Tag Archives: party

10 quick tips to help your day run as smoothly as possible…

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Whether you’re planning a family or a corporate fun day, you’ll want to achieve an incredible atmosphere. Here’s 10 quick tips to help you run your day as smoothly as possible, and ensure everyone has a great time!

1. Book a suitable space

Decide where your fun day will be held and book it well in advance. A local pub garden, school field or community hall are all good places to hold a fun day. You need to make sure there is adequate room for everything you have planned. Also check if there are toilets and power available. You can add some little touches, such as bunting to bring the place to life, or choose a theme for throughout the fun day.

2. Logistics

The chances are, your chosen location, will not have insurance for all the activities you have planned. You will need to make sure you have suitable insurance for everything you have planned and ensure all electrical equipment is tested by relevant inspectors.
You will also need to ensure risk assessments are completed to make sure everyone is safe.

3. Choosing a date and time

Make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to organise the day. You’ll be much more relaxed when the day comes along if you know you’ve spent time planning all the details.
Choose a date that doesn’t clash with anything such as big sporting events like football cup finals, or Wimbledon finals. Create a realistic timeline for the day and take into consideration the time needed to set and clean up.

4. Something for the kids

A good variety of stalls and activities ensures kids will have a great time and never want to leave. Children of all ages enjoy face painting and inflatable slides. Play zones are a great option for little ones, and for those a bit older, circus school workshops and rodeo sheep are great opportunities to show off their skills.

5. Something for the big kids!

We all have an inner child that wants to get out and have some fun! Adults are bound to be competing with the smaller guests on most activities, but items such as cash grabbers, gladiator jousts, sumo costumes, and a rodeo bull are great fun for adults who enjoy a fun challenge.

6. Refreshments

Kids of all ages will be needing some refreshments to give them energy to keep on having fun.
Candyfloss, ice cream and popcorn, are great options to keep the party atmosphere.

7. Shelter in case of rain

As we all know, the British weather cannot be trusted! It is worth thinking about hiring canopies, tents and or marques for shelter, should it rain.

8. Something Personal

You may want to add that personal touch to your fun day. Whether it’s a business fun day and you want somewhere for business cards and flyers, or a fun wedding and you’d like somewhere to put the cake, an empty wooden cart is the ideal space to do this.

9. Somewhere to relax

Having so much fun can occasionally catch up with you! Your guests will really appreciate a spot to take the weight off their feet and recharge for some more fun. Deck chairs are a fab way to keep the fun atmosphere and provide a comfy spot to relax. If you want something really fun, a giant deck chair is just the thing!

10. Book us!

At Red Masque, we advertise a wide selection of high quality equipment to suit all ages, we offer advice through our blogs so your event will be hassle free making your event the most exciting day that you have ever hosted.

Nothing beats a good fun day.

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Here at Red Masque, we offer a wide selection of fun and exciting equipment to help make your event a huge success.

Whether it’s a small corporate fun day for 50 guests or a large scale event for up to 3,000 people, we advertise 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 Family Fun Day is a giant triumph and goes ahead without any hiccups, here are 6 key things to think about when planning a fun day…

Whatever equipment you’re hiring be it the side stalls and rodeo bulls or deck chairs and inflatable slides, each piece of equipment will have its 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.

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 in case 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. 

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.

 

RECOMMENDATIONS ON PLANNING THE PERFECT PARTY

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When organising a party, it is crucial that you choose a venue that is easily accessible. By choosing a good venue, you will greatly decrease the amount of time and effort it takes you to dress it up. Whether you are planning a Bar Mitzvah, Christmas party, wedding, corporate event there are plenty of interesting venues to choose from.

If you have guests arriving from out of town, it is a good idea to ensure that the venue is easy to find. In addition, consider parking access and whether or not there are accommodations nearby where your guests can stay.

To show your guests how much you appreciate them coming to your event, greet them with a drink. This gives you a chance to welcome them, set a positive vibe, and get your guests in the mood to party. A popular entertainment option to do this is by hiring one of Red Masque Living Human Table, the tables will entertain in the character of your choice, create an exciting buzz and meet and greet your guests on arrival with champagne, or a drink of your choice.

It also works for practical reasons. After all, it will prevent long queues from forming at the bar, which only results in irritated and frustrated guests.

When booking your venue, it is important to get a confirmation of the number of bar staff that will be included. You will need to be certain there is an adequate number of bar staff to ensure a fast turnaround of drinks at the bar. Otherwise, your guests will spend most of their night standing around waiting for a drink.

It’s a good idea to book a venue where the bar is in the same room as your party. If not, your dance floor will rarely be more than half full. If the bar is in an entirely different room, people will end up congregating there to talk.

To encourage mingling, start the party off with some exciting party entertainment. This is a particularly good time to break the ice in those awkward moments when you have only just met other guests and family for the first time. Red Masque directory has something completely unexpected, such as a magician, fortune teller, celebrity lookalikes, or a caricaturist. Guests will be drawn together to discuss what is going on, which will get them interacting with each other.

If you choose a caricaturists, it also creates the opportunity to send your guests home with a truly unique party favour.

Whether you are planning a Private Party, Wedding, Prom, Bar Mitzvah, or Corporate Event, you can’t go wrong by hiring a live band. While it’s true that most guests are content with a party DJ, anyone who has ever attended a party with a live band will tell you that it made the night so much better. In fact, it is not unusual for guests or even the person the party is honouring to admit that a live band is what made the night truly unforgettable.

After all, live party bands will get your guests excited and pumped up. While not everyone likes to dance, even the most ardent anti dancer won’t be able to stop themselves when a great live band is performing classic and modern party songs.

This is your party, so you need to be right in the middle of your guests having just as much fun as they are. Don’t spend the night running around trying to organise everything. If you are having a good time, everybody else will too. If you are having a miserable, stressful night, expect that vibe to rub off on your guests.

Have the night of your life!!

Plan your Christmas event well in advance

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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. Chosen Events know exactly how to organise a first class event and we understand what it takes to make a memorable party.

If you are in charge of organising the Christmas Party, then now is the time to begin booking your entertainment to avoid disappointment simply because entertainment is often booked months in advance.

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 Chosen Events will have something 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 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. 

So where do you start?

We have put together a list of entertainment acts that we believe can turn your Christmas party into something spectacular.

The snow globe acrobats is a show that is full of visuals and excitement – a truly unforgettable experience

The act involves two acrobats and it takes place in a stunning snow globe where they carry out an amazing balancing routine whilst they are showered in glitter. This act is enchanting and breath taking and we can guarantee the whole thing will leave your guests amazed. The perfect show, set in a winter wonderland theme it is clear so see why it is so popular

This is the perfect way for your guests to really remember a magnificent event by having their photo taken so that they have something to take home with them. Professional photographers will be snapping away while your guests are in the snow globe and with free unlimited prints, print customisation and a props box, there is lots of fun to be had. The snow globe photo booth comes in a number of sizes but this is the perfect addition. Immediate prints, ready to take away- your guests are guaranteed to remember every moment of your Christmas Party! 

If you want your event to offer something different then the Photo wall is certainly unique.  It may be Christmas but your guests will be able to choose from many backgrounds making their Christmas Party experience one that is full of excitement and fun

It has never been so much fun having your photo taken, but grabbing a friend and choosing a whacky backdrop or film scene will have your guests coming back for more. The whole thing from start to finish takes 30 seconds with your guests being able to take immediate prints, ready to take away.

Planning is key to a perfect Corporate Event

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Corporate events are a very important part of any company’s annual calendar, as they help promote the business internally and externally, as well as reinforcing brand values and corporate messages. 

They can also forge links with existing and potential clients and improve staff morale. A lot can hinge on a corporate event – be it a convention, exhibition, awards dinner or conference – including the good name of the company and its reputation.

A successful corporate event will be down to many factors including location, food, and atmosphere and, of course, the all-important entertainment. 

Entertainment can make or break a corporate event and making the most out of any act, show or performer can be hugely beneficial. Good corporate entertainment can leave guests with a memorable experience and reinforce a company’s image, brand and corporate message. Good entertainment can even attract publicity (of the good sort!).

Deciding on the Right Entertainment

Corporate event professionals will first have to take a few factors into consideration when ensuring that the entertainment ‘fits’ the event:

• Determine age, social background and sex, and choose entertainment accordingly. A tribute to ‘One Direction’ or ‘Justin Bieber’ may be suitable for a corporate family day event, but not for a black tie gala dinner.

• Venue size and location is a factor that many event planners and organisers forget (or remember at the last minute!). This is important, as it will play a part in deciding whether or not you can have that aerial team you want or full scale swing band!

• Cost. Do you have a strict budget that you have to work within, or is money not a problem? The amount of money a company is prepared to spend on entertainment will affect the options available.

Arrange a surprise party

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Surprise parties are great, but not for the surprise party planner. Trying to organize entertainment, invite guests, get your catering sorted and make sure the whole event goes off without a hitch (while keeping everything under wraps from your VIP guest) can be a real headache! Entertainment Ideas is here to help you take the mystery out of booking entertainment online by promoting only the acts we know and love and can personally guarantee.

The key to a great surprise party is to keep it just that. Sometimes when the person whose party it is for has inkling there may be a party planned for them you can actually tell on their face; the whole element of surprise will be forced.

Here are some tips to try and keep that party a secret. Make sure you do the entire organisation yourself and keep it under wraps then invite your guests at the very last minute. Telling your guests a long time in advance can mean that someone will let the cat out of the bag. Obviously if you’re inviting people from abroad you will need to get your invites out as soon as possible.

You could also pretend to potential guests and your VIP guest that you are having a family get-together for Aunty Maud who is going away. Your unsuspecting VIP guest will be well surprised that the family get together is actually just for them!! Of course Aunty Maud would have to be someone who can keep a secret and is very good at keeping stum, (there’s always one member of the family who is extremely discrete and you can trust them implicitly)

So now it’s time to hire performers and entertainment to really get the party started. Red Masque directory artists advertised are always vetted and approved. Ready to party? Fill out our online enquiry form to book your entertainment. We’re ready to help you get your party started!

Have some BBQ fun

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The sun is shining; the radio is turned up to full volume and the smell of BBQ’s start to fill the summer air.

The BBQ Party season has started. That’s when you know it’s time to bring out the BBQ and host your own party. But why not make your BBQ party unique and fun by incorporating some BBQ Party Ideas in the form of entertainment and games throughout the day and evening.

Underneath are a few simple ideas to make your BBQ party the highlight of the summer.

BBQ Party Entertainment 

 BBQ Party Games

Become a child again at your BBQ party by hiring some large outdoor games such as giant jenga, archery, giant connect 4 and even twister. This will keep your guests entertained throughout the BBQ party and will give them a chance to mix and mingle as well. Giant games are such an easy and effective style of entertainment that will definitely make your BBQ party the talk of the street. Other BBQ Party ideas could include bouncy castles, rodeo, or even bubble machines.

BBQ Drinks Delight

Beverages at a BBQ party are of high importance. Here are some BBQ party ideas to make your catering that little something different. To save you money and time ask your guests to bring their own drink. Or try out the new craze sweeping across the nation relating to beverage catering at BBQ parties, your very own Cocktail artist and bar. Hire a cocktail artist to greet your guests with some freshly made cocktails at your BBQ party. You could even name the cocktails to fit in with your summer BBQ. Trust me when I say this… you and your guests will love sipping on a cold cocktail in the warm sunshine.

BBQ Party Music

Every BBQ party needs music. But sometimes a playlist being played on a MP3 player can be quite monotonous and played out. So why not put that extra spark (pun intended) into your BBQ party and hire a musician or a DJ. A classical guitarist would create the perfect atmosphere at your BBQ party and give it that extra wow factor… seriously, how many BBQ’s have you been to with a professional guitarist playing just for you. Not many, so get on it. Also hire a local DJ to provide the evening music, this gives you the chance to mingle with your guests knowing that the music is in safe hands.

 BBQ Party Ideas – Extra Tips

. Send invites 2 weeks before the BBQ party
. Make a note of any special dietary requirements
. Ensure you have all necessary equipment (plates, cups, cutlery, BBQ!!)
. Purchase the food the day before the BBQ party and prep as much as you can.
. Overall, have fun, smile and enjoy your party!

So kick off the summer season in style with a fun and lively BBQ party. Take some inspiration from our BBQ Party Ideas and enjoy the long evenings with your closest friends and family. Summer won’t last forever so if you’re going to have a BBQ party, have it in style. 

It’s all for charity

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You are about to organise one of the most rewarding events possible, a Charity event!

A charity event takes time, organisation and a lot of patience. But when carried out correctly, your event could be the highlight of your guest’s lives.

Charity events can range from the ever so pretty cake sale, or even a coffee morning, right up to a lavish black tie event. Whichever type of event you decide for your charity night the main aim is to create awareness for this charity and to hopefully raise some funds.

Underneath are your top ten tips when organising a charity event. Please feel free to add your own valuable ideas below which could help others organising a charity event.

Top 10 Tips for a Charity Event

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 full a 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 Tiger Woods in your mists. The 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 – I 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 s 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 moment 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 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.


Engagement party ideas

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Your journey has now begun and you are both on your way to being Mr & Mrs. but before you walk down the aisle or have that romantic first dance, you need to have the ever so popular engagement party! The engagement party is the time to get all your friends and family together to celebrate the brilliant news. Many questions surround engagement parties such as who organises the party, how close after the engagement should the party be, who should we invite etc. Well, here are some ideas…

Set the date- This is the most popular question… When is the right time for an engagement party? Well firstly, when you are engaged is a good start, but I figure you already know that! So the most popular time frame for an engagement party is within the first 4 months of your engagement. This is because there will still be such excitement and this is the calm before the storm of wedding planning. Go show off that new engagement ring, dance together as an engaged couple and enjoy the planning of the engagement party.

The Guest List- Firstly, do not invite guests to the engagement party who will not be invited to your wedding. This has happened before and can be quite rude. So make sure that the guests at your party will also be partying with you on your wedding day. The guest list can be as small or big as you like. Many future brides and grooms prefer for the engagement party just to be close family and the full bridal party. Others want all their loved ones there, which can be very fun as you can then decide who is going to be that crazy friend at the wedding, which uncle will do the embarrassing dance first and which mum will cry first… yes these are some of the things to look forward to.
Invites- State clearly that is an engagement party, and not your wedding! You would be surprised at how often this happens. Also tell your guests the venue, time and dress code if applicable. Your engagement invites should represent what you and your fiancé are like as a couple so if you are having a formal engagement party, your invites should portray this. But if it is non-formal and more of a knees up then your invites do not have to be as formal. I know I know, but it is the small detail which makes all the difference!
Decorations- This is the part you can have loads of fun with. You could go and buy some engagement banners and balloons and have the balloons filled with helium for table centre pieces. These can be found very easily from any party store. You could also print out loads of photos of you and your fiancé from the day you met to the present day and place them around the room, your guests will love looking at these and it will bring back some beautiful memories. You could choose a theme for your engagement party and play on this. Even get your guests to dress up so your party really will be unique.
Entertainment- Your engagement party is overall the first steps towards your wedding and therefore it is a reflection of your wedding day. Your entertainment can be kept simple with a DJ and a few fun family games or you could go all out and hire a live band. Live bands are a great source of entertainment at an engagement party as they can talk to the crowd and really get them involved. You could also find some unique entertainment ideas such as a fun casino, caricature artist, a magician and even hire out a photo booth. The world is your oyster when it comes to your engagement party entertainment.
Overall just enjoy it all. This is you and your fiancés first official party as an engaged couple and that is all that matters. It is all about celebrating this massive milestone in each other’s lives and also spending it with your friends and family.

What to look out for when booking a band

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Booking a band for any event can be tricky. What type of music, what size of band, and what price should I pay? These are the most common questions a person asks themselves when they have been given the task of booking a band. Yes these are important questions but there are a few small things to look out for when booking a band. Here are 5 things to look out for when booking a band- 

1- Always sign a contract – More often than enough we hear the ever dreaded horror stories of bands. Whether it is the band hasn’t showed up at all, the band has double booked or the band has got a flat tyre and can’t make it to your event. Well this is why you need to sign a contract; if any of these unfortunate circumstances happen then at least you have the right to get your money back. So always ask for a contract and make sure that it covers you under all circumstances. 
2- Reviews- These are the Holy Grail of bands and also for customers. You can look for testimonials on Facebook pages, the bands own website and even on online forums. Also ask friends and family if they have heard of any good bands in the local area. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful sources so use it, it is free!
3- Price wisely – This is where you’re budget comes into play. Please stop everything you are doing and read this part as this is extremely important… You are not going to get a fully live 4 piece band for £200!  At the end of the day, you get what you pay for. So be realistic with your budget. A live 6 piece band would cost you between £800 – £1200 so if this is the size you would like, and then expect to pay the higher bracket of money. If you find a 6 piece band and they are charging less than this then as the saying goes, it is too good to be true!
4- Past Clients – Bands styles can change in various events. Music that perfectly suits a wedding ceremony may not be so well suited to an awards ceremony. Make sure that the band you are after fits your event and music style perfectly. Therefore if you are a corporate event organiser ensure that your band have had vast experience playing at corporate gigs. Same goes for weddings, birthday parties, award ceremonies etc. So always research the bands past clients and this will be able to give you an insight into the bands history. 
5- Local Bands v Further Afield Bands – This is a secret tip within the entertainment industry… if you have an event and need a band hire a band within a 30 mile radius. This means you are not paying extravagant amounts of money for extra travel and most entertainers will have the first 30 miles free. Some bands will even charge £2 a mile, after you already pay for your band I’m sure that £100 for travel alone will just not be worth it. So source out some great local bands that will play the exact music you like without the crazy travel costs!