Tag Archives: event-entertainment

Themed party Ideas

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Themed Events are fun and exciting provided they are planned and thought through properly, and we have some great acts advertised, providing the right entertainment so that each event is truly unique and personal to you.

From elegant James Bond themes, through high-roller Casino themes to Halloween themes (not for the faint-hearted), you just need to browse through our various themes and choose any one that you like. Don’t worry if you can’t see one that takes your fancy, just take your time and read the biography and you can talk to your potential choice to go through details.

We want your themed event is the best it can possibly be. We have years of experience and extensive contacts, so we guarantee all acts you see advertised are the best and we are certain you will choose an event that will be just right for you and your guests.

Everyone works to a budget, and we appreciate that the budget cannot be unlimited, so a lot of artists work to your specification, producing an event that suits everyone’s requirements.

Themed events work perfectly for private parties, corporate events, weddings, theatres, nightclubs and hotels – the list goes on and on.

Your chosen act will be sure to attend to every detail, their main focus is on the quality of the event and professionalism to make your event perfect for you.

Booking great wedding bands

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Wedding bands are highly required to make wedding receptions very lively. If you’re thinking of making your upcoming wedding event memorable; you really need to source for the best Wedding bands. You need to engage a reliable entertainment directory that offers quality entertainment at wedding events. You don’t need to crack your brain just to locate the right band. You simply need a little time to make the right choice. Red Masque has a high calibre of entertainment you will be guaranteed to find something that suits.

It’s important you consider the venue of your wedding reception when sourcing for the best band to hire. Make sure you choose from a good entertainment directory such as Red Masque who advertises entertainment at weddings right from the venue of your wedding reception. Once you have chosen you are free to ask as many questions as you like and tailor make your wedding your way. A good point to remember is; you can easily make the right choice by asking proper questions.

If you wanted to hire some reliable wedding planners, we are sure you will be able to locate some great organisers through our directory

When searching for quality however, we can assure you that we have vetted all of our entertainment and have had trusted reviews from each and every one. Of course you can easily find what you are looking for online but do they come highly acclaimed and are they from a trusted entertainment directory?

In any case, if you succeed in locating the best wedding bands, you can take another step by getting in touch with them. You can send emails or call them on phone. You need to ask them several questions before you make the right choice. You have to ask about their charges, style of music, duration, expertise and so on. You can easily pick the best from the responses you’ll get at the end.

In all, take your time when sourcing for Wedding music. You need to start looking for the right agency like Red Masque ahead of time. You really need to pick the best band that will make your wedding glorious. You’ll succeed if you choose the right directory in the first place – which by the way is Red Masque directory.

The Irish Harp

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We thought we’d provide a few ideas on Irish entertainment. When thinking about the Emerald Isle and the entertainment provided to the world, an obvious place to start is the harp.

But what is the history of the Irish harp? Unfortunately, the instrument’s origins are lost to time, but we are able to piece together a potted timeline from the past 1,000 years. The last High King of Ireland, Brian Boru, who died in 1014, was said to be an accomplished player whilst various documents state that the Celtic harp was the only music played during the Crusades in the 12th century. For those unaware, despite some minor differences, the Irish harp, Celtic harp and Gaelic harp are all terms used to describe the same instrument.

It is known that the harp was revered across Celtic culture and Europe in the 1100s with various leaders having their own resident harpist who enjoyed a high status and special privileges. What did they have to do? As one might expect, they were expected to play music in accompaniment to other forms of event entertainment – poetry recitations or reading of psalms, etc. Alas, no music for the harp is written down from this period.

As any lover of history may tell you, Celtic culture wasn’t as popular as it used to be and the social status of a harp player began to lessen as the years wore on. No longer retained amongst the higher echelons, they took to the streets, performing as travelling musicians to the delight of crowds. Perhaps they were enjoyed too much; although the Irish harp was a symbol of the country and embraced around the world, it was now see as an emblem of resistance against the Crown and England. It was henceforth banned from the end of the Middle Ages and in just a few centuries, the Irish harp had all but disappeared.

…Well, almost. In 1792, a group of harpists travelled to Belfast for a traditional harp festival. A passionate musician, Edward Bunting, noted down the music they played and it is thanks to him that traditional Gaelic music lasts to this day; it had never previously been written down on paper (presumably because nobody ever saw the point or most harpists couldn’t read or write sheet music.)

There are less than a dozen Celtic harps that have survived from the medieval period. The oldest one is also the most famous – the Trinity College Harp, upon which the official emblem of Ireland is now based. It can be seen if you decide to visit Trinity College in Dublin and no doubt, you’ll learn even more about this lovely instrument.

Great exhibition ideas

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You’ve got your exhibition sorted, and you want everyone to stop and see what you have to offer. But how do you get them to stop? Make your exhibition booth unforgettable with some un-boring additions!

Party Entertainers
Want to create a buzz around your booth? Bring in a celebrity, of course. It starts with one person whispering to their friend, “Is that Lady Gaga?” and before you know it, everyone is checking out your booth. Celebrity Impersonators like Fake Faces can pose with guests for pictures, sign autographs, and add an air of glamour to what can be a dry event. Whether you choose a famous couple David and Victoria Beckham or fictional characters like James Bond or Austin Powers, you won’t regret it. And neither will the attendees!

Live Entertainment
Another great way to draw attention is a live performance at your booth. Close-Up Magicians can snag passers-by and get them involved with card tricks or other quick sleights of hand. If sound restrictions allow, you could even have a music performance like a One-Man Band or String quartet. Send a walkabout artist into the crowd with your company to recruit attendees for your booth, or have an illusionist or magician for a more compact performance.

Food & Drink
Every human loves food. It’s just a fact. If there’s food at your booth, you’re practically guaranteed to have a swarm of people. So if you choose to have food or drinks, be prepared with large quantities! You can usually get an estimate of attendees from the convention’s website or the salesperson who sold you the booth.

Also, check the restrictions of the exhibition, because sometimes food isn’t allowed unless it’s pre-packaged. If that’s the case, try attaching your business card to the packages so your prospects will know where it came from later.

If food & drink is allowed, try something a little more fun than a tray of quiches. Bringing in concessions like marshmallow machines or gourmet candy floss can add an adult twist on classic childhood favourites. If the exhibition allows alcohol, mini cocktails are another winner.

With a little creativity, you can have the best booth at the exhibition. Give people an experience that they won’t soon forget, and drum up some great relationships and potential new business.

Relive your School days

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Take yourself back in time by planning a school reunion where you and your colleagues can relive your memories. Getting a class together and pulling off a reunion party is no small feat.
There are always other school friends that you are still in contact with that will have school friends that you have forgotten about. Send everyone a paper invitation to get the initial word out and create a Facebook page or website for your event where you can post reminders, updates, and information for your invited guests. Take this opportunity to start getting your guests excited about the reunion!
You may have many school friends on facebook or such like, but if there are people you just can’t remember or if someone has disappeared off the radar then you old school should have a list with all this information.

Theme & Venue
Remember to consider your theme and potential decorations as you hunt for that perfect venue. Use Party suppliers and securing the venue makes planning decor that much easier, so you can begin creating your ideal atmosphere. Follow your general theme and have fun with it! Contact your classmates and request photos and keepsakes from the ‘good ole days’ to hang around the rooms or to create a nostalgia table!

Entertainment
You know the songs that just seem to recapture moments from your school experience? Have a DJ and the music bring you right back to those days with the perfect music to set the tone and liven up the party.
Keep the party going and conversation flowing with collages of old photos and videos. Everyone’s got those slightly embarrassing pictures of good friends they’d love to share. Stick with fun-inducing entertainment, give out prizes for games, or even have awards! Capture the new memories by booking a Photographer or even a photo booth!

We’re confident you’re ready to plan the best possible school reunion your classmates could have imagined!

Simple tips to make everyone happy

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When booking a corporate event, if your guests are seated too far away, directly to your right or left, behind the stage or behind an obstruction; you—the performer—can’t reach the audience, and they—the audience—are likely to get frustrated and not enjoy the show. No one likes to stare at the back of someone’s head.

1. Set them up to see the show.

Seat your audience in FRONT of your stage and LIGHT your performers.
Avoid seating any audience members directly to the right or left, around a corner or especially behind the stage. It’s nearly impossible for the performers to connect with these people and they will likely stare at the side or back of the performers for the whole performance or worse yet—miss the show completely.
If necessary, use the space directly to the sides of the stage for the buffet or bars, a photo booth, displays, etc. Leaving it open is even better.

If your space is narrow, seat the audience deep (vertically) versus spread side to side (horizontally). This will at least make the stage visible to most, if not all of your audience, even if they are a bit further away. And the performers won’t feel like they’re turning their backs.
And be sure the performers will be lit with flattering stage lighting if the performance space will be dark.

2. Get cosy.

Seat your audience CLOSE to the stage and CLOSE to one another.
Great performers like to engage with their audience and make them feel included. If the first row of tables or chairs is too far away, that feels like dead space to the audience and the performers.
Seat the first row of the audience as close as five feet away from the front edge of the stage if possible and don’t spread the audience out too much. Keeping it all contained keeps the performance energy locked together.
If you have a lot of space, set up the extras (like the buffet, bars, etc.) behind the seating area, or just keep that space open. But get the audience close to the show!

3. A pillar is not your friend.

Don’t BLOCK your audience’s view of the stage.
Whenever possible, seat people to the right or left of any sort of obstruction. Unless, of course, you’re hosting superheroes and they all have X-ray vision. Most people will feel disappointed if they are seated behind a pillar.
Keep this in mind when choosing a venue. If there are a lot of obstructions, look elsewhere if you’re hoping for full capacity!

5. Allow plenty of time to set up and communicate.

Check in with your party entertainers beforehand and build in ample set-up time on the day.
Make sure you have a conversation with the agent or performers before the event date.
Then, on the day, be sure to give the entertainment plenty of time to get their sound equipment loaded in, set up, sound checked and get out of view before the audience starts coming in.
A little forethought and planning is sure to make your event go off without a hitch. If you have a hard time envisioning a stage or an audience in your event space, enlist the help of a friend, a professional event planner or ask a performer or stage technician for help! Happy Planning!

It’s all about magic

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When someone suggests to hire a magician for an event, you might conjure up images of a cheesy magician from the eighties. Perhaps even a children’s magician who will produce an incomplete colouring book at a corporate event, waving a literal magic wand and suddenly showcasing the pages full of colour. When we talk about it hiring magicians for corporate events, we mean something a lot more cool and a lot more enjoyable.

Ice Breakers
When people arrive for a corporate event, it’s fair to say that even if they’re from the same company, they might not know anybody there. As such, a magician is a brilliant way to break the ice, encouraging others to form a group around where the trick is performed and ensuring that people can talk after being introduced. As the magician moves on to another group, these two, three or even four people can chat about the miracle they’ve just witnessed! Magicians are great for breaking the ice at parties and events and best of all, getting people talking!

Social Media
A great trick is sure to amaze and to that end, magicians are very likely to have their performance shared on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so that guests in attendance can share the magic with their friends online. This is brilliant for any corporate client because it means that not only is their event being shared but their company brand and logo might feature in the background of a photo or video, whilst they get the added benefit of looking like a fun company to work for who reward their employees with fantastic evenings out! How’s that for free advertising and PR?

It isn’t just magic…
When you book a magician for an event, you might be thinking only of card and coin tricks. Not so! We want you to think even further than that – magicians aren’t just able to pull of some incredible sleights of hand but are also able to provide some astonishing feats of mentalism as well. Think the most amazing tricks by Derren Brown! Combining familiar card tricks with displays of mind reading really does stun guests and are another great reason for having magic in attendance

Nice to see you…

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The Generation Game was part of British Saturday night television for many years, the Generation Game is a fun filled interactive event. This ultimate day of games, quizzes, and challenges will have your group in fits of riotous laughter and mayhem!

Imagine your colleagues competing to decorate their very own cake in the style of ‘The Great British Bake Off’ while others try to outdo each other in tablecloth whipping! And for trivia boffins the events proceedings kick off with a quiz and rounds off with a memory challenge.

The Generation Game could be run during the day for corporate events or private parties (between courses of a meal or after-dinner entertainment.) Each round could be presented by a professional compere, all of whom come from a comedic background to make sure your event is filled with laughter. Groups of between 8 and 10 compete head-to-head, with each round designed to include every member of the team. After each round you will present the famous ‘scores on the doors’ so teams can see where they sit on the leaderboard.

Games ideas.

Great British Bake Off – Cake decorating
Whip It- whip the table cloth away from a set dining table
Conveyer belt memory game
What are the benefits of this team building exercise?
Laughter Guaranteed
Professional comedic host
Rounds to appeal to everyone
Real back to school childish fun
Can run during the day or evening
Something completely crazy and different
Prizes for the winning team

This event will please the most serious of people and get them to show their true fun side!

What Makes A Great Party?

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It is often surprising how late in the day many people consider booking a DJ to provide their private party entertainment despite how critical a great DJ is to the success of their event. This guide aims to help the first time booker understand what to look for when you hire a DJ, with tips and insights into how DJs work and what you need to do to get the best out of yours.

So what makes a great corporate or private party? Ask most of your guests and they’ll say they had a great time if they were up dancing all night to the music they love. But how do you know what music they’ll love? Surely everyone has varied tastes?

When guests decide to get on the dance floor at a party, there’s a certain process involved of losing their inhibitions as they escape into the exciting world of music & lights. Memories and emotions can be ignited by the DJ’s choice of music and songs, often taking people back to their youth. What a great journey this can turn out to be if the DJ perfectly judges all the right tunes to play for your guests.

A good DJ should have a passion for all genres of music so that he can predict the response of people in the room when he plays certain classic songs from his collection. It is important for a DJ to read his crowd and he should instinctively know what kind of music will get people dancing. If you are providing a DJ with a playlist, it is advisable to allow the DJ some discretion to choose which tracks to play from your list and at what time to play them.

When guests share the dance floor it is similar to an audience laughing together at a comedian. Dancing helps people to unwind and relax and laughter relaxes muscles, boosts energy and triggers the release of feel-good chemicals. The feel good factor can also be promoted by the DJ if he plays positive uplifting music that is mainly found in songs written in the major keys.

It can be quite a challenge for a DJ to get guests dancing, especially early on at an corporate event where many of the guests might not know each other. Sometimes interaction over the microphone is required to help people feel more relaxed, and occasionally a little encouragement can be given to help create that essential party spirit.

There are a variety of different techniques which can be used and this is where DJ’s have varying styles and approaches. Some people like a DJ to be vocally interactive with their audience, whereas others prefer the more modern approach of minimal talking with the focus mainly on good music and taking requests.

Wonderful London Galleries

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If you’re looking to hire the venue for a reception or dinner then there a multitude of fabulous locations to pick from depending on the numbers of your party. To entertain guests of up to 160 then the aforementioned courtyard is a must, with pre-dinner drinks able to be enjoyed in the Drawing Rooms Suite on the first floor, allowing lucky attendees to enjoy a private viewing which includes the opportunity to see The Laughing Cavalier in person. The courtyard itself offers an exceptional space with which to enjoy background music from a harp to guitar, right through to a four-piece jazz band for maximum entertainment value! For those looking for a more intimate occasion, the Venetian Room caters to just 24, whilst the Dining Room can hold up to 40 guests.

The first thing to note about The Wallace Collection is that it is contained within 25 glamorous galleries as well as a contemporary glazed courtyard that has to be seen to be believed. All of these areas are available to be hired for your corporate event, private party or wedding a beautiful setting in central London for somebody who is a huge fan of the ‘hidden gem’.

Although located near one of the most famous roads in the world, The Wallace Collection somehow manages to retain its status as a location only the most informed local or tourist knows about. You and your guests are able to enjoy masterpieces in virtually every room and when you hire the venue, the money goes straight back into preserving the collection for future generations to enjoy.

But perhaps your guests aren’t attending with dinner on the brain? If this is the case, then perhaps they are here to enjoy your wedding day! There are a number of incredible venues in which to exchange vows throughout the capital, so The Wallace Collection focuses on the most important part – the evening wedding reception! Naturally as an event entertainment supplier, we would say this, but we must stress just how gorgeous a reception one can enjoy in the Drawing Room Suite. Decorated with French silk, you will be able to delight friends and family amongst treasures that previously belonged to Marie Antoinette and Madame de Pompadour, to name but two. Guests can then enjoy speeches, live music or a dance to a DJ in the courtyard.

The Wallace Collection really is a stunning space in which to enjoy party entertainment and is truly beautiful in the way it blends different styles of the old and the new.