Singing Waiters Recruitment Wanted: Singing Waiters for Private Events Singing Waiters For Hire

Think you've got what it takes to entertain a party full of guests as a surprise singing waiter style act? Then Alive Network needs you! We're looking to recruit the best and brightest singing waiters to serenade guests at private parties, corporate events, dinners and conferences across the UK.

We've got the clients if you've got the talent, but you'll need to meet our high standards to become an Alive Network act.

Here's what we're looking for:

1. Professional, dedicated artists

Your act needs to be 100% professional in attitude, ready to provide entertainment that thrills and delights both guests and clients. You need to have good availability, be prepared to be flexible and creative in meeting the client's requirements, and most of all, be reliable!

2. A great performance, not just stand and sing

Once the element of surprise has happened, any singing waiter act will rise or fall on the strength of the performance by the singers, as your audience then sit and watch them. So, your act needs to be entertaining to watch, and offer more than just a stand and sing concert. Think about how you’ll keep the energy flowing, and make your performance lively, thrilling or engaging.

3. Acts that sound great, regardless of venue

Any singing waiter act really does centre on the sound quality you produce, and that includes both voices and backing tracks. If they can't hear you, or your singers sound distorted, your audience will soon lose interest and start to talk - loudly! Start by investing in the best quality backing tracks and buy them at CD quality, not low-res mpeg downloads (i.e rips from Youtube). Buy the best quality handheld vocal radio microphones you can afford, and your own high quality PA system (or know where you can hire one and for how much). Many venues such as hotels or conference halls will have their own sound system that you can access, but they do vary in quality and not all are suitable for operatic voices, for example.

4. Performers who know their stuff!

Your performers need to know their music inside out, and more importantly, they need to be familiar with the actual backing track they will be singing to. Singers may know a particular song and sing it all the time with piano, but unless they know exactly where the backing track or recorded accompaniment that you use slows down or pauses, they will soon lose timing with the track, and that sounds awful! Also, make sure they know how to use a microphone (don't assume…) and are able to wander around singing even, when the backing track sound source is on the stage and they are 30 feet away. It's an art that takes practice, and not everyone can do straight off, so always rehearse your act walking around!

5. Acts that offer something a little extra

As you can see from the acts already listed on Alive Network, it isn't just about singing waiters. Our acts offer variations on the theme, including singing firemen, policemen, chefs and even diva event organizers! If you can add something unusual into this mix, all the better, especially for clients who like the surprise act format but had singing waiters last year… Create a clever scenario that has strong elements of comedy and surprise - a volatile chef burning the main course, a policeman handcuffing the CEO for a minor offence, a wine waiter who has a phobia about grapes! Also be creative with your music choices; blend opera and classic musicals with clever arrangements of the latest pop hits, add in some Rat Pack perhaps, or even some rock and roll in four part harmony. Ask your performers for suggestions and keep building your repertoire.

6. Top quality promotional media

To sell well at Alive Network you'll need the very best promotional media available – stunning photos, professional videos, and superb demo tracks. Luckily, this is where Alive Network can help! We offer a free professional photo shoot for all our new artists, and our state of the art recording studio is an ideal place to record your demo tracks or videos. Do take as many videos during performances as clients and practicalities allow, but make sure they are high quality - phone camera footage won't persuade clients to book you. For more help and advice on creating suitable demo materials, just call the Alive Network artists team - we'll be happy to help.

7. Have a back-up plan!

Unless you can guarantee your performers work 7 days a week, which is nigh-on impossible when you first start out, they'll be looking for other work, going to auditions and being offered West End leads or cruise line contracts! So, ensure you have a 'pool' of performers you can call on to perform whenever a booking comes in, and make sure they all know the core repertoire AND the comedy script. This will make your act reliable, available, flexible and dependable - and that makes you one of the first groups we'll recommend if clients ask us for our suggestions.

And finally…

Enjoy what you do! We want singing waiter acts that love to entertain guests, who enjoy engaging with people, who want clients to be 110% happy with their performance and who are prepared to work hard to make that happen. If you'd rather be at La Scala or in Les Mis, don't be a singing waiter, as the audience will know your heart isn't in it. If you want to sing for people who will enjoy what you do, tell you so after your show, and maybe even buy you a drink, a surprise singers act is a wonderful way to potentially earn good money and become a better performer as a result.

Why sign up with Alive Network

In return, Alive Network will support you all the way through our artist development programme. You can tap into our offers for quality photos, videos and demo tracks, plus workshops to improve your business skills. With Alive Network, you become part of the UK's largest online live entertainment agency, and benefit from the extensive investments we make in marketing our site to both corporate and private clients, including wedding organisers and brides. We administer your booking from start to finish, including issuing legally binding contracts that ensure you and the client agree what's expected well in advance, and we'll even pay you direct, so no problems with chasing cheques on the night.

If you think you've got what it takes to become our next singing waiter or surprise performance act, call the Alive Network team right now - we're waiting (sorry!) for your call!