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When
you are looking for an amazing corporate event, an elegant wedding
reception, an interactive Bar/Bat Mitzvah or just a fun private party, the
Florida Mobile Entertainment Group is your choice for a first-class, stress-free
event. Let our "Top Gun" Staff turn your vision into a reality.
The Staff of the Florida
Entertainment Group is dedicated to providing our clients with an unsurpassed level of
professional entertainment services from start to finish. Our reputation
is built on our passion for excellence being the standard for every event.
For some, this may be your first experience with our company or it may even be
your first time hiring a Mobile Entertainment Company...period. If so,
please take a moment to consider the following...
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It is shocking, but
true....
Every day, businesses/individuals
hire entertainers they later find out they should not have.
Entertainers and entertainment agencies often fabricate their qualifications and
over charge you for the inadequate services they provide. Often they end up
turning your important event into an embarrassment and put your reputation on
the line for hiring sub-par performers.
Organizing a
corporate event, wedding, mitzvah or any other event is a difficult and
stressful job. There are so many details to attend to. Here is the
undeniable truth though:
"The overall success of your event hinges on
you hiring the right entertainer"
You may not believe that right now but think about it for a minute. When
is the last time you remembered the dinner you had a a corporate event?
Did the centerpieces make the event memorable and successful? When was the
last time you attended any type of event that what you had for dinner made the
event successful?
Probably Never...
The entertainer is the "key" to a successful event, but here's the problem...
Hire the wrong person and your event will be a flop. Hire someone who
offends members of your audience and it is your reputation on the line.
Overpay for an entertainer who delivers a sub-par performance and all eyes will
be looking at you.
The following information will give you some "inside-scoop" on what to look out
for so that you will not be taken advantage of by dishonest entertainers or
agencies. You may be asking yourself, why are we revealing this
information? There are two very simple answers to that question:
REASON #1 -
If you end up hiring a lousy entertainer or DJ, this closes the field not only to
our entertainers but other competent professionals. Odds are, if the
entertainer you hire is lousy, you'll be very reluctant to hire a similar type
of performer in the future.
REASON #2 -
We HATE to see bad performers rip people off and make you and or your event
planner look bad. It puts a horrible black eye on our profession.
Now that you have the reasons lets discuss some common mistakes and how to avoid
them.
Mistake #1
Assuming That Going Through An
Entertainment Agency
Or Speaker Bureau Is The Best Way
To Go
Many clients/event planers feel that they are better off hiring performers from
an agency instead of hiring the performers directly. First, be sure to
understand that there are many reputable agencies to choose from. If fact
if you are interested in using one to hire all the types of Entertainers you are
looking for (beyond what we offer) we will be happy to provide you with the
phone numbers of some superb ones. The following information is intended
to help you avoid disreputable agencies.
While it is true that making one phone call to an agency and letting them do all
the work is a lot easier than hiring each individual entertainer yourself, there
is no assurance that you are going to get the performer or speaker that will be
perfect for your event's needs.
Dirty little secret #1 some agencies don't
want you to know:
Agencies have a list of entertainers in different price ranges. Their
first concern is booking the highest priced performer to ensure they'll get a
nice fat commission. This is the reason why many times they will ask you
what your budget is. If you tell them you have a $5,000.00 budget they
will look to book an entertainer in that price range. This may not be the
best person for your event but because they can make that far commission, they
will book them anyway.
Dirty little secret #2 some agencies don't
want you to know:
If you have a very substantial budget, an agency will almost always book way
more performers than necessary for an event. For example, our staff has
been booked on events where an agency also booked two magicians, an caricature
artist and a juggler in addition to our DJs. This was OVERKILL to the
maximum. This agency did not care what was in the best interest of their
client and event; they only cared about spending every dime in their budget.
Dirty little secret #3 some agencies don't
want you to know:
This one is going to blow you away and maybe even anger you! Did you know
that many agencies mark up their talent by 100% to 300% or more?
That's right! If an entertainer normally charges $800.00 for their
performance, an agency may charge you, starting at, $1,600.00 for the same
entertainer!!! Are you really getting a $1,600.00 entertainer? No!
You are getting a $800.00 entertainer and paying twice what you should!
The agency practice of charging you DOUBLE what you should be paying if you hire
the entertainer on your own is quite common. In fact, in several training
manuals for entertainment agencies, the authors boast about this practice and
has charts to show the agents the "obscene" amount of money they can make by
doing this.
Again, there are some agencies that DO NOT do this. There are some very
reputable agencies that really care about their clients. Instead, they
require that their talent discount their fees to them so that they can charge
their client the same amount the same amount they would have paid if they had
hired the entertainer directly. Or they may charge a very nominal service
fee on top of the entertainers fee. These are the type of agencies you
will want to deal with.
Bottom Line: Remember that a
disreputable agency's first concern is about the amount of money they can make.
Your needs come a in a distant second. Take charge and be in control!
Mistake #2
Basing Your Decision Primarily On
Price
Wow! This is a big one!
Of course, price is a big factor when hiring entertainment. If you
only have a $500.00 budget, you are not going to be able to hire a major star to
come entertain your group. However, many people place too much emphasis on
price and not enough on the OVERALL impact the entertainer will have on the
event. Is the highest priced entertainer always the best? Absolutely
not! In fact, in a marketing course put out for entertainers, the author
tells his readers to raise their fees because a lot of people/event planners
equate the value of a performer by how much they charge. He says it is all
"perception".
Well, it certainly won't be just "perception" if you hire someone who charges
you thousands of dollars for a program that is, in reality, only worth a few
hundred dollars and even worse they "bomb"!
On the other hand, hiring the least expensive entertainer is not always the best
way to go either.
DJs, magicians, motivational speakers and other performers are often perceived
as "a dime a dozen-a commodity" by many event planners, and because of this they
try to find the lowest priced performer.
The fact is that each entertainer is unique and, like in any other profession,
there are entertainers who are great, some who are good, some mediocre and some
who should not be allowed on a stage!
You should always base your decision on the entertainer who will best fulfill
your needs and help you achieve your desired outcomes and an amazingly
successful event.
One way you can know if an entertainer is going to meet your needs is by whether
or not he/she asks you what your needs are and what outcome you want to achieve
with your event. When you call them, do they just tell you how great their
show is without finding out what you want and need?
Imagine if you went to a doctor because you were not feeling well and the doctor
instantly prescribed some medicine without finding out what was wrong with you.
It is the same with entertainers. Be sure they find out what you want
first and see if they have a program that can fulfill those needs.
BEWARE!
Many entertainers are so desperate for work that they will say anything to get
hired. They will tell you that they do things that they don't, won't and
can't do.
Bottom Line: Decide what your
budget range is, check out a few entertainers in that budget range, and
choose the best one regardless of price. If your budget is so small that
you cannot find an Excellent Entertainer, DO NOT HIRE ANYONE. It is far,
far better to have no entertainment than it is to hire someone who will ruin
your event/reputation. Save your money and wait until you can afford
someone who will provide you that "Amazingly Successful" Event.
Mistake #3
Believing "Previous Customer"
Testimonials
Testimonials are of the utmost importance when hiring an entertainer. In
fact, they are of paramount importance. However, "previous client"
testimonials can be deceiving. If an entertainer does not have a TON of
positive testimonials it could mean one (or more) of a few things.
First, the entertainer has not worked professionally long enough to get
testimonials. Second, the entertainer may not produce the results that
warrant a favorable testimonial. The first case should throw up a flag of
caution but not deter you from hiring the entertainer. The second case
should be an instant red flag to move onto the next option.
Yes, testimonials are critical. What people say about an entertainer
is infinitely more important than what an entertainer has to say about
themselves. If you want the TOTAL honest opinion, try asking the other
vendors who work with the entertainers on a weekly basis. More often than
not if other vendors are not comfortable working with or do not have much
positive to say about the entertainer, they are probably right on the money.
The fact of it is, anybody can have one or two good days/events, your odds of
Success are better with an entertainer who is highly regarded by other event
professionals.
A fact to consider is that many entertainers make up their testimonials and will
lie about their credentials. As mentioned before, in a "best-selling"
video program for entertainers a budding entertainer asked the "expert" what to
do if you do not have any testimonials. The answer was, "Oh, just make
them up. Do whatever it takes." As disgusting as it sounds, in is
unfortunately common practice.
Discovering the truth is very easy. Ask the entertainer to give you copies
of some of the actual testimonial letters they received and not just quotes from
these letter (Many of our DJs have countless letters on file available upon
request). If the entertainer is unable to produce at least a few actual
letters, you've caught them! Do not overlook the feedback from other
professional vendors you have trusted to provide a service/product for your
event.
Bottom Line: You should put a lot of
weight on entertainers' testimonials when making your decision. Just make
sure you are dealing with someone who is honest and ethical.
Well, there you have it. While, these are just a few suggestions they are
a good start towards making an educated decision for your next event.
Obviously, if you are a seasoned event planner you may have already know some or
all of the secrets revealed in this report. We do, however, hope you found
a few gems that you can use to ensure that your next event turns out exactly as
you want it so you will get the applause, accolades and acknowledgement that you
so richly deserve.
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Please feel free to contact our office with
any questions or concerns
904-260-0600 x2
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