10 Questions Your Boss Has About the Corporate Event Entertainment Vendor

So you’ve been assigned the unglamorous task of identifying options for the upcoming corporate event’s entertainment. Whether it’s an employee team building activity, holiday party, client entertainment function or brand awareness event, in the end it all boils down to you spending a lot of time asking friends and colleagues for recommendations, trolling through Google, and making a ton of telephone inquiries.

To help make this tedious process a bit easier, here are the 10 most important questions to answer about each vendor when conducting your research – the things your boss will want to know, so that he/she can make an informed decision:

1. Price – There’s no getting around this. Your boss surely has a budget range in mind for the event, and will need to have a general idea of what the vendor’s services will cost.

2. What’s Included – Obtain a complete list of services which will be provided, as well as additional options/fees.

3. What it Will Look Like – Is the entertainment, activity or act appropriate for the culture of the company, the intended audience or the tone of the function?  That’s what your boss is concerned about – so find out.

4. Capacity – How many people can the vendor entertain? What is involved if you need flexibility on your numbers?

5. Duration – How long will the entertainment last? What are options for extending/shortening?

6. Lead Time – When do we have to decide by? Do we need to secure the vendor’s services right now, or is there flexibility to book closer to the date?

7. Special Requirements – Will this entertainment require us to rent any furniture or special equipment? Do we need a certain type of venue? Is this location-specific?

8. Restrictions – Will everyone be able to participate? Can this be done indoors as well as outdoors? How about day or night, winter or summer, rain or shine?

9. Reputation – Does the vendor have a solid client roster & glowing testimonials? Any positive/negative reviews posted online? Any firsthand knowledge from people we know?

10. Did You Get a Good Vibe? – Based on your communications, did the vendor seem polite, professional and trustworthy?

Depending on the type of event, your boss may have more detailed questions about vendors before committing to one. If nothing else, however, make sure you obtain the answers to the above, so that he/she may make a decision based on solid facts across a range of important variables.

What are some other questions you think your boss will have when collecting corporate entertainment vendor research?