BARRY WILLIAMS
Barry (2nd from left!) having a knockout night with friends
In 1984 Barry Williams was voted "Comedian of the Year" for the second time in his 9 years as a professional. At this time his natural ability as a raconteur was spotted by a group of businessmen who in turn persuaded him to link some of his more interesting stories in a different way in order to entertain after dinner at some forthcoming sales conferences.
The demand for Barry’s after-dinner humour snowballed at such a rate that within another eighteen months it had become his full-time profession. His speaking engagements take him to all points of the U.K. from Devon and Cornwall, up to Scotland, Northern Ireland and down to the South East. Having established such a widespread demand, Barry took the opportunity in 1986 to move from his native Surrey, and now lives with his wife, three children and an extensive menagerie in an old vicarage in the mountains of Mid-Wales. Colleagues in both the cabaret and after-dinner world call upon Barry’s additional talents as a script-writer. For convenience he also maintains a small flat in Surrey which enables him to maintain easy access to all his work.
Foreign cities and holiday resorts are increasing from year to year in popularity by companies who are using them as both locations and incentives for sales seminars, conferences, golf tournaments, etc. The hybrid of Barry Williams the Comedian and After-Dinner Speaker makes him the definitive choice as host/link-man on these occasions. This work has enabled Barry to travel beyond his wildest expectations. Indeed within one eighteen-month period he found himself abroad on many occasions, which to his absolute delight took him to all five continents.
His performance at the lectern has earned him much praise from the trade press. Working to a script and a schedule, co-ordinating guest speakers with audio-visual backup is something at which he excels again and again..
Barry is a master of the ad-lib and this brings him resounding success when speaking to the gregarious sales and marketing fraternity. It is not uncommon for some minutes to pass between stories, whilst he indulges in competitive rapport with his fellow dinner guests. Always the winner with his experience in these instances he never fails to befriend those involved. Barry’s knowledge of sport and current affairs, coupled to the volumes of general humour at his disposal, affords him the luxury of being able to completely change his speech content appropriately to suit each occasion.
CHARITY
As a professional after-dinner speaker Barry has performed on numerous occasions for renowned charities. The Thames Valley Friday Luncheon Club, who do so much charity work, acknowledged Barry’s efforts by making him an honorary vice-president and in 1989 Barry was made a Lord’s Taverner. He has performed on countless occasions for the Round Table movement, the Rotarians, Children Nationwide, S.P.A.R.K.S., S.O.S., A.R.M.S.. The Wooden Spoon Society and the Variety Club of Great Britain. He is thrilled to this day that through his own efforts and the generosity of his audiences he was able to raise funds for fourteen guide dogs within a single year.
SPORTING EVENTS
Barry is forever in demand at sporting dinners and listed below are just a few of the clubs, organisations and personalities that Barry has spoken for or on behalf of: Arsenal * Crystal Palace F.C. * Wrexham * Oldham Athletic F.C. * Tottenham Hotspur . Q.P.R. . * York City . * Torquay United * Reading. * National Sporting Club of Great Britain * The National Football Coaches * Football Writers Association * The Sinners R.U.FC. * Old Harodians R.U.FC. * Richmond R.U.FC. * The Barbarians R.U.FC. * Bill Beaumont * Bobby Robson * Pat Jennings * Kenny Dalgleish and Sir Stanley Matthews.
MARKETING
In the corporate world Barry frequently works for marketing/P.R./event management companies, and has enjoyed participating in successful events on behalf of the following: McCann-Erickson * The Marketing Bureau * Lasergate Publications * Hobday-Pepper Promotions * Elegant Days * The Main Event * Event Management * Function Services * Dawes-Edgerton * Motivforce * Hill and Knowlton * Saachi and Saachi and The Directors Company.
BUSINESS/CORPORATE
Barry keeps a meticulous record of his speeches in chronological order and is very proud of his record for renewing the entirety of his speech content approximately every twelve months. This means that he can comfortably return within a shorter space of time than most, without fear of repetition. Inevitably one or two stories become classics and in turn requests, and then of course, he is always pleased to oblige. The number of corporate/business groups that have used Barry’s services as speaker/host/linkman are, beyond question, too many to mention, but here are some of the companies who have done so on more than one, and in some cases, several occasions:—BMW* Jaguar * Prudential * TNT* British Airways* ICI*Legal and General * IBM UK * Sun Microsystems * Tulip Computers * Ford Motor Company * Vauxhall * Mercedes Benz * Volkswagen Audi Group * Jaguar * Toyota UK * Mars Confectionery * Trebor Bassett * Barclays Bank * Estate Agents Association * Building Society Institute * Institute of Bankers * Insurance Institute * National Federation of Building Employers and Balfour Kilpatrick.
"Barry is without doubt one of the funniest after dinner speakers I’ve ever heard. He kept the audience captivated, appealing to everyone’s sense of humour." - M.W.B.Johnson, Wales Region, Concrete Society.