now he’s after her children too. What a nerve!! I kind of agree with Kanye West in the fact that MTV used her for ratings, they knew she wasn’t 100% ready for a successful come back. But Mr. West, enough already with the MTV ranting, it is getting super old, and we all heard enough of that already.
And about the mighty malicious and idiotic words of Sarah Silverman, the only think I have to say about that is: how can anyone who call herself human, insult and ridicule children like that, shamelessly using them as part of a tasteless and vulgar comedic repertoire. I even condemn the fact that she criticizes Britney at all, I mean who are we to judge her or anyone else, we are far from perfect.
Let’s put ourselves in Britney’s shoes for one minute and experience the amount of stress, aggravation and insanity that should be having nosy celebrity obsessed media, stalker paparazzos and the oh soooo damn annoying 10 second of fame seeking bloggers (can anyone say Perez Hilton!) and video bloggers (yes Chris "Crocodile Tears" Crocker this one is directed to you!), all this, in your face 24/7, seeking the dirtiest laundry they can find and dissecting your private life and every move, and let’s see if we come out clean and unshaken, I think not.
Frankie V
you are right, but real classic country music is great . the pop crap that is now called country is bad and an insult to all true blue country artists.it takes more than a pair of boots a guitar and bleached blonde hair to be a country singer
♥
You know what? Seriously Don't listen to these losers.
I know exactly what you mean. I flipped out one day and decided to stop doing a lot of things too. It happened while I was pumping gas at one of those stupid Esso stations that forces people to listen to their commercials via their 1984 style telescreen on the gas pumps. I was so tired that day and it was cold and it was so loud and it was talking to me like I was a flippin' retard consumer and I Just wished I had a screw driver so I could stab my ear drums out and poke my eyes out. Then and only then would I be able to live freely. Without being bombarded on a daily basis with this acceptable and very legal social anti intellectual corporate graffiti I call advertising.
I cancelled my cable too and hardly ever listen to the radio. When I do I'm passionate about university community radio that offers spoken word on topics like philosophy, politics, anarchism, gender issues, vegan-ism and animal rights etc…
I became a vegetarian and dabbling with growing vegetables and I started riding my bike almost everywhere. I seriously almost never use my car anymore.
I'm a multi instrumentalist basement recording musician. I seriously boycott mainstream media. I stopped playing music for what seemed like an eternity which was only 4 months. I stopped listening to music for 3 years and slowly reintroduced myself to independent music via community radio. I urge you to try it yourself. I don't care if I sound like a cheerleader for this station but where I'm from I listen to ciut 89.5
Anyway I'm very thrilled that I'm not alone in thinking like this.
They need us moe than we need them. That's why advertising and marketing spend millions each year to convince us we need what they sell: Because it's difficult! If it was easy, they wouldn't have to spend millions…
peace out