In some ways, you can consider whether a service provider is “professional” by which organizations they belong to. But I think that being “a professional” is far more than that: I think it’s about meeting your clients’ expectations & delivering work that you can be proud of.

So why should things be any different in the entertainment industry? Remember that when your company hosts an event or function, everything about that party creates an impression on your clients & customers. That means that if you are considering bringing in an entertainer, that person (or group) can influence how your clients (or prospective clients) feel about doing business with you.

Even if the event is an internal one, like a year-end ‘staff appreciation’ party, what message do you send if you use an amateur performer? Or if the performance is offensive? Or if it’s just plain inappropriate? I’d go as far as to suggest that if you’re hiring the ‘cheapest’ entertainer you can, then you should save the money and rather give your staff a small cash bonus – they’ll appreciate that more than having to sit through bad entertainment.

The fact is, a good entertainer is going to cost you – how do you know that he or she is going to be worth it?

So let’s assume you want to use the services of a performer or entertainer who is ‘worth his/her salt’ – what should you look out for?

Here are some key indicators that indicate that the entertainer you’re speaking to will deliver a professional, consistent & reliable service:

• The entertainer is a full-time performer. In order to make a living in the entertainment world (especially in South Africa), you need to be consistently performing & working. A part-time performer may not be able to give you 100% commitment, nor may they have enough enquiries to keep working. Caveat: I know several professional entertainers who choose to have a full-time job in a different industry – this does not mean they’re not fantastic!
• The entertainer has an extensive list of corporate clients. If the performer is good, he/she will keep getting referrals & will continue to work for big companies. 
• The entertainer has a collection of testimonial letters. A true professional asks his clients to send their feedback. The fact that a client has taken the time to put a recommendation on paper proves that they found the performance to be satisfactory (at least). 
• The entertainer’s marketing material is up-to-date. You should be able to watch videos or view photographs to get a sense of what the performance is like. Expect to receive brochures or a ‘one sheet’ with updated biographical information, recent clients, comments and feedback. Bonus – is his/her website up-to-date, and is it comprehensive?
• The entertainer belongs to professional industry associations. Association membership indicates that he/she wishes to grow & improv their business or standing within the industry. Examples are the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa and the Performing Arts Network of South Africa.  
• The entertainer is represented by a reputable agent. A reputable agency will do all the checks to make sure the performer actually delivers consistently professional service. Caveat : beware that there are great agents and there are terrible agents! Similar indicators apply.
• If the entertainer is self-represented, he/she owns a registered company. This means that you will get proper invoices and that you’re working with someone who takes their professional seriously. Bonus – if the performer is VAT-registered!
• The performer has a good contract. Because an entertainer can make or break an event, how can you ensure that you are protected against injuries, damage or even if he/she doesn’t pitch up? The contract is super important as it covers the details of your agreement – be vary wary if the performer does not at least send you a document with the terms of your agreement.  Bonus – does the entertainer offer you a “money back” satisfaction guarantee?
• “The Devil’s in the details”. Are your calls returned? Do you receive prompt replies to questions? Does the marketing material give you a sense of confidence? Does he/she really understand your needs and answer your questions? Do you get a sense of confidence? A large component of your decision has to come down to your ‘gut’!

In our experience of working with first-time clients who rarely hire entertainment, they’re often surprised that it takes a little bit of time to make the right decision! However, there is absolutely no doubt that if you work with an enthusiastic and committed professional entertainer that people will remember how much they enjoyed your enjoyed and thank you for choosing the perfect corporate event entertainment!

This is a short snippet of the result:

Click here to view the embedded video.

It was very fortunate that they contacted me, as I am the only magician in South Africa who currently owns this illusion!

“Marcel Oudejans has been a corporate magician since 1999, he is also a division director of Perform! Marketing Solutions, Co-Owner of Flow Finders International, the Vice-president of the Cape Town chapter of the Professional Speakers Assoc of Southern Africa 2009-2012 and the author of “The Serious Business Owner’s Guide To Creating Customers For Life”. That’s quite a list! We asked Marcel about his day job:

Between 10and5: Please let us know your official (or unofficial) job title.

Marcel Oudejans: I’m probably best known as a ‘Corporate Magician’ and ‘Infotainer’, but I’m also a speaker, consultant & author. I guess I’m a ‘curious entrepreneur’!”

Click here to read the full interview

Connect with 10and5 on their Facebook Page or on Twitter

“Marcel Oudejans. South Africa’s corporate and team building David Copperfield! We had the very fun and exciting opportunity to meet up with Marcel and ask him a few interesting questions…”

Click here to read the full interview

Connect with Capetowners on their Facebook Page or on Twitter

‘Corporate Magician’, Marcel Oudejans, will be performing at the Playhouse Theatre Somerset West on 17^th & 18^th June 2011 to help raise funds for the Hottentots Holland Dramatic Society (HHDS).

For over a decade, Marcel Oudejans has been requested to perform for CEOs, Presidents, Directors and VIP clients of over 100 companies and events all over Southern Africa, Nairobi, Trivandrum, London & Los Angeles . Now for the first time, after performing for more than 10 000 hours and over 35 000 people, the general public will be able to watch and participate in the show that features his favourite tricks, illusions and stories from his professional performing career.

Born and bred in Bellville, Marcel started performing from age 9 and by 23 decided to become a full-time performer. Besides travelling Southern Africa and abroad as an entertainer for corporate events, he’s also used his skills and talents to author a book, speak on customer service and motivation, and start a management consulting business. “As a ‘commercial performing artist’, I have a great respect and appreciation for amateur drama performers and this is the perfect opportunity for me to ‘give back’ to an enthusiastic group like HHDS,” says Marcel.

The show promises to keep audience-members of all ages captivated, enchanted and laughing with Marcel’s quick (and clean) humour, acts of ‘mind-reading’ and ‘metal-bending’, classic sleight-of-hand, and plenty of hilarious audience interaction where absolutely anything could happen!

Tickets are R60,00 per person (available through Computicket) and funds raised will be used for refurbishing and maintenance of the Playhouse theatre. The content of this performance, while 100% appropriate for families, has been designed for adults. To ensure that everyone enjoys the performance, any children under 16 must be supervised & remain with their parents at all times. Children will not be allowed on stage.

# # #

Teaser Video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

UPDATE [20 June 2011]

Photographs from the event:

These table centre-pieces look amazing but sometimes they can be totally impractical for communication.

The event has started, and the guests enter into the venue.  So far, things have gone rather well: the guests, many of who are meeting for the first time, are chatting with one another and the evening seems promising.  The doors open and everyone is dazzled as they enter the room: there’s good lighting, music, the stage is set and everything looks stunning.  Everyone finds their assigned tables, they pull out their seats, sit down … and that’s when the problem becomes apparent.

Smack-bang in the middle of the table, exactly at eye-level, is the world’s largest bunch of flowers. Or a candelabra big enough to light-up the entire venue. On the odd occasion, I’ve even seen a towering fish tank that would put the Two Oceans Aquarium Shark Exhibit to shame.

The rest of the evening is spent with the guests limited to speaking to those to the immediate left and right, and occasionally you see a head leaning to the side as someone opposite tries to join the conversation. When the speeches and presentations start, people shuffle around trying to at least get a glimpse of the speaker between the vegetation (or the candles or goldfish). If you’re a waiter, or wish to get the attention of everyone at the table, good luck!  Inevitably, towards the end of the evening, one person takes the initiative to remove the obstacle … and all the tables follow suit.

What was the decor designer thinking? I understand that you’re trying to make the venue look fantastic, but why must this happen to the detriment of the guests’ enjoyment? I suspect the reason is that the decor designer hasn’t actually seen things from the guests’ perspective. As the father of a 2-year-old daughter, the parenting books suggested that once your child starts walking, you need to crawl around your house on your hands and knees.  That way, you can see things from your child’s perspective and find potential dangers that would see from an adult-height point of view. Similarly, it’s vital that the event planner imagine what the guests see from their seats. That way, you can avoid plonking a vase containing the entire fynbos family on the table!

Remember, the success of an event is not defined by how well the theme was displayed, nor by the gourmet food, or the number of fine wines available.  The important qualities of a successful event are the connections, relationships and memories created by the guests, through their interaction.  You could have the most amazing venue and fantastic food, but if the guests aren’t socializing, it’s all pretty pointless.

I’m not for a moment suggesting that a part of the budget shouldn’t be spent on decor and centre-pieces; I’ve seen some amazing decorations that really added a very special touch to the theme and were also great conversation-starters.  But when the implementation of the decor detracts from the original purpose of the event – which is to create a comfortable and fun atmosphere so that guests will socialize – then it’s time to put your foot down.  Besides being a waste of money (and cruel, when you have a school of guppies floating around in an oversized vase), preventing people from interacting will detract from the overall experience that you want people remember.

An event is an opportunity for people to meet, connect and create relationships.  It’s not the time to demonstrate your abilities to place a Chelsea Flower Show exhibit on the middle of a table! Of course, I’m exaggerating, but you’d be surprised how frequently I’m eventually forced to pick up the centre-piece and place it next to the table – just so that I can get eye-contact with everyone. As beautiful and elegant as the centre-piece is, once I’ve removed it from the middle of the table, it’s never put back.

So the next time you’re working on the decor of your event, consider the practicalities from your guests’ perspective and make the table decorations no higher than about 30cm.  Alternatively, provide a machete to each guest to “interact with the decor” and slash the table flora to a manageable level.

World-renowned Scenario Planner and PSASA Hall of Fame award winner, Clem Sunter, will be presenting his keynote, “Imagining the Unimaginable and dealing with it”.

(As advertised in the Cape Times Career Times 3-9 April 2011)

On Saturday night then, it was sad to hear that Tienie “Martino” Brits had died at 21h00 that evening (25th Feb 2011). (Click here for the English report and here for the Afrikaans report)

I was fortunate to attend his very last lecture for magicians at the South African National Magic Convention on 24th September 2009.  Martino was the quintessential magician – a gentleman who was willing to take chances and risks to create unforgettable experiences for his audiences. In his 90 minute lecture, I had the privilege of learning and experiencing for myself what an incredible man he was.

never do magic, and he have a solid explanation that day. I don’t have the exact reasons written down in my notes, but he made complete sense at the time.)

“>This is what Martino “Kulkunstenaar” shared with us that day:

1. Look like a gentleman.
2. Act like a gentleman.
3. Clowns and magic. (Martino believed that clowns should never do magic, and he have a solid explanation that day. I don’t have the exact reasons written down in my notes, but he made complete sense at the time.)
4. Using a microphone
5. If you have to think while doing a trick, you are not doing it well enough!
6. Create your own work; don’t wait for the agents
7. Keep it clean!
8. Don’t lie; don’t brag.
9. Keep eye-contact with all the audience
10. Remember your volunteers’ names.
11. Never lose your tempter – with either client or audience
12. Never be late!
13. Don’t do kids’ magic for corporate functions
14. If a trick is not your style, don’t do it just because you like it.
15. If some magicians were only 25% as good as their websites …
16. Don’t exaggerate – give more than they expect of you.
17. If you enjoy what you do, your audience will too.
18. Do a full day’s work every day when you are not doing a show – MARKET yourself!

You can read more about Tienie “Martino” Brit’s biography on his website here.

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Here’s a portion of a review of the evening I performed at the club:

“… I myself, though Capetonian born and bred, lapped up the culture at the Jou Ma Se Comedy Club.  It’s the full experience; a small, intimate room, full of laughing people, dimly lit, save for the spotlight on the stage. It’s just like in the movies. The team of comedians were in top form;  host Tracy Klass and magician Marcel Oudejans being followed in an open mic session by Dylan Skews from Durban and Little Paul, who needless to say, was named ironically. While all the acts impressed over a couple beers and a great pizza, the head-line act, which I was fortunate enough to see, as it’s his last appearance for a while, was Kurt Schoonraad…

… It won’t do these people any justice to try and quote any of their individual acts.  All I will simply say is:  go and see them.  To me it was a perfect evening and I’m really excited about recommending it  to everyone.”

To read the full review, click here.