Entertainment Store Blog

Inside info keeps us all on the leading edge

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 07:46:00 GMT

We think email lists are they way to go! Sign up with us and shop from your desk as materials designed specifically for the promotional and event needs of your business arrive in your inbox. Finding out first about overnight entertainment sensations, new venues, exclusive access to branded character and other product means you get dibs on your entertainment preferences when you book.

And no spam here, we press send seasonally or as exclusive new product becomes available. EOFY and new budgets are a great inspiration for many of our clients - get hold of our online brand catalog complete with pricing, call Troy or Jess, and programme your entertainment year in one hit for easy maintenance and great value discounts.

An added bonus is that Entertainment Store Group/Life Like Touring run hit stage shows as well as great corporate and retail events. Sign up so that we can help you get hold of the best seats in the house for your clients and colleagues before tickets go on general release. In our current role with Cartoon Network presents Ben 10, our email list bought thousands of tickets before the general public get access.

Be in the know with us, we spot the best and take you on our quest!

Communication and care are key

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:19:00 GMT

Communication and care are key to keeping your guests amused and engaged at your corporate function.

On the day, pull the whole team together before the guests arrive. Give yourself a 'half hour call' over the venue sound, as they do in the theatre, and get everyone from the band report to the wait staff in a circle so that you can see them.

A little chat about who the guests are and why they are there; their age, the company business, the level of relaxation or otherwise in the usual office premises, where the boss will be sitting and the reason for the celebration gives your team ownership of the situation and increases their level of concern and heightens the expectation of great service.

Run through the schedule for the evening, acknowledge the person responsible for managing any breaks, and check that the band or DJ is sufficiently sound checked. Ensure that any roving entertainers have their instructions as to location and interaction. And who is going to meet the celebrity MC or host when they hop out of their taxi, straight from the airport?

Finally, check that any uniform or dress code is adhered to your level of satisfaction. Schmick presentation from service staff inspires the confidence of your guests, for one night only, they are here to party and relax while others are there to do the work!

Remember that, as in the theatre, practice makes perfect. Entertainment Store Group event managers know the ropes above upside down, backwards, inside out, and are delighted to do all the above under your supervision, or your absence. You can feel confident that we are doing all the necessary paddling, while you are there to greet your guests and ensure their comfort as they arrive.

The real cost of your venue

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:13:00 GMT

Corporate events require corporate venues, but keep an eye out for hidden mark-ups. You want your budget to go where there is most value for your guests, into food and entertainment, rather than on the hire of AV equipment or under-utilised staff.

Ensure that for every offer from the venue that you remember to ask what the cost to you will be ... from opening up early to bump in the band, to using the Venue sound system, to pressing the on switch for lights in an auditorium ... sometimes the cost will be inclusive, but more often, the staff associated with these add-ons will become add-on costs to the original price. Sometimes these additional staff are not negotiable.

As a matter of occupational health and safety, venues are required to provide internal staff for some skilled tasks, but check out who is available to multi-task rather than doubling up on personnel. If you are bringing in your own technical staff or band, do consider bringing in your own hire equipment, or borrow the band's gear for presentations, the MC and other formalities.

Venues often require that Venue gear is managed by venue staff, and this is another road to expensive double ups. A friendly event manager from the Entertainment Store Group can work through these venue negotiations with you, or on your behalf and then manage the technical team on the night with an eye to getting best practise for the best value out on the floor.

First in, fashion statement

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:08:00 GMT

Check us out! Here we are, back from the web design equivalent of your favourite spa, and looking, as Samantha and company would aver, 'Fabulous!'.

We love our new look easy read, easy navigate website - and though I am not sure that our marketing team will be going for an all over makeover every season, as they definitely feel like they have been to design boot camp this time round - keep visiting us for updates on must have corporate entertainers to keep you, your managers, your colleagues and your clients laughing and on your feet as the party season rolls on.