By J Williams
For many years I have supplied music for and played in bands thatprovide music for corporate entertainment. Clients have included Audi,The Evening Standard, Sainsburys, P.C. World, Safeways, Large corporateclients at Henley and Ascot, I.T.V. and H.M. Treasury. Because of thisexperience I felt it would be relevant in putting down some pointers inhelping clients choose the right kind of music for their particularcorporate entertainment.
Interestingly enough, most corporate hospitality entertainment worktends to require music as an ingredient to a larger recipe. What I meanby this is a great deal of corporate events are offering a multiservice package. Typically an organization may be putting on anevenings entertainment to thank its workforce for a particularlysuccessful year. They may be offering music, food, comedy, a close upmagician, a casino and a caricaturist. The corporate client organizingneeds to decide what part the music has to play in the days/eveningsentertainment.
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 differentcorporate hospitality situations. Below are a number of typicalcorporate hospitality events with music suggestions for suitable musicentertainment.
Corporate entertainment model 1.
Evening reception with dinner and speeches.
In a situation such as this you will typically need music from theoutset as part of the meet and greet of the corporate evening. Afour-piece swing or Latin group is ideal with a larger ensemble forparticularly large gatherings. A professional outfit can pitch themusic at just the right decibel level so your guests can talk and enjoythe entertainment without it encroaching on conversations. Themusicians would typically be dressed in Lounge Suits or Tuxedos (or thefemale equivalent) to mirror what the guests are wearing themselves.The music portrays an atmosphere of sophistication, which againhopefully reflects the evenings overall ambience.
It is rare for corporate clients to want to dance especially asclients there relationship is business not pleasure! In most cases itis more important that the band is flexible in when it is needed overthe course of the evening i.e. At the top of the night for thereception, a smaller version of the band (The pianist maybe for thedinner), stopping for speeches and then after the speeches to playuntil other entertainment is put on for the corporate clients. In thissituation give the band a clear idea of how you expect the evening togo. What to wear, when they will be needed, when they need to get theirinstruments in the building and be set up, when breaks will berequired, let them know if it is convenient or not to feed them andthen finally how they can leave when finished so as not to disrupt therest of the entertainment.
Corporate entertainment model 2.
Company Party.
Still corporate entertainment, still corporate hospitality but atotally different set of requirements for the music. Ask yourself thesequestions: Are your work force the type of workforce who will want todance at some point in the proceedings? If they are, then aprofessional band with flexibility is essential. My experience is thatpeople of all ages will join together to dance to music from thesixties and seventies. Whatever background music you require earlier inthe day/evening be it Latin, Swing, Rat Pack or Lounge, if you arehoping to provide entertainment that will get people dancing rememberthis fact. Sixties and Seventies. For some inexplicable reason this isthe music that gets people up on their feet.
When choosing your music ask the band if they can cover this part ofthe corporate entertainment requirement. Get samples of their music ifneed be. There is nothing worse than an ill equipped band strugglingthrough alien repertoire. However good the band is, if they do not playthe right repertoire, the right style of music then the corporateentertainment will fall on deaf ears.
Let me at this point provide a caveat. Your workforce work togetherThey are not always going to be the best of friends howeverprofessional their relationships are at work. Answer truthfully, willthey really want to dance together or is it asking too much? I wouldsay that in all the years of providing music for this kind of corporateentertainment / hospitality , as long as the music is right, theworkforce tended to dance 30 or 40% of the time. It could be said thata workforce who will enjoy each others company in this way is areflection 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 orthe type to entertain prospective clients. Both types of corporateentertainment require music that is fun. This means that the music mustbe perceived as fun and the band must be perceived as fun. In bothcases Jolly Dixieland Jazz or the summer sounds of Latin music are mostsuitable.
Ask yourself these questions: does the band need to be mobile?Meaning do you want the music to move around the site at various pointsin the proceedings? If so then the jolly jazz route is most suitable. Agood professional outfit of four or five players can play acousticallyand 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 badweather? This is England, never trust to luck, assume the worst! Anyband that needs power cannot play in the rain for health and safetyreasons. At the first hint of inclement weather a band will have tobreakdown their equipment. Build this situation into your corporateentertainment music decisions.
How do you want the band to dress? It is a fun day after all! In thepast I and my musicians have dressed as Elvis, Cavemen, Circus Clowns,in fact all manner of characters in the name of corporate entertainmentand corporate hospitality. Good bands will have suitable outfits formost situations but don`t hesitate in providing something off the wallfor a special event. Most professional players have a strange urge tojump into such costumes at the earliest possibility! As someone who hasplayed 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 kindof music for the event. Brief the band accordingly but make sure youhave a professional and flexible outfit, things can change over thecourse of the event and you want to make sure the band are bothco-operative and able to fulfill your needs. Don`t hesitate to ask theband for any special requirements you have. Do it in plenty of time sothey have time to prepare.
The corporate entertainment and hospitality you offer to your guestsreflects directly onto your company. The music and musicians must bethe type who are aware of this. Dont go for second best just to save asmall amount of money. You need a well prepared, well dressed band whoare both polite and charming to your guests. They need to play theright kind of music for the event in order to help make the day orevenings corporate entertainment a resounding success!
About the author
Jeff Williams is a London based trombonist and vocalist who has workedall over the world in most areas of the business. He also runs asuccessful, specialist, live music agency using the best of Londonmusicians, servicing both private and corporate clients playing allover the country. He would be happy to advise you with your own eventor party and offers bespoke solutions for the perfect occasion.
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