Private Club Radio Show

456: Ultimate Comedy Night Blueprint for Packed Club Events That WOW w/ Denny Corby

• Denny Corby

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Want a packed room and zero complaints after comedy night?
Learn how to:

  • Book talent your members actually love
  • Avoid the AV pitfalls that kill energy
  • Set expectations that save your inbox
  • Budget for the headline act, not just the dinner

Comedy night should be a club highlight, not a source of member complaints. In this episode, entertainer, club favorite, and PCR host
 Denny Corby breaks down exactly how to host a packed, laughter-filled comedy night that delights members and drives real engagement.

Download the Ultimate Comedy Night Blue Print here

From avoiding amateur mistakes like bad room setups and poor AV to booking headline talent that matches your club's vibe, Denny shares a proven blueprint tailored for the private club industry. He also uncovers why many comedy nights bomb and how a few simple changes can turn things around fast.

Whether your club has sworn off comedy night or you're planning your first, this episode is a must-listen for every GM, event planner, and club marketer who wants events that members rave about.

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Speaker 1:

Hey everybody, welcome to the Private Club Radio Show, where we give you the scoop on all things private golf and country clubs from mastering leadership and management, food and beverage excellence, member engagement secrets, board governance and everything in between, all while keeping it fun and light. Whether you're a club veteran just getting your feet wet or somewhere in the middle, you are in the right place. I'm your host, denny Corby. Welcome to the show. In this episode I'm going to help you pack the house without packing an apology email to the members the next day. We are diving into how you can have the most epic, most hysterical comedy night possible. Now let me preface this with I don't do a straight standup show. I don't do straight standup comedy. My show, the Denny Corby Experience there's excitement, there's mystery. Also there's magic, mind-reading and comedy. A ton of laughs, gasps and holy craps, a bunch of crowd work and banter. That is my specialty. But I've been in the industry long enough. I've been in the entertainment industry and I've worked and talked with clubs and I've talked to too many clubs that have had bad comedy nights. And even though I don't do straight stand-up comedy, I want to help you and your club have the best comedy night possible, because I think comedy night at clubs is a beautiful thing and I've talked to too many clubs that have had a bad comedy night and they shun comedy night forever and you shouldn't be doing that, because there is an art to the comedy night and I want to help you bring the humor and the laughs back to your club, and that's what we're going to talk about here today in this episode is a couple of tips and tricks and things that I think you can do and use to make your comedy night amazing. Before we do, I want to give a quick shout out to some of our show partners. Thank you all so much for all you do for us here on the channel. If you're interested in any of our show partners and their products, reach out to them and tell them you heard about them here on Private Club Radio or you're reaching out because you like their support here on Private Club Radio. It costs nothing, it means the absolute world. And if you would like to learn more about my show, the Denny Corby Experience, head on over to dennycorbycom. And if you don't want to listen to the episode, if you find this episode useful and you want to learn a little bit more, a little bit deeper information. I made the ultimate comedy night blueprint. You can download the guide at dennycorbycom slash comedy guide Also. Real quick, before we get to this episode, if you have not heard about which I'm sure you have but I am so excited for my management leadership event Management in Motion.

Speaker 1:

September 22nd at the Monticello Motor Club. It is going to be absolutely epic. And now we have CMA credits, so if you're coming, you're getting CMA credits. It is a day of ripping up BMW M2s, threes and fours on the track. We're going to be drifting, drag racing, karting, and all while learning from other club managers who have spent time on the track and hall and how all of that relates to club leadership. It is going to be so much fun. I cannot wait for you to be there. I'm going to see so many of you there. I can't even talk. I get so excited thinking about it it makes me stutter. The stutter comes out. If you want to learn more, head on over to privateclubradiocom slash management in motion to learn more. But now let's get to the episode.

Speaker 1:

Rule number one Not even a rule, step one. Rule one, whatever you want to call it, is you have to know the room, know your room, know your members and ask your members what type of comedy night they are looking for. At a bare minimum, members want relatable, they want tasteful, they want warm humor that connects the room together. Good comedy nights connect people together. Laughs that bring people together, not jokes that split the room in half. There are plenty of good, great and I say clean, quote unquote clean but PG-13, not R, but good, clean comedy acts that are out there that you can bring into your club.

Speaker 1:

Now, side note, full transparency. A raunchy comedian or an R-style night comedy night can and does work in a club. But it boils down to one thing, that is, transparency and expectations. If you tell people what type of comedy night is coming and who is coming and what the act is, then it could be fine. But it's about transparency and expectations, because I have chatted with some clubs and they love raunchy comedy and that's what they like to bring in. But they'll also bring in for different nights, maybe like one. You know they'll do maybe one or two comedy nights a year. One will be a little bit cleaner, the other one will be a little bit more risque, a little bit more dirtier, and that's fine because the members know, the people showing up know. I think the reason why sometimes I don't want to say clubs get into some heat or members get upset is it's just because there's no expectation. So you have to know who the talent is, who you're bringing in and the expectation and transparency on what type of comedy night you are bringing in. So you have to know the room.

Speaker 1:

Part two, step two, whatever you want to call it, is quality beats quantity. More doesn't equal better, better equals better, and what that means is you don't need three or four comedians for a comedy night, a good comedy night. You need one. Four comedians. For a comedy night, a good comedy night, you need one, maybe two max. One strong headliner can easily hold the room for 60 to 90 minutes and that is so much better than three or four subpar, not great quality acts. Sometimes, I don't know, maybe club managers think, oh, I can pay this amount and get four, or I can pay this amount and get one or two, and they think more is better but better is better. One great headliner and a strong opener will absolutely crush and is night and day compared to three or four subpar acts. And, side note, if someone is willing to come to your club to quote unquote headline Saturday night for less than a thousand dollars and we'll drive two, three, four hours to do that. That is not a bargain, that is a plot twist waiting to happen.

Speaker 1:

And with that you have to vet the talent. You have to vet who you're bringing in. You have to do research and watch videos and make sure that you like and click with those people, and not just the acts, but also, if you're using a booker or an agency, you have to vet them too, because sometimes they're not looking out for your best interest, sometimes they're looking out for the best interest of their own pockets or they just have their friends and they just use their friends and they're not listening to you. A good act in a good booker and good talent if they have one. Good people listen right, just like we do it. We listen well and when you listen to what you want and who your club is and they fit the vibe and what's going on in the club's world and your world, good acts know how to bring all of that together.

Speaker 1:

So when you can work with somebody, you can be great partners and you can lead with clarity and you can tell them what your crowd loves and what you're looking for. And kind of going back when you can vet your members and you can ask them what they're looking for in a comedy night or ask them what type of comedians that they like, and you can take that information and go to your comedian. Or you can go to the booker, if you're using one, and say, hey, you know, we pulled our member members. They kind of like this style, they like this, they like a Seinfeld, they like a witty, they like crowd work. You know if, when you can find out what they like and then portray that and say that to your acts and to your bookers or whoever you're using, it goes such a long way. So really, at a minimum, check for and watch clips and not just one viral clip right, there's a lot of.

Speaker 1:

Now with social media, people can get quote, unquote, famous very quick or become popular very quick. And just because they're popular on social media or on TikTok and just because they have a solid five, 10 minutes somewhere doesn't mean they can hold the room for 45 to 60. And that's a big, big, big, big difference, big difference. So make sure you know who you're booking. Do a call with the talent. Do an actual phone call Even better if it's a video call with the people who you are bringing in A quick little Zoom call, five minutes it goes so much more and such more powerful than 20 emails. And make sure the booker, make sure the talent, whoever you're using, whoever you're working with, make sure they understand the private club culture and not comedy clubs. Those are night and day Because, as you know, comedy clubs and private clubs are totally different places. So make sure everybody is on the same page of what is going on and what the expectations are for that night, of what is going on and what the expectations are for that night.

Speaker 1:

Now next thing is, as we're talking about the night, the show doesn't start at the first joke. The show doesn't start when they get on stage. The show starts the moment the people enter the room. So I want you to think comedy club energy, not banquet hall vibes. So what that means is sound.

Speaker 1:

Sound is super important. It has to be crisp, it has to be clear. Comedy is all about hearing. You have to hear the person. So having really crisp, clear sound is so, so, so important. Make sure you do a sound check before.

Speaker 1:

When in doubt, get an outside sound system. You can buy a system for 500 to a thousand bucks. The Fender Passport systems are amazing. I think every club should have one. For less than a grand you have an amazing system. That is just powerful. Sometimes the in-speaker systems, the ceiling systems, they're maybe fine for a presentation, but for when you're rocking a show and there's comedy and there's people laughing jokes is about clarity. So making sure they can be heard. The same token, making sure that they could be seen, so making sure the lighting is properly there, right, and think comedy club vibes.

Speaker 1:

The best comedy nights have a little bit of a dimmer room but the acts are lit up well. So having a little, maybe a sound or a lighting system brought in, maybe some up lights in the room, the show starts as soon as people show up. So if they show up in the room has a vibe and there's good music playing and the energy's there and it looks cool and it looks good, oh, it just makes for such a better night and it makes the comedian's job or the entertainer's job. And this whole thing is not just about comedy, it's about all entertainment. So when they can be seen and heard, well, oh, chef's kiss. And then to bring it all together.

Speaker 1:

The layout of the room is super important as well. You want to bring people as close together. Tightness bring people up front right, connect with the room. Maybe some smaller seats up front and then even in the back you can do some high tops, just so people can see a little bit better. Right, we want people in there. We want clear sight lines. We don't want, you know, jungle centerpieces, we don't want people facing the back of the room. We want everyone facing the stage, looking together, making sure everything is seen and people are tight and that energy is there. Sometimes you know you can't help it. The room is just big, but bring the show as close together, as close to the stage as possible.

Speaker 1:

Next step is budget properly. I think when you're doing, especially when the entertainment, your headliner, your person who you're bringing in, the reason why people are there for the evening, when that is the thing, that is what you should start with price-wise and then back the rest of the evening into that. I talked to too many clubs that they say we're having comedy night, we're gonna have dinner and a show, and they plan out all the food and everything else and then whatever is left over, they go. That's our budget for the entertainment and that is wrong. I think what you should do it's all about fit. So it's going to those first couple steps. It's finding what act you want, vetting them properly, making sure they're going to fit with you, your club and your vibe. You find them, their pricing and what they want, and then you back the rest of the show into that. We're club people. You know how to make. You can make anything taste good and be good. You know how to work around the food and guess what? Sometimes let's just say the act is really expensive. You maybe don't need a dinner with it too. You can just do the show and have dinner on their own. So it makes the ticket prices lower, so it makes it more appealing for the member.

Speaker 1:

But most clubs, I think, start with the end. They start wrong. You can't just take what's left over and use that for the entertainment. You have to start with the entertainment first and build the evening around that and with that you have to book early or at least talk to people early. So many clubs it's even to this day people go hey, are you booked next month? Yes, I am. A lot of good acts are booked three to six months a year out. Good acts book fast. So if you're not starting the conversations and penciling people in having those conversations, you're going to lose out and what's going to happen is you're going to wait till the very end and you're going to be just using who's available, and that's not always the best. Sometimes you might get lucky and you're going to have a great night, but sometimes you might not. What I think is really a neat, interesting concept, a total little side note here is there's a lot of great headlining touring comedians who are fantastic. That might be very expensive, but a lot of them are booked Fridays and Saturdays. If you can find a comedian or a style that you like and you can see when they're going to be around your area, you can probably pick them up on a Thursday night when they're already going to be in town or planning on being in town for a little bit of a discount. And if you're enjoying the episodes so far and want to dig a little bit deeper, make sure you download the guide, the ultimate comedy night blueprint and over to dannycorbycom slash comedy guide. And now I know what you might be thinking is listen, we've had a comedy night and it bombed.

Speaker 1:

Just because you had one rough comedy night, one bad comedian, your comedy night isn't cursed. It could have been a couple of factors. If you look back, think about what may have caused that. Was it you, the club? Did you maybe not plan accordingly? Did you maybe not budget right? Did you make it somebody cheap? Was the room maybe set up wrong? Was the audio weird? If you had a bad night, guess what? It was okay, treat it like a mulligan. There's always another comedy night. You can always do it again. Your members will come back if you give them a reason. So remember, pick the right vibe, pick the right comedian for your club. Make sure you vet them properly. Quality over quantity. Better is better, more isn't better. Remember the holy trinity of not bombing, lighting, seating, sound, book, early, book properly, and you should be good. If you want to learn more about the ultimate comedy night, download my comedy night blueprint. Dennycorbycom slash comedy guide. That's this episode. Until next time, catch y'all on the flippity flip.

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Denny Corby

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