Corporate Christmas Party Entertainment Scorecard: How to Compare Your Options
Corporate Christmas Party Entertainment Scorecard: How to Compare Your Options
There’s a moment at the end of every company holiday party that tells you whether it worked.
It’s not the speech. It’s not the dessert. It’s the line at the coat check.
Picture it: thirty people bundled in scarves, shuffling forward, waiting for their coats. Some are quiet, scrolling their phones, already mentally home. Others are still buzzing, talking over each other, retelling something that happened an hour ago.
Which line do you want at the end of your party?
I’m Katrina, known on stage as Magical Katrina, a professional magician and mentalist based in Las Vegas. I perform at company holiday celebrations, and I know how easy it is to choose entertainment by gut feeling or by repeating whatever you did last year. So here’s a more useful approach: a simple scorecard for comparing your corporate Christmas party entertainment options before you book.
And at the end, I’ll explain the coat-check test, and why I think it’s the most honest measure of whether your entertainment worked.
Five Questions to Score Every Option
Before comparing specific types of corporate Christmas party entertainment, decide what matters for your team. These five questions cover what most planners care about.
1. Does It Include Everyone?
Think about your whole guest list: drinkers and non-drinkers, introverts and extroverts, new hires and veterans, people who love to dance and people who’d rather not. Strong corporate Christmas party entertainment works for all of them.
2. Does It Get People Talking?
The holiday party is often the one night when people from different departments mingle. Corporate Christmas party entertainment should help that happen, not drown it out.
3. Does It Fit Your Space?
Some corporate Christmas party entertainment needs a stage, a dance floor, or a lot of room. Others work almost anywhere.
4. Does It Work for Your Format?
A seated dinner, a standing reception, a daytime lunch, and a hybrid event with remote staff all have different needs.
5. Will People Remember It?
Not just “Was it fine?” but “Will people still be talking about it next week?” A quick way to judge: imagine describing it to a colleague who missed the party. If you’d struggle to explain why it mattered, it probably won’t stick.
Scoring Common Corporate Christmas Party Entertainment Options
Every type of entertainment has strengths. Here’s how popular options tend to stack up against those five questions. Your results may differ depending on your team and venue.
DJ
Strengths: Great energy for teams who love to dance. Easy to scale for large crowds.
Watch out for: Volume can make conversation difficult, and guests who don’t dance may drift to the edges.
Best for: Later in the evening, after mingling time.
Live Band
Strengths: Adds atmosphere and a sense of occasion.
Watch out for: Needs space and sound setup. Like a DJ, it can compete with conversation.
Best for: Larger, more formal celebrations.
Photo Booth
Strengths: Fun, inclusive, and guests leave with a keepsake.
Watch out for: It’s a side activity rather than a shared experience. Guests visit in small groups and go back to the party.
Best for: Running alongside other corporate Christmas party entertainment.
Casino Night
Strengths: Interactive and social.
Watch out for: Not everyone enjoys games, and some guests may feel left out.
Best for: Competitive, game-loving teams.
Comedian
Strengths: A shared experience for the whole room.
Watch out for: Humor is personal, and workplace audiences vary. The material needs to fit your culture.
Best for: Seated events with a clear program.
Magician and Mentalist
Strengths: Interactive, inclusive, and works for nearly every guest regardless of age, background, or whether they drink. Strolling magic moves between small groups during a reception, sparking conversation between people who don’t usually talk. Mentalism, the art of seemingly reading minds and predicting decisions, creates moments people describe to colleagues for days.
Watch out for: As with any entertainer, check credentials and watch footage of real audiences before booking.
Best for: Receptions, dinners, and hybrid events. It can also work alongside other entertainment. Magical Katrina performs both magic and mentalism.
As a performer, I’m biased, of course. But magic scores well on every question on the list. That’s why corporate Christmas party entertainment built around close-up magic and mentalism is worth considering.
Mixing and Matching
You don’t have to choose just one.
Many great holiday parties layer entertainment through the evening. For example:
During the reception: Strolling magic gets people mingling while drinks are poured.
During dinner: Close-up magic at tables between courses keeps energy up.
After dinner: A short featured moment brings the whole room together.
Late in the evening: A DJ or band takes over for those who want to dance.
Layering lets each type of corporate Christmas party entertainment do what it does best. Magical Katrina can work alongside your other vendors to keep the evening flowing.
Scoring Magic for Your Team
If you’re considering magic, here’s how to judge whether it’s a fit.
Inclusion
Magic doesn’t depend on drinking, dancing, religion, or language. Every volunteer Magical Katrina invites up walks away looking good, and anyone who’d rather watch can simply enjoy the show.
Conversation
Strolling magic happens within small groups, so it works with conversation rather than against it. When one group bursts into laughter, nearby guests turn to see what happened. Magical Katrina moves to wherever the room needs a lift.
Space
Close-up magic needs very little room. It fits ballrooms, restaurants, offices, rooftops, and private rooms.
Format
Magic works at receptions, seated dinners, daytime lunches, and virtual events. For hybrid parties, a live virtual show can include remote employees. My virtual shows range from $1,400 to $5,000, depending on format, audience size, and customization.
Memorability
This is where magic shines brightest, and it’s the heart of the coat-check test.
Who You’d Be Booking
I’ve been performing for more than 13 years across over 20 countries. I’ve appeared on Penn & Teller: Fool Us and Masters of Illusion, won five magic awards, and I’m a member of The Magic Circle in London and the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood. My work includes events connected to Formula 1, the Olympics, Porsche, Prada, and Ritz-Carlton.
When you book Magical Katrina for corporate Christmas party entertainment, you’re booking experience in professional settings, from hotel ballrooms to intimate client dinners.
Planning Tips
Know your team. A survey or quick chat with a few colleagues can tell you what people actually want.
Book soon. It’s already November, and December dates fill quickly. Strong corporate Christmas party entertainment is easier to secure the earlier you reach out.
Share your timeline. Tell each vendor how the evening will flow so the entertainment fits together. Magical Katrina can fit around your schedule.
Check the venue. Confirm sound limits, space, and any rules about outside vendors.
Ask for video. Watching real audiences react tells you more than any description.
Questions to Ask Any Entertainer
How does your act include guests who don’t drink or dance?
How much space and setup do you need?
Can you work alongside other entertainment?
Can remote employees take part?
Can I see footage of real audiences reacting?
I’m happy to answer every one of these. They’ll help you score your corporate Christmas party entertainment options with confidence.
What It Looks Like
Picture a holiday party at a downtown hotel. Two hundred employees. The planner scored her options and chose a layered evening: strolling magic during the reception, a short featured moment after dinner, and a DJ to close the night.
During the reception, I join a group of people from accounting and engineering who’ve never spoken. One of them thinks of a word. I say it. They scream, and by the time I move on, they’re comparing theories like old friends.
At midnight, the coat-check line is still buzzing.
The details always depend on your party, but that’s the kind of evening thoughtful corporate Christmas party entertainment can create.
The Coat-Check Test
So here’s what I promised.
At the end of the night, walk past the coat check and listen.
If people are quiet, scrolling their phones, saying polite goodbyes, the party was fine. Pleasant. Forgettable.
But if people are still talking, laughing, retelling moments, asking each other “How do you think she did that?”, the party worked. The entertainment did more than fill time. It gave people something to share.
That’s the coat-check test, and I think it’s the most honest measure there is. Surveys come later, filtered through politeness. The coat-check line is unfiltered. It’s people being exactly as excited as they actually are.
The best corporate Christmas party entertainment doesn’t end when the performer leaves. It travels with your guests: to the coat check, into the elevator, onto the drive home, and into the office the next morning.
So when you’re scoring your options, ask one more question: what will people be talking about while they wait for their coats?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best corporate Christmas party entertainment?
It depends on your team, venue, and format. The best corporate Christmas party entertainment is inclusive, encourages conversation, fits your space, and gives people something to remember. Many parties combine options, such as magic during the reception and a DJ later.
Can magic work alongside a DJ or band?
Yes. Strolling magic during the reception and dinner pairs well with music later in the evening.
Is magic suitable for a diverse workplace?
Yes. Magic doesn’t depend on drinking, dancing, religion, or language, and participation is always optional.
Can remote employees join?
Yes. A live virtual show can include remote staff. My virtual shows range from $1,400 to $5,000, depending on format, audience size, and customization.
What should I include when I inquire?
Your date, venue, number of guests, timeline, other entertainment planned, and whether remote employees will join. That helps me confirm availability and recommend the right format.
Let’s Plan Your Holiday Party
If you’re planning a company holiday celebration, I’d love to hear about it. Tell me your date, your venue, your team, and what you’d like people to be talking about at the end of the night.
Get in touch to check availability with Magical Katrina, and let’s make sure your coat-check line is the loudest in the building.