Organising a corporate event involves lots of moving parts: catering, venue hire, multimedia—the list goes on. Music can all too often be left to the eleventh hour, resulting in a less than ideal last-minute scramble to find a musician.
At Encore, we’re here to help you avoid that! We’ve put together a list of corporate entertainment ideas, alongside all the information you’ll need to know before taking the plunge and hiring someone.
Take a look below: we’ve included prices, whether the musician/band works best as background or headline, the genres they usually play, and some of our favourite Encore musicians/bands to get you inspired!
Top 10 Corporate Entertainment Ideas
1. Jazz band
- Price: £764–£1,228
- Background or Headline: Background
- Genres usually played: Jazz, Swing, Great American Songbook
- Encore’s picks: Ben Harker Trio, Neon-Blue, Diamond Skyline Orchestra
Jazz standards bands are common at corporate events, and for good reason. They blend really well with small or large crowds, suit just about any kind of venue, and can adjust themselves to a sound level that makes conversation easy. They’ll play a variety of well-known jazz tunes to keep the atmosphere relaxed, adding to the pleasant mood rather than detracting from it (which is more than we can say for a badly calibrated playlist!).
2. Singing guitarist
- Price: £250–£350
- Background or Headline: Both
- Genres usually played: Pop, Rock, Jazz
- Encore’s picks: Phil Short, Georgia Thursting, Jamie Ledwith
When we had one of our favourite singing guitarists, Thom, perform at a recent corporate event, we were overwhelmed by positive feedback from the crowd. We soon learnt that everyone appreciates a bit of music and interaction with a live musician! Singing guitarists are an ideal choice for corporate entertainment. A soft, background performance is fine if that’s what you’re after—on the other hand, they can also interact with the crowd and get them singing, dancing, and clapping along.
3. Function band
- Price: £1,010–£2,400
- Background or Headline: Headline
- Genres usually played: Pop, Rock, Soul/Motown, Funk
- Encore’s picks: Sound Express Band, Halfway to New York, The Burning Shoes
Taking it back to basics, the function band is the solid choice for those who after a selection of music that everyone can sing and dance along to. Function bands include musicians who are seasoned professionals—they’ll tailor their set (often on the fly) to match the mood and energy of the room. Just what you want if you’ve got a diverse audience with a range of musical tastes.
Encore function band, The Superstars—a great option for corporate entertainment!
4. Harpist
- Price: £339–£406
- Background or Headline: Background
- Genres usually played: Classical, Pop, Folk
- Encore’s picks: Rachael Gladwin, Oona Linnett, Tomos Xerri
What’s more calming, more soothing, than the dulcet tones of the harp? Not much, we’d wager. To begin with, harpists are no strangers to corporate events—this owes largely to the fact that they make any event feel more classy by the mere fact of their being there. The repertoire of harpists range from the usual classical numbers (i.e., Clair de Lune, Ave Maria) to their more contemporary offspring (i.e., Summertime, What A Wonderful World), so you’ll have plenty of wonderful music to choose from!
5. Steel drums band
- Price: £500–£720
- Background or Headline: Background
- Genres usually played: Caribbean music, Pop, Jazz
- Encore’s picks: Juma Steel Band, Steel Pan Fusion
The mesmerising sound of a steel drum band is something not everyone gets to hear in the flesh. So, why not have one for your corporate entertainment? They are perfectly suited to outdoor events, especially in summer, where their music will make your event truly memorable. This is the closest you’ll get to a holiday in the Caribbean, bar actually going there.
6. Pianist
- Price: £250–£385
- Background or Headline: Background
- Genres usually played: Classical, Jazz, Pop
- Encore’s picks: Bryan Edery, Ben Harker, Michael Raggatt
If your venue has a piano, it’d be almost criminal to not at least think about hiring a pianist for your corporate event. Nothing screams sophistication more than having a skilled pianist tinkling the ivories of a polished grand piano in a stately setting. No matter what music you’ll need them to play (and trust us, professional pianists are familiar with a large range of music), you can be sure they’ll entertain and bedazzle.
7. Acoustic roaming band
- Price: £600-£3,500
- Background or Headline: Both
- Genres usually played: Pop, Folk, Jazz
- Encore’s picks: Fiddlin’ About, More Is More, No Limit Street Band
Acoustic roaming bands could be summed up as the chameleons of the music world. When it comes to describing whether or not they are a background band or a headline band, the jury is still out. We think they work best as both. You can fit them into your event with ease, and they thrive just as well on stage as they do strolling about, entertaining guests and getting everyone involved in the musical frivolity.
More Is More—a unique strolling band, using saxophones and percussion to belt out some excellent music, ranging from pop covers, to originals.
8. String ensemble
- Types of string ensemble: Duo, Trio, Quartet, Octet
- Price: £420-£950
- Background or Headline: Background
- Genres usually played: Classical, Pop, Jazz
- Encore’s picks: City String Ensemble, Stretto Ensembles, The Element String Quartet, Trio, and Duo
A string ensemble—whether it’s a duo, trio, quartet, or something a bit larger—is the ideal corporate entertainment solution. They are completely self-contained, don’t take up too much space, and most importantly, sound absolutely brilliant in just about any setting. They can play outdoors with ease, and their sound can be amplified by a few discreet loudspeakers—although if you have a trio or larger, you probably amplification at all: they’ll play at the perfect volume for a medium to large crowd.
If you’re after more details about string ensembles, take a look at our guide to string ensembles.
9. Vintage-themed jazz band
- Price: £764–£1,228
- Background or Headline: Headline
- Genres usually played: Pop in a swing style, Swing
- Encore’s picks: The Hot Shoes, Nouveau Lounge, The Modern Vintage Swing Band
We can think of no better band to do a headline performance for a corporate event than the vintage-themed jazz band (also known as the postmodern jukebox band). Why? Well, no other band blends styles and eras so well! They’ll make sure everyone is having a good time, impressing all and sundry with their unique take on pop classics played in a 1920s swing style.
10. Mariachi band
- Price: £524–£2,500
- Background or Headline: Both
- Genres usually played: Traditional Mexican music, Pop, Rock
- Encore’s picks: Mariachi Las Adelitas, Beato Burrito, Mariachi Ole
Much like the acoustic roaming band, mariachi bands will often be able to stroll around the venue, rather than limiting their music to the stage. Mariachi bands will play a selection of traditional and modern music, and can cater their set to your requirements (say if you really want to hear Pharrell Williams’ Happy played with a distinctly Mexican flavour). A unique choice for corporate entertainment but they’ll be sure to get the crowd going and get everyone dancing.
Cover image courtesy of the Sintra Duo