Tag Archives: guests

Was this year’s office party one to remember?

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The office party can be looked upon with dread or with happiness. Of course it all depends on what the office party will include. Office parties have a few main principles; these include food, entertainment and drink. This blog is to give you a couple of unique extra ideas on these areas and they are sure to keep you onto an office party winner.

Jazz your office party by hiring professional party catering. Yes sandwiches and tea cakes are perfectly fine, but don’t you think they are quite mundane and well… boring? Your food should taste amazing and memorable so why not hire a fish and chip van. The fish and chip van could arrive at your venue and serve all your lovely team with scrumptious traditional fish and chip food. This is a fun twist on office party catering and nothing creates positive talk than good food.

Your party entertainment depends on your budget and also party style. In most cases office parties have quite refined budgets which can make it quite tricky to find top class entertainment. But please, from my own experience… do not cut corners when it comes to your entertainment. This will only end in heartbreak, and nobody wants that. Research what others office parties have and shop around your area for the best. You could hire a DJ to come into your office to really get the party going. Most DJ’s will also know various party games, so again this is an extra bonus. Another unique idea would be to hire a fun casino. The fun casino will come into your office venue and set up various casino tables for you and your fellow employees to play. Games include Blackjack, Roulette and Poker. Each casino table will have a trained croupier dealing the cards who will also explain each game to your team. This is fun source of party and event entertainment and also a great ice breaker

Your drinks will depend on whether your office party is consuming alcohol or not. But whether your drinks or alcoholic or non-alcoholic a perfect source of beverages is to hire a cocktail artist. The artist will set up your personal bar in your venue and make fresh and unique drinks and even serve them to your guests. This is the perfect idea to make your drinks really stand out from the crowd.

Award ceremony event ideas

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You don’t have to book entertainment for an awards ceremony but it certainly helps. The truth is that awards ceremonies can be stuffy affairs, especially for those who aren’t lucky enough to win on the evening. One sure fire way to make them enjoyable for everyone (and to mitigate the loss of not winning an award) is to hire entertainment for an awards ceremony, sit back and watch as everyone has a great time downing the free drinks! But what sort of entertainment should you be booking for the event?

Meet and Greet Acts

Arriving at an awards ceremony can be a daunting affair. If you’re particularly unlucky then you might well be going alone to the event and although happy to attend, it is a tad alarming to think you might be eating dinner with people you don’t know and could feasibly in for a quiet night; nobody likes starting conversation with strangers. If you book meet and greet acts for an awards ceremony though, this fear dissipates instantly. Guests will arrive and are instantly able to relax as they marvel at costumed characters or stilt walkers.

Circus Acts

Following on from the stilt walkers, hiring circus entertainment for your awards bash is a hell of a way to get the party started on the night! The lights go down, there is a palpable sense of expectation! Hoops, LEDs, aerial silk artists swinging from the rafters…Circus entertainment is an amazing way to impress everybody which will not only ensure impressed coos from the audience but also a lot of sharing on social media!

Awards Host

Well… You can’t exactly have an awards ceremony without a host can you? For the smaller companies and their awards evenings, this is often somebody from the company, perhaps the CEO making a couple of awkward jokes before making way for Barry from Accounts, a man whose humour doesn’t match his enthusiasm blundering through the evening. Once you’re more established though, you can book a presenter from the telly or an established comedian who will keep the laughs coming throughout the event.

Finale/After Party

Who doesn’t like a good boogie at the end of an event? The answer is of course ‘nobody’. If
there’s one thing sitting in chairs at dining tables for three or four hours makes you want to do, it’s getting to your feet and dancing the night away as soon as possible. The band who provided the award stings can play some songs whilst other entertainment is also just as well suited to such an evening! LED Canapé Girls are sure to impress whilst photo booths provide a unique opportunity for someone to show off their award with a humorous prop in tow.

The top event themes for 2017

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For all 2017 corporate events and parties, 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.

By combining the hottest corporate event trends for 2017 and some very special party entertainment, you can create a corporate event entertainment that’s still talked about long after.

If you choose a high tech theme, your event 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 Adele’s and their Maroon 5’s.

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!

Could you solve a murder mystery?

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Was it Colonel Mustard in the library with a candlestick? Or was it your best friend in the kitchen with a lamp? There’s only one way to find out… Have a Murder Mystery Dinner Party!

If you and your friends like acting, dressing up in costumes, mysteries, and/or the classic board game Clue, a murder mystery party is the event for you! Even if these activities aren’t real hobbies of your friends, you’d be surprised at how much fun you can have at a murder mystery party. Here are a few helpful hints at turning your dinner party into a whodunit murder mystery…

Only invite your fun friends.

We all have that friend who gets a little moody when they aren’t choosing the group activity. We love them anyway, but if you don’t think they’ll play along and have fun, maybe don’t invite them this time. For this kind of party, you’ll want to your guests to be as involved as possible and excited to play along.

Decide on scripted vs. unscripted.

If your friends are quick on their feet and ready to improvise, a script might not be necessary. However, for some, role playing doesn’t come as naturally and you may want a script to fall back on. Either way, send out your invitations ideally 4-6 weeks in advance, complete with their new identity. If your party is scripted, this will give them plenty of time to learn their part. For unscripted events, it’s the perfect amount of time to develop their characters and get their costumes ready! Regardless of whether or not you opt for a script, each of your guests should have a complete background of their character so that they can play the part successfully to match your clues. No talking about your new found identity. It’s a secret!

Say yes..

The golden rule of improvisation is to never say no. To keep the plot and the conversation moving, you’ll want to always respond willingly to a situation and contribute to the conversation. Your role as the host is very important. You’ll be the only one who knows who everyone else is, and therefore, it is through your mixing, mingling, and question-asking that they will get to know each other.

Dinner is served.

When it comes to dinner, you’ll need to decide if you’d like a fancy, sit-down dinner or a buffet. For many hosts, a buffet is preferred, as it allows them to focus their attention on the guests. Whichever way you decide, we strongly suggest hiring a Caterer, Bartender, and a Waiter to help your event run smoothly. They’ll keep the food and drinks coming while you search for the killer!

Offer a prize.

In real-life murder mysteries, you may see that a reward of £25K is being issued. You probably don’t have £25k to hand out, but it adds to the fun to incentivize winning. Whoever cracks the case gets a trophy or another special prize! This will keep the competition lively. Alternatively, you can offer multiple prizes for not only the winner, but the best costume or the best performance.

Bring in the pros.

If you aren’t feeling confident with your ability to create and assign characters, write a script, or successfully place the clues, get some help. A lot of details go into pulling off a murder mystery party, but luckily, there are companies who will handle these details for you. Plus, they’ll come to your party and interact with the guests to move the story in the right direction.

Most importantly, just have fun. Murder mystery parties are unforgettable and your guests will have a great time dressing up and mingling with the other characters at your party. So, just enjoy it… and watch your back!

How does music at events affect people’s behaviour?

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We constantly consume music, whether we are aware of it or not, and we will end up in situations where we participate in subconscious listening every day.

This could be at the supermarket, with music playing over the loudspeakers, during TV ads or programmes, where music often sits in the background to augment a mood. It could also be at an event or conference, where there is either a live band or background music being played in the venue. All of this subconscious or inactive listening has an impact on how we behave.

We mostly think of music as entertainment, but marketers have been using it to influence our behaviour for decades. It’s a particularly prolific strategy in consumer goods industries, but the principles can easily be applied to the event industry.

Using the right type of music can potentially be very profitable, and as such there’s been a lot of research into exactly how different types of music affects behaviour within a specific environment. Certain types of music can make us move through a space faster, linger longer, change our perception of queue times or makes us spend more.

Unsurprisingly, fast paced music makes people move faster, and so does loud music. Slow music generally makes people slow down. It might be basic, but it’s an important factor in creating a specific mood for an event. Do you want people to be energised and buzzing, or relaxed and laid-back?

So if you’re putting on a race or sporting event, you’ll want to increase the volume and get some dance or rock music blasting out to energise your participants. However, if you’re running an exhibition and want people to linger and chat at stalls, you’ll probably want to opt for slower, softer sounds to keep the pace steady and encourage more conversations.

If you like to listen to music, like most of us, you will have experienced how it can impact your mood. This is something the media and marketers know how to take full advantage of. In addition to our emotional reactions, they also play on the associations we attach to different types of music.

Hire Classical musicians, it might be thought of as sophisticated and classy, while Jazz might be thought of as artistic and refined. When putting these general assumptions to the test, several experiments show that playing specific music can impact perceptions too. For example, classical music can temporarily increase the perceived value of an item. In these situations, people projected some of the associations they had with classical music, e.g. sophistication, onto the item itself.

So for your next conference, maybe you want to welcome attendees with a spot of classical music, or introduce your keynote speaker with it playing in the background, inferring sophistication and intelligence on everyone in the room as well as your speakers.

Do you like Quizzes?

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Your quiz night could be based on the popular TV like The Krypton Factor. This Quiz night could be designed to offer a unique and different series of rounds which appeal to all. Each round involves every member of each team in an interactive way. This ensures you get full engagement and participation with lots of variety.

You can hire a professional compere who will inject a great level of energy and laughter to make sure your event is an experience rather than just a stereotyped ‘quiz’. Rounds can run before, during (between courses), or after dinner.

What would the advantages of a Quiz night bring to your staff?

Gets everyone involved unlike conventional quizzes
Hire a professional compere
Can run between courses of a meal
Draws upon different skills and knowledge
Fun and light hearted party entertainment

Examples:

Divided into: teams of between 8 and 10, groups will take on a variety of themed rounds. Each round is completely different to the last. All rounds and questions are presented by your hired compere with graphics displayed on a big screen. Each team records scores after each round, with points updates after every round. The finale round offers bonus points meaning teams who aren’t in the top 3 have the chance to catch up and steal the top spot.

OBSERVATION – carefully watch a detailed video ready to answer questions on what you see.
MOVIE MASH UP – you’ll see the visual from one movie with audio from another. Can you guess both?
CREATIVE – great British Bake Off cake decorating.
MENTAL – brain busting conundrums

We are sure that this would be a real ‘Ice Breaker’ for all your staff, it will certainly bring the best out of your staff.

Happy Birthday sweet 16

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Sweet 16 is a time of coming of age and celebrating it in true style. Many 16th birthday parties are becoming quite similar these days so why not make your 16th birthday party one to remember.

We’ve chosen a 16th Birthday, but this could be for any Birthday, just tailor to the age.

Firstly, choose a venue; this could be your own house. Secondly choose a theme. Trust us, this will make your 16th birthday party that extra bit more unique and give your guests the excitement leading up to your party.

Finally, your party entertainment… make your 16th birthday party stand out from the crowd and have some of the most interesting and lively entertainment. Underneath is a variety of 16 birthday party entertainment ideas to help you!

DJ – Every party needs great music. You will not need to worry about changing songs over on your IPod when a DJ can do it all for you by using the latest technology. You can tell the DJ exactly what music you would like played so your music can be catered specifically for you!

Photo booth – Why not keep a little memory of your 16th birthday party night by hiring a photo booth. Your guests will have so much fun trying on colourful props and overall having fun in the photo booth. Instant photos will be available for your guests and you will receive a DVD of all photos taken on the night.

Themed nights– Give your party that Vegas feel by having your very own fun casino. Spin the wheel, place your fun bets and have a laugh with all your guests. The Fun Casino is a great way to get your friends having a laugh and the style of entertainment is top class. Nobody else will have a casino at their 16th!

Magician – A walk around magician is perfectly suited to a Sweet 16 party. The magician will stun your guests with various tricks that will definitely catch them out. The magician could also be a comedian on the side, so Dynamo mixed with a bit of Lee Evans will go down a storm at your 16th birthday party.

Fish and Chip Van – If you are unsure of the catering you would like for your party, then why not hire out a fish and chip van. The food caters for everybody’s tastes and your guests will enjoy their very own freshly cooked food. You can tailor the food to your requirements as well, burgers, sausages, goujons… whatever you want you can have!

Overall, enjoy your 16th birthday party. This is your big night; it’s not every day you take that step from a childhood to adulthood. Your 16th birthday party will be all about you, show it off, and make sure to get the perfect entertainment for your party. But the best thing you can do is smile and create some amazing memories and plan the best 16th birthday party ideas right here!

Make Your Christmas Party Unforgettable!

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Even though summer is in full swing, Christmas is never too far away and in fact its heading close to five months until the big day which means that now is the time to begin thinking about the Christmas party and how to make it better than ever before. Red Masque know exactly what you need for a first class event and we understand what it takes to make a memorable party.

You may have a theme in mind or you may have been told that it has to follow a theme, but do not worry because Red Masque will have something you’ll see that will meet your requirements whilst also catering to the needs of those who will be attending – we can promise that your Christmas Party will be one that will be remembered forever!

We appreciate that it can be difficult to choose the right christmas party entertainment but this is exactly why we ensure that we have lots to offer so that you can find exactly what you want. You may want to follow orders and book what everyone wants or you could go ahead and book something that is completely different, either way we want to make it easy for you.

At Red Masque we have put together a few ideas which are sure to get you thinking…

Magic and Christmas go hand in hand. We can guarantee that your guests will be left in amazement with the tricks our advertised magicians offer and we can promise that their show will be the main talking point. They can tailor their show to the size of the audience and the size of the room; they are true professionals that take magic to the next frontier!

Christmas isn’t Christmas without carols which is why Christmas Carollers give your Christmas party the ultimate festive atmosphere.

Get the party going and the festive joy erupting with A Capella carol singer who really know how to get people into the Christmas spirit? They encourage the perfect atmosphere that can get your guests enjoying themselves long into the night as they roam around the room singing everyone’s favourite carols.

Everyone loves live music and a Party Function Band will really get the party started! They know how to get people up on their feet and singing along to all those favourite Christmas hits.

Your guests will be tearing up the dance floor to their favourite songs whilst busting some moves and having an amazing time. Party Function band will give your event the energy it needs to be classed as the best Christmas Party yet. They have experience of singing all over the world so you will be guaranteed a top class performance.

A Christmas party is all about getting dressed up and feeling good and whilst you may feel like a star why not get treated like one with Paparazzi Photographers. They can help to create an atmosphere before the party by creating a buzz of excitement as your guests get papped with smiles that stretch from ear to ear. The photographers know how to get your attention with their cheeky wit and humour and they even look the part with their trilby hats and press tags. Your guests will be sure to remember their Christmas party thanks to the quality photos that can be purchased online after the event.

Baby shower ideas

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If you pick the right games, guests will enjoy and there will be lots of laughter, so if you are stuck for party ideas here are a few to keep you going.

1. Guess the Baby Game.

This game brings a very personal touch to your gathering as guests relive their childhood days. The planning starts at the invitation stage — ask everyone to bring a baby photo of themselves (preferably under age two). As guests arrive at the party, discreetly collect their photos. Create a poster display of all the photos with corresponding numbers and give each guest a sheet of paper for their guesses on who’s who. Whoever guesses the most babies correctly wins a prize. Alternative: Try a celebrity baby guessing game.

2. Baby Food Taste Test.

We’ve all wondered what some of those interesting combinations of baby food taste like (turkey and pear puree, anyone?), so here’s your chance to find out. Purchase seven to ten jars of baby food, put a number on each lid, tear off the label — and let the tasting begin! The guest with the most correct responses wins a prize.

3. Ask Mum the Answer.

Provide a piece of paper to each guest and ask her to write a baby-related question on the front. Once the guests have written their questions, they pass the card to their left facedown. Then that guest writes the answer to her own question on the back. Have each guest read the front and back of the card aloud — the Q& A’s will be hysterically mismatched.

4. Nappy Relay Race.

Divide up teams in whichever way you choose — as individuals or groups of four with each person having a “job” in the baby-changing process. Each person or team gets a doll with a nappy, fully clothed and swaddled in a blanket. The goal is to undress it, change its nappy, re-dress it and swaddle it back up. Shout “Go!” and whoever finishes first is the winner.

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!