Tag Archives: hire

Nothing beats a good fun day

Posted on by

Whether it’s a small corporate event for 50 guests or a large scale event for up to 3,000 people, we can provide party and event entertainment for all ages to keep everyone entertained all day long.

There are key aspects you need to take into account when planning such event. From safety and insurance to risk assessments, it’s imperative to have all the necessary legislation in place.

To ensure your Corporate event or private party entertainment is a giant triumph and goes ahead without any hiccups, here are 6 key things to think about when planning a fun day…

1. Risk Assessment
Ensure when assign party supplier and its equipment it should have it’s own comprehensive risk assessment to ensure it is safe and secure to protect all those on the premises.

It is compulsory to carry out a risk assessment in order to comply with current UK safety regulations and laws. If you have never done this before, rest assured it isn’t as scary as it sounds.
Besides, once all the paperwork is out of the way, you can concentrate on organising a successful event!

Now there is the general risk assessment of the site plan, such as the routes in and out for cars and attendees, and you’ll obviously need a safety plan for any marquees etc you have, but here’s the complete list of all our products’ risk assessment and method statements.

2. Choose the date wisely
If you don’t want your fun day to be a wash out, choose the date carefully. Summertime is better for outdoor fun but as we all know with the great British weather, a contingency plan is always needed incase it rains!

Try to do your homework too and find out if any other big community events are taking place around the same time. If the date clashes it will affect how many people turn up.

3. Venue & Time
Where is the fun day going to take place and at what time?

You need to decide where the event will be held and book it well in advance. In terms of location, make sure there is plenty of room for large outdoor equipment set up.

What time will the event kick off? If it’s a family fun day, it needs to be early enough for children to attend but bear in mind you need to give yourself plenty of time to get everything up and running on the day.

Likewise, time should be taken into consideration for the clean up.

4. Read/shout all about it!
How will people know about your fun day? Promote the event through local businesses, press, radio, newsletters, emails, digital PR and posters.

Marketing is key, so shout about it through all possible platforms including online blog posts, paid search and social media.

What’s more, shout about it DURING the event. Get a hashtag going on Twitter, encourage spectators to share pictures on Facebook and Instagram and get lots of photos to give the press.

5. Legalities
Equipment
The main legal requirements that the equipment and equipment provider must adhere to are the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAWA) and the provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).
In practice this is interpreted through ETIS 7 which is currently the HSE advice for best practice and is almost identical to BS EN 14960:2006.

Food and Drink
If you are selling food and drink at your fun day, make sure you look at the Food Standards Agency to follow their guidelines.

Raffles and Tombolas
There are strict and complex laws relating to larger raffles and lotteries which you’d need to check the Gambling Commission website for more details. We recommend selling raffle tickets on the day and drawing at the event to avoid needing a license.

Council licences
You’ll need to apply to your local council if you plan on providing any of the below:
– selling alcohol
– live entertainment
– holding a collection in a public place
Speak to the venue beforehand though as they’ll probably already hold a licence for you.

6. What happens after the event?
Too many people think about what will happen after the event, as they’re so caught up with planning it.

The follow up is just as important as the event itself.

Make sure you send a thank you email to all suppliers and providers that helped to make the event the great fun day that it was! Also, send out a press release to local media for print and online.

We all love a great success story and it can have a big impact on brand awareness! Who knows, you may be asked to organise the event again next year.

School reunion party ideas

Posted on by

It maybe a many years since you left school, but the memories make it feel like it was only yesterday! 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.

We’ve put together a few guidelines to help get you through it.

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.

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!

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!

Refreshments

From great decor and music to seeing old friends, your classmates will be having a ball! Add to the fun by providing refreshments for your guests. If your reunion will be a more formal event, you may want to have a sit-down dinner, but for more casual atmospheres, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will do just fine! Call local restaurants (maybe an old school favourite?) and have party caterers.

Tying Up Loose Ends

Now that you’ve got most of the big stuff secured, don’t forget the last few details! Be sure to find a potential hotel to suggest for traveling guests and send out this information as soon as possible to allow everyone time to book a room. For those hard-to-reach, make a point to call around 3 months before the reunion to help get every classmate you can to the event. Lastly, remember to contact all special invitees such as teachers and headmasters/mistresses! The more the merrier! With all these tips under your belt, we’re confident you’re ready to plan the best possible school reunion your classmates could have imagined!

Five brilliant ways to remember your event

Posted on by

Eyecon Art

Okay so technically we’re breaking our own rule in that opening paragraph as Eyecon Art is essentially a photograph. But don’t go thinking that this is the same as hiring a photographer for an event. Rather than capture you standing awkwardly by the DJ as you ponder which canapés to chow down on, Eyecon Art will have you heading home with an incredibly close-up shot of your eye. Every iris is unique and dare we say it, look tremendous!

Caricaturist

If you’re looking to hire a caricaturist for an event, then you have got to make sure that you are fine with having your eyebrows accentuated and your nose looking a little larger than in real life. But that’s all part of the fun! A good caricaturist knows how to draw a cartoon-style representation of their subject without causing offence and the best part is that with modern technology being what it is, you can take home a paper or digital version.

Silhouette Artist

The heights of the vaudeville era are in full display in the form of a silhouette artist, who can snip your profile into a piece of black card in the space of a matter of minutes. The best bit about this incredible form of party entertainment is that you can go home and frame your silhouette later, with each individual creation being stuck onto a quality back lining.

Mash Machine

Why does everything that provides a memory of an event have to be visual? The answer is that they don’t, especially when you’re dealing with the Mash Machine, an fabulous box of audio delights which allows you to be the DJ! After moving around a few small squares (or even chocolates which you could take home!), you’ll be created your very own music track with drum beats, bass lines and a solid rhythm guitar section to impress your friends. If you make a particularly compelling piece of music then you can save your track and enjoy it on the way home on your iPod. Amazing.

Screen Printing

Whether you call it screen printing, letter pressing or something completely different, these fabulous contraptions can have you created your very own work of art in no time! Popular at Somerset House every summer, you too can discover the art of the print. Remember not to limit yourself to paper or card; should you so desire you can create your design on a T-shirt. Wear your creation and remember that party in style!

The Wallace Collection

Posted on by

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.

If you’re looking to hire a 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 party 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.

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 entertainment and is truly beautiful in the way it blends different styles of the old and the new.

History Themed Events

Posted on by

Who doesn’t love a bit of history? When it comes to themed parties, many people tend to pick something based on a television show, film or book series. They might even theme it around the current time of year or something that’s currently in the news. But why not have more historical parties? History themed events can be great fun and here we’ll run through a couple of good ideas to get you up and running.

Location, location, location!

It’s no good holding your historical party in a venue that doesn’t suit what you’re aiming for. Sure, you could probably hold your event in the local village hall but it doesn’t exactly scream Henry VIII and grandiose, does it? What we’re trying to say is that it doesn’t really scream ‘ye olde’ when it was built in the 1970s. No, what you need is to hire a venue for your event that actually has a bit of history to it! We’re thinking Historical Royal Palaces Hampton Court Palace, Banqueting House or even the British Museum, which has a fine catalogue of ancient items nestled within its walls. So if you want to go historical, start with the setting!

Costumes!

We know that not all people like fancy dress, deeming it to be a lot of effort compared to just turning up in your work clothes. But not every event has a historical theme affixed to it! Costumes are a must if you want to take guests back in time properly and if you’re really wanting to make your party stand out, why not hire costumed characters to complete the look? Coming with astonishingly detailed costumes that make for fabulous photos, we provide actors who can play anyone from history be it a poor peasant worker through to royalty!Don’t forget to hire a costume for yourself as well!

Royal Footmen and Jesters!

Well it’d hardly be a historical affair without some form of comedy would it? The royals famously enjoyed being entertained at their banquets by many a fool and you can recreate this by hiring royal footmen or jesters to add to the flavour of your historically themed event. They don’t just meet and greet either; the jesters are able to perform on stilts, entertain with incredible acrobatics and can even hula hoop if you ask them to! We admit that this may not be as historically accurate as other suggestions but we’re fairly certain that your guests will be beaming from ear to ear at their antics!

Lutists!

It’s not really a party if you don’t have music now, is it? We acknowledge that the idea of long summer nights is now a couple of months behind us, but that’s no excuse not to have some form of olde entertainment front and centre for guests to enjoy. Be they providing background music or a short and intimate show, lutists are sure to impress, you’ll almost certainly believe that you have gone back in time.

A Memento!

What’s the point in having an incredible party if you can’t take home a lovely memento at the end of the evening? We don’t think many guests really want a party bag comprising of a piece of cake, a cheap toy and a pencil, so why not go one further and allow them to go home with a caricature or silhouette outline of themselves? These have been extremely popular forms of entertainment historically and still go down well today. Great fun and you’ll be able to remember your history themed party for time immemorial.

Events for 2017

Posted on by

Tech

There’s no doubt about it, tech is here to stay and is looking to proliferate across the industry. We’ve already seen it in some instances; those attending various conferences in 2016 will have been given a barcode with their name imprinted on it upon entry and any stall whom you choose to engage with will almost certainly scan the code to add your information to their database. It’s quick and easy and these technologies are set to continue if the recent CES conference in the US is anything to go by.

Pretty much every item you use in your home is being connected to the internet in some form, so you can rest assured that before too long, there’ll be numerous new ways to interact at events. As for the event entertainment, well last year there was a rise in drone use during performances – including one that garnered a lot of praise on Britain’s Got Talent.

Intimacy

With companies and organisations still a tad uncertain about the political landscape thanks to Trump and Brexit, it appears that events will come across as a little more subdued, especially at the start of 2017. Gone are the parties where attendees number into their thousands and it’s intimacy which is the order of the day. With a small number of invited guests, companies are able to more effectively align the evening to those in attendance. Dinners are proving exceptionally popular with harpists and other background music naturally being booked to enhance the occasion, whilst we also expect larger companies to not have a number of smaller events across rather than one larger one. It keeps people in their industry talking, there’s more fun to be had and incredibly, it may even be cheaper in the long run!

Creativity

It makes sense that with the economic outlook uncertain, individuals and companies would get creative in order to receive the most bang for their buck. Whether this means creating their own act to best symbolise their business rather than hiring entertainment on the fly, or theming a party to make sure that it is as memorable as possible, creativity is the order of the day! We have a whole host of unique entertainment to hire whilst there are numerous ways in which to help make your chosen theme the best it can be including Costumed Characters and various acts that be personalised to attendees. One final thing, don’t go for a tired theme – try and think of something you haven’t heard before and we guarantee that the event planners involved will be just as excited as you about your party!

The spookier the better

Posted on by

Americans go all out for Halloween and now the UK are following suite there is now not an excuse to go to town and decorate your house for the best party in your neighbourhood.

Transforming your home to a haunted house can be a great way to stand out. Red Masque directory has many party entertainers for hire that will enhance any Haunted House experience. Whether you want to stand out in the neighbourhood or attract more customers to your haunted house, Red Masque can help! Here are few great ideas for enhancing your haunted house that we advertise:

Smoke machines – From low lying smoke that gives that graveyard look to haze that allows beams of lights to be seen easily, smoke is an essential item for your haunted house.
Walkabout artist – why not hire your very own ghost that can mingle with your guests or to welcome your guests in. Imagine the scene, they look so amazing that guests are wondering if these authentic ghosts are really real??? They won’t say a word; they will just glide around your venue looking extremely spooky!
Strobe Lighting – These are a very effective way to scare your patrons in dark environments that haunted houses are known for and when utilized with ambient sound FX you can create a great “stormy night” effect.
Black Lights – Utilizing these lights add a great glow to decor and surroundings. They can also be utilized to highlight specially designed makeup and face paint that can be applied to decor and the zombies roaming around the house.

Why not look on our directory today to find the best Halloween artists out there. Hire a smoke machine, strobe lights, sound and lights for a night or a month. All of the entertainment you see if ready to be hired ready to spook your guests all Halloween season long.

Start Your Event With A Bang!

Posted on by

A typical illusion show tends to last for around 30-45 minutes meaning it’s a great way to kick start your event being long enough to include a range of laugh out loud comedy moments and astonishing magic but short enough to ensure that there’s still plenty of time for guests to enjoy the rest of the evening you have planned for them.

Interactive, Unique And Amazing!
Suitable for all ages, our Illusion Show is interactive and will have everyone on the edge of their seats!

Featuring epic grand illusions that have been custom designed for you alone, live show offers bizarre, strange, hilarious and unique routines unlike anything you have seen before!

The Illusionists bring you a show you’ll remember forever! Original and exciting, this unique act will leave your guests in astonishment with amazing illusions and laugh out loud comedy!

To book illusionists just look on our Directory where you will see a whole choice to choose from. Booking from Red Masque has never been easier.

South American entertainment

Posted on by

Why not embrace all that Latin spirit, hold a fun World Cup party for all your mates, and learn the life-loving, hip-swaying moves that Latin American footie fans do so well with a Latin dance band.
Go Dance
Top of your list should be the Latamba Show Band, who bring all the energy, exuberant and sequins of a Latin Brazilian party to any venue. These guys really know how to dance. Guests can sit back and enjoy a fantastic live band, vocalists and dancers performing a great show, before joining in on the dance floor! They also offer a small space/small budget option with backing tracks instead of the full bands, but still keeping all that energy and sense of fun.
Go Mega
If you want to push the carnival float out a contemporary Brazilian carnival band for hire that can fill your party with music from the streets and clubs of Rio de Janeiro. This is no small scale outfit either Carnival Bands are made up of around 25-30 musicians including five percussionists, a singer, a Brazilian ukulele player, and two gorgeous dancers in full carnival style costume!

Go Sit Down!

If learning all those dances seems a little too much like hard work, do what most football fans do, and sit back with a beer and enjoy watching the professionals do it! Carnival Party bands have their own troupe of dancers, whose performances feature Carnival samba costumes, sensual mulatta dancers, Capoeira (Brazilian acrobatic martial art dance), Lambada, Afro-Brazilian dance, Brazilian north eastern folkloric dances and much more.

Choose A Great Venue

Posted on by

If you choose a great party venue you won’t need to spend as much time dressing it up to look good. There are loads of interesting venues out there to suit a wide variety of styles and themes. Have a look and visit before you hire.

Remember that if guests are travelling from out of the area, it helps if the venue is easy to find. Consider how easy it is to find parking, and also how much accommodation is available near by. The easier it is for your guests to attend, the more likely they are to come.
Entertain Your Guests, Book A Live Band
Most people are happy to have a party DJ, but anyone who’s been to a party with a live band will tell you how much better the night was.

You need something to really get guests excited and live party bands do exactly that. They’re interactive, energetic and fun. Not everyone likes to dance, but with a great live band, performing the best classic and modern party songs, even the most ardent anti-dancers will be rocking out, arm in arm, singing along on the dance floor with guests they only met a few hours ago.

Book a live band and they’ll make the party. It’s a sound investment and your guests will love you for it.
Drinks On Arrival To Welcome Guests
It’s a small touch that really shows you care about welcoming your guests, and it ensures everyone feels positive as soon as they arrive. It’s your way to thank people for coming, and it gets people in the mood to party.

In a practical sense, it also helps to alleviate the early queues at the bar, something which is sure to dampen spirits and cause frustration.

Some venues will arrange for a member of staff to personally serve drinks as your guests arrive, or you can choose to have a selection of drinks available on tables near the entrance.

As a side note, when you book your venue, get a confirmation of how many bar staff are included. Make sure you’ll get enough bar staff to ensure a fast turn around of drinks at the bar, otherwise guests will spend the whole night there.