Before You Hire An Entertainer Read This

Inviting someone to spend time with your children, family and friends in this capacity is not something you do everyday. When searching out this type of service you will no doubt find a wide variety of styles, experience and pricing. How do you know what you're getting? Any entertainer you consider hiring should be asked these questions.

1. What exactly do you do at a birthday party?

Have them describe their "show" and what they feel are the features and benefits.

2. What is provided with your service?

Do they offer any "extras" like gifts, goodie bags or is it just their show.

3. What type of character and dress do you arrive in?

You should see what they are going to look like; in costume. We all like to see what it is we're buying. Will their appearance frighten the kids or do they look like they are "fun".

4. How long have you been doing this?

This will tell you volumes. Generally the longer they have been doing this the more experience, training and thought has been brought to the table. This will also influence price. The more experienced are usually a bit more expensive, but you usually get what you pay for.

5. Are you insured?

Accidents do happen. What if a guest gets injured participating in the show? What if something gets broken or damaged during the show. The entertainer should have a liability policy capable of handling any unforseen circumstance. One million dollars is not an uncommon amount of coverage.

6. Do you offer a guarantee?

This will also tell you a great deal. If the entertainer feels they have a rock solid service, they should have no problem offering a 100% "tear up your check" guarantee.

7. Do you have any references I could talk to?

This could be used if you just aren't sure or you get that gut feeling that something may be wrong. If you need to go this far, they probably aren't worth the time and trouble anyway. Do they have endorsements from satisfied customers on their web site? 

If you have any other questions or would lke more information on hiring live entertainment, feel free to call me direct. I have produced live shows for corporate, theatre, TV and motion picture since 1985. My family entertainment service is my favorite thing to do, but it is not all I do.