When someone finds out that you work in entertainment, particularly booking celebrities for corporate events, one of the first questions they ask is usually “How much is [Insert Big Name Comedian/Singer]?”  (Which is often followed by a sheepish refusal to hand out figures without a firm date for the event or a venue.) It seems we’re still fascinated by celebrities in day to day life, but maybe not in our corporate events…

In a recent survey from PM&M, a surprising 96% of those surveyed said they believe celebrity speakers or hosts aren’t worth the money they ask for, which could be bad news for those of us in the business of making those bookings happen. In tough economic times, it’s tempting to cut down on non-essentials and luxuries; for the average family that means downsizing the car or cutting the sports channels from the Sky package, for Events Organisers that means a Michael Buble tribute rather than Buble himself.

But if the Big Names are the first thing to get cut in an event budget, what’s the real worth of a celebrity appearance? Do guests just like to see a familiar face in the flesh? Do we just enjoy the chance to rub shoulders with the stars for an evening before driving back in our downsized hatchback to a Sky TV package that no longer has the sports channels? I think it’s more complicated than that.

I think most audiences are too sophisticated to be wooed by the mere presence of a famous face; be it subliminally or consciously, a celebrity brings with them a set of audience expectations that need to square up with the ‘feel’ of the rest of the event. In the same way that advertisers match a celebrity to a brand for an advertising campaign, event planners need to find the right host/speaker/performer for the event.  When the fit isn’t right with a celebrity appearance, your audience will notice.

The biggest mistake one can make is booking celebrities for celebrities’ sake. That’s especially true when working on a tight budget where money might be better spent getting a genuinely great Cabaret act or Circus performer instead of whoever came 5th on this year’s Celebrity Big Brother.

When it works however, a celebrity appearance can be extremely valuable. One of the appeals of having celebs at events is the aforementioned associations they bring with them. A well respected public person can reinforce brand values or signal a change in direction for a company’s image. Some of these famous folk are famous for a reason after all; a well chosen celebrity guest can energise a room thanks to the kind of charisma that sadly, Joe Public can’t match.

For more of our thoughts on corporate entertainment and the events indutsry, take a look at our regularly updated blog.

The Event Industry’s version of the X-Factor has reached its inevitable, thrilling and some would say heartbreaking conclusion at this year’s International Confex held at ExCel London, with Singer-Songwriter-Harpist-Guitarist, Iona Thomas coming out on top despite strong performances from Contemporary Dancer Simone, Singer Guitarist Adam Duffield and Basketball-Juggling sports act Andrew Wilding. In our last blog, I mentioned how surprised I was that original material featured so prominently in The Next Big Thing, but another pleasant surprise was the way the audience and panel rejected many ‘safe’ options.

After all, the competition isn’t called “The Next Big Thing That Has Worked Before And Will Work Again” for a reason.

A couple of acts were even punished for being too familiar along the way – All Girl Vocal Harmony Trio The Polka Dots suffered for an unimaginative song choice despite being perfectly lovely singers… but honestly, who needs to hear another Andrews Sisters cover from 3 identically dressed women with 40s hair-dos?

Instead, the crowds at both heats and the finals embraced the weird and wonderful and that’s why we had such an oddball array of performers at Confex – A Ninja having a bed of nails hammered into his chest, an aggressive street dance duo and a girl playing a harp with a guitar strapped to her back who performs a rather nice cover of Rihanna’s Rude Boy… and she won. Sure, not all of the acts ‘worked’ in the context of the competition – but it made for an interesting viewing experience.

In the end, the number of times that the audience’s votes corresponded with the feelings of us so-called “entertainment experts” was heartening. It goes to show that event audiences are as hungry for surprising, new and different acts as we are… and they don’t even do this all the time.

Perhaps they’re also as hungry for new and excruciating title puns as we are too?

For more of our thoughts on Entertainment and the Events Industry – Take a look at our entertainment blog.

Last week, the o2′s Alphabet City bar played host to the third heat of The Next Big Thing competition – a competition for which A Certain Entertainment Agency Director who occasionally blogs on Event Magazine was a judge. As usual, is was a pleasure to join the rest of the panel in judging some of the best new acts for the events industry, we all saw some great new performers and hopefully gave some good advice even when we weren’t being entirely positive (I still fully expect to be clubbed over the back of the head by the Bee Shes in a dark alley any day now)

One of the things that struck me was how savvy the audience was when it came to discerning what was A Good Act, from what was A Good Corporate Act.  Singer Elysia Keep was a great example – possibly the best vocalist of the evening, warmly received and well liked by the panel, but Elysia was beaten out of the qualifying spots by Poppy Jones and Adam Duffield because she seemed to lack the commanding stage presence that we expect from our event performers.

More surprising – the two acts that went through did so performing that anathema of corporate entertainment agencies… original material. How did that happen? Aren’t we supposed to be all Jazz standards and Top 40 hits? Apparently not.
It all comes back to the aforementioned stage presence. Adam Duffield might not have opened with a recognisable number, but he did introduce himself with self effacing charm and natural confidence, chatting easily between songs with the charisma of a born performer. Poppy Jones on the other hand, kept talking to a minimum but exuded a self assured magnetism that made for a thrilling performance.

Needless to say, the Sternberg Clarke team are all very excited about the upcoming Semi Finals and Finals which are being held at this year’s International Confex at Excel London between the 6th and the 8th of March. Be sure to register for free entry to get a chance to see the electrifying climax of this year’s competition.

For more of our thoughts on Entertainmetn and the Events Industry, head over to our Corporate Entertainment Blog where you’ll also find all the latest on The Next Big Thing.

With Valentine’s Day looming on the horizon, we’re no doubt about to see a lot of hearts, roses chocolates and teddy-bears at our events. The event industry is never one to shy away from a theme (why should it?) but romance seems like a strange one to be tackling in a corporate environment.

The trouble with corporate events is, people have their ‘guards’ up. In this context, we’re socialising as colleagues not couples, clients not companions and prospective business partners rather than just prospective partners. As entertainment suppliers, we can provide the most romantic music, erect kissing booths and dress plump, baby-faced men as cherubs; but none of this will facilitate genuine romance (especially not the baby-faced cherub men) – it’ll more likely make things awkward amongst co-workers and peers.

So the key with Valentine’s Day entertainment is not to make things too ‘intense’ in the romance department. There’s nothing worse than finding yourself trapped talking to your boss as ‘The Look of Love‘ begins to play and a plump, baby-faced cherub-man walks over to offer you a rose, whilst winking knowingly.

The best Valentine events have fun with the theme of romance; perhaps using a graphologist to help guests identify the handwriting on that mystery card that came in the mail… or a wine tasting lesson to sharpen taste buds before a big date. In fact, using an event as preparation for the actual business of Valentine’s Day is a pretty clever way of incorporating the theme of romance, without making guests feel like they’re being urged to procreate. Unless that’s what you’re trying to do – in which case we’ve got these plump, baby-faced men…

For more of our thoughts on entertainment and the events industry; check out our regularly updated blog.

Awful windy lately, eh? Awful windy. Here at Sternberg Clarke, we’ve actually been blocked into the office by a wind-swept piece of corrugated iron that now obstructs the exit to the building. Thankfully, we’ve got such a warm and friendly working environment that no one has any desire to leave. Ever.

But the windy weather has affected us in other ways as well, roads have been closed en route to events, our phone lines have been down and did I mention that a sheet of iron is blocking the exit to the building?  All this got me thinking, as usual, ‘How can I torturously link this to entertainment for an Event Magazine Blog?’ This may be the cabin fever talking – trapped as I am in my own office by misplaced building materials – but to make sure the events industry is prepared for any future gales, I thought I’d share my Top Tips for Booking Corporate Event Entertainment in windy conditions…

Place Guests “Down-Wind Of Musicians”

If you’re planning an outdoor event, perhaps a garden drinks reception, and you refuse to be scared off by the fact that a.) It’s Really Windy and b.) It’s January – then proper placement of musicians is crucial to the “success” of your event. Gauge the wind speed and direction and make sure that guests are downwind of the band (A wind trio, perhaps?) to ensure the sound is whipped along on the breeze, directly into the ears of the wind-blasted party goers.

Look for Sturdy Performers with a Low Centre of Gravity

In blustery conditions the acts that fair best have a low centre of gravity – Living Tables for instance, consist of a person with a sturdy wooden table attached around their waist ensuring even weight distribution and steady footing even in a strong wind. Stilts on the other hand, are a liability in these sort of weather conditions; I can’t tell you how many stilt-walkers we’ve lost in 2012 already. The same goes for balancing/acrobalance acts who are equally vulnerable to even the slightest breeze – bad news for the English Gents this January. If all else fails – try to hire large footed, thick legged performers with wind-resistant hairstyles.

No Jugglers or Flame Acts

This one goes without saying – juggling in windy conditions is difficult enough but when that which is being juggled is ‘on fire‘, the wind truly becomes a juggler‘s enemy. No one enjoys watching someone frantically chase after a handful of sticks covered in lighter fluid on a breezy night. Contact jugglers on the other hand, use weightier Crystal Balls that are far less susceptible to northerly gusts… they’re also ‘not on fire’.

When it comes to entertainment in the windier months, remember that “For Wind, Forewarned is Forearmed… For Entertainment”

For more thoughts on entertainment and the events industry, be sure to take a look at our blog!

Entertainment Agencies are like people, with all the same worries and doubts that that involves. As one year draws to a close, an entertainment agency might start thinking “This year was good, But how can I make next year better?” The entertainment agency might start making outlandish claims of going for a run at 6 every morning or switching to a diet of nothing but raw vegetables for the next 12 months but eventually, the entertainment agency will settle on a few key areas in which realistic improvements can be made and declare them New Years Resolutions to take effect on the first day of the year – or in the case of Sternberg Clarke – the 3rd of December, don’t try and call before then… no one in.

Avoid “Mayan” Events

It’s probably nonsense, but on the off-chance that Maya Calendar holds true and the world does end in 2012, it’s probably best not to put on any event that may or may not upset the God Bolon Yokte’ who may or may not be watching the Event Industry with great interest over the coming months. It might also be good to do further research into Bolon Yokte’ having only just found out about him/her/it on Wikipedia.

Try not to theme Everything Around the Olympic Rings

With the Olympic bandwagon trundling into town this coming summer, the temptation to jump upon said wagon is almost irresistible; perhaps using 5 coloured rings for a hoop dancer, 5 coloured balls for a juggler, or 5 circles painted on to the face of a pianist? Perhaps not. Sternberg Clarke Promise to try to be more ambitious than a schoolchild decorating a pencil case when it comes to themeing around the Olympics.

Blog More

Thanks to Event Magazine’s spiffy new line in WordPress enabled blogs – posting new content on here will, I’m sure, become an absolute pleasure. WordPress is a lovely blog publishing tool and its inclusion on the website is like being given a pair of stylish, yet comfortable running shoes for Christmas – it would be rude not to use it/them as much as possible over the coming 12 months.

For more thoughts on entertainment and the events industry take a look at our regularly updated blog

Last week we found out that the Olympic torch will be passing through the set of Eastenders on its way to the opening ceremony in a semi live episode of the show. Quite a coup for Eastenders and quite a snub for a number of real places (Wandsworth!) where the torch won’t be making an appearance. But if the torch is going to pass by the Queen Vic, Craig’s Laundromat and Arthur’s Eel Palace (OK, so I don’t watch it) why stop there? Why not let the torch pass through a few other great British TV shows to show that London isn’t all screaming, crying and “leavin’ it aat”…

Doctor Who

The Torch arrives in London and is reaveled not to be a torch at all but in fact “some kind of space monster” that you can’t look at or you’ll die. The Doctor tries to reason with it but it can’t be reasoned with and he runs away holding hands with an attractive red-headed girl.

Masterchef

John Torrode uses the torch to sear a filet of venison before passing it to Greg Wallace who slowly inserts it into his mouth before confessing a desire to take his clothes off and dive into the Olympic flame. Monica Galetti and Michel Roux Jnr stand by pulling various faces of incredulity.

Luther

The torch is a loose cannon but it gets the job done – it’s having trouble with its wife because it’s married to the job (of being a torch) and spends days looking at a loaded gun lying on a table. Despite the fact that it creates light, the torch is, like, really dark and tortured… or ‘torchured’.

Sherlock

The torch goes missing leaving only a series of conveniently placed cryptic clues; Homes and Watson investigate with much odd-couple bickering culminating in the realisation that the Microsoft word document they found on a USB stick is, in fact, not blank but has merely had the text colour changed to white.

This is England 2012

The Torch falls in with a crowd of skin-heads and becomes obsessed with Ska and racism.

For more throughts on Entertainment and the Events Industry – Take a look at our Blog http://www.sternbergclarke.co.uk/blog/

I feel like I’ve written about X-Factor on here a few times, but that’s mostly because it always seems to throw up some interesting issues that relate to Corporate Event Entertainment. This week was no different with wannabe Rock Star Frankie Cocozza getting himself into hot water for swearing and glamorising alcohol consumption during his bleary-eyed performance on Saturday Night.

The Leather Jacketed, birds-nest-haired “Bad Boy” (is there a button to make my inverted commas bigger?) is being accused of taking his wild child persona too far for a pre-watershed family show on a major television station. And while it could be argued that this “Rock n’ Roll ‘tude” is the only thing that is keeping him on our TV screens – I’d say it’s a classic case of misjudging an audience.

If we want a Rock Star, we don’t go to ITV on a Saturday night for one – same way we don’t go to Big Brother for the next Booker Prize winner. Sure, the show will occasionally have “Rock Night” where a former checkout girl from Tesco, Aberystwyth will be clad in torn denim and a star spangled bandana; but the autotuned, polished sheen of the X-Factor is at odds with the hard living, dishevelled NME-darling vibe that Cocozza seems to be going for. Consequently, he’s never going to be truly accepted by the X-Factor crowd and he’s never going to be respected by the bands whose various haircuts he has amalgamated into one, hideous “do”.

When picking entertainment for events, we’re met with the same sort of considerations – that’s not to say that all Corporate Events are like the X-Factor, but there is always an audience that needs to be catered to and it’s important not to try and turn an event into something that it’s not. The X-Factor is not a pub in Camden, the 25th anniversary of a law firm is not a burlesque club – no matter how much we may want it to be. Once you understand who you’re entertaining and why, things tend to go a little bit smoother.

Fore more of our thoughts on Entertainment and the events industry, take a look at our regularly updated blog

http://www.sternbergclarke.co.uk/blog/

At Sternberg Clarke, we’ve rather arrogantly declared that October is Comedy Month and we’ve been celebrating comedy by giving away tickets, reviewing shows and generally talking about what we find funny. It’s all part of the launch of The Next Big Thing Competition that we’re holding with Event Magazine, and an attempt to generate more interest in comedy in the event industry. Hopefully we’ll attract a few aspiring new comics along the way too.

But fun as it’s been to talk comedy for the last week or so, we’ve hit a wall when it comes to auditioning new comedians. When a band or singer comes into the office, we can quite easily take them downstairs sit on the couch and watch them play. But when a stand up comes in, it’s a different matter. It’s almost cruel to ask a Stand-Up to come in and perform to 4 people in an office – not that it stopped us from asking ‘Show Me The Funny’ contestant Prince Abdi to give it a go a few months back. Even when a comic is a great performer (as Prince is) there’s so much missing from their act when they don’t have a crowd to perform to.

There’s a wonderful back and forth between a performer and audience that makes Stand-Up unlike any other form of entertainment. Laughter is a clear indicator that a show is going well and most comedians feed off their audience’s responses in a way that’s just not possible when they’re faced with a handful of bleary eyed corporate bookers on a Monday morning.

We’ve found a few ways to deal with this. Often when a comedian comes in, we just have a chat with them, discuss their act and their experience in the corporate market and then try to arrange to see them at a gig. With character comics, sometimes the lack of an audience helps them; Jody Kamali came in to perform his comedy team building act to a few of us in the office and it worked brilliantly. Jody clicked through a comically lacklustre PowerPoint presentation and encouraged us to dream of getting a mortgage on a semi-detached in Barnsley; within minutes we felt like sales reps for a double glazing firm.

Our ultimate solution to auditioning new comedy acts is to create the ideal conditions for a comedy audition ourselves – we’re holding a Comedy Showcase on the 25th of October featuring some of our favourite comedy acts, which is as much for us as for the audience. It’s a chance for us to see not just the acts, but the audience’s response to them. We’ve got some great performers already lined up for show, but we’re using the first half to try out some new and exciting Comedians who our guests might not be familiar with. It’ll give us a chance to see acts in their natural habitat rather than in the cosy (but hardly comedy-conducive) confines of the Sternberg Clarke Office.

Keep an eye on our blog for more information on Comedy Month and our upcoming Comedy Showcase.

Our good friends at Merlin entertainment (at least, I hope we’re friends) caused a stir last week by announcing a new Tesco Style ‘Price Matching’ initiative for hire of their venues – venues that include Madame Tussaud’s, The London Dungeons, the Sea Life London Aquarium and the Silver Barracuda among others. Initially the move drew criticism from some quarters but as the week went by, more and more people have come out in support of the scheme in the belief that it will make the industry more competitive and transparent when it comes to pricing.

Of course not every part of the events industry should fall victim to the great Events Roll-Back but the whole incident got me thinking – what other tricks can the Corporate Events Industry pick up from Supermarkets?

Read on for an ever so slightly glib list feature…

Overly Aggressive 3-For-Two’s

At some point, everyone’s had the realisation that they have a fridge full of Muller Corner Multipacks that go off in 24 hours’ time thanks to a ‘Buy 6 get 3 Free’ deal that seemed like a good idea at the time. Why not carry this over to events? “Book 2 Events, get a 3rd Free!” Sure, you’ll get to March and realise that you have to have an event just to get your money’s worth despite the fact that you’ve got nothing to have an event for, but this is the kind of thing that drives the economy in a recession… isn’t it?

Home Delivery Services

Why go to the Venue when the Venue can come to you? Like the look of Dippy the Diplodocus from the Natural History Museum but don’t feel like travelling all the way out to South Kensington for an Event? Have all of the Features of the venue (including Giant Dinosaur Skeletons) brought to your home or workplace. Fill your home with every picture from the Wallace Collection for the evening or have the Energy Ring from the Science Museum dropped off for a BBQ… just make sure it’s returned by Monday. No Scuffs.

Sternberg Clarke Insurance… Branching Out

Plenty of Supermarkets have gone beyond your weekly groceries and extended their corporate tentacles into other areas of business. Why don’t we give that a try? Next time you call up for Corporate Event Entertainment, you could end up tied into a 24 month mobile phone contract and a new deal on your car insurance.

Pappa’s got a Brand New ‘Bag for Life’

In order to cut back on waste, supermarkets started offering ‘bags for life’ – and it’s criminally negligent that we as an industry haven’t offered a spin on the idea. In order to save on carbon emissions, why not buy one of our acts forever.  You could choose to take permanent ownership of Jazz Band Booth Street West, perhaps storing them in a cupboard under the stairs and bringing them out for the occasional event. Of course, much like a bag for life, chances are you’ll forget to bring them with you when you need them and then you’ll have to get another Jazz Band for Life and before you know it you’ve got a broom cupboard filled with Jazz Bands for Life and they’re all hungry.

In-House Bakery

For the Smell.

For more of our thoughts on entertainment and the events industry, take a look at our regularly updated blog: http://www.sternbergclarke.co.uk/blog/