Problem Solving Using Entertainment
Event co-ordinators should be re-named "professional balance artists" - am I right?!?!
There are so many things to think about and consider when picking your entertainment. Does the venue have a good sound system? Will the performance get people up and dancing? What can we do that isn't in your face, but still enjoyable? And for those venues operators and event managers out there - how can I use entertainment to generate more sales???
We have had quite a few people planning events or from event venues come to us in this position - they want to do something amazing, but there is so many things to consider and they've become a bit lost.
Now we'll be honest - there is no clean cut answer for every event. However, we'd like to share with you some of the problems we've solved, and in doing so, we hope that we can make you feel at ease knowing that your event can also be awesome - no matter how many things you need to balance.
New name to all day fame
Event Flair was approached by a venue who had just rebranded to another name and done a full refurbishment of the venue to match. They were in a great location and surrounded by a lot of competition for business – especially considering it was Christmas season at the time!
What they wanted was a highlight for their Friday night that would get the crowd up dancing and really kick off the evening, and in doing so hoping that it would assist in establishing themselves as both a day and night venue.
When Event Flair got called in to help, we started by looking at the surrounding factors.
The venue had a great 1920s swing covers band already and they were playing the night the venue wanted us
The venue theme was an Island paradise, however we were given strict instructions against using grass skirts, as the venue needed to be classy
There was a DJ planned before and after the band
They had some champagne that they wanted to use as part of the highlight
From there, the plan was made. We had the DJ play an upbeat modern song with a really strong beat causing people take notice that something was about to happen. Once this started, our dancers came out in green fringed outfits, which in a way, was a cheeky play on the grass skirt, but still sophisticated enough to match the décor and elegance of the venue. The girls held magnums of champagne above their heads, and as they danced through the crowd they handed the champagne to the tables – much to guests’ delight! From there, the dancers returned to the dance floor and the drummer from the band started to play along with the song that the DJ was playing, eventually accompanied by the dancers performing an energetic dance, all in unison. As their dance concluded, the DJs music gradually faded out as the rest of the band started to come in. At this point – the dancefloor was absolutely packed with people and the vibe was AMAZING. We had a very happy client, an incredible surprise for those at the venue, and this particular event set the reputation for the venue as a paradise by day, and a place for party and good times to be had by night.
A hint of Vegas
We were working with a Las Vegas promoter wanting to run an event to promote to their potential clients. Their request – something simple to enhance the Vegas theme. Factors to consider were:
a set budget allocated for entertainment
The company brand colours (blue)
Minimal stage space
Very small time allowance, as the event had a long presentation and 3 course dinner to get through!
The solution that we brought to this event was that we had some gorgeous Vegas showgirls, dressed in the company brand colour blue, to warmly welcome guests “to Vegas” and to take photos with and guide people to their seats – a true red carpet welcome. Later on once guests had been served dinner, our gorgeous singer came out and sang three Vegas theme songs – again dressed to the glitz and glamour of Vegas in a gold sequinned dress. The Vegas theme was acknowledged, company colours used, budget met, and stage and time allowances were adhered to. Another successful event, exceeding expectations of clients and guests – we had rave reviews!
It was a teenage wedding…
A large venue on Auckland’s North Shore was hosting a celebration party for their birthday, themed Pulp Fiction (a cult classic movie) - very cool! The obstacles were:
Pulp Fiction is not a very common theme, and there would definitely be people present who hadn’t seen the movie
The venue was long and narrow with a bunch of different areas – meaning that guests would be in all different parts of the venue for the event, not just in one space
The theme is a bit risqué, but being an all-ages venue until a set time, it was important to be respectful of that
There was a band already organized for the evening, playing at a set time
Considering all these factors, a plan was made. We had two actors dressed as the main characters of the movie to welcome people at the door, and who also approached table by table reciting a few lines from the movie. The great part about this was that in Pulp Fiction there are a few jokes that the characters tell, jokes that any audience member could enjoy whether they'd seen the movie or not! With the performers not being fixed to one spot, it also meant they could get to all those different areas of the venue.
As the night went on and it got later, the band was up, playing a few well known tunes from the movie. In Pulp Fiction, there is an iconic dance that the characters perform with one of the songs from the band’s set list – so that’s what we did, performed that dance, in character! The great thing about this was that the dance was performed right on the dance floor – meaning those who knew the movie and wanted to watch it - could, whereas those who didn’t and wanted to chat to friends, could do this also in the other areas of the venue. It was a great success and so much fun!!!
If you do have any events coming up needing some flair – but also have a few hurdles in place or a few things to consider, let us know! We’d love to help work through some options, or share with you more information on some of the events we’ve covered in this blog. Contact us here!