George Carlin: Brilliant comedian. Foul language. Inappropriate for corporate events

With so many year-end functions, Christmas ( X-mas?!) parties & corporate events happening around this time of year, I thought I’d share something that’s been irritating me.  If you’re an event co-ordinator, or a party planner, you may have experienced this kind of frustration with corporate event entertainers before.

Occasionally I get the honour of sharing the stage with some of South Africa’s most well-know MCs, comedians, singers & other performance ‘artistes’, & so I relish to opportunity to watch their performances & learn from their experience & techniques.  However, I find it absolutely shocking that some of them use foul language or risqué material at the most inappropriate times.

I’d agree that in certain circumstances this may be considered acceptable by the audience – comedy club audiences have completely different level of tolerance for sexist, racist or sexual jokes & material.  But all performers at a client’s company event should be fully aware that they are not only damaging their own reputation (with potential repercussions) but the reputation of their client.

Corporate event entertainers are expected to assume that inappropriate language, humor or materials will not be tolerated; except under situations where the client’s representative has cleared this during the event briefing process.  In my humble opinion, even performers – particularly comedians – who have become established because of their extreme behaviour should be very careful when they consider what material they will be performing.

Foul language is ‘easy humour’ – but a true professional understands that event is not ‘about them’ & they are not the main feature of the event. The client’s guests are to be treated with the utmost respect, since it’s because of the guests’ support that event is happening at all.

If you have had the misfortune of working with an entertainer that made you cover your eyes out of embarresment, or had to deal with guests’ complaints, please comment & tell me your story.  Please do not mention the entertainer’s name: rather, let this be an opportunity to share your experience & what you learnt with other event planners & corporate function coordinators.

but I recently found the following videos too:

Do you agree that it is vitally important that you ensure that your guests are having a great time, receive personal attention & have something to laugh & talk about?  For the past 5 years I have assisted over 300 event planners ensure that their guests are not only having fun, but are so totally amazed that they have to talk about the event for months & years afterwards.

Now I would love, absolutely adore to assist you make your next event the best ever & that’s why I’m offering you the simplest & fasted way to guarantee that your party or event is more fun, more personal & more memorable than efver before – and offer you over R794,00 worth of FREE gifts to assist you.

To find out how my professional event entertainment services
can help you save time AND money, click here.
(But hurry, because there are only a few performance dates still available…)

Event Planning Basics Video:


(Can’t see this video? Click here to watch.)

Choosing The Right Entertainment For Your Event Video:


(Can’t see this video? Click here to watch.)

How To Budget For Your Event Video:


VideoJug: Party Budget

How To Introduce People At A Party Video:


VideoJug: How To Introduce People At A Party

I found many more ‘party advice videos’ from VideoJug here.

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Good luck planning your event! If you have any advice or recommendations that you would like to share, please do so by commenting.

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• How Do You Invite People to Events?

Yes, it’s September & the “silly season” has started – this is marked by the sudden influx of calls for our event entertainment services.  Companies are putting their plans together for their year-end events & corporate functions, so I’ve decided to give you, the event planner, some help with these resources, links, websites & tools!

BLOGS / RESOURCE WEBSITES:

• EventManagerBlog | Event Planning 2.0
• Event Planning News/Resources from Alltop
• Fresh Event Tips – Bonjour Events
• About Event Planning

SA Special Events Industry Guide 2008

“CAREERS IN EVENT PLANNING” (thank you Sirena Evans)
This website covers everything you need to know about starting a career as an event planner.  It covers:

• What is event planning?
• Who plans events?
• Is event planning for me?
• Event related jobs
• Event planning jobs
• Career planning resources
• Free eZine with much much more!

EVENT PLANNING TEMPLATES:

• Free “Event Planning Templates For Corporate Events”, including “17 Professional Tips for Planning Corporate Events”
• Bonjour Events provides these amazing templates:
  • AV Cue Sheet
  • Celebrity Participation
  • Conference Management Tool
  • Dinner Party Budget Template
  • Event Signage List
  • Event Summary Form
  • Golf Contests
  • Large Conference Budget Template
  • and so many more!

USEFUL ARTICLES:

• Things to consider when planning your office party. (from iLoveMusic entertainment)
• 10 Tips For Bringing Your Event To Life (from Cape Business News / Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, The Tradeshow Coach)
• Event Planning Calculators & Checklists (.pdf) (from Marriott hotels)
• What to wear if it’s a ‘black tie’ event (from All Events Advisor)
• Etiquette Mistakes at Business Events – Bad Manners that Event Guests and Hosts Should Avoid (from About.com:Event Planning)
• Business Etiquette for Corporate Events – Useful Tips for Good Manners at Meetings and Social Events (from About.com:Event Planning)
• Getting the most out of your Event Photographer (from Bonjour Events)

EDUCATIONAL:

• Attend The Hedgehog Event’s regular training seminars & ‘boot camps‘ on event management & planning.

ONLINE EVENT ORGANISING SOFTWARE:

Send invites, receive RSVPs, plan schedules & book venues with these online solutions:

• Event Wax (Free) – “The easier, smarter way to organize special events, from conferences and workshops to parties, gigs, and receptions.”
• Meeting Wizard (Free)  – “Use MeetingWizard to arrange and schedule meetings and other events. As a productivity tool it makes the planning process easier and more effective.”
• Amiando (Free for free events) – Website, ticketing, statistics, reports, polls – very popular in Europe.
• PurpleTrail – “A better way to plan online Parties & Events”. Free resources!

Bookmark this page since I hope to add more resources as I find them.

Do you know of any additional resources I should have included? Let me know in your comments below …