If you’ve ever hosted an event or party before, then you know the importance that entertainment has. One of the best ways to ensure that your party-goers are thoroughly entertained is by hiring some form of live entertainment. However, not all forms of live entertainment are created equally, and some forms of live entertainment simply won’t mesh with your event. So how can you ensure that the entertainment that you’re hiring for your event or party will actually be a good fit? Here are a few questions you can ask before hiring entertainment in order to ensure you’re making the right decision.
What is Their Cost?
The first thing you need to ask when hiring live entertainment pertains to the cost of the entertainer. It's no secret that hiring live entertainment can be extremely expensive, oftentimes costing thousands of dollars. Chances are, you likely have a strict budget in place when planning an event, a financial cap that you can’t go over at all. Not only do you need to use this budget on hiring live entertainment, but you also need to use it on things like renting out the venue, getting food, and decorating. Due to this, you don’t want to spend too much of your budget on live entertainment, so asking about costs is extremely important.
What is Their Style?
The next thing that you need to ask about is the entertainer’s style, as not all entertainers are a great fit for every event. For example, if your party is a classical and formal celebration, then you may want acoustic musicians or softer bands to add to the event’s ambiance. However, if your event is expected to be much more of a wild celebration, then you may want to look into more fun options like a rock band or a steel drum player. Having an entertainer that is a complete mismatch to your event’s style is a recipe for disaster and can completely blow up in your face. As a result, you should always closely vet an entertainer’s style before you make the hire.
Can They Work With the Venue?
Just like how not all entertainers can work with every style of event, not all entertainers can work with every type of venue. Venues come in all shapes and sizes, and the size of the venue that you’re using will directly influence what type of entertainment you should hire. Some entertainers require a large amount of space in order to operate and perform, while others may be able to fit in perfectly in smaller venues. Solo musicians and DJ’s are great hires for smaller venues, as they won’t take up a lot of space and won’t have an overbearing amount of equipment. On the other hand, large bands will take up lots of space and will have various instruments that you need to accommodate, so they are probably a better fit with larger venues It’s important to match your entertainment with your venue as best as possible, so be sure you’re aware of how an entertainer can fit in your venue before you make the hire.
What is Their History/Experience?
The last thing you should ask when looking to hire entertainment relates to the entertainment’s work experience and history. Usually, this correlates with price, but that isn’t always the case. Scoping out an entertainer’s past gigs and shows can be a great way to see if you should actually hire them or not. You can see what type of events and venues the entertainment has performed at before, seeing if they are similar to yours at all. In addition, you may even be able to reach out to these venues and see what they have to say about the entertainment. Learning about the entertainment’s past experience is extremely important, and it should definitely be a part of the questions you ask them.
