Successful Meetings - January 2009 - (Page 32)

PLANNER’S WORKSHOP gurus How planners can help (or hurt) their event entertainment By Sally Allen Producer, The Water Coolers Supporting Your Entertainment ou may not expect it, but the room setup and the timetable for an event play a huge role in whether your entertainment is a showstopping hit or a complete failure. It’s crucial for planners to consider how the flow of the evening will support the entertainment in order to pull off a successful event. Intimate is Beautiful And Funnier There’s a reason why comedy clubs are so small, and it has nothing to do with the cost of real estate. Comedy is an intimate experience and laughter is contagious. Tables set closely together and close to the stage encourage a feeling of connectedness and help spread laughter. Tables far apart and set back from the stage kill it. Our actors are trained to wait for the laughter to build, to let it roll out across the audience to the rear of the space, so the space in the room is an important part of the dynamic. The kiss of death is a buffet or a dance floor in front of the stage—the laughter dies before it reaches the audience. Whether it’s an audience of 2,000 or 200, great comedy is close. Food and Beverage Service This might seem unrelated, but the quality of the banquet service is key. One of our most challenging perform- Y MORE ONLINE For more tips on making the most of your event entertainment, visit the MiGurus page on SuccessfulMeetings.com 32 I SM I January 2009 I SuccessfulMeetings.com Photo Credit: Harrah’s Entertainment ances took place at an event where there weren’t enough servers. The result was that half the room received their meal while the other half waited. And waited. And went to the stillopen bar. The show in the audience was competing with the one on the stage—one annoyed guest threw a piece of cheesecake at a waiter. Also, coordinate closely with the banquet captain so there isn’t too much going on at once. If the audience is being served while the entertainment or speaker is on, the audience isn’t clear on what to do: Is it time to eat? Is it time to watch/listen? Setting the Stage Lighting is a key element in giving the audience cues on how to react and creating a sense of occasion. Keep the house lights up and the stage lights dim until about half the audience is seated, then dim the house lights and turn up the stage lights. It prepares the audience and focuses their attention on the stage. SM http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - January 2009

Successful Meetings - January 2009
Contents
Editor's Letter
News Update: Site's New Vision
Education
Planner Spotlight
Management Matters
Meetings Law
Mouth for Sale
Gurus
Visionaries
Cover Story: Fortune 100: Hitting the Road
Airline Update: Holding Pattern
Resort Meetings: Caribbean Crunch
Places %2B Spaces
Texas Beaches
Pacific Northwest
Singapore
San Francisco

Successful Meetings - January 2009