Start With the Brief, Not the Setlist

Corporate work is a different discipline from a Friday night in a pub. Before you quote, ask the questions that decide whether the gig will be a pleasure or a slog. Who is in the room? What is the age range? Is there a three-course dinner, an awards ceremony, or just drinks and dancing? What time do guests arrive, and what time do they leave?

A useful rule of thumb: at a corporate event, the band is not the reason people are there. The company is. Your job is to make the organiser look good in front of their boss, their clients and their colleagues. Everything below flows from that single idea. Get the brief in writing, along with the name and mobile number of the person who will actually be in the room on the night — not just the person who booked you.

Sort the Technical and Logistical Details Early

Hotels, conference centres and stately homes come with quirks that a working band never meets in a small venue. Chase these down a fortnight in advance, not on the day.

• Sound limiters. Many corporate venues have a fixed dB limiter wired into the house system. If you exceed it, the power cuts out mid-song. Ask for the limit, and ask whether the house PA has to be used.
• Paperwork. Most venues will want public liability insurance (usually £5m or £10m), PAT test certificates for your electrical gear, and sometimes a risk assessment. Keep PDFs on your phone and in the cloud.
• Space and access. Ask for a floor plan or photos. Corporate stages are often cramped, awkward, and sited next to a fire exit or a bar. Confirm load-in times, parking, and whether there are stairs or a lift.
• Your own paperwork. Send a stage plot, input list and patch list ahead of time so the in-house AV team can prepare. They will remember you fondly if you do.

Arrive with time to spare, but understand that you may not get a full soundcheck. Often the room is being used for rehearsals, awards prep or dinner service. A quick line check and a chat with the AV technician is frequently all you get.

Build a Setlist for a Genuinely Mixed Room

The corporate audience is the most varied you will ever play to: a 22-year-old graduate sitting next to a 60-year-old non-executive director, plus partners and clients who have no connection to the company at all. Aim for songs that everyone recognises, performed well.

• Safe territory: Motown and soul classics, funk, well-known indie anthems, 90s and 00s singalongs, and a couple of modern chart songs played with conviction.
• Handle with care: anything with swearing, divisive politics, or lyrics about drinking yourself senseless. Also avoid long instrumental solos and deep album cuts that only you love.
• Structure: prepare a low-volume instrumental set for dinner or drinks, a short opening set, and a dance set. Two 45-minute sets usually beat one 90-minute marathon.
• Flexibility: mark three songs you can cut and three you can add at short notice, depending on how the room is responding.

Keep a "safe five" — the tunes that have never failed you — and be ready to call them if the dancefloor is slow to fill. Crisp endings matter more than clever arrangements. Nobody has ever complained that a band finished a song too tightly.

Look and Behave Like a Professional Outfit

Ask about the dress code and match it. If the guests are in black tie, jeans and T-shirts will read as disrespectful, however well you play. If it is a casual summer party, a full suit can look just as odd. When in doubt, smart-casual in dark colours is the safe middle ground.

On the microphone, keep the chat brief, warm and clean. Thank the organiser by name, wish the company a happy anniversary, then get back to the music. Avoid drinking on stage — or at least keep it invisible. Do not criticise the venue, the sound limiter or the audience within earshot of anyone. Venue staff, AV technicians and waiting teams are your allies; be pleasant to them and you will get better treatment on the night.

Manage Timings, Speeches and Overruns

Corporate events run late. Speeches overrun, awards take longer than planned, and the raffle is always drawn just as you are due on. Nominate one band member to liaise with the MC or event manager, and agree a signal for "start now" and "hold".

Be prepared to begin quietly while the last speech wraps up, and never launch into a big number if an award is about to be announced. If you are asked to play longer because the DJ has not arrived, that is a conversation about money, not a favour — be polite, but confirm the extra fee before you agree.

Get the Admin and Money Right

Corporate clients expect proper invoicing and a written agreement, so provide both.

• Deposit: 25 to 50 per cent on booking, balance on the night or within 14 days.
• Invoice details: many companies need a purchase order number before they can pay you. Ask for it at the point of booking.
• Confirm in writing: timings, set lengths, load-in access, parking, food and drink, and whether a dressing room is provided.
• Extra services: background music during dinner, a first dance, or a DJ set between your sets should all be priced separately.

Do this consistently and you will not just survive corporate work — you will be the band the organiser recommends to every colleague who asks.