The most romantic of venues

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Choosing a wedding venue is almost always on the top of a couple’s ‘to do’ list.  This is the place that you will remember forever, it is the place where you will kiss your new husband/wife for the first time, it is the place where you will take your children  and your grand-children back to, all to show them where you had the happiest day of your life. 

So a wedding venue needs to be characterful with its own qualities that make it desirable for a couple, but it must also to be enough of a blank canvas that a couple can put their own stamp on it.

Kew Gardens is a beautiful venue.  There are a number of beautiful and completely different areas within the venue of Kew Garden, that offer endless possibilities for the big day

There is the cosy Cambridge Cottage that can hold up to 80 guests for both ceremony and wedding reception.  The Cottage is a former royal residence and has a clean and fresh décor, which allows the Bride and Groom to choose any particular colour to use throughout the wedding, happily knowing that it will not clash with anything will always look perfect.  The cottage is steeped in traditional horticulture with floral pictures on the walls, which some couples do like to combine with their own ideas; using very bright and expressive flowers to decorate the venue, or use flower names as table names.

With entertainment, the light and elegant tone of Cambridge Cottage lends itself perfectly to string instruments, particular the harp or string quartet for a ceremony or reception.  The cottage backs on to the gardens and the sound of a string quartet drifting through the air could not be more perfect for a warm, summer wedding.

For the evening, the intimacy of Cambridge Cottage means that either a 4 piece band or a solo singer works really well and creates a flawless party atmosphere.

Within the Grounds of the Gardens there are also the 3 beautiful Conservatories – The Nash Conservatory is a nineteenth century glasshouse that has started being used for Civil Ceremonies this year and can hold up to 200 guests.  The Nash Conservatory is used in conjunction with The Orangery, which is available for evening hire for up to 400 guests for a cocktail reception

The Princess of Wales Conservatory can either be used by itself as a cocktail reception venue for up to 250 guests or in combination with The Orangery or Cambridge Cottage, as a venue for pre or post dinner drinks.  The Conservatory itself was commissioned in 1982 and was named after Princess Augusta, the founder of Kew.  Opened in 1987 by Diana, Princess of Wales, the Princess of Wales Conservatory is the most complex glasshouse at Kew, containing ten computer-controlled climatic zones, which only adds to this completely unique and interesting venue.

So with more than a few options for Weddings and Civil Ceremonies, it’s a great place to suggest wedding entertainment for – so many different acts work in the different spaces that the possibilities are endless.

5 mistakes Christmas party planners make

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Planning a Christmas party seems quite straight forward, but you’d be amazed at how many people leave it to the last minute. And it might seem a little early in the year to get started but you’d be surprised how much planning goes into creating the perfect Christmas even. So what are you waiting for? 

A few helpful hints to make sure your next Christmas event runs smoothly….

Not laying down a budget

OK, it’s not like Christmas parties – depending on the size of your organisation – are particularly cheap affairs, but foregoing a budget for some entertainment might make it seem more like one planned by Ebenezer Scrooge rather than Father Christmas.

What’s important, as with any budget is that you look to get the most value out of the event as possible and a common mistake is that many planners fail to get the most value out of the oft-overlooked centrepiece for the night’s festivities – the entertainment.

Budgeting the right amount for the entertainment can sometimes be the difference between a good Christmas party and a great one and setting a budget in place means that you won’t spend too much or too little on such a crucial aspect of the evening. 

Not booking it early enough

Christmas parties aren’t exactly surprise affairs and you’d be surprised at the amount of last minute entertainment bookings that take place in the run up to the big day.

Obviously, the festive season is a peak time for many acts, performers, bands, DJs, you name it to receive bookings and as such – the best ones will be snapped up by the early birds.

A common mistake that many Christmas party planners make is that they don’t book their acts early enough and as such; they miss out on the very best entertainers and acts at the best possible prices. Through booking your entertainment early, you ensure that you have more options at more prices levels than if you left it too late. 

Not taking any risks

No one’s an expert in entertainment (although Red Masque directory do have an array of great entertainment) but that’s no excuse for not jumping online and seeing what options are out there to book for your Christmas party – alas it’s a common mistake to just ‘go by the motions’ 

As well as tonnes of resources online (you’re looking at one right now), there are so many options for unique and creative twists on the usual. Christmas jazz bands, a walkabout snowman or a magician, a freestanding aerial artist that looks like she’s on top of a Christmas tree, we have a lot interesting acts to choose from. 

Taking the time to think about more creative and unusual entertainment options means that your Christmas party will be an extremely memorable, not to mention unique, event that will show you’re not afraid to take risks. 

Not thinking about how it can fit into your event

Well this one is a little bit trickier and it’s a common mistake with a lot of Christmas parties – and lots of events for that matter – but many planners forget that entertainment, much like the décor, is an integral aspect of the event’s theme and getting it wrong spells d-i-s-h-a-r-m-o-n-y.

Luckily, there are tonnes of entertainment options out there to help bring your event into blissful harmony. Think about your venue, what your aims with the party are, who your guests are etc… and then look at how you can match the entertainment to all of these aspects. 

For example; let’s say you’re holding a party in a grade II listed building; does a DJ really strike you as ‘vintage’? Well it might if you work with the act a little to get the look right, but surely your theme, and event as a whole is much better off with an act that’s almost tailored perfectly to the venue; a troupe of Christmas carollers or a jazz band that plays Christmas covers will combine for a much stronger impact. 

Not booking any entertainment at all

OK, it’s not like forgetting to book some entertainment for your Christmas party means that it will be the worst one ever and everyone will hate you for it – nor does it mean you’ve ruined Christmas. 

What it does mean is that you’re missing out on tonnes of opportunities to try and give your guests and experience that they will remember as, quite simply, being ‘the best Christmas party ever’. It doesn’t have to be big and it doesn’t have to be fancy, in fact it could be anything from hiring a DJ or a magician. But one thing that will make a good Christmas party great, is having a source of entertainment that has been well thought out and will ensure that your guests’ experience is unparalleled by any other. Do otherwise at your peril.

There’s no such thing as bad publicity

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Adding to the expanding list of controversial things Kanye West done in his career, he’s recently been reported to have told a disabled man to “stand up” at one of his concerts in Sydney!!!

But what can this self-proclaimed “god” teach us regular folk about being an entertainer that’s on the face of almost every news site going right now? Surely just that doing controversial things sells records?  

After thinking about the ridiculous concept that is Kanye West – a man who’s referred to himself as the “Steve Jobs of fashion” – here’s a list of 4 things he can teach you about being an entertainer

People love a villain

Just think of all of the times you’ve heard about Kanye West in the news and think about how many papers an article about him sells. Let’s take a look at his controversies throughout the years, shall we?

That Taylor Swift incident, hilarious outbursts on Twitter, ‘’George Bush doesn’t like black people”, calling himself Yeezus, marring Kim Kardashian, punching a paparazzo, several outbursts at members of the press and award organisations and now – apparently – heckling a disabled man.

And what’s the theme here? 

He sells papers, gets page views and gets people going – both those who love him, and those who hate him.

His persona isn’t just that of an egomaniacal idiot or “douche”, it’s a cynical, carefully honed personality that makes sure whenever he needs to sell some records or get in the press; journalists are hungry to write anything and everything about him.

So, we may not have Kanye West for hire at Red Masque entertainment directory but we may have a ‘celebrity lookalike’ or we may have some ‘comedians’ which could tell some rather controversial jokes that would really get your crowd talking; for the wrong reasons? Who cares? If they’re talking, that means you’ve made an impression…..right?

Bring some culture to your event…

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We appreciate that although many people want their wedding to be a loud, all singing and all dancing affair that gets people off their seats and having a great time, the simple truth is that some venues have a sound limiter, so that amplifier will have to be turned right down. But rather turning it down, why not get rid of it completely? Grandma won’t complain about the noise and in some cases, the musicians can mingle with your guests creating a more immersive and enjoyable atmosphere (not that it’s not enjoyable already – it is your wedding after all).

How about you hire entertainment like an experience pop quartet who can deliver the pop classics exactly how you need them? They will work well as both background music and providing a party atmosphere and will have your Auntie screaming ‘Come on Eileen’ at the top of her lungs. Within the sound limits of the venue, obviously

A pop group are exactly the kind of band that makes venues smile. No amplifier needed, a bit more quirky than what they see normally and some brilliant tunes to get everybody dancing at your wedding! From Britney Spears to Muse via Beethoven and Frank Sinatra, they really have it all. If you can find a better band comprising a violin, a guitar and an accordion then we’ll eat our wedding hat.

You could find that an A Capella group would be an idea choice for your entertainment, with their soulful voices in perfect harmony at your very special event.

Make it classy; make it memorable and get bring some ‘culture’ to your event.

Booking a top party DJ

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Looking at booking a DJ for your Christmas party but doesn’t know how to get the most bang for your Christmas fund? Well look no further as we’ve compiled some of our top tips on hiring the DJ with a deck to get the dancefloor jumping in bounds of jolly. Or something like that.

Whether you want to put on a festive playlist or if you want to simply leave them to it, getting a DJ to perform at your Christmas party or event is a truly tried and tested way to make sure that the good music keeps on flowing throughout the night.

Let’s just hope your colleagues remember all the hard work and research you put into finding the right DJ for your Christmas party the morning after whilst nursing a familiar combination of shame and migraine. If they do, that’s a sure sign of success.

1. Book early

Now this we cannot emphasise enough book your DJ several months before your Party.

With so many companies throwing a Christmas bash and needing to find the best DJs for their budgets its still mind boggling when it gets to December and yet still someone hasn’t booked yet. 

2. Book through an entertainment agency

This couldn’t really be emphasised enough. As said before, you could spend your time comparing rates of DJ to DJ, sending email after email attempting to get just what you’re after (only to find out they’re booked on the day of your party,).

Or, you could simply talk to those who actually have all of this knowledge stored in their brains and ready to be unleashed at the tips of their fingers. It’s why entertainment agencies exist – to provide a meaningful and effective service at finding the absolute best performer for a brief and budget.

3. Make sure you know what you’re getting

And the hypocrisy comes full circle. Do some research, check out what your DJ can do, what he or she is like, and see for yourself if they’re exactly what you’re looking for. 

Now that doesn’t mean auditioning, no no; that’s a little too much in most cases. It could be. It could be as simple as reading some testimonials or taking some advice from Red Masque.

By doing so, you’ll be better prepared (and in a safer mind-set) to stick with a choice and most importantly, be happy with it. 

4. Explore off peak options

Now of course, everybody wants to have their Christmas party on a Friday – and you all know why that is, don’t you?

Turns out, every DJ knows that too – so expect to pay a premium on weekend nights.

Due to simple supply and demand, the holiday season necessitates a premium due to the sheer amount of Christmas parties going on all around one month. It never hurts to explore different dates and times for your event to get a rate that’s a little lighter on your budget – but won’t leave your wallet feeling too light either. 

It might not always work in terms of pricing, but it certainly has the possibility to help if your preferred DJs are booked up for a certain date. 

5. Think about equipment

Most professional DJs have their own equipment, but they did pay a lot of money to purchase it in the first place so it’s expected that they’ll want to make a return on their investment. In other words, the cost is pushed onto you.

Now you should never force a performer to use equipment they’re not comfortable with or haven’t used before. That’s a given. But when it comes to stuff like PAs and microphones – well, there’s not much variation apart from how loud (and clear) they’re designed to go.

Look to see if your venue offers a cheaper option to hire the PA from and thus you won’t have to pay extra for someone to lug a van full of expensive equipment across the city centre in rush hour.

6. Budget, and budget some more

It’s personal finance 101, but make sure you have a clear indication in mind of what you’re willing to spend when it comes to booking a DJ for your Christmas party. 

Of course, first you have to do a little research into what the general rates are but once you’ve done that, you’ll be in a much more efficient and convenient place to book your DJ without having to worry about negotiating rates or booking a performer too high above or below your initial budget.

7. Don’t hand them a playlist and expect them to play it

DJs are artists too – if you wanted a set list of songs you required playing, do everyone a favour and put a playlist together and leave it at that.

Of course, it’s fine to make requests (it would be ridiculous not to) but professional DJs are experienced at getting the crowd dynamics just right – almost like they know exactly what they’re doing – and making sure everyone has a fantastic time at your Christmas party.

10. Book your Christmas party DJ with us

It’s a shameless self-promotion, but we like to think we know almost everything when it comes to booking the right DJ, act, or performer for any event of any size.

We at Red Masque have every entertainer imaginable to make your party get off to a flying start.  Have a browse through our categories and see for yourself why we are becoming ever so popular.

What exactly makes the perfect guest speaker?

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The perfect speaker is someone with a passion who engages and relates with the audience. Enthusiastic & informative yet relevant! 

That got us wondering what other qualities the perfect guest speaker has that will leave an audience rife with stories to share, thoughts to ponder and an experience to remember – here are some of the points that we came up with: 

If you’re standing up on a platform regularly delivering speeches and presentations it goes without saying that you need a little bit of natural charm about yourself. Having a charismatic presence on stage keeps the crowd attentive and receptive to new ideas, even if the subject matter could be considered a little dry. 

Of course, it never hurts to throw a bit of humour in there for good measure. Although it’s not particularly required, enigmatic speakers with a bit of wit in their delivery will always help keep guests more engaged. 

As well as possessing reams of charm, experience in their respective fields and professions is what sets apart the leading speakers from the rest. Although it certainly helps to have a speaker with expertise in a particular subject – a good speaker will also find it possible to relate their experiences to the audience’s even if they do not share the same professional background.  

It’s not just life experiences however, the perfect speaker is one that knows how the event circuit works, understands what’s expected of them when they turn up to an event and is well aware of the relative dos and don’ts of speaking at large engagements.

The perfect speaker knows how to adapt their presentation toward a brief put forward by a client. They know the different kinds of audiences inside out, and they know what kind of tone to put forth. 

Of course, no speaker likes having their work dictated to them by you the organiser, but the great ones already know what will and won’t work for specific crowds and presentation formats. The perfect speakers for your event are the ones that are willing to make adjustments on their content, but not the ones who are willing to compromise their performance.

A great speaker knows how to create a good rapport with guests both on and off the stage. A perfect speaker can take that to the next level by using social media to enhance the exposure of your event as well as their own.

So now you have an insight into the perfect speaker why not now hire some perfect entertainment, and Red Masque have all the entertainment needed for a truly wonderful event.

Spring surprise

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With spring is well and truly upon us and with the circus being a visual performing art and tents popping up over this period Red Masque will be looking at the history of circus….

The Bailey & Cooper circus was well known across Australia and New Zealand, touring to various islands around Oceania between 1876 and 1878. James Anthony Bailey then teamed up with P.T. Barnum to bring ‘the Greatest Show on Earth’ to Europe. Barnum died before being able to see the European reaction to the huge tents so well-known in his homeland; although impressed, many were bewildered and the venture was met with only muted enthusiasm

Menagerie owners were the main people to react to ‘the Greatest Show on Earth’ most favourably, sensing an opportunity to enhance their fading businesses. With this ‘new’ idea of combining animals with circus acts, they enjoyed renewed success for a few more decades, with the equestrian circus falling by the wayside and the travelling circus reaching the peak of its popularity between the two World Wars, most notably in Germany. With the larger cities still housing permanent circuses – Paris still had four – circus manufacturers strived to create comfortable seating that could attract the city folk away from the furnishings and production values to which they had become so accustomed.

The biggest innovation in the 1900s occurred within Russia after Lenin nationalised the Russian circuses in 1919, leading to an exodus of the country by many western performers. With the Russian performers needing to be trained, the government established the Moscow circus school, which developed training methods that incorporated gymnastics. The result was a free-flowing, innovative performance that proved to be a hit with crowds abroad, where any Russian-based circus was known as the Moscow Circus (a generic name adopted by travelling Russian circuses to this day).

Resistance to the changes of the modern world led to a decline in the industry throughout the 1960s, but by the 1970s and 1980s, circuses such as Cirque du Soleil had restored the flamboyance and spectacle to proceedings, ushering in the idea of circuses as performance art to sit alongside the more traditional travelling circuses, which continue to endure great popularity across Europe. A surge in teaching has also led to a circus revival in recent years and it remains to be seen quite where this interest shall lead.

Why not hire your own circus and have your very own ‘front seats’ the possibilities are endless for example if you would like to learn a few ‘circus skills’ then let Red Masque introduce you to some fantastic acrobats, aerial performers, and circus artists that are advertised on our website.

What’s best for you?

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Events are an intriguing proposition. Depending on the stage at which you are at in life, certain acts may be perfectly suited to you. Others perhaps less so. You’re hardly likely to book a wine tasting for a child’s birthday party and the less said about the ‘Happy 75th’ bouncy castle booking the better. With that in mind, we thought it may be useful to run through a few ideas you may wish to have a look at depending on the life stage within which you currently reside.

Who can forget childhood? A time when you were completely carefree but were still liable to be dragged along to events at your parent’s insistence. Thankfully, many times there were acts at these events that were tailor made for you. Ah, life was hugely enjoyable when you were being entertained by such acts like a hired balloon modeller (“a dog please”) and a children’s entertainer that you happily got involved, all memories of missing your favourite cartoon on television completely forgotten.

The most important part of your wedding day is undoubtedly the exchanging of the vows, declaring a lifelong commitment to one another. Everything else is window dressing but hey, you want the finest window dressing there is. To that end, splashing out for the V&A was quite the declaration of your love. And nobody will forget the reception at the Waldorf in a hurry. And booking stilt walkers and aerialists was a great idea. With the photo booth images providing a fun way to scrapbook your event, everyone went home happy– Wait a second! Was that the Queen in attendance?

Of course, many of the acts depicted here can’t really be compartmentalised and we have lots of ideas that you can look through on our entertainment directory. So have fun, pick some entertainers that would be a real surprise and make your whole event a magical one…

40th Birthday Ideas…

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I went to a very well organised 40th Birthday and it was the most enjoyable ‘Birthday bash’ I have been to in a long while. Why not give your loved one a birthday party to remember for years to come and here is a taster of what was on offer at this particular one:

This party was all arranged to ensure that guests never knew quite what was coming next: 

Just sixty minutes from London, Aynhoe Park offers a luxurious private home and embodies pure British eccentricity from top to toe. For Friday night, guests were treated to a sumptuous dinner and comic delights for entertainment.

When you hire Aynhoe Park, it essentially becomes your home. You can do as you please and there are fantastic events staff on hand to cater to your needs. It really is an incredible place. Acts were provided to be immersive, with no obvious staging required. Saturday night was the big party day and guests could move freely from room to room, never knowing what they were about to encounter. With no announcements necessary, the evening flowed beautifully and it was a fantastic idea to enhance the event.

The pop-up nature of the evening began with a superb pianist, who performed on the vintage piano as partygoers took in the experience; drinking their cocktails, sampling the canapés on display and marvelling at the Aynhoe Park experience and quirky nature of the event!

In a different area of Aynhoe Park; A Capella singing combined with a beatboxer more than delivered and really got the party started. Guests were whooping and cheering throughout, even calling out for an encore, which was duly respected!

And for a finale, what better act than the illuminating lights of a fire show. Performing in the orangery with the audience surrounding them, they managed to create a club-inspired atmosphere that was perfect to lead into the DJ who played across two different zones – his first set was commercial pop and dance floor fillers, before moving onto deep house music until 4am!

Hottest Corporate event trends

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For all 2015 Christmas corporate events, décor will be key. Your venue needs to wow your guests from the moment they walk in, creating a special and uniquely defined space for your event. Two highly contrasting themes for decor for Christmas 2015 are high tech interactive and natural materials, enabling your company to show off its tech prowess, or boost its eco credentials.

If you choose a high tech theme, your entertainment must be 100% integrated to the whole tech ambience. Look for entertainers that offer a tech twist in their act, such as iPad illusionists, LED light performers and street magicians that work with the latest phones and mobile gadgets. 

Turn your corporate event into a natural winter wonderland with ice sculptures. Christmas walkabout artists, pine forest greenery and seasonal winter menus. Welcome guests with the warming aromas of mulled wine, or entice people out into the crisp winter air with heated seating areas, piles of rugs and sweet chestnuts roasting on a real coal brazier.

Then, extend your ‘mother earth’ eco-friendly theme beyond décor and food into acoustic musical acts, for a more ‘natural’ sound. Entertain with acoustic performances by Christmas Carol choral singers or a gospel choir singing Christmas songs, cool and trendy A Capella group.

And when you want your corporate party to finally hot up, keep the theme with classic Christmas tracks that really evoke the sights and sounds of the season with top UK function and party bands who know their Slade and their Sleigh Ride!

Take lighting to the next level and illuminate your event to create spectacle and visual interest. Any venue can be transformed with clever and creative use of lighting even on the more limited of budgets. Use party lighting to throw unusual shadows, to colour tables rather than using flowers, and use wireless technology to alter lighting states to reflect the various stages of your event.

Your entertainment should be equally well lit! Look for party DJ;s with their own light shows, rock and pop function bands that provide their own lighting, and artists that use light in imaginative ways, from fire performers to bespoke firework displays.

For larger events, book artists that have a strong visual impact enhanced by theatrical style lighting, such as dance troupes, ballet dancers or aerial artists, or the outrageous wigs and costumes of drag act.

Every guest or delegate should find your event pleasurable. This might sound like a given, but this applies just as much to winter conferences and sales meetings as high profile product launches and Christmas hospitality events.