How to Choose Entertainment for an Event (Without Making It Awkward)

Why entertainment decisions go wrong

Choosing entertainment for an event tends to go wrong in one of three ways: you pick something too safe (and boring), something too edgy (and alienating), or something that would have been great for a completely different event. The trick is not to find the objectively best act: it's to find the right act for your specific situation.

Here's the framework we use when we're advising clients.

Step 1: Define the job the entertainment needs to do

Entertainment at an event isn't decorative. It has a function. Ask yourself: what do I need to happen in the room that isn't currently happening? Some options:

• People are arriving in small groups and not mixing: you need icebreaking entertainment
• The programme has been heavy and people need energy: you need something surprising and physical
• The event has a key message to land: you might need entertainment that reinforces that message
• You need the evening to end on a high: you need a closing act that builds to something

When you know the job, the act becomes obvious.

Step 2: Know your audience

This sounds obvious. It often isn't. Know their age range, their relationship to each other (colleagues? strangers? superfans?), their cultural background, and what they're expecting. Entertainment that surprises an audience that expected to be surprised is just... a show. Entertainment that surprises an audience that expected a safe evening can be spectacular.

Also: know what they've seen before. A marching DJ fanfare is brilliant if your audience has never seen one. Less brilliant if you've booked it three years running.

Step 3: Match the format to the moment

Not all entertainment works in all situations. Some formats need silence. Some need movement. Some need a stage. Consider:

• Arrival/cocktail hour: walkabout performers, ambient music, interactive characters: things that work without requiring attention
• During dinner: table theatre, live music, roving entertainment: things that reward attention without demanding it
• After dinner/main programme: stage acts, comedy, a full show: entertainment that earns a focused audience
• Daytime workshops: participatory formats, team building, creative sessions

Step 4: Brief the entertainment properly

The worst outcomes happen when entertainers are booked and dropped. Tell them: who the audience is, what the event is for, what happened before them and what happens after, any sensitivities, and what a success looks like for you. The more they know, the better they perform.

Step 5: Don't treat entertainment as an afterthought

If entertainment is the last thing you book, it will feel like the last thing you booked. The best events are designed as experiences from the start. Entertainment is part of the architecture, not the furniture you move in when the walls are up.

Not sure where to start? Browse our event entertainment options or talk to us directly. We've helped enough events get this right that we've also seen every way it goes wrong.