How to Have a Great Birthday Party!

Get Bookings:
Before you can have a great party, you’ve got to have a great client. On another day, I’ll write some about advertising, lead generation, and database maintenance. For today, however, I’m just going to say that you’ve got to make sure you get your name out well enough to get the event in the first place.

Intel:
Make sure when you book the event that you get plenty of facts and information pertaining to the event. The more you know, the more you have to work with. On the same note, be sure not to ask too many questions or you may scare away an otherwise great potential client.

Directions:
It is always a good idea to map out your route to your event ahead of time. By doing so, you are well aware of the estimated time of travel and can allow yourself plenty of time for accidents and traffic delays along the way.

Giving 110%:
This section pertains to how you use your intel that you gathered to give your client more than they expect. For instance, if you find out that Birthday boy Sammy likes Batman, you can learn ahead of time how to make a great batman lootle. You can then go to the event prepared to awe and astound the crowds with an amazing sculpture you planned to make ahead of time.

Get there:
Get there early or on time. You do not want to have the party mom stress out over when you’ll be there. Know that she’s plenty stressed about the party already. She doesn’t need your help making her hair fall out.

Get Going:
I start with the birthday child and usually make the figure I planned out on the way there. If it is a boy, I’m usually making a super hero or a crazy costume. If it’s a girl, I make a full princess outfit with crown, dress, wand, and ear rings.

Nip it in the Bud:
Stop any and all problems before it gets too big to handle. If you notice a child is acting up as soon as you get there, make note of it and draw extra attention to them. Sometimes you’ll find that if you set the right tone in the very beginning, things will work out really great for the rest of the party. This section could be a whole book by itself (In fact, there are MANY books on it.), so I won’t be spending time on it other than letting you know it should be dealt with appropriately.

Heading Out:
When you leave, be sure to thank your client for their hospitality. Many times they are going out of their way to invite you into their homes. They are inviting some of their closest friends over and honoring you by presenting you to them as an entertainer and sometimes even a family friend. Do not take advantage of it; and, certainly you should be grateful.

Get Out:
This last point has been added to emphasize the importance of leaving on time. Your client has planned their event around the times you were scheduled to be there. Be sure not to get in their way by staying too late.

Last Notes:
Okay, so I know these weren’t complete notes on how to perform at a party or even how to get a party or go through with an event, but I hope that you’ve at least seen an outline for what I do and how I go about doing it. If you have any specific questions or you would like for me to expand on a certain section above, let me know and I’ll be more than glad to do what I can.

Stage Show: One bite at a time

I’ve always wanted to put together a stage show. I have always been fascinated by the idea and, though I didn’t really know where to start, I knew I needed to find a way to make my dream become reality.

This week I was able to get a step closer toward developing a stage show.

I have a habit of asking The Amazing Kenny (Insert Link) on a regular basis how I can improve myself as a performer. Not only do I ask him, but Jimmy Leo and Mike Clay. There are a number of others, but those are the ones I most often call for advice.

This week it was Kenny that helped me out. I asked him what I should do to improve my performance in the restaurant and he told me something quite amusing. He said “Act like Jimmy Leo.”

For those of you who know Jimmy Leo, you know exactly what he’s talking about. And for those of you that do not yet know who he is, I suggest you look him up and learn a little about him. Jimmy Leo is a GREAT entertainer and balloon artist. He is very creative and I can’t think of a better person to call when I need motivation on a new bit of performance I’m working on.

I went to work this week and I made sure to keep Kenny’s advice in the back of my head. And when the time came, I totally took on an aura of Jimmy Leo. Even better than that, I was able to use a storyline that I gathered from one of Guido Verhoff’s classes at Diamond Jam.

I went up to a table with 6 children and 4 adults and proceeded to tell a story of a prince and princess, dressing them in balloons and entertaining the entire section of the restaurant.

I’m not going to be going into detail about the specific story here, but I told a story as I made very simple balloons for each of the characters. Not only was it a LOT of fun, but I also noticed that it was VERY similar to a stage show.

That being said, I feel it has moved me a step closer to actually developing and presenting a full stage show of my own. From here on out, I am going to use my restaurant gigs to not only help with my individual gags and routines, but I will also be using them to help develop and refine entire stage shows.

With time, patience, sacrifice, and a little luck, I should be refining a stage show within a time frame of about 3-6 months. Once I have that refined, I will be able to attend Jeff McBride’s School of Mystery where I can get personalized coaching on my show, performance, and polish.

And for those of you who are restaurant entertainers out there… Have you developed a stage show yet? Have you tried it in the restaurant? If you don’t have a show, have you considered piecing one together in a restaurant setting?

And for those not in a restaurant… Have you ever considered piecing together a stage show from event bookings? What could you do at your next event to mimic a stage show and help yourself grow as a stage performer?

And my challenge for the week:
Attempt to tell a story with your balloons in a way you’ve never done before and at a place you’ve never considered. Let me know how it goes. I’m interested in hearing about it.