BEST PRACTICES WHEN HAVING COMEDY AS PART OF YOUR EVENT
How to have the most memorable event possible if you are having a comedy night. The following things are not that difficult to do, but do require a specific amount of attention to detail. However, you will have the most memorable night and get the most value for your budgeted investment, if you try and do all of the following things!
|
1. Great Audio
A comic cannot succeed if he/she has to overcome a bad audio setup. Take the proper steps to make sure you have great audio. Side note: Relying on the speakers in the ceiling is NOT great audio! |
2. Good Stage Lighting
A comic cannot succeed if he/she cannot bee seen! Comics rely on their nuanced facial expressions and wry smiles to generate the best reactions, and if these details cannot be seen because of dim or weak lighting then you won't be getting the most for your money. |
|
3. Audience Ambiance
Put the audience in dimmer light than the stage. No one wants to be seen rocking back and forth laughing, and no one will truly let themselves belly laugh if they are seated in a well lit room. Think of your high school classrooms. You'd always try and hide the fact you were giggling uncontrollably right? We want the laughter to be let loose! Get $1 battery powered candles and put them on all the tables and then dim all the house lights when possible. This will change everything instantly into a comedy club environment quicker then any other thing. 
|
4. Sit Everyone Close Together!
Don't let the conference event planner talk you into spreading out just because the room can fit it all comfortably. Look at the photos of the comedy clubs listed here and see how they are all jamming the people as close together as possible! That's on purpose. Laughter is contagious and electric. Let the people "shock" each other with their laughter. 
|
|
5. No One Laughs with Mouth Full of Food Please serve the dinner PRIOR to the comedy. Musicians can perform successfully over dinner. No one laughs with a mouth full of food! Don't let the event planner cut time in the program by overlapping the eating with the comedian! |
6. Seating Setup is Critical!
Sit all the people as close to the performer as possible. Don't ever separate the comic from the audience by a dance floor or a buffet line. The closer to the comic the audience is the better the show will be. 
|
|
7. Where To Put the Stage?
ALWAYS put the stage in the middle of the longest wall in a rectangular room and put the tables around the stage as close to it as possible. 
|
8. Always Introduce Your Comedian! When you transition your event to the comedy portion of the show, always have someone who is good in front of people introduce the comedian. Have that person do a few things to lighten the mood and get the audience ready to laugh. Tell a few stock jokes or tell a story or something funny from the office that happened. Don't bring the comic up after something somber or serious and hope the comic can "cheer everyone up!" |
9. Set the mood with Music!
If you want to control the mood of the audience prior to the comedy show always play music! Uplifting, upbeat music is always good before comedy shows. Motown or "feel good" music is a solid choice. Don't play emotional or sad music prior to comedy!
If you want to control the mood of the audience prior to the comedy show always play music! Uplifting, upbeat music is always good before comedy shows. Motown or "feel good" music is a solid choice. Don't play emotional or sad music prior to comedy!
SEE EXAMPLES
Check out the slide show to see examples of comedy clubs doing everything perfectly and some examples of bad setups from corporate comedy setups.
Difficult Choices Sometimes
Let's pretend you are face with having a HUGE space but not that many people. So the event venue says "spread out the tables to make the space seem more roomy and comfortable." THAT's not a good idea. What you need to do is cut that room in half and ask for more chairs. Then setup an "eating" area and a "performance area." In the below example let's pretend you have 40 people attending a banquet and you have a space that would easily sit 200 in rows of seating. Well then just ask for 80 chairs and five tables and do this and put the stage in front of the extra rows. Then serve your dinner, eat, then move over to the chairs for the performance.
