A useful corporate entertainment brief tells your magician who is attending, what the entertainment should accomplish, where it fits in the agenda, and who can approve decisions. Put those essentials on one page, then attach the detailed run of show and venue information separately.
“We want something fun” is a starting point. “We want a shared laugh after the awards, with optional participation and a firm finish before transportation leaves” gives the performer something concrete to plan around.
Use the template below when you are shortlisting entertainment or preparing for a production call. It is a planning document, not a substitute for the booking agreement or technical requirements.
Start with the job the entertainment needs to do
Choose one main goal before listing tricks or production ideas. A reception might need a conversation starter; an awards dinner might need a shared finale; a conference session might need a message tied to a workplace theme. Those goals call for different formats and different attention from the audience.
The Magic Comic offers corporate comedy magic, strolling entertainment and interactive keynote options. Explain the outcome you want, then discuss which format suits it. Do not assume a stage show can become reception entertainment simply by moving it into the lobby.
- Shared celebration: guests stop other activities and watch together.
- Reception icebreaker: guests continue circulating while small groups interact.
- Conference message: the session supports a clearly defined theme or objective.
Add a second sentence describing what should happen immediately afterward. A seated audience moving into dancing needs a different handoff from attendees leaving for breakout sessions.
The one-page corporate magician briefing template
Copy this compact brief into your planning document. Short answers are enough; mark unknown details “TBC” and assign someone to confirm them. Keep sensitive attendee information out of the general version.
| Field | Your event details |
|---|---|
| Event and main goal | [Event name, date, city; one sentence explaining the entertainment’s purpose.] |
| Audience | [Expected count; employees, clients or partners; adult-only or mixed ages; relevant language considerations.] |
| Format to discuss | [Seated show, strolling reception, interactive keynote, or recommendation needed.] |
| Agenda and finish time | [Preferred start; agreed performance window; preceding activity; following activity; firm finish.] |
| Room and production | [Venue and room; seating plan; venue production contact; technical requirements awaiting confirmation.] |
| Participation preferences | [Voluntary interaction; any stage-access considerations; private way to communicate opt-outs.] |
| Branding and boundaries | [Approved theme, names and pronunciations; topics to avoid; person approving custom material.] |
| Commercial scope | [Budget range or quote requested; travel and production inclusions to confirm; payment contact.] |
| Responsibilities and changes | [Planner; venue lead; show-day decision maker; latest brief version and date.] |
Send the same dated version to the people who need it. Attach a floor plan, the current agenda and any approved branding assets rather than shrinking them into unreadable space on the brief.
Describe the audience without making assumptions
Attendance alone does not explain a room. Include whether guests know each other, whether customers will attend alongside employees, and whether the event brings together several teams or organizations. A performer can use that context without receiving a complete guest list.
Avoid instructions such as “the sales team loves being roasted.” That statement can hide very different preferences within the group. Share the intended tone and identify topics that should stay out of the performance, including confidential announcements or personnel changes.
Ask attendees about access requirements through your event’s usual process. Pass along the practical arrangements the performer needs to know, rather than diagnoses or private histories. Confirm any stage participation route with the venue and artist.
Make the timing usable, including a delay decision
Write down both the preferred start and the latest acceptable finish. “After dinner” leaves unanswered whether dessert service, speeches or award photographs will still be happening. Name the activity that must finish before the show begins.
For a seated program, use the corporate dinner entertainment timeline to build the surrounding agenda. Then put only the agreed performance slot and handoff on the brief.
Consider this planning example: an awards segment runs late, but buses still leave at a fixed time. Your brief should name who consults the performer and authorizes the revised plan. It should not tell a stage manager to cut a routine without consulting the artist. Agree any shorter-format option in advance.
Separate approved branding from requests still under review
A custom reference may involve more than sending a logo. Provide the correct company name, the event theme, pronunciations and the wording that has actually been approved. Identify one person who can answer questions and sign off on proposed material.
- Label each asset or talking point as approved, requested or awaiting approval.
- Explain whether a reference is for the room only or may appear in recordings.
- Confirm filming, photography and promotional-use permissions separately.
- Discuss the feasibility and scope of customization before promising it internally.
Do not describe a product launch, executive announcement or branded illusion as included until the performer has agreed to it. The brief records decisions; it does not expand the contracted scope.
Name the people responsible for the room
Give the performer a practical venue contact for sound, lighting, access and room questions. Confirm who supplies each agreed item and who checks that it works. “The hotel has AV” is not enough detail for a production handoff.
Use the seating, sound and sightline planning guide when reviewing the floor plan. Send the actual layout with entrances, tables and the performance area marked. Reserve technical dimensions and setup requirements for the artist’s current rider and your venue discussion.
Review the brief before the final production call
Check three things: every unresolved item has an owner, the agenda agrees with the booking, and everyone is reading the same version. After the call, circulate the confirmed brief and note any changes that affect timing, scope or production.
Keep the day-of contact list separate if that makes it easier to protect personal numbers. The emcee should receive the agreed introduction, name pronunciation and handoff cue rather than inventing them at the microphone.
Send your event details to The Magic Comic
If you are planning corporate entertainment in Indianapolis or another service location, use the corporate magician inquiry form to share your date, venue, audience and main goal. Bring your brief to the conversation so you can confirm the right format, availability and event-specific requirements.
The most useful brief is one your team can act on: a clear purpose, a realistic agenda and named people who can make decisions.
