Category Archives: Event

Things you don’t need at events anymore

Posted on by

Times are changing and so should our habits. Join us at looking at some of the things we can do without nowadays at corporate events.

Paper Badges

Badges have traditionally been the biggest lost opportunity in events. Printouts of very un-useful information that generate awkward looks at one another. Of course you can get them sponsored and of course you need them for security, but there must me a better way.

Things to try instead. Mobile Apps, beacons, RFID, NFC badges. The possibilities are endless. Badges become the remote control of your event. They let you check into places by just walking by. You can purchase merchandise, drinks, food. You can participate in games, you can quickly share content on social media Smart Badges offer powerful real time analytics and they offer incredible feedback mechanisms.

2. PowerPoint

Used at events since being created 26 years ago, that alone should tell a story. Slides in general can be a great visual tool to give some tangibility to a talk, but what is the percentage of good slides you see at events?

So what can you do? We won’t suggest a list of alternatives to PowerPoint. Get creative and think about other ways to get speakers to illustrate their point. Mix the types of media you can use: video, images, sounds, objects. In some types of events slides will always be necessary, they are almost expected by the audience. You can make a difference as an event professional. You can give precise guidelines or even coaching to your speaker as to how they need to use and not abuse the tool. It takes a lot of charisma and experience to talk without slides and experience. Get the speakers to use slides as part of the new speaking mix – mobile app, live interaction tool, or app powered mic, props, music.

4. Business Cards

For ever it has been expected that if you go to a networking event you must take a lot of business cards as it is the “done thing”. Do we really need a business card to connect with people? There are so many better ways to exchange information at events. Smart event professionals make sure that whether you have card or not, you can still network.

Why not invite attendees to take advantage of social networks and optimize your network with the existing technologies? Use smart badges, contact business cards, beacon business cards. You name it. The alternatives.

Of course there will always be some people that will use them. The thing is that you, as an event professional, can encourage attendees to use better ways to connect rather than producing an incredible amount of waste.

In Conclusion

As event professionals we are always short on time and will sometimes rely on traditional solutions as it seems like the quickest or easiest thing to do. Maybe we have always done it that way and taking the leap to do things differently fills you with fear. But so we can focus on the important content and real experience of our event, rather than the admin and logistics, now is the time to make the change.

Push your boundaries and you will realize that the power of your content can be amplified if you update your tools and choose the best modern solutions to support your organization.

A day at the races?

Posted on by

There’s no need to take a gamble with your company party, with a race night you’ll be odds-on to have a great evening. Dust off your best top hat or poshest dress and have a flutter on the sport of kings.

Your event could be made complete with betting booths and white picket fences to add a more authentic feel to the event. All of the excitement and glamour of the races will be brought to your event by a charismatic host who’ll keep you updated with the latest odds, and the glamorous Tote girls who’ll circulate around the tables taking your bets. There’s no need to worry about blowing your life savings as you’ll be gambling with fun money, so take a punt, lady luck might smile on you.

A giant screen will show 8 races on the flat and over jumps and you’ll have to study the form and place bets on whichever steeds take your fancy. The race commentator will call the action ensuring maximum drama and edge-of-your-seat tension. The team with the highest winnings (or smallest loss!) at the end of the evening will be presented with champion tipster medals.

What you could hire/buy for your Races day:

· Costumed Host
· Costumed canape girls
· Fun money
· Betting Slips
· Projector and screen
· Bottle of bubbly and medals for the winning team.

Make sure all your guests dress to impress, after all, it is a day at the Races!

It’s the Knockout

Posted on by

For years, It’s a Knockout – Undoubtedly the wettest, wildest, and wackiest competition on TV in it’s day. It combines the game’s traditional format with our own unique sense of fun to create the ultimate example of a motivational team-building event.

This is a great idea for team building because it’s:

BIG, bright and crazy fun
Something completely different
Everyone involved
Great head-to-head team competition
Amazing inflatables in a huge arena
A chance to be big kids again

So what could happen?

With everyone in the right frame of mind, teams of 8 to 12 people will be established, and the games can commence in earnest! Competing against each other for points and to avoid the dreaded booby prize, players will accept a range of unusual challenges to a relentless varied soundtrack.

Party Games ideas.

PENGUIN PURSUIT – Wearing giant penguin costumes you’ll race against other teams to catch the most fish!
THE SWEEPER – Taken from the famous Total Wipe-out TV show, teams must be quick to jump and avoid the rotating sweeper arm.
TROPICAL SCRABBLE – Teams race through an inflatable obstacle course collecting letters, the quickest team to spell a word wins!
BUNGEE RUN – Run as far as you can down an inflatable bungee runway with a large elastic cord tied to your waist. See who can get the furthest.
GLADIATOR DUEL – Knock your opponent off of their podium before they knock you off of yours!

So there you have it, fuel for thought. Amazing fun and will see your staff in a different light!

Crime Scene Investigation

Posted on by

Are you looking for some team building exercises? How about putting yourself on the other side of the crime scene tape? Under the guidance of experienced professionals teams will become Crime Scene Investigators for a day. Participants will learn actual forensic science and detection techniques, and use authentic Crime Scene Investigation equipment to locate and extract evidence, interpret findings and “solve a case.”

You could have a variety of crime events with different scenarios, and the techniques you will learn are based on your choice of event. These are great ideas for corporate event entertainment and help to get that team spirit ignited.

Crime Scene Investigation events are engaging and practical – teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving skills will be put to the test. They are specifically structured to improve communication and relationships between participants, and in a way that encourages full participation by everyone. Teams must manage themselves to ensure they come to a conclusion and solve the crime.

For an engaging, challenging and special event, beneficial to everyone involved, a Crime Scene event is exactly what you are looking for.

So next time you want to hold a corporate event, think about this idea, we sure it will be very popular.

Entertainment for your next Christmas party

Posted on by

Sorry. We really are sorry. We know it’s still only August, which is still more than 3 months away. More than a third of a year away. But personal assistants and office managers are already being asked to book Christmas entertainment for the office party and it’s our job to help them out. Plus, between just the two of us, choosing to hire a Christmas DJ in advance may keep your costs down. For those who are looking to book even more festive entertainment, here are a few ideas to get you thinking.

Wonderland

Who doesn’t love Christmas lights? You might not attend the Oxford Street Christmas lights switch on and yes, the Regent Street Christmas lights has turned into a weirdly commercial venture promoting some Hollywood film for the past few years, but people still love a good light show and Wonderland put on one of the best! As the photo shows, holly leaves appear in LEDs around the performers and you can also expect to see snowflakes, stars and reindeer.

Ballerina in a Snow Globe

In terms of visual acts, they don’t get much better than a full size snow globe with a dancing ballerina inside. A beautiful idea that has been executed perfectly, the ballerina performs amidst a flurry of snowflakes. A male and female dancer can also be hired for a short performance and you can rest assured that none of your guests will have seen anything like it. A wonderful idea for the office Christmas party!

Christmas Carol Choir

A Christmas carol choir is probably more up your street. We advertise choirs from just a few people right up ten or more and if you like, you can sing along with the performance! Christmas carols are a timeless form of entertainment and can you really call your event a Christmas event without one.

Ice Queen

We advertise a whole host of Christmas characters for your party but for the Scrooges amongst you, we thought we’d profile the Ice Queen. One of the best bits about the Ice Queen character is that it can be good on its own or as part of a Christmas party theme (like Narnia for instance). A perfect idea to ensure that your Christmas party will be talked about well into the New Year!

How to best remember your event

Posted on by

Be it a corporate event, private party or wedding there are a number of ways to look back on your event that don’t include photography. Here, we run through some brilliant ways to remember your event!

Caricaturist

If you’re looking to hire a caricaturist for an event, then you have got to make sure that you are fine with having your eyebrows accentuated and your nose looking a little larger than in real life. But that’s all part of the fun! A good caricaturist knows how to drawn a cartoon-style representation of their subject without causing offence and the best part is that with modern technology being what it is, you can take home a paper or digital version.

Silhouette Artist

The heights of the vaudeville era are in full display in the form of a silhouette Artist, who can snip your profile into a piece of black card in the space of a matter of minutes. The best bit about this incredible form of entertainment is that you can go home and frame your silhouette later, with each individual creation being stuck onto a quality back lining.

DJ

Booking the right DJ for your event is key to good memories and making sure that the DJ plays your perfect playlist. A good DJ knows how to communicate with the crowd and knows how to get your guests up on the dance floor. We have many DJ’s advertised on our site that our just right for you.

Screen Printing

Whether you call it screen printing, letter pressing or something completely different, these fabulous contraptions can have you created your very own work of art in no time! Popular at Somerset House every summer, you too can discover the art of the print. Remember not to limit yourself to paper or card; should you so desire you can create your design on a T-shirt. Wear your creation and remember that party in style!

Make Your Christmas Party Unforgettable!

Posted on by

Even though summer is in full swing, Christmas is never too far away and in fact its heading close to five months until the big day which means that now is the time to begin thinking about the Christmas party and how to make it better than ever before. Red Masque know exactly what you need for a first class event and we understand what it takes to make a memorable party.

You may have a theme in mind or you may have been told that it has to follow a theme, but do not worry because Red Masque will have something you’ll see that will meet your requirements whilst also catering to the needs of those who will be attending – we can promise that your Christmas Party will be one that will be remembered forever!

We appreciate that it can be difficult to choose the right christmas party entertainment but this is exactly why we ensure that we have lots to offer so that you can find exactly what you want. You may want to follow orders and book what everyone wants or you could go ahead and book something that is completely different, either way we want to make it easy for you.

At Red Masque we have put together a few ideas which are sure to get you thinking…

Magic and Christmas go hand in hand. We can guarantee that your guests will be left in amazement with the tricks our advertised magicians offer and we can promise that their show will be the main talking point. They can tailor their show to the size of the audience and the size of the room; they are true professionals that take magic to the next frontier!

Christmas isn’t Christmas without carols which is why Christmas Carollers give your Christmas party the ultimate festive atmosphere.

Get the party going and the festive joy erupting with A Capella carol singer who really know how to get people into the Christmas spirit? They encourage the perfect atmosphere that can get your guests enjoying themselves long into the night as they roam around the room singing everyone’s favourite carols.

Everyone loves live music and a Party Function Band will really get the party started! They know how to get people up on their feet and singing along to all those favourite Christmas hits.

Your guests will be tearing up the dance floor to their favourite songs whilst busting some moves and having an amazing time. Party Function band will give your event the energy it needs to be classed as the best Christmas Party yet. They have experience of singing all over the world so you will be guaranteed a top class performance.

A Christmas party is all about getting dressed up and feeling good and whilst you may feel like a star why not get treated like one with Paparazzi Photographers. They can help to create an atmosphere before the party by creating a buzz of excitement as your guests get papped with smiles that stretch from ear to ear. The photographers know how to get your attention with their cheeky wit and humour and they even look the part with their trilby hats and press tags. Your guests will be sure to remember their Christmas party thanks to the quality photos that can be purchased online after the event.

Arrange a Team Building Exercise

Posted on by

Red Masque has got to mention the city of London and the surrounding region, providing party entertainment ideas and equipment hire. Why London? London is the UK’s capital and its home to thousands of successful businesses. Here are some more fun facts about London:

Most visited city in Europe
More languages are spoken here than any other city in the world
Heathrow is the busiest airport in the world
If you are based down south and want to organise an incredible team building adventure for all your staff and colleagues, fret no more.

Here some fun team building ideas for London

1. Archery hire

Pick up your bow and arrow, take aim and bullseye! Archery is a fantastic team building exercise- it’s a low impact and a safe sport for all abilities.

Archery was a big sport in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Held over an eight-day period, four events took place in front of around 6,500 spectators. It is a truly historic sport, a contest of mind and body control, as well as precision.

It has roots dating back to its use as a weapon of hunting and war in ancient times- so what are you waiting for, hunt for food and wage war with your boss with our help!

2. it’s a Knockout

It’s a Knockout was a classic British comedy game show first broadcast in 1966.

It was adapted from a French show and the series was broadcast for over 15 years on BBC1. It has since returned to our screens on numerous occasions but the games have always remained the same- school sports day for adults.

Recreate the fun for your business with a frantic, energetic, highly motivating game that is thoroughly entertaining.

3. Build a tower

The Tower of London is a famous historical castle, otherwise known as Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress.

Based on the River Thames in central London, it’s a popular tourist attraction alongside the Tower Bridge and Big Ben.

If you’re fed up of looking out of your office window and seeing the iconic structures day in day out, why not recreate them in the comfort of your own office space with our Build a Tower Team Building.

4. Cash grabber

Why not create your very own game show with a Cash Grabber Cylinder! They’re fantastic fun and perfect for competitions or promotions. For the extra ‘wow’ factor, hire alongside our Game Show Hire

So there you have it- a few team building exercises for London. Just take a look at all the other equipment hire you could have at your event!!

Make your event run as smoothly as possible

Posted on by

Whether you’re planning a family or a corporate event, you’ll want to achieve an incredible atmosphere. Here’s 10 quick tips to help you run your day as smoothly as possible, and ensure everyone has a great time!

1. Book a suitable space

Decide where your fun day will be held and book a party venue well in advance. A local pub garden, school field or community hall are all good places to hold a fun day. You need to make sure there is adequate room for everything you have planned. Also check if there are toilets and power available. You can add some little touches, such as bunting to bring the place to life, or choose a theme for throughout the fun day.

2. Choosing a date and time

Make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to organise the day. You’ll be much more relaxed when the day comes along if you know you’ve spent time planning all the details.
Choose a date that doesn’t clash with anything such as big sporting events like football cup finals, or Wimbledon finals. Create a realistic timeline for the day and take into consideration the time needed to set and clean up.

3. Something for the kids

A good variety of stalls and activities ensures kids will have a great time and never want to leave. Children of all ages enjoy face painting and inflatable slides. Play zones are a great option for little ones, and for those a bit older, circus school workshops and rodeo sheep are great opportunities to show off their skills.

4. Something for the big kids!

We all have an inner child that wants to get out and have some fun! Adults are bound to be competing with the smaller guests on most activities, but items such as cash grabbers, gladiator jousts, sumo costumes, and a rodeo bull are great fun for adults who enjoy a fun challenge.

5. Refreshments

Kids of all ages will be needing some refreshments to give them energy to keep on having fun.
Candyfloss, ice cream and popcorn, are great options to keep the party atmosphere.

6. Something Personal

You may want to add that personal touch to your fun day. Whether it’s a business fun day and you want somewhere for business cards and flyers, or a fun wedding and you’d like somewhere to put the cake, an empty wooden cart is the ideal space to do this.

8. Book us!

At Red Masque, we advertise a wide selection of high quality equipment to suit all ages, we offer advice through our blogs so your event will be hassle free making your event the most exciting day that you have ever hosted.

6 tips for a smooth funning Christmas Party

Posted on by

Christmas is all about enjoying time with your family and friends and having a jolly good time!

All the team here at Red Masque LOVE this time of year. Throwing a party should be an enjoyable experience and what better way to celebrate than with some fun Christmas event entertainment. But we can’t forget the mistletoe of course!

To make sure you don’t get bogged down with all the boring stuff, we’ve put together the ultimate guide to hosting the perfect Christmas Party. So sit back, relax, and here are 6 top tips for hosting a stress-free, FUN event:

1. Don’t try to be too complex on the dinner menu

When it comes to food, it all depends on what kind of party you are throwing. Is it a sit-down meal or simply a buffet-style one? Casual cocktail parties tend to be the easiest and guests can just help themselves to finger foods.

2. Send the invites out nice and early

Christmas can be a busy time in the social calendar, so to ensure your party is well attended and has a lively atmosphere, send out your guest’s invitations well in advance. Include the date, time and venue and if you need to know numbers for booking food, ask for a RSVP.

3. As Santa would say, make a list and check it twice…

Make a list. It’s a fantastic way to stay up-to-date with what needs to be done and it can remind you of all the little jobs that often go amiss.

There are bound to be things that don’t quite go to plan, but if you have a list and you have checked it twice, it can give you some peace of mind that all aspects are taken care of accordingly.

4. Make the venue pretty and all that jazz

What better way to get all your guests in the mood for a fun-filled evening than with Christmas themed decorations? The bigger the better we say.

Why not adorn the venue with cute reindeers, snowmen and a Narnia-inspired lamp post that comes complete with fake snow? And what about featuring an elaborate wooden throne as a truly eye-catching piece of furniture for your guests to sit on?

Don’t forget about the most important piece of decor though- the tree!

5. The Drinks

No Christmas party is complete without refreshment for your guests. It’s always best to get both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and a wide range to choose from for both adults and children.

Make sure you have enough glassware, ice and cocktail napkins and always buy more just in case your guest brings a plus one!

6. Keep your guests thoroughly entertained

There are various Christmas party games that can entertain both young and old alike. It’s important to keep your guests busy and entertained for the whole evening and we have a vast range of fun entertainment ideas that are ideal for everyone including rodeo, reindeers, casino tables, photo booths, Christmas Cash Grabber and more.

Now you know all the ins and outs of hosting a Christmas party. Remember, if you’re having a good time then your guests will too. So if you are throwing a party this season, don’t forget to arrange your entertainment and party ideas with help from Red Masque.

Check out our vast range of Christmas entertainment hire that can make your party the best one EVER!