ENTERTAINMENTMAX

by: Robert 

Entertainmentmax, the largest provider of Corporate Entertainment and Corporate Event Planning, is pleased to offer the following information about how to set up a talent budget.

Entertainmentmax thinks it is important to set up your talent budget before you begin to search for the entertainers.  We at Entertainmentmax know it can be difficult to try and budget for talent before the event has been booked, but you will have many more entertainment options available once you know how much you want to spend on entertainers.  Whether you are booking a funny comedian, magician, hypnotist or DJ, you should start by knowing your talent budget so you can help plan the entire event.

Entertainmentmax wants you to know that you can save money by working with an event planner and having them negotiate on finding talent.  Often talent buyers like Entertainmentmax have numerous shows with the entertainers so they will receive special discount rates.  Entertainmentmax wants you to know that you can purchase talent thru talent buyers or go directly to agents that specifically represent certain performers.  Be aware that agents works for the entertainer, and it’s their job to get the most money they can from a client.  A talent buyer works for the client, and it’s our job to get that talent for the best price, so our clients save money.  Often a talent buyer goes directly to the talent avoiding agent’s fees.

Entertainmentmax knows that the budgets can vary wildly depending on who you want to as the entertainer.  Entertainers come in all types of budgets.  There are comedians that can come for $500, and others that can be $50,000.  So plan out your budget for talent, and remember that people want to have a great time, and that is almost always achieved through entertainment.  So, don’t cut corners on quality entertainment, because more often than not, you get what you pay for.

If you are in the market for a funny comedian, a professional speaker, or spectacular event planning, contact Entertainmentmax for all your corporate entertainment, college and casino events or military engagements.  Please contact us directly at 661-269-1860 or email us at info@entertainmentmax.net for all your entertainment needs- large or small.

Entertainmentmax—Getting You More For Your Entertainment Dollar.

by: Jeff

Entertainmentmax, the largest provider of Corporate Entertainment and Corporate Event Planning, is pleased to offer the following information about how to set up your hotel and room rental budget.

Entertainmentmax thinks it is important to set up your hotel and room rental budget before you begin to try and book up the talent.  We at Entertainmentmax know it can be difficult to try and budget for room rental before the event has been booked, but you will have many more entertainment options available once you know how much you will need to spend on renting the room.  Whether you are booking a funny comedian, magician, hypnotist or DJ, you should start by knowing your hotel and/or room rental budget so you can help plan the entire event.

Entertainmentmax wants you to know that you can save money by working with an event planner and having them negotiate your room rental price.  Often event planners like Entertainmentmax have numerous events at the hotel/restaurant you are having your party at, and will receive special discount rates.  Entertainmentmax wants you to know that some locations will drop any room rental price if you spend over a certain amount in food and drink.

Entertainmentmax knows that the budgets for room rentals will vary depending on the day of the week, time of the year, and the amount of guests you will expect.  The pricing goes up on Friday and Saturday nights, and can often double if it during the holiday season.   There are some locations that do not supply chairs, so that will be something you need to consider when planning your budget.  So plan out your budget for the hotel or facility you are using for the event. Once that is completed, you will have a good idea on how much you should be spending on other items such as food and drink, entertainment, and advertising.

If you are in the market for a funny comedian, a professional speaker, or spectacular event planning, contact Entertainmentmax for all your corporate entertainment, college and casino events or military engagements.  Please contact us directly at 661-269-1860 or email us at info@entertainmentmax.net for all your entertainment needs- large or small.

by: Christine 

Entertainmentmax, the largest provider of Corporate Entertainment and Corporate Event Planning, is pleased to offer the following information about how to set up your food and drink budget.

Entertainmentmax thinks it is important to set up your food and drink budget before you begin to try and book up the talent.  We at Entertainmentmax know it can be difficult to try and budget for food and drinks before the event has been booked, but you will have many more entertainment options available once you know how much you will need to spend on food and drinks.  Whether you are booking a funny comedian, magician, hypnotist or DJ, you should start by knowing your food and drink budget so you can help plan the entire event.

Entertainmentmax wants you to know that you can save money by working with an event planner and having them negotiate your food and drink prices.  Often event planners like Entertainmentmax have numerous events at the hotel/restaurant you are having your party at, and will receive special discount rates.  Entertainmentmax wants you to know that there is some liability in serving alcohol to your employees, and that you should discuss the company’s liability with your attorneys.  Whether it is an open bar or a cash bar, serving alcohol is something that should be monitored closely. 

Entertainmentmax knows that the budgets for food and drink can vary wildly depending on what you want to serve at the event.  It is our belief that although nobody wants the food to be bad, people remember the party for the type of entertainment that was there.  If the DJ got everyone dancing, and people to do the limbo, then that is what people will remember, not how the meat loaf was undercooked.  So plan out your budget for food and drink, but don’t spend everything on that as people want to have a great time, and that is almost always achieved through entertainment.

If you are in the market for a funny comedian, a professional speaker, or spectacular event planning, contact Entertainmentmax for all your corporate entertainment, college and casino events or military engagements.  Please contact us directly at 661-269-1860 or email us at info@entertainmentmax.net for all your entertainment needs- large or small.

by: Barry Neal

Entertainmentmax, the largest provider of Corporate Entertainment and Corporate Event Planning, is pleased to offer the following information about how to set up your advertising budget.

Entertainmentmax thinks it is important to set up your entertainment advertising budget before you begin to try and book up the talent.  We at Entertainmentmax know it can be difficult to try and budget for advertising before the event has been booked, but you will have many more entertainment options available once you know how much you will spend on advertising.  Whether you are booking a funny comedian, magician, hypnotist or DJ, you should start by knowing your advertising budget so you can help plan the entire event.

Entertainmentmax wants you to know that you can save money by advertising in bulk.  You will get better rates if you purchase 3 straight weeks of promotions as opposed to only one week in three different publications.  Entertainmentmax believes that word of mouth will always be the best and least expensive way to promote your show.  So, if you have weekly comedy, it is a great idea to have supportive employees, and customers to tell all their friends about the show.  You can offer incentives to these customers.  If you bring three friends, the fourth person is free.

Entertainmentmax knows that advertising a show is as important as the talent you purchase.  If nobody knows where the show is or what date it is on, then it won’t matter how funny your comedian is.  You must have a budget to advertise, and even when the shows are going well, you must continue to advertise.

If you are in the market for a funny comedian, a professional speaker, or spectacular event planning, contact Entertainmentmax for all your corporate entertainment, college and casino events or military engagements.  Please contact us directly at 661-269-1860 or email us at info@entertainmentmax.net for all your entertainment needs- large or small.

Entertainmentmax—Getting You More For Your Entertainment Dollar.

by: Barry Neal

 Entertainmentmax, the largest provider of Corporate Entertainment and Corporate Event Planning, is pleased to offer the following information about Why To Book Your Entertainment well in advance.

Entertainmentmax thinks it is important to book up your entertainment at least 3 months in advance.  We at Entertainmentmax know it can be difficult to plan this far out, but you will have many more entertainment options available the farther out you plan.  Whether you are booking a funny comedian, magician, hypnotist or DJ, you should start looking at least 90 days out from your event.

Entertainmentmax wants you to know that you can save money by booking entertainment in advance.  It will always be a buyers market for comedians, magicians, hypnotists and bands if you book in advance.  You will have more performers to choose from, and thus not have to pay as much money.

Entertainmentmax knows that the more time you book in advance, the more time you have to advertise the event.  In order for a show to be successful, proper advertising must be used.  If you can use word of mouth, then the less money you need to spend on last minute ads in papers, radio and television.

If you are in the market for a funny comedian, a professional speaker, or spectacular event planning, contact Entertainmentmax for all your corporate entertainment, college and casino events or military engagements.  Please contact us directly at 661-269-1860 or email us at info@entertainmentmax.net for all your entertainment needs- large or small.

Entertainmentmax—Getting You More For Your Entertainment Dollar.

Entertainmentmax thinks it is important to let fledgling performers know that blanking on stage and forgetting your next joke will happen to you. It happens to everyone. Here is the key. Don’t let the audience know. They have no idea the order your material is in or if you forgot a particular joke. Move on, and do the next joke. Only you will be aware that you completely left out the best joke of your set. Even if it’s the punch line you forget, don’t worry. The audience will just assume that joke wasn’t funny and be ready for the next one.

Entertainmentmax suggests never letting the audience see you blank. Comedy is like magic, and if the audience knew all the funny things you are saying have been prepared and said hundreds of times before, the illusion is gone. There are those few times that you have blanked to the point of not remembering any joke, and it’s obvious you are blanking. At that point, just tell the truth. The audience will appreciate it, and probably laugh if you say you shouldn’t have taken pot before going onstage. Just remember, everyone blanks sometimes at every job.

If you are in the market for a funny comedian

Entertainmentmax thinks it is important to let fledgling performers know that working blue can severely hinder your career goals. First, let’s be clear about what working blue is. Certainly any language that contains a four letter word is blue. Also, the joke may not have a bad word in it, but if it too overtly sexual, it is still blue, and many audiences as well as clubs have a strong anti-blue material policy. Certainly, you can have a great career and still use bad language, but the amount of clubs and locations you can play will be limited.

Entertainmentmax suggests that you start with clean material. Nobody ever walked out of a show because it was too clean. Just adding the “F” word to a joke doesn’t make it any more clever. It may get a laugh because of the shock value. Once you have mastered the clean comedy, you may find that your comedy voice and persona is better suited to R rated material.

If you are in the market for a funny comedian, a professional speaker, or spectacular

There are many who think that booking companies take too much, and for some that may be true. At Entertainmentmax, we believe that an educated entertainer is a great part of our business which is why we are opening our doors to you about our business.

We have at any given time 3-4 paid telemarketers who contact all the venues that we can find.  These people get paid whether they book a show that day or not.  We also have the cost of multiple phone lines, long distance, fax lines, internet, server, postage, marketing materials and supply cost. We have the cost of web creation, IT maintenance, legal, accounting, advertising, and insurance. We also have the cost of the desks, furniture, software, heat, electric, water and air.

All of these costs are incurred before we even book a deal.

Now let’s say we book a deal. There is commission to be paid to the finder or the referall person. We generate contracts, get them signed, order riders, mail out marketing and provide tax information.  With military contracts - the paperwork is enormous.  All this goes on before you even get booked.

We then contact you the entertainer and book you for the show. At this point, its not uncommon to put in multiple man hours to get to this point.  Shows don’t just drop into our laps, we have to call and mail and call again.  Our salepeople need to sell shows, often where there aren’t any or where there are shows being done unsuccessfully.

The days before the show we locate direction, passes or anything else the entertainer needs in order to do the show. We check in with the client and assist them in marketing and advertising where we can.

The day of the show arrives- someone needs to be paid to cover the office or cover the forwarded phones.  If an entertainer is late or lost, we are reached by the talent or the client.  All this time is charged agains the company as no one works for free.

After the show, the client is called and the show is reviewed.  Thank you notes are written and thank you gifts are sent.  All at the company cost.

We think it is important for all our entertainers to know that though they are a vital part of the show, they are one part in the whole system that makes that show possible. Without the telemarketers, there would be no shows. Without the marketing materials sent out, there would be no show. Without the directions sent there would be no show. Without the appropriate customer service in thank you notes and thank you gifts and follow up there would be no future shows.

So the next time you do a show for us, take a moment to think about all the people that make that show possible.   We are a team here and we think of our entertainers as part of that team!

Entertainmentmax thinks it is important to let fledgling performers know that the best way to make other people laugh is to talk about things that make you laugh. Usually when you talk about things that you find funny, you will discover what makes you funny. Some people are funny because they are sarcastic, others because they get mad over the smallest minutia. Find out why people laugh when you tell a story, and you’ll have a good handle on what makes you funny.

Entertainmentmax suggests that you deliver material that is personal, and let us in on who you really are and how you feel and think about things. Knowing what makes you funny will give you the power to entertain all types of audiences. Start at what makes you laugh, and you just follow that into what makes you funny, and you will find success.

If you are in the market for a funny comedian, a professional speaker, or

If we had a dime for every entertainer who told us that college shows pay more, don’t understand the nature of the market.  Yes, there are some colleges who will pay $50,000 or even $100,000.  But these big budget shows are reserved for household names.

College shows start at $600 and go up from there. To tell us what colleges are willing to pay because you got that amount once or your hear what someone got is not the reality of the business.  Budgets come in all shapes and sizes and the more we get, the more we are able to afford in the level of comedy.

The question you need to ask yourself, is if I am willing to work for that money, does it fit in my schedule and what else am I doing at that time.  Most entertainers mistakenly think they can hold out for a better price…this doens’t work on two levels–

Unless you are a household name, you can easily be replaced by another comic who is willing to work for that money.

Most colleges, military bases and casinos simply don’t have or don’t want to pay anymore. 

If Entertainmentmax can’t work within their budget, the client goes to any number of other booking agencies.  If the comic can’t work within the budget of a show, we simply go elsewhere until we find someone qualified who will — and there always is.

It may be harsh, but this is the reality of the entertainment business today.