Liza Minnelli, Joan Rivers, Drew Carey, Martin Short and Julio Iglesias have performed on that stage along with dozens of other big names. I feel like a top A-list celebrity when I’m there and the audiences respond like I’m really the stars I portray.

I was thrilled to perform for a repeat client at the favorite venue last month. They book me annually for their service awards, since the recipients change every year. The event planners who produce this show are so thoughtful and considerate that I feel spoiled. I even have my own personal attendant providing anything I want in my green room.

I wore my new Tina Turner wig, styled by Anthony Crossfield, and dedicated ‘Simply the Best’ to the award winners.

The whole audience stood and danced, kicking their feet in the air to ‘New York New York’ while I impersonated Liza Minnelli.

I had amazing audience participation when I performed as Janis Joplin. Everyone clapped along to ‘Mercedes Benz’ and then audience volunteers played guitars and rocked out with me to ‘Piece of My Heart’.

Dressed as Dolly Parton, I did some stand up comedy after ‘Nine to Five’. Everyone clapped along as I walked through the audience interacting with them.

Cher was a crowd favorite. I am referred to as a look-a-like most often when I imitate her. I dressed up a very funny award winner as Sonny Bono. He stole the show with his comedic portrayal of Cher’s ex-husband. Cher might be the most often impersonated celebrity in the world, especially by female impersonators.

People laugh the hardest when I act like Celine Dion. She is really funny without trying to be. When I’m in character as her it is easy to be a comedian. All I have to do is adlib about her husband René Angélil.

When I was Madonna I had the best Boy Toy dancers. I wish I could post a video, but I want to respect their privacy.

I enjoy performing for all of my corporate audiences. Having exceptional audience participation along with flawless sound, light and video production is a dream come true. The River Rock Show Theatre and my amazing audience from last month brought me more joy than I can express.

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In the corporate realm, events are taken very seriously. Hiring a headline performer can be a stressful job or it can be fun and exciting. After 26 years of specializing in corporate special events, I thought I’d share important traits for entertainers and their clients to consider.

1. Professionalism

Professional entertainers send a detailed list of their requirements early, communicate clearly and put everything in writing. Then they follow up on their requirements closer to the event, making sure there are no misunderstandings. They ask the client for information; about their company, the itinerary, floor plan and audience. Professionals don’t bring an entourage. They dress appropriately, even at the sound check. They stay sober, are respectful of others and they clean up their mess in the green room. They don’t share their personal problems. Performance material needs to be corporate-appropriate. Only clean comedy is acceptable. Corporate entertainers need to respect people’s time. I have a colleague who wanted me to get her bookings. She would call often and talk my ear off. It was difficult to get her off the line. Even though she was talented, I could see why people weren’t hiring her. She wasted their time.

2. Reliability

Event planners are under pressure to pull off a perfect event. Whether they are an in-house employee making party arrangements or they are from a top-notch event production company, their reputation is at stake. Corporations need a high standard met. That one night is like a wedding, It only happens once and it costs a lot of money. Performers need to prove that they are reliable and build trust from the moment they are in contact with the client. They should return calls promptly, write up contracts immediately and show up early to meetings. Of course, they also need to be onsite hours before the show. There is no replacement for a one-of-a-kind act. I know a woman who broke her wrist in the middle of her show and continued performing. I have gone on stage injured, with pneumonia and grieving at times, but the client never knew. Having a lot of adrenaline on the day of the performance helps me overcome anything. There is no excuse. The show must go on.

3. A Good Attitude

An entertainer might be a diva but they better not have a diva attitude, not at corporate special events. They need to be low-maintenance, especially on show day. The planner has the whole event to think of; food, décor, attendance, their other employees and more. Talent must be accomodating from the time they are booked until the end of the event.

4. Flexibility

Customization and comprimise are often required at special events. Seasoned performers have the most experience with their optimal performing conditions and their best shows, but have to be flexible when necessary. Is your act prepared to adlib if there are logistical or technical difficulties? When a corporate performer is a trooper of trouble-shooting, they can save the day. I’ve had the power go off, computers break down and other big challenges on stage and have had rave reviews for stepping up and keeping the flow going. Entertainers have to be prepared for anything.

5. A Good Reputation

Corporate entertainers should have reference letters, preferably posted on their website. It’s good to have letters from event planners as well as direct clients. A potential client should be able to speak with recent clients who are usually happy to talk about a show they enjoyed. A planner should be able to ask around within the industry and get good feed-back. If an artist is represented by a reputable talent agency, they are sure to be good.

6. Being Fabulous and Talented

You have to be good to make it in the corporate special event market. Having a unique act that engages the audience and has wow-factor makes the event memorable.

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Corporate events, in and of themselves, are activities to look forward to. They signify a milestone crossed for a company, a celebration of a meeting a goal, or a step in a new direction. Employees look forward to these times when they have the chance to let their hair down and socialize with their colleagues without deadlines and projects looming in the near future. Corporate events, especially those that are held offsite, are some of the only times that employees reveal their true selves to the people they work with.

Selecting entertainment for a corporate event requires careful planning. Unlike venue or entertainment specific events, there is a lot of latitude allowed when the type of entertainment to perform. Comedians, magicians, musical acts, solo singers, variety acts, ventriloquists, traveling petting zoos, impersonators– there is a wide array of talent to choose from in the corporate event environment. However, with that flexibility brings additional concerns to the table. Here are three tips to consider when looking for talent to perform at your next corporate event:

Type of Entertainment

The chief concern when planning a corporate event is the type of material that will be presented.  There is virtually no way to please every single person in the company with a specific performer.  Being faced with that reality can present a challenge. Do you hire a male performer every year? Maybe you should consider a female comedian this time.  Sticking with the basics will make the decision easier.  Music that combines a mix of the popular genres, magicians, and clean comedians are choices that will satisfy a wide range of people. Interactive shows are especially memorable.

Material Covered

Once you have decided to go with a specific entertainment type, confirming that the material is appropriate for the audience is important. With people from coming from all walks of life and with no other common factory than employment at the company to share between them, it can be tricky to gauge levels of appropriateness.

Relevance of Material

Will the jokes make sense to the vast majority of your employees? If you’ve employed a cover band, will the music be recognizable? This is where knowing your employees will come into play. Understand the age ranges of the people employed in your business before you audition talent. If you have a young employee base, hire an act that will speak to their sensibilities and interests and vice versa. If the crowd is mixed, so should your talent be. Hire a DJ that can spin records spanning four decades or hire a comedian that talks about past and present situations.

Planning a corporate event can be an exciting activity. Having the opportunity to employee local talent, introduce your team members to a performer they may never have heard of before, and treating your employees to a company party is a perfect opportunity celebrate your teams accomplishments and show your company’s appreciation.

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Choosing the proper entertainment to perform at a corporate event can be an exciting undertaking. Searching for the talent, reading their reviews, watching their videos and making the final decision can make you feel like you are preparing the cast for the next big play on Broadway. In a way, you are performing a similar task to a casting agent and, while the audience for the corporate event will be considerably smaller than for a Broadway play, there will be several personalities to take into account when deciding on the finished product.

There are many things that must be considered when hiring a corporate entertainer. Here are 5 key questions that should be asked as part of the vetting process:

What type of material do you perform?

There are several types of performances that are perfect in the corporate setting. You need to determine how large the gathering will be to choose an appropriate act. Magicians, comedians, musicians, and impersonators do well for large groups. Ventriloquists, close-up magicians, artists, and solo acoustic performers do well with more intimate groups.

What size of audience have you performed in front of before?

This information will allow you to gauge how polished the act is before they come in for an audition. While the amount of performances is not indicative of ability (everyone has to start somewhere), knowing this information will allow you to properly compare acts when you do your final analysis.

What type of material do you cover in your act?

Knowing this ahead of time may seem like it spoils the fun, but it is imperative that you know ahead of time what kind of material the act will perform for your corporate audience. Considering the human resources ramifications of illicit material being presented in such a setting, you must choose your act with great care in this regard. Suggestive lyrics, profanity, and adult material should be tempered. While you won’t please everyone, you must ensure that you don’t offend anyone.

How long is your act?

Knowing the amount of time the performer plans to be on stage will allow you to plan the other aspects of the evening, such as food and speakers.

How much do you charge?

Money is an important aspect of the vetting process. As with every aspect of the event, a budget must be adhered to. Knowing the fee required by the talent will allow you to make the proper decisions about use, such as choosing local bands over well-known event performers.

Planning a corporate event allows you to create a special show for your colleagues. Since many corporate events are thrown as a way to say thanks for a job well done, the choice of performer is a very important part of that sentiment. Research and planning will aid the search for the perfect event performer. These questions will get you started on your way to finding the perfect match for your company.

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