Five Tips for Booking Entertainment!

Do you need to hire star-quality entertainment for your Wedding, Venue or Event? Here are some tips to make finding the perfect entertainment a little less daunting:

1.                 Make sure the agency has vetted all of their Acts. When working with Gloria Miller Entertainment (GME), you can rest assured that each Act on our roster is vetted for quality of talent, professionalism and service.

2.                   Only work with agencies that have updated audio and video samples of their Acts. GME offers a search facility on our website for ease of finding the type of Act you’re looking for, and we have the artists’ most recent audio and/or video demos on their pages, including sample set lists.

3.                 When requesting a quote, provide as much information about the entertainment you want as possible, including your budget. At GME, you can request a free, no-obligation entertainment quote through our website, and by simply filling in the required fields, we’ll have everything we need to give you the best quote possible. If applicable, we will also include the deposit amount due to secure the booking in the written quote.

4.                 Contact the entertainment agency well ahead of your event wherever possible. At GME we have several Acts who are available for last minute bookings, but if you are able to plan ahead we can insure that you get your first choice of Acts; offer ideas for your event; and put together an entire entertainment package, if required.

5.                 Make sure the agency issues a contract for your Wedding, Venue or Event. Once you have decided to confirm your booking, GME will verify all of the details of your event and issue a contract which can either be signed electronically on-line, or you can email or post a signed hard copy to our office.

Finding quality entertainment in your area has never been easier. If you have internet access, just get on your PC, Tablet or Phone and visit www.gloriamillerentertainment.com to preview the UK’s best Solo, Duo & Tribute Acts plus dynamic Party Bands and Variety Acts. We can also provide full DJ/Disco services and Themed Entertainment such as Vegas Nights, Double Tribute Shows, Motown Nights and more!

Contact us today for star-quality entertainment for your Wedding, Venue or Event and let us handle the details!

Week In Review - 30 March 2015

I'm baaaack ... after a much needed mini-break to Spain last week. Due to the fact that I was unplugged for a few days, I didn't write a blog for last week's newsletter. Did you miss me? One less thing to have to read, right?

So here are some highlights from the week of 16 March through today ...

On Tuesday, I was at The Spring in Havant shooting a promotional video for my Diana Ross Tribute Show. My video team, led by Emma Stock, were absolutely amazing with making sure we had good shooting angles, that the lighting and sound were just right, and that we used the time well to get all the footage we needed, and then some! A special thanks to The Spring's Production and Technical Manager, Ian McInally for being on hand to assist with the lights, sound, smoke machine and even a fabulous Disco Ball! I will share the finished video in a couple weeks. Watch this space.

On Friday, I sat in with Beau, a great Funk, Rock band at a venue in Stubbington. For the night, they renamed the band 'The Glo'! How nice of them.

On Saturday, I performed at a 40th Birthday Party at Amfield Golf & Country Club which turned out to be quite the Soulful event. I even hit the dance floor after my set was done, which couldn't be helped really due to the jammin' setlist DJ Paul Mico was throwing down.

Here's what the birthday girl had to say about the entertainment:

"I booked Gloria as a solo act for my 40th. What an outstanding performance from her singing soul songs selected by me..it was a great lead into the soul disco I had arranged also. Gloria was easy to deal with and it all went as planned. I'd definitely book her again. Truly outstanding." - Vicky Hemmings

Then on Sunday it was off to not-so-sunny Spain for a few days of R&R. I didn't mind that it wasn't sunny, cause that forced the hubs and me to stay in and actually rest. We returned home on Thursday and then I was off to the races on Friday with Performance Coaching sessions at Mayfield Studios and a Diana Ross Tribute Show in the evening at the Carisbrooke Arms in Gosport. This is a regular venue for me, and as usual the crowd was ready for a good time, and that's exactly what we had! Shout out to fellow Move On Up band member, Graeme Lewis, for doing sound for me.

On Saturday, my newest show, Simply Tina Turner was performed for the first time with Move On Up backing me, and we had a right rowdy time at The Jolly Sailor. As fate would have it, the Portsmouth Backlight Run finished just before we started the Tina Turner set, and what seems like the entire contingency of runners crammed into The Jolly for a pint. The place was heaving with people. Then Tina made her appearance and the place went absolutely mad! I don't think the runners planned on staying the night, but many of them did and were still there as we were packing up to go home!

We are currently running a special offer for a double tribute show ... Diana Ross vs. Tina Turner! There has already been a great response to this offer and I'll be performing the first one solo in April at a venue in Poole. This show is available solo with professional backing tracks or backed by my band, Move On Up. Please contact me for all the details or if you would like to book this show, please click here to complete the 'get-a-quote' form and include Promo Code SDRSTT in the 'budget' field.

Saturday was a busy day for GME with two of my Acts also out performing. Marlene Hill performed at the Noah Mapalo Help Centre charity event held at the The John Pounds Centre in Southsea, and The Coasters performed at the business launch event for Crunch Time Catering at Southsea Castle.

The Coasters Duo

Finally, on Sunday the Frankie & Glo Duo performed a bit of Acoustic Soul at The Jolly Sailor for a lovely, laid back afternoon. Honestly, I wasn't sure how I was going to get through this gig cause I was quite exhausted from performing Tina Turner and then a equally high-powered second Move On Up set the night before. Frankie, lead guitarist in Move On Up, seemed fine on Sunday (he is much younger than me ... LOL), but I wouldn't have made it at all had the hubs not agreed to be my driver and roadie.

Needless to say, but I need another holiday after that fast-paced weekend! But, alas, no rest for the weary as I was back in the office on Monday playing catch after being out of the office for a week, yet basking in the afterglow of having had an amazing weekend of performing! I wouldn't have it any other way.

Glo & Neal

Oh, I almost forgot ... the new GME website has gone live! Click here to have a look around, and please let me know what you think of the new site. You can leave your comments of feedback below.

And remember, at GME we provide star-quality entertainment at affordable prices for Weddings, Events, Venues, Festivals & Cruise Ships. We also offer professional Disco/DJ services, so get in touch and let us handle the details of your next event!

That's plenty for this edition! Have a fabulous week and Happy Easter!

Week In Review - 25 July 2014

Mostly this week has been about prepping for a very busy summer of gigs and events. In order to help keep myself organized and on top of getting ready for shows, running the day-to-day business operations and the constant battle of learning new material, I decided to attend a workshop on Time Management (which I was late getting to by the way ... LOL)! On Tuesday, I headed to Chichester to attend 'Time Management & Focus' run by Cara Moore and most of what was shared I already knew, but wasn't exactly implementing. But, the biggest thing I walked away with was finding out what my 'golden hours' are during the day and tackling my biggest projects during this time. The golden hours are the time of day when you're most focused. Cara encouraged us to protect these hours and not squander them away on the things that don't necessarily build the business. She even suggested not scheduling meetings during the golden hours, as they can be time killers. 

Cara Moore, Executive Coach

I identified my golden hours as 1-3pm. That's the beginning of my work day and when I feel most ready to tackle the day. Before attending this workshop I was using this time on operational tasks (emails, social networking, scheduling, etc.) and not on the activities that build my business (new business research, developing new clients, servicing existing clients, newsletter, etc.). I immediately implemented refocusing the tasks I work on during my golden hours and just like that revolutionized my work week. More of my quality time is now directed to building my business with the every day tasks still getting done, but in a more efficient way. 

We were also encourage to delegate the tasks that can potentially steal those precious golden hours. I'm now identifying tasks that can be outsourced to a Virtual Assistant. I tried using a VA before when I first started my business, but I wasn't quite ready to let go of the reigns in certain areas. Now that my business has grown and therefore the demands of running the business have grown, I'm willing to try using the services of a VA again. I'll let you know how I get on with delegating. I'm scared, but willing ...

Last night I had a lovely mid-week gig at the Portsmouth Guildhall Cafe performing as part of their Summer Sessions with my Duo. A special shoutout to Nathalie Gunn who booked me and John Sackett of Big Adventures who organized the event. The evening was called 'Alfresco Thursdays' and it was indeed a lovely evening to perform outside. We had a lovely crowd who were singing along, even on my original song 'Because of Your Love.' I also ran a little contest during 'Ain't No Sunshine' which the crowd eagerly participated in. You know that part of the song that goes ... 'I know, I know, I know ...?' I promised the first person to accurately call out how many times I actually sang that phrase a free CD. So I sang it 18 times, really, I'm not kidding, and ended up with several people nailing the answer. So I gave out about 5 CDs and then a random lady who was just walking by the cafe at the time got a free CD too! What can I say, I'm easy. Please don't let that get around :)!

These Summer Sessions will continue through the end of August. Do support this new venture be spreading the word and coming down to the Guildhall Cafe to enjoy the lovely atmosphere of live music ... alfresco style!

Lastly, in preparation for the upcoming Southsea Show on the 1st-3rd of August, I had rehearsals with my covers band, Move On Up on Tuesday and my originals band, Mayfield on Thursday who will both be performing during this 3-day event. Supremely, Diana Ross is also making an appearance. It would be great to see you at this event. If you do come, please be sure to say hello!

Well, that's it for this week ... have an amazing weekend!

Week In Review - 20 June 2014

Chillin' in Spain w/the Hubs!

I had a much needed 4-day mini break to Spain from Monday through Thursday, topping up my tan and the scale a bit too! The getaway was the perfect combination on sunshine, sangria & paella!  

On Friday, I performed a dep gig with 'Beau' at the grand re-opening of The Westleigh in Havant. The venue and the crowd were both fantastic, and I really enjoyed working with the fantastic musicians that comprise Beau. Dep gigs keep you on your toes because usually you don't get a chance to rehearse, you just show up and hope for the best :). Thankfully, I've dep'd for them before, so we were good to go.

Beau

Gloria Miller Duo

Note to self ... never schedule three gigs for the same date which is exactly what I did on Saturday, the longest day of the year in every way! I put in a 12-hour day gigging at The Spring in Havant with my duo in the afternoon, a private party in Hedge End in the early evening, and finishing up at The Mermaid in Portsmouth performing Supremely, Diana Ross. I was one tired soul at the end of the night and the drive home was a bit of a blur. When I arrived home, my very lovely husband had lit relaxing candles all over the house to create a calming atmosphere for me to come home to! After murdering a veggie stir-fry I hit the sack only to wake up on Sunday feeling quite out of it. This was my excuse to sit on the sofa and watch movies on LoveFilm, which I did! 

One of my acts, the incredible Marlene Hill, will be performing in 'Swinging at the Cotton Club' at the King's Theatre in Southsea on the 26th of October. I've seen this show a couple times now and it is spectacular and features The Jiving Lindy Hoppers & Harry Strutters Hot Rhythm Orchestra!  Take a step back into 1920's New York City and through the doors of Harlem's hottest nightclub, 'The Cotton Club'!  Swinging at The Cotton Club is an action-packed show celebrating music, dance, and song! Buy your ticket today!

I am excited to announce that I am starting to book original duo and band gigs as my CD, Let Go, is experiencing a bit of a revival over here in the UK. I released this CD in America just before moving to the UK five years ago and it seems the album got a little bit lost somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic ... LOL! At the first of my three gigs on this past Saturday, I dried off and performed five songs from the album which received a really positive response from the audience, and I sold a few CDs too!  

I just confirmed today that The Gloria Miller Duo will be performing originals & covers as part of The Guildhall Summer Sessions on the 24th of July at the outside cafe! We're performing two 45-minute sets, starting at 5:30pm.  And, Move On Up will be backing me on a gig at The Pizza Express in Soho on Sunday the 28th of September ... doors at 12:00 and we start at 13:30. We are supporting a fantastic up and coming band, Alter Ego, and will be performing songs from my CD as well as a few covers. This is going to be a great show with two great bands performing original Jazz, Soul, Blues & Funk!  Click here for more information.

Venus Awards Nominee Networking Event

Lastly, it was just announced that I have been nominated for a 2nd Venus Award in the New Business category. I was completely surprised to get the 1st nomination in the Customer Service category, and I am terribly humbled to be recognized again for starting GME. Check out their blog and learn more about the other nominees and the businesses they represent.

I think that's enough for now ... I'll be with you again on Friday with the next edition!

Until then, have a fab week!

Weeks In Review - 6 June & 13 June 2014

FranClassic
Foodies Festival - Clapham

Apologies for not getting my 6 June Week In Review out to you. I usually write this blog on the Friday, but last Friday was Day 1 of Foodies Festival Clapham and I jumped right into the deep end of this 3-day event and didn't come up for air until Sunday night! The entire week was really devoted to sorting out all the last minute details for the event. We were so lucky with the weather over the 3-days and had huge crowds at the Entertainment Stage throughout each day. 

On 5 June I went to an early morning BNI networking meeting at the Hilton in Farlington where I gave a 1-minute presentation about GME. BNI is a worldwide network who are looking to launch a Portsmouth area chapter. I was invited back this week, but 6:45am is a bit too early for me, especially since I'm still recovering from Foodies :). Later on the 5th Dominic Elton (Mayfield band leader) and I met with Jeff Powell of Groovefinders to discuss Mayfield Studios, which are in the process of being built. We also discussed songwriting for our next album and development ideas as we take Mayfield to the next level as a band. 

Jerry Williams
Foodies Festival - Clapham

Jeff is a visionary manager who works with several emerging artist, including the very talented Jerry Williams who I booked to perform at Foodies Clapham. She was delightful by the way! There is mutual interest between Jeff and Mayfield to work together and I'm excited to see how things unfold in the coming months.

Even later on the 5th, I was at The Jolly Sailor judging Southsea's Got Talent! It was a very early start and long day, but no matter how tired I may feel when I get to SSGT, I am always energized and amazed by all the untapped talent in the Portsmouth area. This night was no exception. Each contestant was at the top of their game, and sadly only 3 were able to be put through to the next level! That was a hard decision to make!

Now we come to this week ...

Supremely, Diana Ross

On Monday, I had to drag my very tired self out of bed for a meeting at a venue where I'm booked to perform Supremely, Diana Ross for a birthday party. I am triple booked on this date, 21st of June,  so I need to check out the venue ahead to make sure I know how to get there and to see what equipment I will need to bring. I will be on such a tight schedule on this date, so there's very little room for errors like ... getting lost!

Wednesday I had my 1st full vocal coaching session with my new student, Nicola. I am helping her prepare set lists, find the right songs for her voice and music business coaching in addition to helping her fine tune her vocals. We had a great session and I am always thrilled when I see a student learning and growing. I recorded most of our session and played it back to Nicola. She struggled to listen to herself, but doing that helped us identify things she needs to work on, and the songs later in the session were already showing a marked improvement. I'll be seeing her again in a few weeks. 

If you are someone you know is looking for a vocal/music business coach, do get in touch to set up a free consultation.

Move On Up!

Thursday, I was with my band, Move On Up at The Wine Vaults and we had a fantastic night! We were worried that we would have a small crowd due to so many events happening at the same time including camper's night at the Isle of Wight Festival, and the opening night of the World Cup. However, we had a great crowd who were already on the dance floor by the third song of the first set ... this is very rare! By the end of the second set, the place was packed to the rafters and the punters were screaming for more ... even after our second encore! Sadly, we were out of energy and out of songs so we left the crowd wanting more, which is not a bad thing!

Speaking of Isle of Wight festival ... Mayfield are gearing up to make our debut at this great festival on the Hipshaker Stage on Saturday starting at 9pm! We had our final rehearsal prepping for the gig on Tuesday and the set is sounding very tight. We'll be dropping some new songs from our next release, and Amy and I will be donning new dresses that she designed and created! I'll have loads of pics to share with you next week.

Gloria Miller Duo

Finally, tonight I'm rehearsing with my Duo partner, Dennis Elvie as we prepare for our next gig which is the first of the three gigs I've got booked on the 21st of June. We will be doing Jazz & Blues originals and covers at The Spring in Havant! 

I've got one hour to prep for rehearsal, so that's it for now! Have a fabulous weekend!

Week in Review - 23 May 2014

Okay, so I've just got TiVO in my house and it has been terribly difficult to pull myself away from it to get some work done this week ... LOL!  I feel strangely obligated to watch the shows it recommends and there have been some weird ones ... 'Grimm' ... really? 

Besides being glued to my telly, this week has been about paying the man ... yes, it's tax filing time! Through the beauty of networking I have found a fantastic accountant, Lee Scott of Addo Accounting, and he has been amazing at hand-holding me through the process. I barely understood US tax laws, and the British ones might as well be in Japanese! My record keeping is okay, but Lee still had his work cut out for him to get me ready to file, but he's done it and we're ready!! 

I'm starting to get inquiries for New Year's Eve entertainment, and really, this is the time to start booking if you want the best entertainment possible for your venue or event! Here at Gloria Miller Entertainment we've got some fantastic party bands, solo, duo and tribute acts so contact me today if you are in Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey, Kent, Sussex or London! Check out some of our Party Bands and get in touch to book your New Year's Eve entertainment!

Glo's Music for the Soul Radio Show aired last week Sunday, and I had a listen to it this morning and got my dance on a few times. This is Vol. 3, the 'Foodies Festival' edition featuring some of the amazing acts I've booked on these events throughout the summer! For those of you who can't make the Foodies events, or live outside the UK, this is a great chance for your to experience what the entertainment at the events is like!

The producers of my show, One World Radio, said that the show rated quite well when it went live on Sunday and I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed putting this one together. WARNING:  The show is quite eclectic and will make you want to dance ... more than once! Enjoy ...

This week has been amazing for booking some great shows for my acts. And I am thrilled to announce that Supremely, Diana Ross and Move On Up party band will be appearing this summer at the Southsea Show! I performed at this event last year with The Fliks, and I'm thrilled to be returning this year. More details to come ...

Well, that's it for this week ... time to get ready for the first of two Supremely, Diana Ross Tribute Shows that I'm performing this weekend. I need to channel my inner Diva for this!

There she is ... :) Have a fabulous weekend!