When it comes to formal dinners, the entertainment might very well be the issue that makes the evening worthwhile. There’s a very good reason why after dinner speakers charge through the nose for their services, with most fully aware that their presence can completely transform an evening.
The high fees associated with this industry means that countless celebrities and former sporting stars have entered it. Therefore, you will certainly have a wealth of options when it comes to choosing your after dinner speaker and most will probably be spoilt for choice. Bearing this in mind, this guest contribution will take a look at some of the factors you should analyse before making a decision on the identity of your special evening guest.
What is suited to your audience?
This is undoubtedly the main question you should ask and get this part wrong, and your evening really could be in tatters. While you might be Frankie Boyle’s biggest fan, there’s no guarantee that your guests will feel this way especially if most of them are against any forms of controversy. Similarly, if your dinner is for employees of a business that is mainly made up of women, bringing former football referee Jeff Winter in probably isn’t go down very well.
Therefore, analyse your target audience and select a safe option that will appear to the masses. To achieve this, many people use a site such as The Right Address to book their after dinner speaker – with this categorizing each performer to make it easier to filter out the ones that will not be suitable for your event.
What is the purpose of your dinner?
If your event is to simply celebrate the success of the past year or anything else that is just as casual, most after dinner speakers will probably be suitable. However, some people source speakers to give a message to their audience – with this generally the case with motivational speakers. Therefore, analyse your goals and find a suitable celebrity – do you need an entertainer, or an educator?
When is your arrangement?
With a lot of after dinner speakers still big players in the entertainment industry, it goes without saying that most have busy diaries. Therefore, it’s important that you are prepared to give plenty of notice to your proposed speaker – and this might even involve planning your dinner up to a year in advance.
Have you heard any feedback about your guest speakers?
Before you take the plunge and book your special guest, try and obtain as much feedback about them as possible. While Matthew Pinsent may have been a hugely successful rower, this certainly doesn’t mean that he is going to capture your audience’s attention. The truth is, no matter how successful a person was in their main field, after dinning speaking is an art and not everyone is able to pull it off. Therefore, check the internet for reviews or find out where your favourite performers have appeared at before.