Selecting The Right Bands For Hire

Jul 29, 2010 by Paul White

Your function can be remembered as the event of the century, a complete disaster, or even worse: Absolutely forgettable! The entertainment at an event can make or break the success. Bands for hire can be found in your area for whatever event you’re hosting, whether it’s a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, wedding, birthday party, or corporate event. A well chosen live band can bring your party alive.

Many debate if it would be better to hire a band or a disc jockey. The considerations to take when looking for each are about the same, but there are differences in the ambiance of the event depending on which you choose. While a live band may be limited by the songs they know, they are much more likely to captivate the audience as your guests may feel as if they’re at their own private concert. While a DJ may take up a lot less space with equipment, a band can greatly alter the mood with a much more spontaneous feel rather than pre-recorded music.

Once you’ve decided that it’s a band you want, the first step is to decide on a budget. A lot of party planners make the mistake of hiring the entertainment as the last step. By then, the budget has been eaten up by the venue, caterers, videographer, wedding cake, and more. It’s not uncommon for a bride to be to figure on spending only five to ten percent of the budget on the entertainment. Ask yourself, when all is said and done, is the band only five percent important to the success of your party? Of course not! Trying to hire a quality band for less than $500 or so will not turn out well.

To find the band you want, think back to friend’s events, what kind of a scene did you enjoy? Try to lock down the kind of atmosphere you’re going for. Ask friends for recommendations, ask the event planner at your venue for any contacts, and use bridal websites in your search.

Now armed with a list of potential bands to go with, the weeding out process begins. The main thing is to make sure you like them! Ask for a CD or DVD of them performing live, and ask if there’s any way you can see them perform at a public gig. This is not always an option, but it’s good to ask. Make sure you meet them and go with your gut instinct on if they’re going to turn out alright. If you don’t like them at your meeting, you won’t like them on stage.

Now that you’ve chosen who to go with, protect yourself with a contract. If your band doesn’t provide one, make them sign one you work up yourself. Your party is very important to you, so think about what happens if the band doesn’t show up. If they require a deposit to hold the date, what are the terms? What happens if you cancel or have to move the date? Make sure all these questions are answered up front. This way, in any case, you will be prepared.

The band you choose should hold an insurance policy for liability. Entertainers are able to get very comprehensive coverage at a great price from brokers specializing in mobile entertainers. Make sure they have the coverage in case anything happens to the venue, any of your guests, or even band members as a result of you hiring them.

If you follow all of these steps, hopefully you can choose from a short list of bands for hire and make the perfect choice for to make your event truly special.

Lynda McDermont is a writer for the www.souldesire.co.uk website. Hiring a specialist Hire Wedding Band will make all the difference to the success of your event. Find out more about hiring amazing Hire Band from this site.