Plan.Meet.Repeat January February 2019 Issue plan meet repeat jan feb 2019 | Page 5

b. The reaction of the audience. This is just as important. Is the audience reacting favorably to them? If it’s a comedy act, are they laughing? Obviously, every act is going to put their best foot forward for a demo video and only put their best performance on there but you’ll be able to tell whether they resonate with the audience from the video. The good thing about the internet is the almost unlimited choices you have for every type of vendor you need—including entertainers. The downside is that you still need to screen acts to make sure they’re of the highest quality for the fee paid. Using the above-mentioned points should, hopefully, make your job a little easier. 3. Do they guarantee their performance? Within the entertainment field, even with lower level and mid- priced talent, the competition has become fierce. As a comedy magician, I’ve guaranteed my performance for over 20 years. This was initially unheard of in the business. Now, it’s simply good business. It not only reverses the risk to the meeting planner but also has a subliminal message that the act must be good otherwise they wouldn’t risk their fee with a guarantee. Tim Piccirillo is a professional comedy magician who has performed over 5000 shows in a 30+ year career in venues ranging from corporate events and private parties to cruise ships and comedy clubs. He lives in St. Petersburg, FL. You can visit him at http://www.TimothyPitch. com 4. Can they provide references? No matter how good a video is, what you see on their website or even what the act tells you, you should ask for and check at least a couple of references, either by emailing or calling them directly. The references you ask for should also be from other meeting planners who have booked an event at least somewhat similar to what you’re booking (e.g. corporate banquet, etc.). 5. Are they “self-contained’? This can be a biggie. There is nothing worse for a meeting planner—who already has a thousand details to attend to—than to have to make sure their act for the evening banquet has a stool and a microphone with an XLR input that’s hooked up to a mixing board that has stereo output, blah, blah, blah. Make sure your act is self-contained, meaning they have all the necessary equipment they’ll need. If the act is a comedian or humorist, providing a microphone and sometimes, a way for them to play music is acceptable but beyond this, make sure they can provide what they need to perform. Plan Meet Repeat Magazine Jan/Feb 2019 5