One of the toughest setups for any live performer, especially in a corporate setting, is walking onstage and seeing a wide, empty dance floor between you and the audience. That 20 to 30 feet of space might not seem like much on paper, but in reality, it creates a disconnect that’s hard to bridge. Laughter doesn’t travel the same. Eye contact is nearly impossible. And the energy that usually flows back and forth between the stage and the crowd gets swallowed up in that dead space. I’ve been in that situation more than once, and while experience and interactive material help me push through, it’s far from ideal.
Above is a nice setup vs the featured image where you will see a big gap that makes it harder. If you’re organizing a corporate event and want your entertainment to land, avoid the dance floor gap at all costs. Pull the chairs up, skip the dance floor until later, and let your performer actually *feel* the crowd. It makes an enormous difference. The goal of booking live entertainment is to create a shared, engaging experience—and that’s so much easier to do when people are close enough to be part of the moment. That small change in setup turns a challenging night into a memorable one.
