Choosing the right music for your Corporate Event
Choosing the right music for your Corporate Event
Hints and tips from LastMinuteMusicians.com
As industry professionals we have been involved in both
organising music for corporate events and performing in
corporate event bands for many years. Our most recent corporate
clients have included the Mayor of London, Jaguar, Five TV,
MLS Business Centers, Anthony Gold Solicitors, Haworth UK Ltd,
Modem Media Plc, Capital & Regional, Dorchester Hotel, Grosvenor
Property & Partnership amongst many others.
During our extensive experience in corporate hospitality we have
noticed that the success of a corporate event depends greatly on
how well the organisers match the entertainment to their guests
needs.
You should consider the following:
Is the music for background entertainment or a particular
feature of the event?
Is it necessary to have one style of music for the early part of
the event, e.g. a background cocktail pianist for reception
drinks, and the another style of music for later in the evening,
e.g. a function band for dancing?
Is your event specifically planned to entertain your guests or
do you expect them to be networking and discussing business?
What is the age range of your guests?
Is your event solely in one location or do expect the musicians
to move locations? E.g. reception drinks in the foyer and then
dinner in the main dining room.
Below are recommended solutions to help you choose your
entertainment for three common corporate event situations:
Corporate entertainment situation 1
Evening reception with dinner & speeches
Most corporate clients who are organising an evening reception
with dinner and speeches are keen to portray an atmosphere of
class and sophistication. Therefore, experienced, qualified
musicians are a must have! Professional musicians will not only
look appropriate (e.g. lounge suits), but will choose
appropriate repertoire and judge a room so as to play at the
most suitable volume.
In our experience a Jazz Trio (Piano, Bass, Drums) or Jazz
Quartet (Piano, Bass, Drums, Vocals/Saxophone) is ideal for this
type of corporate event.
Example break-down of an evening reception:
"Meet and Greet" We recommend using either the pianist
or the pianist and bass player from the band to play light
cocktail music for this part of the evening. Clients often ask
for the music to start before the first guests arrive to "set
the scene" for your guests from the outset.
Dinner Usually, a jazz trio is perfect for dinner
music. Again, playing light cocktail music / dinner jazz, which
will be loud enough to be enjoyed by all guests but quiet enough
not to disturb conversation.
Post Dinner A Jazz Quartet is a definite
recommendation for this part of the evening. In our experience,
the later part of the event is when guests are more inclined to
listen to the band so adding a singer and/or saxophonist adds
another edge to the music.
Recommended Jazz Trio - Cl
ick Here
Recommended Jazz Quartet with Singer - Click Here
Recommended Jazz Quartet with Saxophonist - Click Here
Corporate entertainment situation 2
Company Party
The first question that one should ask when orgainising
entertainment for a company party is "will my guests want to
dance"? If the answer is yes then a larger band is essential.
Asking a jazz trio to perform at your party and then insisting
that they play the latest Kylie song will simply not work! It is
essential that you find an ensemble who are experienced in
playing music to dance to and who can entertain a crowd enough
to get them onto the dance floor. In our experience, music from
60s, 70s & 80s will suit a wide age range and is always popular
for dancing.
Example breakdown of a typical company party:
"Meet and Greet / Networking" We recommend either a jazz
trio or cocktail pianist for this part of the event. Light
cocktail music is ideal when your guests first arrive as this is
the time when people are most likely to be talking and
networking.
"Dancing" A professional function band is most
suitable for this part the evening. Function bands are
experienced at getting people up to dance and are much more
visual than a dj.
Recommended Jazz Trio - Cl
ick Here
Recommended Cocktail Pianist - Click Here
Recommended Jazz Function Bands - Click Here
Corporate entertainment situation 3
Company Fun Day
The "brief" for a company fun day is usually to entertain your
current workforce, entertain prospective clients or to increase
your company branding. In any of these cases the overall effect
of the entertainment needs to be one of fun.
Below are some possible ideas for music at a fun day:
Dixieland Jazz Band - Jolly Dixieland jazz is light
hearted and is suitable for outdoor performance.
Latin Band- A Latin band is often associated with summer
and is great for dancing.
Tribute band - Everyone loves a tribute act!
Big band - A big band playing well known swinging tunes
from the 40s and 50s is great for this type of event. Having 18
musicians always an impressive sight!
Recommended Latin Band - Click Here
Recommended Dixieland Jazz Band - Click Here
Recommended Big Band - Clic
k Here
Recommended Tribute Band - Click Here
What next?
If you live in London or the South East try browsing Corporate Event Bands for hire in London and the
South East. If you live further a field click
here to search for a band near you.