At BEM, we've worked on events where entertainment has been the main attraction, and others where it has played a relatively small part in the evening. Interestingly, the moments guests remember most aren't always the ones that took the most planning or had the biggest production budget.
A headline performance can be spectacular, particularly when you have hundreds of people together and the energy of an entire event builds towards it. But an unexpected performance during dinner, a musician who gets everyone involved or a room full of people singing along can just as easily become the moment everyone talks about afterwards.
Entertainment is one of the most enjoyable elements of creating an event because there are so many possibilities. Yet the performance itself is only one part of what makes it successful. The people, the setting and the atmosphere surrounding it can completely change how something is experienced.
A performance can change the personality of an event
Large outdoor events offer an opportunity to transform an open space into somewhere people genuinely want to spend their time. Live music, performances and activities bring movement and atmosphere to an environment, particularly when guests have the freedom to explore and enjoy different things throughout the day.
At the other end of the spectrum, entertainment can play a much quieter role.
A musician during a private dinner, for example, might contribute more to the evening by creating a beautiful atmosphere than by becoming the centre of everyone's attention. Guests can enjoy the music while continuing their conversations, and the performance becomes part of the hospitality rather than a separate programme item.
Both can be equally memorable, despite being completely different experiences.
The same performer could be brilliant in one setting and feel entirely out of place in another. Entertainment has a relationship with its surroundings, and that relationship often determines whether it adds something meaningful to the occasion.
Not everyone wants to be in the spotlight
Audience participation is another area where different personalities become particularly noticeable, especially at corporate events.
Some people will happily join an activity, sing along or get involved in almost anything. Others would much rather enjoy the experience from the sidelines, particularly when they're attending with colleagues, clients or people they don't know particularly well.
At BEM, we recognise that both groups can be having an equally good time.
Interactive entertainment can bring people together wonderfully, but it becomes less enjoyable when participation starts feeling like an obligation. Nobody particularly wants to discover halfway through an evening that they've been volunteered for something in front of their colleagues.
Some of the most enjoyable shared experiences are those where people naturally become involved because the atmosphere encourages them to, while everyone else is perfectly comfortable watching.
It allows guests to enjoy the occasion in their own way without feeling that they have to behave like everybody else.
The moments people remember aren't always planned as the highlights
One of the pleasures of working in events is hearing what people talk about afterwards.
Sometimes it is exactly what you would expect: the headline act, a spectacular performance or an entertainment experience that guests have been anticipating for weeks.
Other times, something much smaller becomes the favourite memory.
It might be an unexpected performance that catches everyone off guard, a familiar song that gets an entire room singing or a moment of laughter that brings together people who have spent most of the evening in separate conversations.
Those shared moments can be particularly valuable at corporate occasions. People are often brought together because of their professional relationships, but entertainment gives them an opportunity to enjoy something together without feeling that every interaction needs to serve a business purpose.
It is a different way of connecting, and sometimes those informal moments become the ones that stay with people.
Bigger doesn't automatically mean better
There will always be occasions that call for something spectacular, and we enjoy the possibilities that come with ambitious entertainment concepts.
But a fuller programme or a more elaborate performance doesn't necessarily create a better experience.
Guests may have come together to celebrate, enjoy hospitality or spend time with people they rarely see. When entertainment continually interrupts those opportunities, even excellent individual performances can begin competing with the occasion itself.
A large outdoor celebration might benefit from a headline act that brings everyone together, while a smaller hosted experience could be far better served by something that becomes part of the evening's atmosphere.
The scale of the entertainment matters far less than how it contributes to the overall experience.
Giving the occasion something of its own
Bespoke entertainment is sometimes associated with unusual acts, exclusivity or performances created specifically for an event. Those can all be wonderful elements, but its meaning extends beyond how impressive something looks on paper.
Every occasion has its own personality, shaped by the people attending, the setting, the reason for bringing everyone together and the atmosphere surrounding them.
Entertainment can bring those elements together in a way that few other parts of an event can. It might create the energy of a large celebration, make an intimate evening feel particularly special or give a group of people a shared memory they would never have experienced together otherwise.
The most rewarding entertainment becomes part of the occasion rather than simply appearing on its programme.
When guests look back, they remember the experience as a whole, with the entertainment woven into the atmosphere, conversations and moments they shared.
That is a far more interesting ambition than simply putting on a good show.