Event organizers sometimes hire the wrong comedians because they don’t understand the important differences between a corporate comedian and a club comedian.
When you look through our roster, it’s obvious we work exclusively with comedians, but what exactly does it mean to be Canada’s only exclusive agency for corporate comedy? What is corporate comedy? Why is it important to find the right corporate comedian when you want to book a funny host, emcee or entertainer for your event?
You might watch a funny comedian at your local comedy club and feel inspired to hire that comedian for an event you’re hosting. But then you hesitate. You’re not sure if that funny club comedian would be a great fit for your private event or fundraiser. Do you know these three important differences between corporate comedians and nightclub comedians?
3 Important Differences Between Corporate & Club Comedians
1. Corporate comedians take the mic with years of experience and jokes that make your audience laugh.
Professional comedians have a process for writing and developing their jokes. The best comedians who write their own material also test it out on live audiences, so we’re not saying you won’t discover a great corporate comedian at a local club -- you might! Comedians tweak their material and delivery with live audiences until it’s just right, until they get the reaction they’re looking for.
Even the most famous comedians, the likes of Eddie Murphy and Kevin Hart, can be found testing new material at a comedy club before their next International comedy tour or Netflix comedy special.
The point is you don’t want your hired comedian testing new jokes on your audience for the first time!
2. An experienced entertainer or event host can roll with the punches.
When you look around a comedy club on a Saturday night, the audience is there because they love to laugh. They love comedy. Corporate audiences -- your guests -- are sitting in the crowd for a multitude of other reasons. For guests at a conference, being entertained by a comedian before, between or after other speakers or events can set or lighten the tone. It’s icing on the cake! Even at a gala or fundraiser, where guests expect and look forward to being captivated by a funny host or emcee, comedy is only part of the reason they attend.
Not all audiences are the same, and some audiences can be difficult for comedians to engage with. Your guests might walk through the doors on the tail-end of a long, busy, difficult day or week, feeling preoccupied, irritated or tired. You want to make them laugh, to relax them, entertain them, transport them. Your comedian emcee or entertainer has their work cut out for them! Good corporate comedians have the ability to read the audience and adjust their set to get your guests laughing. This is a professional skill they have developed over time with a lot of stage experience.
There can be a number of factors that can make it challenging for your hired comedian to connect with your audience. There might be a lot of distracting movement and sound in the room. Guests could be mingling off to the sides or in the background. Intoxicated guests might be talking longer and louder than they realize. Sometimes corporate comedians find themselves in an event room with an awkward set-up. Any of these factors can make engaging with an audience difficult.
Your event will need a good corporate comedian with the agility and confidence to rise to the occasion and perform the job they were hired to do - which is to make people laugh.
3. A business-savvy comedian truly understands your event goals.
Good corporate comedians have business sense. When you hire them for a client appreciation dinner or a fundraising event, corporate comedians understand that your event goals go beyond the event itself. If your event has a theme, a skilled corporate comedian will be able to reinforce it, cleverly tying your event messaging in with their material.
Maybe you have networking planned during the event. It’s a boost to hire a comedian who can mingle with your guests, when appropriate, connecting one on one and creating a memorable experience for your guests.
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