| Tips
on booking a Corporate comedian Being
able to entertain a crowd at a private function is a difficult task and requires
a comedian with experience of such events - this is why comedians charge extra
for them. Corporate
events cover a wide range of functions, from after dinner speaking to private
parties . Basically you want one comedian to entertain a crowd of people for 30
minutes. On these
occasions audiences can be difficult to entertain for a number of reasons. The
audience are most likely to be there for reasons other than to see a comedian,
for example a wedding; the audience will cover a wide spectrum of age groups and
tastes - you will definitely do NOT want a comedian who will offend any particular
group. The comedian will need to keep the gags short-and-snappy so that they don't
lose the audiences attention. Booking
the wrong type of comedian is easily done and will result in an embarrassing disaster
- this is why you have to pay extra to get a corporate comedian. When
booking a comedian for ANY event, please bear in mind the following details Where
is the event?
Professional comedians will happily travel up to 100
miles to get to a venue, sometimes more. The vast majority of comedians live in
London, since this is where most of the work is, with a second pool based in Manchester/North
West. You also
need to think about the layout of the room. Is there a stage? - if not will the
audience be able to see the comedians. At the Cheeky Monkey comedy club that I
run I don't use a stage since the room layout means it is unnecessary. ALSO, does
the comedian need to bring a microphone and PA. Most comedians do NOT have this
equipment, so you need to specify if it is required. Finally
you need to inform the comedian how many people will be in the audience. Again,
the larger the audience, the more difficult it is to entertain, hence the higher
the cost of the comedian. How
much?
As mentioned already, comedians for corporate gigs or private
parties cost more than they would for playing a club like mine But you also need
to think about the night of the week that the event is on. Comedians charge a
lot more for gigs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, since this is when
most comedy clubs are open. Getting comedians on other nights is slightly less
expensive. Also,
if you have limited budget it is always worth saying this at the start. It means
that you won't get Peter Kay, BUT there will be up-and-coming comedians who perform
at competitive rates to get the experience. Who
are you and how do they contact you?
Comedians or agents like to
talk to you, so that they can get a feel of the event. So always provide telephone
contact details. Also, let them know if you represent a company or yourself.
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