Corporate Entertainment Ideas: Live Music, Bands & DJs
Function Central specialises in finding the perfect band for any corporate event or office christmas party even on the tightest budget - check out our corporate entertainment ideas!
Corporate events usually involve entertaining people with a variety of tastes, so what sort of music should you pick to keep everyone happy and complement your event? Live music offers a huge array of corporate entertainment ideas for both formal and informal events, from covers bands playing the latest chart hits and time-tested classics for parties to sophisticated world music to accompany drinks receptions or business dinners.
Choosing the best style
Booking live music will make your corporate event memorable and give your guests something to talk about long after the actual party has finished, but there are so many ideas for corporate entertainment that it can be tricky narrowing down your choices! Different styles of music match different events: to thank your employees for a successful year, you might want a loud and exciting corporate party band they can sing along to, but for a quiet drinks reception or a more formal event, a classical quartet could be a better option. Between these two extremes there are tribute bands, Rat-Pack style singers, jazz bands, ceilidh bands and many other options. With such a lot of choice, it can be hard to know where to begin!
Let’s face it: it’s difficult to keep everybody happy, especially when you’re planning something on such a big scale as the annual office Christmas party. A rock and pop covers band playing everything from Elvis to Elton John is a great choice for these occasions because they genuinely do have something for everybody – even the indie snob in accounts – and will get the whole room on the dance floor. Most of them can learn special songs just for the occasion, and will include soul and funk as well as rock and chart-topping pop.
If your guests love dancing, hire a specialist soul and funk band. We provide these in every format – from large bands with horn sections, keyboards and other additional musicians to solo singers with backing tracks. As well as covering classics by artists such as Stevie Wonder and Chic, they can pump funky pop chart toppers by artists such as Kylie and Beyoncé. Some can provide you with a whole 70s or 80s disco night, complete with costumes and light show.
You can take this further with a theme or tribute band. While some bands can focus on your favourite era, others will focus exclusively on a single artist, such as Elvis, Abba or the Blues Brothers. These can be fantastic ice-breakers, creating a great talking point as well as packed dance floor!
For corporate events intended for a wide age range – perhaps where you want your guests to be able to bring their children – ceilidh bands make a great focal point for entertainment. Most provide a caller, so that your guests can have as much fun learning the steps as perfecting them later on. They can also provide a backdrop for quieter moments, with a combination of ballads and folk songs.
If you want to create a lively atmosphere at your company party, but would like something a little more original to impress your guests, how about a Latin or carnival band? They’re great for dancing, and some even come complete with dancers to show your guests the moves and help them join in! They are great for outdoor summer parties, and even better for providing some sunshine and colourful glamour to cheer up a dull day. Latin bands play music that covers everything from obscure standards that only serious devotees will recognise to chart toppers by Miami Sound Machine and Ricky Martin that all your guests will want to sing along to!
If you want the sophistication that world music can bring, but you’re hosting a lower-key event, try a steel pan band, flamenco group or bluegrass group. These will impress cosmopolitan guests without drowning out their conversation and, as they are acoustic groups, suit outdoor cocktail parties and receptions very well.
If you need to keep the noise down, but still want to give your guests something to sing and dance along to, how about a Rat Pack-style singer? The swing revival has brought a new generation of tribute singers who can evoke a glamorous era, creating shows that soundtrack quieter events and provide compelling entertainment at a cost that won’t squeeze your drinks budget too hard.
Jazz is a popular option for corporate events because it is so flexible: jazz bands can play exciting swing and bebop to get the dancing started, or provide a flow of sophisticated dinner jazz classics that won’t cause indigestion! You can expect to hear your favourite jazz standards, with some groups also creating jazz versions of classic chart hits or learning a special song for you.
Once you’ve considered all the available styles and decided what would work best for your company event, you need to choose a specific band.
You can get to know more about a band by looking at the information they provide; most usually post a biography, photos, videos, samples of their playing and their repertoire online. Many will also provide testimonials from previous audiences, so you can see what other people thought. Covers bands usually aim to make their version of a song sound as much like the record as possible, though others specialise in creating new arrangements and medleys, or add acoustic options.
Many bands also offer a DJ service between sets so that the dancing doesn’t have to stop, but this tends to be more limited than hiring a specialist DJ, who will carry far more music.
Choosing between a band and a DJ
A function band is a great way to enhance any corporate event, bring a spontaneity and excitement that recorded music can’t recreate. Although function bands are flexible enough to work in almost any kind of venue, sometimes budget or space restrictions mean it can be more practical to hire a DJ. While DJs don’t provide quite the same level of entertainment that you will get from a live band – though some create a fantastic light show – they offer a wider choice of music (our corporate function DJs carry over 10,000 songs to each event), and your guests will be able to make requests during your event. A corporate function DJ can also compere an event, making any announcements you require.
Finding a live band to suit your venue
When you book your band, make sure that they will stay in touch with you right up until the event, so that you can make sure they understand all your arrangements and accommodate any last-minute changes of plan. You’ll need to let them know when you want them to start and finish their set, whether there are any special songs you would like them to include and what you’d like them to wear. Experienced corporate function bands will be used to working with events organisers, and are generally very flexible, though it always helps to give plenty of notice for any special requests! They usually bring all the equipment they need with them, but it’s always worth checking this when you book.
Corporate function venues include everything from halls and theatres to tiny, intimate restaurants and bars. While some of these will accommodate live music easily, others might be fitted with sound limiters or need the noise kept to a certain level. Noise restrictions are common and a good corporate function band will have plenty of experience of dealing with these, adapting to most venues – even when this seems incredibly difficult! They can do this by adding or subtracting personnel, or using different instruments or equipment. Make sure you tell your band as much as you can about your venue (for example, stage size, size of venue, and any noise limiters) so that they can arrange the best possible show for you.
Corporate function band prices
Function Central specialises in providing corporate bands to suit every budget, from carnival extravaganzas for lavish parties to soloists and DJs for intimate venues and careful spending. If you find a band that you’d love to hire, but think you might not have the space or the budget, contact them anyway - they might be able to make changes and reduce their fee or volume.
Price guide:
Soloist – eg Rat Pack-style singer: from £250
Tribute duo playing to backing track: from £375
All-live tribute band: from £850
60s-00s cover duo or trio playing to backing track: from £500
60s-00s 4-piece cover band: from £800
4-piece soul and funk cover band: from £800.
Soul and funk cover band with horn section: from £995.
Ceilidh band: from £500
Mobile party DJ: from £260.
We keep our rates as low as possible – but if another agent offers you one of our acts at a lower price, or on better terms, we’ll match their offer. The price we quote for an act includes all costs (such as travel, VAT, and any accommodation necessary), unless we say otherwise.
Function Central makes booking corporate event music easy
Function Central is a live music agency specialising in corporate function bands who have been hand-picked for their talent, professionalism and reliability. We take over 200 corporate event band and DJ bookings a year and get fantastic feedback from our clients. We make choosing and booking your corporate function entertainment easy, providing support and advice right up to the event, and even a 24-hour helpline.
Finding the right music for your corporate event doesn’t need to be a chore – we hope you enjoy browsing the site and listening to our bands! If you’d like more information and suggestions, please get in touch.