Tag Archives: booking

Everybody loves a good ‘selfie’

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Featuring a new twist on the ever popular selfie pod / mirrors that have come before, this new addition to a new range of Hi-Tech equipment is sure to entertain, as well as capture, the fun at your corporate event.

The Magic Selfie Mirror not only takes your photos and prints them out instantly, but also features new software that allows the mirror to interact with some fun randomised responses, both verbally and animated on the mirror itself! 　You can even personalise your photos with a message across all the prints!

A standout at any event including private parties, corporate events and exhibition / promotional events, the Magic Selfie Mirror will attract the eye of any guest and entertain as they can pose with friends or family for four photos. Choosing from a fantastic selection of fun props, strike and check your pose in the mirror – or check your makeup if there is a queue for the bathroom – and have fun as the mirror decides if you’re a beauty or just maybe, you’ll crack the screen!

Using state of the art software as with our range of Photo Booth’s and Graffiti Walls, the Magic Selfie Mirror is a great way to keep guests entertained and allow them to take a little something away from your event.

And remember … The mirror does not lie!

Madame Tussauds for your event

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Known for its incredible waxworks of famous celebrities, Madame Tussauds is in fact a celebrity in its own right when it comes to the events scene, having been a popular choice for party and event venue for well over fifty years. Still extremely popular every year for high profile celebrity product launches, the venue is able to accommodate up to 1,000 guests!

There’s not one, not two but five immersive and interactive themed areas that can be fully adaptable to your requirements. Looking to have a corporate event there? No problem! You’re looking to hire a speaker to deliver a speech in that corner? Almost any idea is doable within Madame Tussauds, with the vast amounts of space been particularly appealing to many a corporate client.

Of the multiple spaces, the largest is the World Stage Ballroom, which is perfect for awards ceremonies and other high level events. Equipped with a large stage, back projected screen, plasma screens and a full lighting rig, it can make an evening truly spectacular and is perfect for delivering entertainment to your guests, ensuring a prime view for everybody in the room.

Generate Interest

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If your event is a product launch, you’ll be looking to generate interest from the audience. Most product launches occur at large exhibition centres or conferences, where many a brand is competing to show off their wares to attendees and receive the most ‘buzz’ for their product. But how can you entice someone over to your booth? Entertainment such as stilt walkers or live music incorporating drums is sure to grab people’s attention from across the room. Once they’ve wandered over, keep things visual. Nobody will share your product on Instagram or other social media networks if there isn’t something for others away from the exhibition to enjoy. Make no mistake about it, entertainment is crucial at product launches.

Reinforce Brand Values

Perhaps you’re looking for a bespoke form of party entertainment that reinforces the brand values of your company. Maybe you’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of the company’s inception. Whatever it may be, brand entertainment is brilliant at reinforcing the values of a corporation. If a company is wanting to appear very cool, then there are numerous bands who would fit the bill. Looking for a classy affair? Circus entertainers such as aerial silk dancers are perfect for just such an occasion. Entertainment doesn’t have to be showy or pushed to the foreground, but utilised correctly, it can be a superb way of maximising brand value in a subtle manner.

To Entertain

We could name a whole host of reasons why corporate entertainment is important without stating the obvious but we thought we should really. The main purpose of entertainment in any setting is to entertain! You don’t want invited guests leaving after one free drink and a couple of canapés, bored out of their mind after speaking to Darren from Accounts for the last hour. If you break up the evening with a few headline entertainment choices (with a few strolling entertainers like magicians and caricaturists thrown in), then everybody will remember your event or party much more fondly than if you simply leave attendees in a room with nothing else planned.

Forging Links

This is a clever one! We just mentioned strolling entertainment but when it comes to networking, there really is nothing better to help break the ice between two parties who might be hoping to have a chat but have no idea how to get talking informally. With a magician, both people can be amazed and use the tricks as a springboard to ‘talking business’. Other forms of entertainment like a caricaturist or silhouette artist often get people talking as well, whilst also enticing a small crowd when reactions are positive. Hiring entertainment might just land you that next big deal!

Enhancing Morale

If you’ve had a long and difficult year, staff may be looking for a reason to stay at the company. A well-timed dinner or office party can do wonders to revitalise your staff and there is nothing better than allowing them to dance to a live band or providing a magician to blow their minds. Hiring entertainment is a sure fire way to increase morale and staff satisfaction.

For the love of music

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You’ll want to stand out a little from the competitors so why not hire some music entertainment which could be a wonderful sound of classical instruments being played. The haunting sounds of a Harpist, or the classical sound of a Pianist, the timeless sound of a Violist or a string quartet. If you wanted an upmarket affair than these are the artists to hire.

Solo musicians albeit a group of musicians they will add that extra je ne sais quoi to your special event. Karaoke has become the world’s most favourite entertainment, we are all closet singers but put a microphone in front of us when we’ve had a few and we turn into Mariah Carey or Tom Jones!!

Live band karaoke takes traditional karaoke to another level where your live band can play along with you – so if you do make a few mistakes then your live band is able to pick up where you left behind (making you look like the star you were born to be!!) You must admit this would be great fun to hire this at a private party or even a corporate event where even the shyest of persons will turn into a Diva for the night!!

Why not get some culture in your life and hire some Latin or Middle Eastern music musicians? The mystique of beautiful ladies and gentlemen dancing to this music, it could be belly dancing or Salsa – the rhythm is definitely going to get you!!

Motown really turned the music industry around and today we still hear sampled copies of Motown and Soul being used today – but Motown and Soul is most synonymous with the outlandish clothing and big hair!!! Whatever your memories of Motown and Soul, no doubt it will always have a place in your heart. Why not hire a tribute band so they can play all your favourite songs in that era, and maybe have a fancy dress too – now that would definitely be fun!!!

To hire only the best just look on the Red Masque directory to find just what you’ve been looking for to give your special event that extra special sparkle!!

Captivate your guests

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As with most corporate events, décor will be key and 2018 is no exception. Your party 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.

You could extend the theme beyond décor and food into acoustic musical acts, for a more ‘natural’ sound.

Take lighting to the next level and illuminate your event to create spectacle and visual interest. Any event 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. Look for party bands and 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 corporate events, book artists that have a strong visual impact enhanced by theatrical style lighting, such as dance troupes, ballet dancers or aerial artists.

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.

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!

Lookalikes galore

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Putting a smile on your guests’ faces is guaranteed to make your special day one that stands out in everyone’s memory. When you book a celebrity look alike that’s exactly what you’ll achieve, adding a real wow factor to your event’s entertainment mix. And, there are so many recognisable faces that will get everyone talking at your wedding reception, private party or corporate event…

The beauty of hiring lookalikes is that you can introduce them to your party at various points. There are no rules. How about at the start of the evening, perhaps for a short time while guests mingle with drinks? During dinner service, as part of the music or DJ set, or maybe someone who simply adds an element of surprise midway through your event.

Lookalikes are a brilliant addition to your wedding plans, and they can be the perfect solution for a red carpet event, grand opening or corporate evening.

We say mix it up a bit. If you’re hoping to keep your party or corporate event on the light-hearted side, there are so many possibilities when booking a look-alike that could inject some real fun and creativity into the day, or later in the evening. So here are a few ideas:

The Drinks Reception is a wonderful opportunity for friends and guests to meet-up, chat and remember old times. Throw in the most absolutely fabulous lady to really liven the mood, with a Joanna Lumley look alike who not only looks the part, she can act as well.

How about a real splash of comedy to have your friends, family and guests in stitches? It could be at the hotel when your nearest and dearest meet on the evening before your special day, or how about having the Fawlty Towers team involved in the Breakfast Reception? Madcap fun, a fabulous trip down Memory Lane for lovers of the show, and a polished feel to your celebrations.

Of course one of the key elements to any entertainment mix is the music. That’s especially true at a wedding reception where you want guests to be engaged, feel part of the experience and, ideally, up on the dance floor. So why not hire a hip lookalike artist like Lady Gaga, Madonna, or Whitney Houston?

We love the food theme at Red Masque Directory, so a man who not only cooks up a storm but can serve your guests could be a real winning combination. Hire a Gordon Ramsay lookalike who could offer an impressive menu, either meeting guests over nibbles and drinks, presiding over the main course or maybe remonstrating with diners if you’d like to generate a little harmless drama. He’ll look and sound the part.

And finally, an old favourite sure to remain in the hearts of all Only Fools and Horses fans forever is the Del Boy Lookalike. Now he could hustle with guests if you wanted, offering his amazing range of hooky watches, but how about a dramatic entrance in his clapped-out old three-wheeler yellow van.

All that Jazz

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Most professional piano entertainment are able to play in the style of jazz to varying degrees, without actually being a legit jazz pianist. For many clients; Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble are jazz, and those are the melodies they want to hear. Maybe they want to hear some light FM melodies sprinkled in. Other clients want to hear classic old time Jazz at their corporate event and these clients would require a legitimate jazz trained pianist. Both styles are completely valid for classy cocktail music, and to be brutally honest, the majority of the guests will not know the difference unless it’s pointed out to them.

From the musician’s point of view, it takes much more training to achieve the status of a true jazz pianist, and as such, they get more respect in the music world. Even cocktail players that play “jazzy”, or “in a jazz style” really have a limited jazz vocabulary and can’t really “hang” with the straight up jazz crowd.

From the standpoint of a client looking for background music at their event, in our experience, it’s usually not important to them whether they are hearing legitimate jazz improvisation, or “jazzy” version of a melody. Just because it’s not straight up jazz doesn’t make it unsophisticated.

As for the pricing, with any professional party entertainment you are paying for professionalism, experience, musicality, and a classy presentation that can float in the background, adding ambience and being complementary to party chatter. Whether it’s “cocktail music” or true jazz, the cost is generally going to be the same.

Non-refundable deposits

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When you enter into a contract with your entertainment provider, whether it’s a wedding band, a magician or a DJ, you normally will be expected to provide some kind of non-refundable deposit along with your signature to secure the date. The amount may vary, but a 50% deposit is fairly common.

If you’re planning a party and this is first time you’ve ever bought entertainment services, this can be a scary thing. What if the event gets cancelled? What if someone dies the week before? What if it rains on our outdoor beach birthday party? Do I get my deposit back?

Of course the answer will depend on the wording of the deposit clause in the contract, but most likely if the event is cancelled because of unforeseen circumstances; you will likely be out your deposit. But let’s dig deeper.

It’s easier for people to understand why a caterer or even a venue would request a deposit. They have to buy food or they are reserving the space exclusively for you and must turn down other business. But a musician isn’t purchasing any perishables, right? Well, not exactly. The busy nights for any event entertainer are Saturdays, followed closely by Fridays. There are only 52 Saturdays in a year and each one represents an opportunity cost. If for example a family tragedy occurs 2 days before your graduation party, the band still needs to be compensated for that Saturday night that they committed to your party. It is entirely possible that they have turned down other clients to commit to your party. While it’s very sad that a member of family decided to pass two days before your big event, this is not the fault of your hired act.

What can you do if the unforeseen happens? The first thing is to have a conversation with your hired entertainment. While they may be under no obligation to reschedule, many will try to work with you and apply part or all of your deposit to another date. The flexibility they have will depend on how in demand they are, how full their calendar is and on what day of the week you want your new date.

You certainly can’t expect them to bump another client because you need to reschedule. And nor can you expect them to give you another Saturday night on the busiest part of wedding season. But maybe they’re willing to apply all (or some) of your deposit to a Tuesday night, or an off-season Friday night.

This is a conversation you can have with your entertainer BEFORE signing the contract. Ask the “what if” scenarios. Just understand that if this conversation drags out too long, your vendor may start to question your commitment to the date.

Another option is to take out Event Cancellation Insurance for your date.
What is typically covered by event cancellation insurance?
Fire, earthquakes, flooding, blizzards, hurricanes, terrorism, headline entertainers or speaker cancellation, outbreak of disease.
Event cancellation insurance probably won’t cover things like lack of ticket sales, or the time spent planning the event.

Questions to ask

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We know that many of you have never planned a party before. Perhaps you’re planning a corporate event or a Birthday Party. This list is a product of many years of providing private event entertainment (but this list is applicable to most forms of entertainment). These are the questions you should be asking your performers before you sign on the dotted line.

1. Where (and for whom) do you do the majority of your shows?
What you are trying to find out is how experienced and equipped the performers are for working private parties. Many bar performers represent themselves as party entertainers but may not have the experience working with venues and professional event planners, or they may lack the equipment or insurance that is necessary, especially for larger venues.

2. Can you show proof of insurance?
While we’re not convinced that this is always necessary for event entertainers, this speaks to the professionalism of the entertainer. If the entertainer does a lot of private events in nice hotels and country clubs, they will be more likely to carry liability insurance, as many of the higher-end venues require this. If you entertainer is not insured, then perhaps they are not working many of these venues, which could mean that they are not attracting the top end private event clients.

3. What is the cancellation policy?
Most entertainment acts will penalize you for cancelling a performance that has already been contracted. They look at dates on the calendar as inventory. If you reserve your date, they can’t sell it to anyone else. So if you cancel, they may not be able to rebook. It’s similar to how event venues or photographers view their calendars. If you think there may be a need to cancel or change your date, discuss this with the entertainment BEFORE signing a contract and see if there is any flexibility on their policy. I’ve written contracts for clients that allowed them to cancel up to 4 weeks after entering the contract to suit a particular situation.

4. How much is the deposit and is it refundable?
This goes hand in hand with the previous question. Usually deposits are not refundable. This serves as incentive for a client not to cancel or reschedule. A common deposit structure is 50% upon signing and 50% upon arrival at the venue.

5. Do you bring stage lighting?
A pretty standard thing for entertainers to supply, but some of the smaller groups won’t have this, and some of the higher-tier entertainers may expect that this would be supplied by an outside production company. You should ask.

6. How long do you need to set up?
Make sure you coordinate this with your venue. If the venue is using your space for another client prior to your time slot, you want to ask the venue ‘what is the earliest time that the entertainment can load in’. Then verify that this is sufficient with your entertainment.

7. Ask the venue if there is specific wording they require on the performer’s insurance certificate.
Some venues just want to know the entertainer is insured, but many require that they, the venue, (and sometimes the parent company) are listed on the entertainer’s insurance certificate as Additional Insured.

8. Ask for space (and staging) requirements from your entertainers. This includes length, depth, height and placement. Verify with the venue that this can be accommodated. If it can’t, find out how flexible your entertainers are regarding these dimensions and placement. Many performers can do their show with no staging platform at all if necessary but they will all need a certain amount of space to set up. Know what this is.

Eltham Palace

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This week, we’re taking a look at another party and event venue just outside London. Operated by English Heritage, Eltham Palace is a fine example of 1930s design; art deco buildings combined with sumptuous gardens that are sure to impress all guests. Combining a hint of Hollywood glamour with sleek style and sophistication, this is the ultimate event destination for those seeking the same… But different.

Opening in 1936, visitors might first wonder how the moniker of ‘palace’ came to be. It’s less than
100 years old so surely not..? The original property was built way back in 1066 before being replaced in 1296 with a grand manor house. The building and its gardens were acquired by the royal family in 1311 under the rule of Edward II and over the next 300 years, the palace was extended and renovated numerous times for each subsequent ruler. After the civil war in 1648, the palace was ransacked and by the 18th century, the ruins were being used as a farm, with the Great Hall being used as a barn. In 1828, the Great Hall was restored and over 100 years later, Stephen and Virginia Courtauld built the current palace next to the medieval restoration and that is what you can hire for your event today!

You may wish to move from the Entrance Hall through to the Italian Drawing Room, which also has doors out onto the terrace. Delicately adorned in hues of burnt orange, ochre and blue, this room is known for its beauty and intimacy and is perfect for dining your corporate guests with up to 60 people or for drinks receptions with 200 guests (including adjoining rooms).