Corporate Fundraiser Entertainment: How to tell if you’re doing it right

Huge, shiny blue dolphin balloons floated around the room.
Beachy driftwood decorated tables and sailing music filled the air.

 

So this week in Melbourne Nightshift band provided corporate entertainment for a client who has booked us three years in a row for their annual corporate fundraiser. It’s easy for a corporate band to become comfortable in this situation because we know the ropes, we’re familiar with the client and the audience who will be attending. We also know that our repertoire is diverse and our performance is solid, but somehow we had to keep it fresh.

Having a theme to work with made things a little easier  —  it was a cruise theme with guests dressing as first class or tourist class passengers  — so we changed our live band’s appearance by wearing holiday clothing, sparkly caps and having lots of colourful leis hanging around our necks and stage equipment.

Nightshift Band - Sally & PeteNightshift Band - Dolphins

Nightshift Band - Annie & ChrisNightshift Band - Champers

Nightshift Band - Sailor

 

 

 

 

We also added in some appropriate background music to keep things authentic during our breaks. We came up with these classic seaworthy songs although there were heaps more we thought of during the event, and were still texting each other at 2.00am because we thought of some other funny clanger like Gilligan’s Island.

Love Boat Theme – TV show
Drift Away – Uncle Kracker
Six Months In A Leaky Boat – Split Ends
Sailing – Rod Stewart
Sailing – Christopher Cross
Sloop John B – Beach Boys
Jamaica Farewell – Harry Belafonte
Margaritaville – Jimmy Buffet
Kokomo – Beach Boys

Fundraising wise…

One of the highlights of the night was a “loser” raffle which was operated backward: every single name was drawn (and called a loser), building anticipation for the final winner. Of course there was a fancy dress award, and the usual silent and live auctions garnered excitement, culminating in 4 Bali holidays sold – wish one of them was mine!

As usual all the formalities and fund raising activities meant the crowd didn’t hit the dance floor until the second portion of the night but our musicians didn’t disappoint, pumping out dance hit after dance hit and keeping the party going with DJ brackets during breaks.

Lots of positive feedback from the organisers and guests had us feeling “On top of the world!” for our pack up and sail back home, with promises of another booking next year.

If you would like to talk to Nightshift about your Corporate Fundraiser Entertainment, or any other live entertainment needs contact Annie on 0418 594 524 or fill in our QUOTE form