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6 tips for a smooth funning Christmas Party

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

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

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

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

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

2. Send the invites out nice and early

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

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

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

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

4. Make the venue pretty and all that jazz

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

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

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

5. The Drinks

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

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

6. Keep your guests thoroughly entertained

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

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

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

Top 10 Tips for a Charity Event

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Tip 1- The purpose – You should decide what the purpose of your charity event is and confirm this early to start initial planning. Is this a full on fundraising event? Or does it have other goals in mind such as gaining awareness, publicity and to reach out to a new network of people. Many charitable events have more than one goal and these need to be decided before any further action takes place. Confirming and planning the details for your charity event will depend on knowing what goals you are trying to achieve.

Tip 2- Date, Time & Venue – Give yourself plenty of time to organise any type of event. At least 3 months in advance. You don’t want this to be a rushed job so ensure that all aspects are planned to perfection. Your venue is also entirely up to you, yet should reflect your theme, your purpose and your charity. If you believe that your house can hold the demand, then feel free to do so but for a large event then a venue such as a hotel may be better suited. Ask the venue for some freebies, if you don’t ask then you will never know.

Tip 3 – Budget Plan – Every fundraising event plan should contain a detailed budget plan of all of the expenses that will be required to hold the event.

Your budget plan should include staff, invitations, venue, catering, entertainment, utilities, and anything else that will be required to make the event successful. Your budget should take into account your fundraising goal, ensuring that you raise that amount above and beyond all expenses. Top tip for your budget is to always have a spare amount, you just never know when an emergency will appear and that extra bit of cash could really help you out.

Tip 4 – Round up your troops –

For your charity event to be a true success you will need a strong workforce behind you. This could be family and friends, volunteers of the charity or even try and recruit some new volunteers to help. Your team could help you in so many different ways such as helping you with the planning, collecting money outside supermarkets, selling tickets for the charity event and also on the day of your event it is always great to have a spare pair of hands.

Tip 5 – Read All About It –

You have to let the public know about your charity event, or nobody will know anything about it. Ask the charity to help by putting up the information on their Facebook page, create some simple flyers and leave them in shops in your area, create an “event” on Facebook and invite people, go and speak to your newspapers and get them to interview you about the charity event and if possible ring your local radio station and get a small interview slot. The more people know about the charity event, the more of a success it will be.

Tip 6 – Entertainment is key –

Your entertainment has to be fresh, exciting and fun. Why not hire a fun casino which is great fun and also brilliant for fundraising? Or a magician who can walk about the room and make your guests “wow” in amazement. You could even hire out a crazy golf course; you may even have the next Rory McIlroy in your mists. The party entertainment needs to be organised quite early on in the planning process if you don’t want to be disappointed.

Tip 7 – Stick by the law –

We would advise anybody to always go and research the laws and regulation when organising any event, especially a charity event. There are certain guidelines which need to be put in place to surrounding fundraising in public areas; you would need to speak to the local council about these. They are only small regulations so should not be anything to serious to worry about, but always check and get support from your local council

Tip 8 – Collecting the money –

On the night of your event, you have to collect the money if it is a fund raiser. You could collect the money by walking around the room with a branded bucket, have a raffle and collect the money when selling tickets or you could place an envelope for each guest at their table where they place their desired amount into and you collect at a designated time of the night. There are so many options on how to do this, but these three seem to be the most effective.

Tip 9 – Mind your manners! –

Always remember to say Thank You both straight after the event and in the days that follow. Your guests, volunteers and sponsors need to be appreciated. They have taken time out of their lives to help with your charity event. Make a small speech simply thanking everybody for coming along, send a personal email again thanking them or even send them a momentum of the night. Take a group photograph of everybody who attended and print these out for each volunteer and sponsor. A simple thank you on the back is all that is need and it gives your event that personal touch.

Tip 10 – HAVE FUN –

You have done your event planning, you have done your research and you have everything in place. Now it’s time to have fun. Mingle with your guests and have a laugh, if they see you relaxed then they will also feel relaxed. And remember it’s for charity, so no matter what you do you are making a difference.

What is a swing and jive band?

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The best UK jive and swing bands share three essential qualities: extensive repertoire of music, excellent musicianship and an infectious sense of fun!

Most swing and jive performers have a deep-rooted affection for the music they perform and it shows in every moment of their performance. Many have a signature style of performance too, whether it’s pared-back skiffle versions of classic tracks or retro-arrangements of contemporary pop anthems.

Nearly all swing and jive bands will have a distinctive look, incorporating vintage fashions, authentic period instruments and some of the coolest haircuts.

One of the key features of swing and jive bands is that their sound is immediate, energetic, almost raw, as opposed to the overproduced sound of carefully-tweaked pop album tracks. It’s this upfront, energetic sound that makes these kinds of bands so great for live events, as guests pick up on the band’s energy and your party suddenly gears up a notch or seven!

What music do swing and jive bands perform?

These bands draw their music from the rich legacy of tracks from the 1930s onwards, including authentic 1940s arrangements, 1950s classic rock n roll, 1960s crooner classics right up to contemporary tracks with a retro twist.

For Jive Bands think:

1940s – up-tempo Glenn Miller Band, Count Basie, The Andrews Sisters, Cab Calloway

1950s – Bill Haley, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis

1960s – Nina Simone, The Rat Pack, Aretha Franklin

Event ideas for businesses

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There are many ways to create a unique experience for your employees, customers, and potential customers. Hosting a business event like a happy hour or networking event is a great way to get in front of people and more about them at the same time.

Set your budget – How much can you afford to spend for the event? What will you need? Some of the usual costs associated with events include the venue, food, drinks, decor, marketing (printing/postage), giveaways and labour.

Create a guest list – How many people and who will you invite? How many people do you expect to show up? These answers will help you with the rest of the items on this list. Start by looking at your customer base and work from there. Use other networking events that you attend to pass out info about your event, if appropriate.

Select a date – When is the best time for your event? Select a few dates that work for you your potential invitees. Most people won’t be able to take time out from work just for your event. Keep in mind that your date needs to coincide with your venue availability. The more flexible you are, the better your chance of getting a great location, and a good price.

Research locations – Should your event be held at your business, or do you need to check out other locations that might work? How much room do they have? What does the venue include (i.e., food, drinks, staff, audio equipment)? Can you use their venue in exchange for getting more people in their door or in trade for something from your business?

Pick a theme – Having a theme can help brand your entire event from invitations to decorations, food, and drink ideas. Remember, the holidays are right around the corner and people LOVE holidays. Use Pinterest to your advantage for finding inexpensive and fun ideas for your theme.

Questions to ask yourself: How are you going to promote your event? What’s the right way to reach your target attendee, email, social media, print invitation? What will you offer people to get them to attend?

Send invitations – Try using different methods (paper, email, social media) to send out your invitations. You know your audience, what will work best for them? You may want to use multiple methods.

Find a similar or complementary business to co-host an event with you. You can use their customer list to gain more attendees for your event and possibly more prospects for your business.
Get donations from other business that might benefit from your event. They can sponsor different aspects of your event or help with giveaways.
Have invitations available at your place of business (if you have one), and on you all times to pass out. You never know when you’ll need them.
Social media is free! Make sure to use it to your advantage. You can offer invitees a deal for sharing your event with their friends.

Last but not least, play the host/hostess. Make sure during the event that you work the room and keep the event, conversation, food and drinks flowing!

Some deposits are Non-Refundable

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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 a bride, or planning a corporate event party and this is first time you’ve ever hired 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.

Don’t let your venue ruin a great party

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You’ve already found great party entertainment. But finding the right entertainment venue is one of the more traditionally tricky aspects of event party planning. In the interests of making that process a little less fraught, here are a few tips to help you make the best decision.

Consider the season. You may have the absolute perfect venue in mind, but if it’s most charming features can only be enjoyed in warmer weather, and you’ve got a February event, keep looking

Planning a special event is exciting- and more than a little rough on the nerves. For the love of God, you never want your event to be remembered for the ‘AWFUL venue, entertainment, food, atmosphere etc.’

Can the venue accommodate the kind of entertainment you have in mind? Do they have in-house tech people to set up the stage, or will the performers need to bring all their own equipment and tech people?

Is the venue relatively convenient for the majority of the guests? Of course, for special occasions most people don’t mind going a bit out of their way, but you don’t want your guests to become mired in complex travel arrangements- unless you’re prepared to organise and pay for it all, of course!

Is the venue actually available at the time you have in mind? Many first time party planners mistakenly believe that a couple of months-notice is more than enough. Very popular venues, however, can be booked out in peak months well over a year in advance. Before you get too carried away with the planning, ensure your venue of choice is actually available.

Time to start planning New Year’s Eve

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Plan your New Year’s Eve party this year and make it something truly amazing by booking from Red Masque entertainment directory. You will be able to use a lot more imagination than you thought possible – making 2017 come in with an even bigger bang!!!!

The celebration of New Year is one of the oldest annual rituals, observed globally for thousands of years by all the ancient civilizations from the Egyptians and Mayans to the Chinese and Maoris.

It is possible to take part in a New Year celebration almost every month of the year as our own western observance of New Year’s Day on January 1st only came into practice around 400 years ago.

Most of the older traditions base their new year around important social or astrological activities; the Egyptians celebrated the feast of Opet during the Nile’s inundation, the Mayan New Year varies Chinese New Year changes annually with the year of the Monkey starting on January 22nd 2004 while the Celtic celebration of Samhain is held around Halloween.

Did you know? The first people to make resolutions were the ancient Babylonians over 4000 years ago, in the belief that whatever they did on the first day of the year would affect their entire year.

The ancient Babylonian New Year was dated to the first new moon (visible crescent) after the vernal, or spring, equinox (usually March), so if you need an excuse to party, Red Masque entertainment can offer a whole year of new and unusual opportunities!

Most New Year celebrations incorporate the ideas of fertility and good luck with reviewing the past year whilst hoping for a better year ahead. The customs we follow in the UK stem mainly from old Scottish traditions of Hogmanay, whose roots date back to the pagan mid-winter practice of sun and fire worship which later linked with the Roman winter festival of Saturnalia, a decadent and uninhibited feast of food, wine and fun. So get stuck in and have a very Happy New Year!

What’s hot in 2017?

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For all 2017 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 are high tech interactive and natural materials, enabling your company to show off its tech prowess, or boost its eco credentials.

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 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 entertainers and street magicians that work with the latest phones and mobile gadgets.

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 entertainment 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 party and event 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!

Trust that we only advertise the best

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It’s never an easy thing to organize an event no matter how small the size. The event may be a wedding reception, concert, corporate meeting, fundraising and the like. You need to entertain the guests if you really want to make them happy at the event. You can’t do it all alone. You need to engage the services of an entertainment directory such as Red Masque.

You can be sure of proper accountability when you engage a reliable entertainment directory. Red Masque will give you accurate details online regarding the entertainment aspect of the event.

There are reasons for engaging an entertainment directory. In the first place, you may not have time to make the right choice when hiring a band or a DJ. We at Red Masque entertainment agency will have the perfect choice for you on our website. We can link you up with the best bands in town. You are sure to find a reliable DJ that can handle your event.

Often at times, some entertainment agencies offer band and DJ services. They do have artists who specialize in different areas of music. Such an agency can offer DJ and band services at affordable price. They also have MC’s that can make people happy at events. All you need is to get in touch with the right agency like Red Masque that can tailor make your special event.

Professionalism is our game and trusted services when you engage with us. Your guests will be thoroughly satisfied with the acts you have chosen. You don’t need to suffer sleepless night once you have one of Red Masques acts at your event or party.

Indeed, there’s a lot to gain when you hire from a reputable entertainment directory. You don’t have to be in a hurry when searching for the very best event entertainment. Now that you have found us we will guarantee that you will not book from anywhere else. Once you have chosen your entertainment you are able to contact direct. You are able to ask the officials some questions, and get it right first time.

Hire you very own ‘sell out artist’

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How often have you eagerly anticipated seeing your favourite band or artist live onstage, only to discover that tour tickets sold out in nanoseconds on the one morning you had a meeting at the Slough office?

Or have you calculated that with the combined cost of decent tickets which don’t have a restricted view or are so far back you need binoculars, travel costs, parking, over-priced drinks, programmes and inevitable late night burger at 1am, you’ll be pushing £200 each?

Luckily, there is an answer – book a Tribute band instead. For the cost of you and five mates attending a major gig), you can hire a superb tribute band or act that play all your favourite tracks, not just the ones nobody wants to hear from their new album. And there are lots of tribute acts to choose from too!

Robbie finished the UK leg of his tour in early July at the O2, so unless you can afford the cost of tickets PLUS air travel to Australia, you won’t be able to see him live this year! Instead, book a Robbie Williams tribute act for all those hits like ‘Angels” and “Rock DJ”. If you prefer his swing albums, why not book a Rat Pack tribute act, who perform all the great hits Robbie covers in his swing shows, such as “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head”, “Mr Bo jangles” and “My Way

Want tickets? You Should Be So Lucky! Kicking off with shows in Liverpool, Kylie embarks on an arena tour of the UK in September, and already its standing room only or those pricey “packages” for almost every night. So, why not book a Kylie tribute instead and have a superb night with 100% pop diva fun for friends and family, without the travel and hassle

Recreate the magic that’ll never happen again with tribute bands for some of the world’s most famous artists and bands. Tribute bands play all the hits you love, have all the moves, the costumes, the style. It’s a great way to enjoy the bands you loved as they were in the hey-day, and without the senior citizen bus passes. Tribute bands are terrific as fundraising concerts and events and party entertainment. See our Tribute Bands on the Red Masque entertainment directory and you won’t look back…