How to Choose a Party Entertainer

Start with the age, not the act

The most common booking mistake is choosing the act first and hoping the age fits. Work the other way round. A performer who is wonderful for six-year-olds will lose a room of three-year-olds, and a show pitched at four-year-olds will be openly dismissed by nine-year-olds.

Before you look at anyone, write down the age range that will actually be in the room, including younger siblings. That range, not the birthday child's age, is your brief.

The questions to ask before booking

1. What age range is this act designed for? A good performer will narrow it rather than claim everything from two to twelve.
2. How long is the set, and how is it structured? You want to know whether it is one block or two, and what happens between.
3. What do you need from us? Space, power, a particular surface, somewhere to change, a table.
4. When will you arrive? Setup time is not performance time, and the difference should be explicit.
5. What is the group size limit? Many acts work well up to a number and poorly beyond it.
6. Are you insured? Ask for the certificate. Many venues will require it anyway.
7. Do you work with children professionally, and are you background checked? A reasonable question, and a professional will not be offended by it.
8. What is the cancellation and substitution policy? Specifically: if you are ill, what happens?

Answers that should make you keep looking

• Vagueness about age suitability, or "great for all ages" with no qualification.
• Reluctance to put the booking in writing, or no written terms at all.
• No answer on insurance, or an answer that deflects rather than confirms.
• Cash-only with no receipt and no contract.
• Pressure to decide immediately, particularly combined with a discount that expires.
• No ability to describe what happens if they cannot make it.

Getting the booking right in writing

Whatever you agree verbally, get these in writing before you pay a deposit:

• Date, arrival time, start time and finish time.
• Exactly what is included, and what costs extra.
• The total fee, the deposit, and when the balance is due.
• Travel and parking charges, stated separately.
• Cancellation terms on both sides.
• A mobile number that will be answered on the day.

Setting the performer up to succeed

A good act can still go badly if the room is working against it. Three things make the biggest difference:

• Sit the children down before the act starts. A performer who has to gather a running room is starting from behind.
• Keep adults at the back and quiet. A row of chatting parents competes with the show and children look at the noise.
• Do not schedule it straight after food. Immediately post-cake is the hardest slot in the party. Put the act before the food, not after.