4 Things Sonja Morgan Needs to Know about Hip Event Entertainment.

 

 

Holy Reality Train Wreck!

That was a collective gasp of dismay you heard Monday night.  Every event planner, booking agent, wedding coordinator, entertainment partner and restaurant manager watching The Real Housewives of New York could see the headlight at the end of the tunnel. Despite red flags waving we had our fingers crossed and hoped for the best. Until Cara Quici showed up in a leather bustier and a distressed expression. Oy. Missed it?  Here's some footage.

*shudder* We can barely watch it. Aside from promotional deals brokered and made for TV career paths - there's a lot to learn from Sonja in the City's first event venture. Miss Sonja, this blog is for you.

 

Did (the band) get the wrong address? ~ Heather Thomson

Oh Mother of Pearl. Cara Quici was just the wrong choice. Entertainment is the most powerful dictator of event atmosphere. It's also the most memorable party takeaway. Entertainment selection for an event is a complex process. The more experience someone has choosing entertainment the better. That's why there are Entertainment Directors for theaters, casinos and concert venues.

An entertainment partner can help enormously with this process. An entertainment partner is more than a booking agent and is not a band manager. For example, Hip Entertainment has vast and diverse experience as entertainment partners and event producers. A great entertainment partner will walk the event planner, and client if desired, through the evening and pinpoint wish list ambiance, dinner music, timing for speeches, auctions, dancing etc. Through that process your entertainment partner listens to client goals and understands the flavor of the event. Edgy and quirky can be very fun. For about a half hour. Great entertainment is more than a novelty act. Look for reputable, licensed, insured agencies with many like minded client testimonials to help you make your entertainment choices. Great club acts do not always translate into great private event entertainment. No offense intended.

 

 

Should I get up there and do a burlesque? ~ Sonja Morgan

Yowch! And that was in sympathy Miss Sonja. Every concert goer knows - delays in start time can happen. Here are three things you can do to mitigate showtime delays.

1) Professional sound engineer running sound system and backround music.

2) Event timeline distributed well in advance of the event.

3) Sound check well in advance of guest arrival. Gulp. See Below.

 

 

        Thanks to our friends Brass Bed for the use of their cool photo.

 

Not everyone made it for sound check. ~ Cara Quici

Yikes. Every professional musician who heard that cringed. Generally, as we saw, sound check is critical. The timing of sound check is spelled out in the event rider and contract and determined well in advance of the event. Sound check is the opportunity to make sure all the sound equipment and monitors are working and that the vocal levels are set for optimum good listening. Verses, say,  screeching feedback. Which band members attend sound check is largely an internal band decision. Some bands require everyone and some have systems they use so the whole band doesn't need to arrive well before show time. In this case, a sound check would have given the event planner or entertainment partner the opportunity to help the artist tweak material into a more appropriate show before performing for guests.

        Thanks to Bobby Ebola for the irresistable photo.

The band was a bit of a train wreck. ~ Aviva Drescher

Or in other words - is it ever the band's fault an event crashes?  Yes. A band is a small business. Many bands want and need help with the business side of music and delivering excellent client service. Communicating with the client, customizing the entertainment for the event, arrival, departure, special requests.. An average event the size and scope of the Drescher Anniversary Party will require 50 to 100 email communications for entertainment alone. And that's all before the performance. Entertainment curating expertise is also why event professionals work with reputable, licensed and insured entertainment agencies. It's a big learning curve and a lot of time, planning and communicating. Skimp on the planning and you get.. train wreck.

Just as Miss Quici was not adequately prepared to perform this sort of event - so can other bands and DJ's and entertainers fail to adjust entertainment for their audience or deliver in client service. Dragging guests through sound check gliches was unbelievably, breathtakingly unprofessional. And completely avoidable with good planning and communication.

In reading Sonja Morgan's blog, there were also issues with song choice and unexpected male dancers (!?) We tease about it but honestly, there is nothing funny about playing fast and loose with someone's cherished day. Great bands happily provide references, client testimonials and recommendations from entertainment partners and professionals.

The real reality is that Sonja's party entertainment faux pas is shocking and blessedly rare.   There are amazing artists ready to impress and uplift your guests and who are grateful and honored to play at your event. There is no reason not to have five star entertainment and client service. 

 

Big anniversary coming up? Planning a wedding? Starring in a reality show and throwing a party? Hip Entertainment loves being our client's entertainment partner. From concept to clean up we'll help deliver a party your most discerning guests will love and remember. Call us at (916) 354-9924 or email Nellie nellie@hipentertainment.com and we'll get your party started.