Thinking about hiring a clean corporate comedian for your next corporate event? You can avoid disaster by following these simple tips for success...
There are a several ways to hire a clean corporate comedian for your corporate event. One way is by simply doing it yourself. The other is to use an entertainment booking agency. There are definitely advantages to both, but it's faster, safer and easier to use a professional corporate entertainment agency because they've already done the most of the work for you.
You can spend countless hours searching on the internet for corporate comedians. You could go to their sites, watch demo videos, check letters of reference, get dozens of price quotes, negotiate contracts, send e-mails and make phone calls back and forth - OR - simply us a booking agency that’s done all that already.
Some corporate entertainment buyers usually come up with one main reason to do it themselves - they think it’s cheaper. This ultimately ends up being untrue.
Entertainment Agencies that have been in the business for a some time will have built solid working relationships with the entertainers they book for their clients. For you, the potential client, this means flexible prices, solid negotiating room and professionals who know what corporate comedians and other corporate entertainers usually earn.
Another advantage of working with an agent is the volume of bookings that an agency can offer its entertainers, helps you secure cheaper prices than you'd get by contacting the entertainer directly. Last, you get a level of knowledge and experience about the industry, market and available entertainers (agents know what makes clients happy
So let's talk about what you should expect to pay for great clean corporate entertainers. Most comedians who work in the corporate market are usually priced in the $1,500-$3,000 range. These types of comedians are typically regional acts that have put in countless hours performing to develop a routine that's clean, has a broad appeal and is corporate-friendly.
This type of corporate comedian may or may not have television or radio credits, but they usually have a collection of references from corporate groups where they've performed. Often these comedians are difficult to find because they don't have a lot of exposure. A good corporate entertainment agency, however, knows who they are and are happy to recommend them to you.
Next you have corporate comedians in the $3,000-$20,000 price range. These corporate comedians typically have multiple television and radio credits, a list of satisfied corporate clients and often some type of award (they’ve won a comedy festival, or are a frequent guest on television or radio programs).
The next group of corporate comedians are frequently referred to as celebrities. This group is typically priced from $25,000-$250,00. These entertainers are household names (Jerry Seinfeld, Carrot Top, Jeff Foxworthy, etc.).
Some corporate entertainment buyers that are new to the "game," often get sticker shock. They think that they can hire a good clean corporate comedian for $500. Why this is, I'm not completely sure. It may be because they are used to hiring a dj or kiddy magician. What they typically don’t think about is that like any business, these comedians spend their entire lives in the comedy business building their reputation, and becoming strong enough to develop a truly clean and hilarious corporate comedy show... similar to what major brands (Coca Cola, Microsoft, etc.) have done to build their corporate image. You wouldn't expect to purchase one of those companies, or even the CEO of one of those companies, to speak at your event for $500.
In any event, when you work with a corporate entertainment agency, they’ll be able to recommend the best talent available in your budget range whether it's $1,500 or $50,000.
The final advantage to working with a booking agent is you'll have an agent that works to find the best entertainer for your event. Any truly professional agent will take the time to listen to your needs and give you the options with to make an excellent and educated choice. As a planner, you should listen to the agent as well. Their knowledge in the corporate entertainment field will be valuable as they will know which acts are seasoned in any corporate situation time after time.
The booking agent has no interest in selling you an entertainer that's right for your event. Good agents are out to build long-term relationships with you - as they know when they do their job right you’ll come back to them again and again.