A lot of the events that we are involved with have a charity or awards element so there is always a serious part of the night. Similar to why it’s important to have a the right compere to keep the mix right.
The serious message usually comes at the start of the event with presentation of awards or a video from the charity, followed by the fundraising i.e. auction and also speeches. At these points in the evening the focus is all on the key factor of the event.
The rest of the evening is to ensure that people enjoy themselves and want to return the following year.
Entertainment can be provided at any key point throughout the night to warm people into their event. For example you could have a Jazz singer, pianist or a string quartet playing background music at the drinks reception for your guests arriving in the main room. This can really help set the mood and will give a relaxing atmosphere to allow people to comfortably chat without having to raise their voices.
At the end of a meal a great way to get peoples attention and build up an atmosphere for the night ahead is to have surprise entertainment. Take our Pavarockies Secret Singing Waiters for example, they have performed at numerous corporate events and have actually got people ignoring deserts, standing on their feet clapping and dancing. This type of entertainment really works as it breaks up the evening, creates a topic of conversation and reminds everyone that as well as focusing on the serious element of the event that they are also there to have a good time. You may also find that a good comedian also works well as they grab peoples attention, lighten the mood and make them laugh.
The final and probably most important time for good entertainment is last part of the night when it’s time the to get everyone off their seats and heading to the dance floor. A band like our very own ‘The Cubes‘ or The Ultimate Feeva Party Show are a great choice and are both brilliant at getting the party started and keeping the dance floor full.
Although it’s important to have the bidders at a charity event for the auction, to have a good event you also have to sell the tables. Even if they are not spending thousands each person who buys a seat or a raffle ticket is still contributing, but if you over emphasize the sad, emotional messages and video every chance you get, your guests will most likely lose interest in your cause through the course of the evening.
This is why it’s important to make sure that you find the right balance & are mixing it up with your entertainment. This way people are in good mind set, have their drinks, stay longer, contribute more money to the cause, opposed to wanting the night to be over as soon as possible.
So as a general rule of thumb, we would say that the serious part of the event should be a maximum of 20% and the fun/party side should take up the remaining 80%.
