The Good, The Bad And The Indifferent (Entertainment)
Sounds like the title of a spaghetti western, and to be honest, it probably over the years has had as many casualties. So what am I talking about? The answer is bad entertainment.
I think most of us can relate to either a personal experience or the experience of a friend, to how the focal point of an event ruined it. The entertainment at an event is probably the most crucial part, if you don’t include inviting the guests, and when it goes wrong everyone notices. Just the other day I was in a conversation and was told about how a DJ failed to turn up at an event, that event being a wedding, and how despite repeated phone calls no one could contact the party involved. This basically ruined what should have been the best day of two peoples lives, a real shame as everything else had gone so smoothly. This is something not just confined to private events, it can also effect corporate ones too. Imagine planning a corporate event, your colleagues will be there, perhaps someone high up within the company is flying in from abroad, or you are trying to make a good impression on future clients and seal a deal worth a lot of money. Everything is in place, or so you think, then out of the blue….. nothing, no entertainment. Panic sets in, but in the end there is little you can do, it is too late. Of course the entertainment can arrive, but still let you down. A band in jeans and T shirts at a black tie corporate event, the wrong music, there are so many aspects that to list them all would become boring for those of you reading this.
So what is the solution you ask? The best solution is to use an entertainment agency. Allow me to explain. At one time all UK entertainment agencies had to be licensed, which is no longer the case, however all entertainment agencies are required to comply with the employment agencies act and it’s amendments. This gives you, the client, legal recourse, which you can exercise if, need be. Some entertainment agencies are members of professional bodies such as The Agents Association or the NEAC (National Entertainment Agents Council), if they are then these should be your first point of contact if you have a problem, which you cannot resolve. Both organisations have a code of conduct for members and also have a disciplinary process available. If an agency is not a member of either, and the complaint is serious enough, then you can make a complaint to the DBERR, formally the DTI, who have powers to act against and impose severe sanctions on rogue agencies.
I am sure there are people reading this who are saying to themselves, is this just a plug to get business, the answer is no. Although I run an entertainment agency, I am not saying that everyone should use our services, people should and do have a choice. I am saying make sure you use a reputable entertainment agency, of which there are many. So what can you expect from a reputable entertainment agency, the first is a high level of service, professional people to source entertainment to your needs. The second, if something goes wrong, a reputable agency will do its best to put it right. Third, legally binding contracts between the parties involved.
Now I am sure there are some people saying, I have a contract for my DJ/Band, he/they sent me one, or I always use an agency and have a contract. My question to those people is “IS IT LEGAL”? Just because you have a contract doesn’t mean that it is legal or that in a dispute it will hold up in court. Always make sure that any contract you have complies with the law. If in doubt always ask the person issuing it, or take independent legal advice. The good news is that a legal contract is everybody’s safeguard, and it will detail all the requirements, so you can rest easy knowing that everything is covered.
So in conclusion, to make your event memorable for all the right reasons:
Always use a reputable agency, to avoid the bad or the indifferent, and just enjoy the good.
Good luck with your next event.
© Paul Sims 2008
Archive for the ‘Entertainment’ Category
Entertainment Agencies – The Way To Avoid A Ruined Event
Friday, August 27th, 2010Entertainment Directory ? an One Stop Storehouse of Information
Monday, August 23rd, 2010
Maintaining a sound physic is essential for maintain a healthy life. In a similar way, our mind too needs fodder for refreshment. This very food for refreshing our mind varies from one individual to another depending on their varied taste and preferences.
While you organize a party and prepare for arranging some kind of entertainment for your peers, one should keep in mind the kind of audience you are aiming to entertain.
To be more specific, the kind of entertainment to be organized depend not only kind of people you wish to entertain but also on the purpose of the occasion. For instance, if you are throwing a party for the birth anniversary of your son, a group of magicians would be the best option. On the other hand, if you are organizing a corporate event, you would better opt for hiring a cheerful hostess or a band of musicians to cheer up your audience.
The best way to select the right kind of entertainment for your audience is to visit an online entertainment directory. An entertainment directory is a kind of portal where the names of every kind of entertainment service provider is listed. The information is provided categorically so that a visitor is able to find the right information with utmost ease and convenience. For instance if you are hiring a group of magicians for organizing some social event at school or college, you should browse through the category wherein a list of magicians’ websites are listed along with their contact details.
This would certainly save you a lot of time and effort while browsing through the yellow pages or for asking others about their references and recommendations.
The very purpose of an entertainment directory is to cater its visitors with as much information about entertainment as possible. Entertainment is an abstract idea which ids defined by ten individuals in a thousand ways. Entertaining your friends with a group of musicians is neither always possible nor necessary. Expressing your own emotions in a nice way could also entertain your peers in an amicable manner. Entertainment directories cater you with e-cards which simply sends your emotions as a small online gift pack. Greeting a friend with an e-card is one of the most popular ways of delivering your heartiest wish on their birthdays, anniversaries, wedding and other memorable events.
New Style Entertainment Centers for New Style Tv?s
Thursday, August 19th, 2010Last year we had a new dilemma. Our old TV died, and we had to get a new one. In a way, with the new digital conversion to take place this year, this was good. But a new TV was not the dilemma, the dilemma was a new entertainment center. In the past, a new TV did not mean that you had to change the large pieces of furniture in your house, but with the new style flat TV, this time it was necessary.
Now, I love our new TV, and so do all the men in the house who have to carry it. Our old 27” TV must have weighed around 200 lbs., but our new and larger TV weighs less than 50 lbs, so change is good. But the TV would not fit into our entertainment center, so shopping for a new one and finding the perfect one for our family room was our quest.
When it comes to entertainment centers, people have different requirements. The main requirement of my old entertainment center was one that could completely shut away the television. But that was when we lived in our old house and we only had a living room. With a separate family room now, that was not such an important feature. The main feature I was interested in this time was one that saved space. Our old entertainment center was very deep to close away the TV and took up a lot of floor space. We definitely did not need this anymore, so I was happy for the extra room. Our family room is narrow, so I only wanted something to hold the TV and the extra components.
Shopping for entertainment centers was fun, and the variety was larger than I expected. The new style TV has spawned a new style of entertainment centers, and old styles are available also. The main styles available included:
For our needs, the two best style of entertainment centers were the basic TV stand and the TV lift cabinet. Some of the lift cabinets were very nice, they looked like fine pieces of furniture and were offered in many styles. If our TV was in the living room, I would definitely go for this option. But we settled for a basic pine TV stand. It is the perfect size, does not take up any excess room, and has enough shelves underneath for components. It is also only about half the width of our previous entertainment center, so the room now seems bigger. Yes, we are very happy with our new entertainment center and TV, plus, it is nice not to worry about getting a digital conversion box!