Putting the “fun” in corporate functions

WRIK Entertainment is a Rhode Island-based company providing engaging entertainment for both private and corporate events for over 40 years.

Owner Rick Lataille got started in this business very early. He DJed for youth organizations in high school, simply because it was something he enjoyed doing. He did this part time for about twelve years. After graduating college, he decided to pursue entertainment full time.

Shortly after becoming a full-time enterprise, WRIK Entertainment started adding a variety of services in addition to DJing. This is when Rick started making connections in the corporate world through business networking groups.

He is a longstanding member of City Biz, one of the region’s premiere chapters of BNI which stands for Business Networking International.

“There was no BNI back when I started,” Rick recalls. “But we made our way through chambers of commerce, getting out there and networking.”

When it comes to corporate entertainment, Rick believes that “if it’s an event, it should be fun.”

“Employees shouldn’t be thinking ‘Ugh, we have to go to another thing.’ They should be looking forward to it, knowing that they’re going to have a great time.”

This mentality is reflected in WRIK Entertainment’s services. Event planners have a wide array of entertainment options. From karaoke, to games, to photobooths, there is something for every type of event, and the company provides entertainment for thousands of them a year.

WRIK’s most popular services for corporate events are games that are interactive and team building. Game show-style games like Family Feud are very popular options for these types of gigs, since they are fairly simple and most people already know the rules. Having employees work together to solve a problem or participate in an event as a team is a very attractive option for meeting planners. And when prizes are on the line, it is a very serious—but still friendly—competition.

One corporate client said, “WRIK Entertainment was wonderful to work with. Everything arrived on time and everything was set up before our guests arrived. They punted when there was a small rain storm. The photo booth also was a big hit and he made it fun for all. Thanks for helping to make our event a huge success."

Looking forward, Rick believes that 2023 is going to be a year where corporate functioning is back to normal, or as close as it can get.

The past two years have been less busy on the corporate level, as businesses are still facing repercussions from the pandemic, and not wanting to put all of their employees in one spot. As time goes on, he believes this will be less of a concern, and he thinks 2023 will be a big step in that direction.