E3 Group

Our entertainment agents here at E3 Artists are currently inundated with requests from our clients to book acts from this year’s X-Factor contest. Kandy Rain, Rikki Loney and Miss Frank are proving popular choices with Christmas event planners looking for current, up-to-date acts to entertain their guests. With some X-Factor finalists fees as low as £2,000 for a performance, it’s also a cost-effective option for securing a high-profile act without the high-profile price tag.

For advice on booking an X-Factor act, please contact one of our agents at our London office on 020 7836 4759 or click here to contact us via our online form.

E3 Group are now recruiting on behalf of the Thomas Cook Group for 2009 Winter and 2010 Summer entertainment positions. Auditions are set to take place this November in London and Manchester in December for a variety of exciting jobs as part of an overseas team.

E3 Group, the global provider of entertainment services to Thomas Cook worldwide, has a long history of working with the tour operator giant; providing complete entertainment solutions to its hotel properties including partner chain Hi! Hotels. For details on how to attend the audtions and apply, visit our E3 Careers page.

Scottish singer Rikki Loney has become the second act to get voted off the live finals of 2009′s The X Factor, following Kandy Rain’s departure last week. Rikki’s departure is all the more controversial for the fact that oddity act, John & Edward, have remained in the competition. The Irish twins baffled, bemused but entertained with a badly performed rendition of a Britney Spears track.

Although still bound by certain contractual obligations with ITV and possible commitments to the touring show, Rikki Loney is now available to hire for corporate and private events. For further details contact one of our entertainment agents.

Everyday our entertainment agents here at E3 Artists are asked if it’s possible to book a top flight party band without the pop group pricetag. Our answer is always a resounding “yes”! Ok, we admit that you won’t be able to secure McFly or Girls Aloud on a budget of £2,000. In fact, we feel slightly embarrassed when we have to explain to inexperienced potential bookers that chart-topping acts of this calibre have fee expectations in the region of £150,000+ for private and corporate events. However, it’s not all bad news. The truth is that some of the UK’s most talented musicians are out there to be secured for your party or event and sometimes their fees can be as low as £1,000 for a four-piece band.

In celebration of this fact, the E3 Artists team have decided to take a vote each month on their current favourite party or function band; using popularity with our clients as the main judging criteria. So, the votes have been cast and we can now officially announce that the first E3 band of the month is FUNKification. FUNKification are a collective featuring some of London’s most talented musicians. Scalable from a four-piece right up to a thirteen-piece orchestral outfit, the group play pop, rock, swing, jazz and party numbers and have never failed yet to impress our clients.

Our entertainment agents here at E3 Group are often asked by our major clients; “who are the most ‘up and coming’ or ‘in demand’ comedians on the circuit and are they available for private events?” To help answer this question, the E3 Artists team will each month take a vote on who they think is the hottest ticket in comedy. This month the honour goes to Lancashire born comedian, Jason Manford. The 8 out of 10 Cats star has just embarked on a successful national tour with a DVD of his stand-up due out in November. Jason is a very popular choice for corporate events and award ceremonies although his booking availability is fairly limited in 2009 due to his touring and televsion commitments.

Here at E3 Artists, October is always our busiest month for dealing with our clients’ Christmas entertainment requirements. This year is no exception and we are currently working on several briefs with budgets large and small. We are often asked what can be acheived on a specific budget so to help answer this question, we’ve put together some party entertainment options:

Up to £1,000

For up to £1,000 you could hire a DJ plus x3 “Santa Shot Girls” (female models dressed as Santa’s helpers) to deliver drinks to your colleagues or guests whilst they enjoy the party. Not to be sexist, “Santa Shot Boys” are also available too!

Also within a £1,000 budget you could consider hiring a talented professional singer to perform a party set to backing tracks, a guaranteed way to get your guests on the dancefloor. This option would also leave room in the budget to consider some additional entertainment such as a close-up magician, or a “walking Christmas tree” to amuse your guests as they arrive at the venue.

Up to £2,000

For up to £2,000 you could create a great vibe with a 45 minute party-set performed by a talented professional singer followed by 3 hours of dance music from a top DJ. Also within this budget you could have x2 additional entertainment elements such as “Santa’s Shot Girls & Boys” pouring drinks and “walking Christmas trees” greeting your guests.

Alternatively for £2,000 you could hire a top quality four-piece party band supported by one or two of the additional elements above.

Up to £3,000

For up to £3,000 you could consider hiring a named DJ such as Pat Sharp, Kate Lawler or Danny Rampling to play a party set for the evening. You could also combine this with some unusual Christmas entertainment such as “The Human Reindeer“.

Up to £5,000

For up to £5,000 you could consider hiring a well-known vocalist or dance act from The X-Factor or Britain’s Got Talent to perform a special Christmas gig, supported by a DJ and some additional entertainment such as a magician or specialist act. Imagine “Stavros Flatly” in Santa’s garb!

Over £5,000

On a budget of £5,000 or more the sky is the limit in terms of what you can do. From hiring a celebrity singer to perform a vocal set to organising a 12-piece orchestral swing band to perform at your Christmas event venue. The options are endless!

For further advice on booking Christmas party entertainers, visit our main site here, or alternatively give our London office a call for an informal chat with one of our entertainment agents.