Recently, a one man band children’s entertainer wrote a blog for their website. It was all about how to make sure your entertainer doesn’t let you down. In the blog, the entertainer in question discusses what to do if you want to make sure your party entertainer doesn’t let you down.
Why It's a Must to Secure a National Company for Your Child's Party | Children's Entertainment at its Finest
However, the issue we have with the blog is point 2. Below is exactly what this entertainer said and then afterwards we discuss our thoughts on the matter.
“2. DON’T use a national company
There are a few companies out there who are just out there who are just out to make a buck. They are cheaper than a self employed entertainer however they employ huge amounts of drama students across the country to perform the parties, and pay them very little. This means you get a ‘lottery’ of entertainers of varying degrees of quality. Best to book someone you have heard of directly.”
Why Is This Important?
Now, this is their opinion and we're not intending to attack them with this Blog. But we do have to disagree with this statement and why we firmly believe booking a national company is a must. So, what do we disagree with? Well, the neat thing to do is break the statement down and discuss why we don't agree with their statements.
1. "Don’t use a National Company"
As the biggest children’s entertainment company, this is something we obviously take exception with. Now, while they don't specifically say us, however, as the industry leader in the kids entertainment industry we can’t help but think this is directed at us.
2. "They employ huge amounts of drama students across the country to perform the parties, and pay them very little"
This is the sort of statement made by one man band kids entertainers when they don’t understand our business model or how we operate. Firstly, none of our team are Drama Students. When we recruit we insist on only taking people on with experience in entertainment. Secondly, all our team are self employed and even though most work exclusively for us, none of them are employed. Thirdly, our training and ongoing support is simply the best. We hold regular conventions and training sessions as well as having a training website specifically for the development of our team. Our standards and brand are very important to us.
3. "This means you get a ‘lottery’ of entertainers of varying degrees of quality"
Again, this is something our kids party entertainer take exception to. Our standards are higher than your average one man band kids entertainer. The reason is simple: when you work on your own and get an unhappy customer, the only person you answer to is yourself. With Non Stop Kids Entertainment, if an entertainer has an unhappy customer, there is a full investigation and ultimately that will lead to a retrain to make sure it doesn’t happen again. We hardly get complaints, but when we do they are dealt with swiftly. Companies like Cirque du Soleil, Drayton Manor and Legoland wouldn’t work with us on a regular basis if the quality of ALL our entertainers were nothing short of exceptional. They can’t take risks with their brand and when we recruit, we can’t take risks with our brand as well.
4. "Best to book someone you have heard of direct"
To be honest, this is a point that we just don’t understand when you take into consideration the point of the blog Remember - the point is how to avoid being let down by your entertainer. In our opinion, if this is something you are SERIOUSLY worried about, then you should absolutely avoid booking a one man band and instead go with a National Company.
If you work on your own and you wake up and are really ill, what do you do? Some entertainers battle through and good on them. However, what happens if you break your leg the day before and end up in hospital? What happens if you experience a personal tragedy? There are many reasons why you wouldn’t be able to perform if you work on your own (and we are assuming here that the entertainer you have booked is 100% ethical and hasn’t just taken a better paid gig which can happen).
We understand that a lot of entertainers will try to arrange a cover. But how good would they be if they are available to cover on the day of your party? With Non Stop Kids Entertainment, we have multiple office staff dealing with customer service. We have almost 100 entertainers and a number of emergency entertainers. It means we will never let a client down, something a one man band can never promise no matter how good their intentions are. You wouldn't believe how easy it is to spot a dodgy entertainer.
Conclusion
We don’t normally respond to the views and opinions of other entertainers. We prefer to do our own thing. However, one of the things we are most proud of is that we have never let a client down. We move hell and high water to ensure that every client has an awesome experience. Just a few months ago, our Managing Director did a 400 mile round trip on a Sunday last minute to cover a party after one of our entertainers had a car accident.
The bottom line is you are free to book whoever you want for your child’s party. There are a lot of amazing entertainers to choose from. We know for a fact that the entertainer that wrote the blog in question is very good at what they do. Obviously, we think your best option is to book us but we are unbiased.
You can read what others have said about our company on our Facebook page. You may also want to read about the difference comparison between a kids entertainer a party host. They're far more different than you may have imagined. And finally, you can read about the hidden costs of children’s entertainment.
Thanks for reading.
