Tag Archives: events

The Next Big Thing Finals: Familiarity Breeds Con(-fex-)tempt

By , Thursday, 15 March 2012, 12:07 pm Be the first to comment

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.

The Difficulties of Comedy Auditions

By , Friday, 14 October 2011, 2:12 pm 3 Comments

Stand Up Comedy

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. Read more »

A Band Full of Basists

By , Monday, 22 August 2011, 3:29 pm Be the first to comment

Spinal Tap Bassist Derek Smalls

Last week audiences are too quiet, this week they’re too noisy. Or at least, that’s one of the complaints in a recent Piece in The Times (now trapped behind the paywall) on the new trend of Living Room Gigs.  “People are pretty disrespectful… if you look around a live music audience, about 70% of people will be talking” says SoFar Sounds founder Rocky Start (now there’s a name.)

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Out of the Mouths of Sugarbabes: Are Corporate Crowds Too Quiet for Pop Stars?

By , Tuesday, 2 August 2011, 1:14 pm 1 Comment

Browsing through the Metro on the tube this morning, you may have
glanced through
Former Sugarbabe Keisha Buchanan’s ’60 Second Interview’ in which
she discusses the launch of her solo career and her passing through the
ever-revolving-door that is the Sugarbabes.

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Reviewing Acts: Biting The Hand That Might Stab You in the Back Later

By , Thursday, 21 July 2011, 9:27 am Be the first to comment

Goodfellas Club Scene

When interviewing new staff for jobs at Sternberg Clarke – one of the most attractive prospects to prospective employees is the thought of Talent Spotting. Understandably so; it’s a sizeable part of what we do after all – but some interviewees get the impression that it’s the only focus of the job. They’re excited by the idea of swanning into a Cabaret club and flashing a business card – then basically re-enacting the club scene from Goodfellas – (You know, cutting queues, people carrying tables, performers coming over and grovelling) It’s an enticing prospect and something that has never happened to any of us.

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Will Harry Potter Events Still Have the Magic Touch Next Year?

By , Thursday, 7 July 2011, 11:54 am Be the first to comment

Entertainmentus
Agentus Corporatem Eventus! That, in case you were wondering, was how we
summon acts for Events and sometimes (often around Christmas) we shout Themium Harry-Potterius! put some
glasses and a scarf on a magician and generally cash in on people’s love of
what is – let’s not forget – a children’s book.
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The Band with No Name… Let’s give them one!

By , Thursday, 26 May 2011, 10:43 am Be the first to comment

 

Earlier on this week, we auditioned a new covers band. Nothing new there you might think – we’re always auditioning covers bands, but this one had two distinguisghing features.

 

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What AFC Wimbledon Can Teach Us About Entertainment at Events

By , Tuesday, 24 May 2011, 10:22 am Be the first to comment

 

 

AFC Wimbledon may seem like an unlikely topic for a blog post at Event Magazine, especially with my well documented Arsenal Fandom. What you may not know is that a certain Young Sternberg happens to be in the Youth Academy at the recently promoted club and with the Dons’ ascension to the heady heights of the Football League I can now begin planning my retirement (Provided the boy has some money left over from all the super injunctions that he may or may not be allowed to file… but lets not get ahead of ourselves.)

  

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Tactically Tacky – The Eurovision Song Contest

By , Wednesday, 18 May 2011, 11:23 am Be the first to comment

 

 

 

 

Saturday Night saw the return of that trundling juggernaut of bad taste The Eurovision Song Contest in which we sneer and laugh at those tasteless foreigners for their musical choices whilst surpressing the niggling truth that the UK will never be able to secure the votes of the other entrants thanks to our increasingly frosty relationship with… pretty much everyone.   

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Headshot Hell: The Promotional Photo Arms Race

By , Friday, 13 May 2011, 9:24 am 1 Comment

 

 

 

We’re all about to go through the squirming, fidgeting, flop sweating, hair flattening and all round excruciating process of having our photographs taken for our new website. Certain members of staff seem to have gone through the 5 stages of grief; Denial (“People don’t need to know what we look like, we don’t need them”), Anger (“It’s your fault for starting this stupid company!”) , Bargaining (“Perhaps we could have caricatures instead?”), Depression (“I’m going to have my eyes half shut and a double chin”) and finally Resignation (“Everyone can see my face when I’m walking around anyway.”)

  

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