Why Should you Hire a Variety Artist?

Choosing the right entertainment for your event can be hard. There are countless options available. From jugglers and musicians to impersonators and even some so obscure you’re not quite sure what they are. Some will work, and some won’t. So how do you choose the best option for your event?
First, you must ask yourself. What do you hope to accomplish with the entertainment?
are they there to attract people to the festival? (I.E. a headliner). Or are you looking for memorable moment? Perhaps you want you just want to increase the overall “feel” of the festival.
A variety artist has a lot to offer. Let’s look at some of the reasons why a Variety artist can be a positive decision at your event.


Finding that Memorable moment
Have you ever seen something so amazing that you HAD to tell everyone about it? Or laughed long enough that you needed to calm down?
This is where a Variety artist come’s in. Through amazing feats of dexterity and humor. A variety artist creates a world on stage. A world full of possibilities, humor and amazement. They create a relationship with the audience. They share moments and laughter together. By the end of the performance every audience member should feel like they just made a friend.
A variety arts show (juggling, comedy, hooping etc.) varies greatly between each performer. Some are designed to entertain the kids more then the adults, and others are the opposite. You will find that most variety artists tend to keep a broader target audience, and most are family friendly. It’s important to talk to the artist to make sure they are a good fit.
A variety show is a great tool at many festivals to utilize and there are many ways to optimize the show.
You can use a variety show to

• In between bands to keep the audience engaged
  • This is a great technique to prevent “Dead air”
• At a kids tent, to keep them entertained.
  • This also helps to “break the ice” with the shyer kids and get them interacting with their surroundings.
• On a Busking style pitch to keep them there longer
  • There’s a lot of wandering at a festival, especially one’s with kiosks. Many people just wander through once and leave. With the additional “free to them” entertainment, they are more likely to stay longer. That means more potential sales.
• Built in advertising.
  • One thing you will see at every variety show are phones, specifically phones that take video. Whether the volunteer is someone they know or it’s a stunt they think is impossible. Everyone wants to share that memory. Even if they don’t record it you can hear “you’ll never guess what I saw at __________Festival.
  • If you pair this with a conveniently placed banner behind the stage. Every photo taken will have your name on it.
• People will come earlier.
  • This holds especially true for music festival’s, the sooner people arrive the better. Put a variety art show earlier and make sure to advertise it properly. Who wouldn’t come an hour earlier to see someone shoot flames 15 ft with just their mouth.

Putting smile’s on faces before they walk in.
Imagine walking up to an event. There’s a 6 foot fence with security at the door. You see a white tent in the background and a few signs. It’s not that exciting.
Now imagine the same situation but along the fence you see a juggler, or a stilt walker. People are crowding around to take photo’s and every single one of them has a smile on their face. Maybe these people have come to see a single musical act, and instead of them standing at the beer tent awkwardly waiting, you could have them enjoying the spare time with a performer and making memories.
This same situation also holds true for kids. Young children often have a limited attention span. By giving them a visual and interactive character or performer, you are extending their focus even further. This keeps the youth’s engaged for longer and we all know that parents are more likely to spend their money on the Ferris wheel for their kids, rather than on themselves. Furthering the engagement even more.
 
In conclusion a good variety artist, be it a show or walkabout entertainment brings another level of engagement and intrigue to your festival/event. If you are considering hiring a variety artist it is important to talk with them about what it is you are after and what they can offer. They are flexible and largely independent, and if applied in the right ways. They will bring engagement, laughter and most of all, memories.