Tag Archives: booking

Make your event run as smoothly as possible

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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.

25 creative entertainment ideas

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If you are a planner, you’ll probably in need of some creative entertainment ideas for your event or meeting, so because of that, we at Red Masque have put together a nice list.

1. Hire a comedian who can poke some fun at your CEO, do an impersonation of him, or even make light of your industry as a whole.

2. Hire a magician that can incorporate your sales message into his magic, or cut your CEO or receptionist in half. He might even be able to vanish the CEO, much to the delight of the employees.

3. Book a vocal improvisation group to take requests and spin them into a funny performance.

4. Have a musician write a song about your company and play it at the event.

5. Hire a celebrity impersonator to come to the event and sign autographs and take pictures with guests.

6. Book a caricature artist to draw personalized sketches of each employee at the company. These are fun souvenirs as well.

7. Book a digital caricature artist who composes his or her photos digitally on a computer right in front of your eyes. They can even personalize the backdrop to reflect the company or event. This is a great souvenir for the guests to take home.

8. Book a balloon artist that makes the life size figures such as Disney characters, scenery like palm trees, huge company logos, and more. The balloon artist can do these figures with everyone watching making it an experience to watch the balloons being put together.

9. How about a strolling juggler who can mingle through the cocktail hour?

10. Book a stilt walker to make a big announcement for your company at an annual conference or meeting. It is a fun and guaranteed way to get everyone’s attention.

11. A clown is a great option for events with children or families. There are also evil clowns for events with no kids or around Halloween.

12. Book a palm reader to make psychic predictions about the future of the company or to tell people’s fortunes.

13. Hire a reality TV star to interact with guests. They are far less money than big time Hollywood celebrities.

14. Book a tribute band to play the songs of an artist that is popular among the guests.

15. A cappella group can perform on stage or stroll through the event during a cocktail hour or dinner.

16. Hire a symphony orchestra to play at the event. You will need to consider space requirements for this type of an act.

17. You could have a mime act out a corporate message to employees or event customers.

18. Book a DJ to play only requested songs or songs from a certain era such as the 80’s

19. Break dancers can be lots of fun. They are generally young, hip, and add a sense of youth to an event.

20. How about a mariachi band for some festive music?

21. A steel drum band can be a nice addition to a high end gala event.

22. Booking a fire eater can be a great way to kick off the launch of a hot new product or service.

23. Carollers can be nice addition to the Christmas season.

24. A living statue can be a great idea for almost any event. Make sure you ask for a living statue that matches closely to the theme of your event or meeting.

25. Booking a circus act is a great idea when the event needs something remarkable or to get a buzz going. Make sure you can accommodate for the space some of the circus acts require.

Solo Dancers and Dance Groups

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For entertainment that really gets your party started, it’s hard to beat a professional dancer for sheer energy, visual impact, and more than a touch of glamour.

Dancers and dance companies perform choreographed routines that combine music and movement into an energetic and elegant form of entertainment. Most dance groups for hire offer a range of traditional, classical and contemporary dance styles, including elegant ballroom dancing, street dance, Las Vegas style showgirls, traditional Irish dancing, Latin American tango, Spanish flamenco, and the more risqué charms of burlesque.

Most dancers and dance troops offer either a standard show that can be adapted to your venue and event, or as bespoke option to create exactly the mood and feel you require for your event.

Whether you’re looking to hire a belly dancer to surprise guests at a birthday party, or classical ballerina to add grace and elegance to your product launch, dancers and dance groups provide an energetic, engaging, and ultimately highly entertaining show for your guests.

What to look for in a quality dancer/dance group

Dancers can be formally trained at dance schools, ballet schools and performance academies, or some may just be naturally good at dance. So, it’s not always a measure of quality to look at the training each dancer or members of a dance troupe have received. The exceptions are, of course, classical ballet and ballroom dancing, both of which involve many years of training, and there are definite advantages of years of training for dance forms such as jazz, tap and Latin American dance.

If they have performed at major venues, in professional dance shows, ballet companies or West End shows, or have performed for global brands, chances are they are of high quality, have relevant experience, and deliver a great show.

Most dancers and dance troupes are extremely versatile, often offering a wide variety of dance styles for your event. Chances are, if a dance troupe focuses exclusively on one or two dance styles or forms, they will have a high level of expertise in these forms and therefore put on a more authentic show.

Some of the dance companies featured at Red Masque Directory will create bespoke shows just for you, and bring in dancers and performers with the correct level of skills required. So, just because they don’t specialise in Street Dance for example, they can probably call on some very good performers if you require a bespoke urban style performance.

Take a little time to look at the Profiles of dancers and dance companies here on Red Masque Directory. All companies will feature photographs of their dancers, and some offer video, a great way to see what they look like in action.

Classical musician and what they do

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A classical musician plays an acoustic (unamplified) instrument usually found in an orchestra, such as a violin, flute, harp, cello, trumpet, and including other solo instruments such as piano, saxophone and classical guitar. Many people think of classical music as purely Western (i.e. from Western Europe), but almost every culture in the world has a ‘classical’ music tradition, from Japan to India, Indonesia to Bali.

While classical musicians do spend the majority of their time playing classical music such as you’d hear on Classic FM or at the BBC Proms, most also have a very wide repertoire (music they know). So, if you book a classical musician for a party or event, they can play music to suit all tastes, including arrangement of pop and rock classics, jazz, easy listening and musicals.

Hired Classical musicians can perform solo or as part of a group, such as a flute and harp duo, wind instrument trio or string quartet.

At Red Masque Directory, our classical musicians are in great demand for occasions where high quality music is required, such as weddings, dinners, receptions, product launches, society parties, VIP events, sporting occasions, etc.
* Opera Singers
* Classical guitarists
* Pianists
* String quartets
* Harpists

What to look for in a quality classical musician?

The best classical musicians will have trained at a music college or university and have a diploma or degree in music. Traditionally, graduates from the UK’s major music colleges such as the Royal College of Music, Trinity Laben, RSAMD, etc. are considered the elite performers, but this does a major injustice to the many excellent players who graduate from UK universities, or who train abroad. So, look for a qualification, yes, but don’t worry too much about the differences between them.

Experience counts for a lot in classical music, but like most professions it can be hard to get a foothold on the career ladder. So, if a player or a group has experience performing in concerts at famous venues or major festivals, great. However, that doesn’t necessarily automatically mean that they will be perfect to entertain at your wedding reception. Check your classical musician has experience performing at the type of event you’re holding.

Classical musicians study for years to perfect their playing; even top professional will often still have lessons with a teacher to keep polishing their skills. In addition, they will spend hours practicing to ensure they know their music well, and of course, also performing as often as possible! This doesn’t mean they will necessarily perform without sheet music in front of them, but it ensures they always sound the best regardless of what style of music they are playing.

Mowtown madness

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Chill out or boogie on down with the superb sounds of some of the UK’s best soul, Motown and RnB (rhythm & blues) acts. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about booking a soul or Motown band for your special occasion.

What is a Soul, RnB or Motown act?

These types of bands play music that is like the soundtrack of your life; up beat at one moment, soulful and heartfelt at another, but always delivered with style!

Rhythm and blues (R&B or RnB) originated from adding a strong beat to jazz and adding lyrics about life, love and freedom. Now it’s a genre of soul music that stretches from funk to ska, to hip hop, and encompasses artists as diverse as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Elvis, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, and Mariah Carey.

Soul music is the love child of rhythm and blues and jazz, with American gospel as an auntie. Born in the late 1950s, soul music combines irresistible rhythms and powerful, heartfelt vocals that have defined pop music and funk alike. Think Little Richard, James Brown, Sam Cook, Jackie Wilson. Otis Redding and the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin.

Motown is a type of soul music named after the Motown record label, based in Detroit USA. The Motown sound fused soul and fledgling pop into a string of massive pop hits that have filled dance floors and discos alike ever since. You’ll know the sound when you hear it and you’ll certainly know the Motown artists: Smoky Robinson and The Miracles, Diana Ross and The Supremes, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, the Jackson 5 and Steve Wonder.

These types of bands play music that is like the soundtrack of your life; up beat at one moment, soulful and heartfelt at another, but always delivered with style!

What to look for in quality Soul, RnB and Motown acts

Soul, R&B and Soul can be in all sizes, from stunning solo vocalists to full-on soul party bands and everything in between. So, how can you tell the soulful stars from the RnB also-rans?

Wide range of repertoire Look for artists with a wide range of music in their playlist. The range and choice might sound a bit odd at first, as many mix modern and classic tracks in their sets. Actually, that’s a sign of great musicianship and will ensure every one of your guests has something they’ll know and love in each set – and want to dance to.

What space will my soul, RnB or Motown band require?

As you might have gathered by now, the space required depends largely on the type of band your booking. Since these acts specialise in providing a visual show as well as superb dance music, chances are they’ll need a larger space than comparative bands in other genres, such as jazz. What’s more, the more players and equipment they bring, the more space they will require both on stage and off. Also, don’t assume just because you booked a soloist they will come with just a small speaker and microphone. Chances are they will come with some very high-tech sound equipment for their backing tracks, to make sure they sound at their very best.

Hire a celebrity Line-Up

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Everyone wants their party to be memorable. One fun idea is to hire celebrity lookalikes to mingle with your guests. Nothing loosens up a stuffy corporate crowd quite like sharing cocktails with Kim & Kanye.

At one party a pianist was hired as entertainment for a corporate party. What he didn’t know was that they had also hired Frank Sinatra, Shirley Bassey and Elton John impersonators to work the party as well. Before he took the stage, he spoke with all three and asked if they would mind singing with him. He figured out what songs they could all do, and then they began their act. After the act the impersonators were mingling with the guests. The acts continued doing the show again and then 30 minutes later Frank took over the stage with a medley of his greatest hits,

I thought that the choices of Frank and Elton John impersonators were particularly inspired because they are both over-the-top personalities and you can’t help but have a good time and smile in the face of such flamboyance. We think Shirley Bassey, Tina Turner, Beyoncé and other larger-than-life entertainers would all be great choices too.

Just look on our list of celebrity lookalikes and see who could be at your party!!

Planning your next corporate event!!

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Every year you have to organise the annual corporate event. So, what are the best of the best for corporate entertainment acts for your next corporate event in 2017? Red Masque directory have the hottest trends and acts for corporate, and company parties to ensure your VIPs are very impressed and your boss is very happy.

Aerialists use aerial circus and dance theatre with dynamic lighting and music to create evocative shows using trapeze, ropes and silks. Available as a solo artist for smaller venue, or as large a troupe as you wish, their show can be tailored to create the atmosphere you require, whether humorous, quirky, elegant. With a range of associated acts, including aerial champagne pouring.

Circus entertainers have given the world of corporate entertainment a whole new generation of aerial artists, defying gravity to present unique. Even if you haven’t got a skyscraper to use as your stage, these circus-inspired artists can perform in almost any space, for any corporate event.

Offer your guests a total 007 experience: an elegant stately home or iconic venue, set up as a celebrity lookalike James Bond complete with elegant hostesses serving martinis (shaken not stirred by expert cocktail waiters). Then add musical entertainment combining iconic Bond movie soundtracks and characters with dance and spectacle, such as a top party function band with a James Bond set.

Bespoke dance groups provide a superb spectacle that transcends language, and can be precisely tailored to your corporate event theme. From ballet dancers to contemporary rock dancers, your guests can enjoy a show full of energy, passion, augmented by state of the lighting and sound systems.

Whatever the occasion, you’ll find a dance troupe to suit; that can offer themed events such as Arabian Nights, Argentinean Tango, Burlesque, Flamenco, Irish Dancing, Ballroom Dancing, and Vegas Showgirls for example.

It will be All Light on the night!!

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Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are a major feature of most modern technology such as TVs, tablet computers, mobile phones and remote controls. Read this to find out why LEDs are so important to Red Masque’s artists, musicians and even their existence…

It’s one of those little things we take for granted, the glowing LED light that shows us that something is ON. Be it red or green, it’s a light that says, “Notice Me”, and it’s probably the one thing you can see at a gig when all the lights go out on stage.

LED’s everywhere and extremely cost effective nowadays. They can brighten a whole stage and make a dark and gloomy place look wonderful. The power of LED’s is almost evident everywhere you go, for example:

• Most of Red Masque party and event entertainment directory musicians use a PA system, and try finding one of those without LEDs on it.

• All of our artists have mobile phones, so they can contact us and clients about bookings, wherever they are in the country. What lights the screens? LEDs.

• And, of course, you wouldn’t be able to see our website in all its glory on your mobile or tablet without LED technology either.

There is one set of performers, however, who literally wouldn’t exist without LEDS; our LED light show performers. By whirling and twirling LED sights, these talented artists create intricate patterns and optical illusions in light for both inside and outdoor venues, without the concerns over fire regulations and health and safety of their ‘real’ fire and glow counterparts.

Equally, any artists using a mobile device in their act, from iPad magicians, artists and caricaturists to function bands offering iPod-based DJ services would quite literally be out of a job.

And DJ’s and rock band lighting would be heavier, more expensive and considerably less exciting, as LED lighting is lightweight, energy efficient, cool to the touch and can create a whole variety of colours without the need for coloured ‘gels’.

The top event trends for 2016

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By combining the hottest corporate event trends for 2016 and some very special entertainment, you can create a corporate event entertainment that’s still talked about long after.

For all 2016 corporate event entertainment, 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 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 party 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 entertainers and street magicians that work with the latest phones and mobile gadgets.

Choose musicians that blend performances with tech, such as our interactive VJ’S, or a live DJ. Get your guests interacting with each other playing giant games with your very own theme.

If you are thinking about a winter corporate event into a natural winter wonderland with ice sculptures and decorated living statues, walkabout characters, 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.

You could extend the theme beyond décor and food into acoustic musical acts, for a more ‘natural’ sound. Entertain with a gospel singing Christmas songs, or a trendy a Capella groups, or guitar and sax soloists.

When you want your corporate party to finally hot up, keep the theme with classic tracks that really evoke the sights and sounds with top UK function and party bands who know their Farrell and their Ed Sheeran.

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 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.

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.

Find ways to make your entertainment a pleasure for everyone by choosing acts that blend superb musicianship with accessible humour, such as a comedy string quartet. Or present musical acts with an international flavour, such as 1920s swing band just make people smile!

Magical, mystical events

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Are you thinking about having a mystical event, where the thought of your future being read is very thought provoking? You will have to agree even if you were a bit sceptical you cannot fail to be a little intrigued?

People who read the future have been around for centuries and come in many forms it could be a Crystal Ball Reader, Palmist or a Tarot Reader.

Mind readers on the other hand as the name suggests can put on an entertaining event by reading many of your guests minds who want to participate.

Another act to consider are Hypnotists they can be used for medical issues but also for entertainment – a night with a Hypnotist can be an absolute scream, you just need to select your guests who are willing to participate. They will swear blind nothing happened when they leave the stage but leave all your watching guests in stiches at the silly things that the participants did!!

Illusionists are getting more advanced with their clever tricks that will misdirect you to looking elsewhere even though you thought you had your eye firmly on the ball – these professional and extremely clever illusionists will fool you time and time again and you will believe in Magic!!!

Magicians work the same but if you wanted the more traditional magic tricks then you are able to hire the best party entertainers from our Red Masque Directory, from Children’s magicians to adult ones we have got something for everyone.

Or for something a little daring? Why not hire an escapologist with there up-to-the –minute death defying acts that would amaze the most sceptical of us!! An edge of your seat performance which leave little time for the escapologist to escape un-hurt. We all know they will make it but it still makes up wonder ‘what if?’

Contortionists on the other hand can amaze us with bending their bodies in the tiniest of places; these contortionists can be part of a magic act where they can fit into the most impossible places making us believe that they have disappeared.

We are sure that you have found what you have been looking for by reading this – once you have decided what you want for your event, simply book a few using an online booking form and make your event something special!!