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Corporate event team building ideas

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London is the UK’s capital and it’s home to thousands of successful businesses, and perfect for party and event venues. Here are some more fun facts about London:
Most visited city in Europe
More languages are spoken here than any other city in the world
Heathrow is the busiest airport in the world
Here are 7 fun corporate event team building ideas for London…

1. Sack Race/ Egg and Spoon Race/ Tug of War
Remember those classic school sports day events like tug of war and sack race?

Relive the school days and have a laugh with your colleagues by hiring these activities and heading to one of the city’s green areas including Greenwich Park, Green Park, or Kensington Gardens.
These are huge green spaces that are free to use and perfect for some fresh outdoor fun!

2. Roll A Ball Donkey Derby
London is renowned for its races from Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium to the Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race. Channel your competitiveness and whittle out the boys from the men with our

It’s great fun for all those involved and it can take place indoors so it’s not weather permitting which is ideal, especially given the great British climate!

3. Archery Hire
Pick up your bow and arrow, take aim and bullseye! Archery is a fantastic team building exercise- it’s a low impact and a safe sport for all abilities.

Archery was a big sport in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Held over an eight-day period, four events took place in front of around 6,500 spectators. It is a truly historic sport, a contest of mind and body control, as well as precision.

It has roots dating back to its use as a weapon of hunting and war in ancient times- so what are you waiting for, hunt for food and wage war with your boss with our help!

4. It’s A Knockout
It’s a Knockout was a classic British comedy game show first broadcast in 1966.
It was adapted from a French show and the series was broadcast for over 15 years on BBC1. It has since returned to our screens on numerous occasions but the games have always remained the same- school sports day for adults.

Recreate the fun for your business with with party suppliers a frantic, energetic, highly motivating game that is thoroughly entertaining.

5. Build a Tower
The Tower of London is a famous historical castle, otherwise known as Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress.

Based on the River Thames in central London, it’s a popular tourist attraction alongside the Tower Bridge and Big Ben.

If you’re fed up of looking out of your office window and seeing the iconic structures day in day out, why not recreate them in the comfort of your own office space with our Build a Tower Team Building.

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!

Truly unique

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We at Red Masque have the best unique artists to hire out for your special event; we have below suggested some great things to consider. It’s quite hard to come up with different things to do so we hope we have just given you a little taster of what we have on offer:

If you do decide for your party that you are going to travel into town and visit some extravagant wine bars, why not hire a limo and be treated like a star all night too! You could include some true star quality and hire Paparazzi photographers to follow you wherever you go – you’ll be guaranteed to attract plenty of attention and have some fabulous shots of your night to treasure forever!

If you think that your party group are the outdoors type, then have you considered organise some giant games to play outside. Another great idea is circus training! Your party can learn a range of amazing circus tricks taught by professionals and come away from the party with a skill to enjoy and show-off for life. These artists are so much fun and guaranteed to thrill all your guests.

How about a Murder Mystery Night? Mingle your guests with brilliant characters and watch a murder unfold before your eyes leaving the guests as detectives trying to found out “who dunnit”! It’s a superbly thrilling evening where you learn who to trust and who not to trust while you work out who committed the terrible crime but beware of twists in the tale….!

Alternatively, you could hire some themed dance acts to really get all your guests in the spirit at they dance the night away in their themed dress. Don’t forget to include some suitable dance entertainment such as some Burlesque dancers which will be very entertaining for both sexes. There are a whole host of entertainment to book, just glance through all of our entertainment for hire to give you some more ideas.

We hope we’ve given you some food for thought.

Throw and Black and Orange Halloween party

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Looking for a festive and fun kids Halloween party theme this year? Throw a black and orange themed party, complete with pumpkins, spiders and witches – oh my! Here are few tips on how to get started:

Invitations: Send perfectly themed Halloween invitations that feature the black and orange colour scheme and will appeal to kids. Don’t forget to remind your guests to wear their costumes! Free online invitations are the easiest, fastest way to invite guests to your party.

Treats: Serve up some delicious black and orange snacks and desserts that kids will love! Make pumpkin shaped Rice Krispies treats with orange frosting, Oreo cookie spiders using thin pretzel sticks for legs, or dark chocolate-dipped apple slices.

Drinks: No Halloween party theme entertainment is complete without a signature punch! This black-coloured punch goes well with the overall black and orange party theme, and can be served over dry ice for an extra spooky effect. Try this quick recipe to impress all your witches and goblins!           

Witch’s Brew Punch

• 1 can grape soda
• 1 can frozen orange juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 litre of ginger ale
• 2 pints of cold water

Mix all ingredients together, and serve over ice in a large punch bowl.

Games: Incorporate black and orange themed games into your Halloween party! Play Pumpkin Ring Toss, Pin the Spider on the Web, or have a Monster Mash costume parade around your neighbourhood or garden!

Decorations: Use creative Halloween decorations that complement your colour theme. Pumpkins are a natural choice to incorporate orange into your party, and they provide both decoration and an activity. Encourage guests to decorate them with markers, paint, glitter glue, and more. No carving needed! You could also draw spooky faces on orange and black balloons with black and white paint markers! Place them around your party space at various heights for an easy way to decorate.  If your party is in the evening, hang orange glow sticks from the trees for a creative backdrop to all the fun!

This classic Halloween theme allows for a lot of creativity as your plan your child’s next Halloween party.  Use these spirited ideas to help bring your party theme to life, and enjoy the haunts and thrills with your little ones this Halloween season!

Bring back the deck chair!!

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When the sun does eventually shine in the UK most of us heads to the seaside to catch some rays.

Usually we bring a blanket to put down on the beach. But for the some of us that find it difficult to get back up again after, a deck chair may be quite attractive!! Lugging a deck chair to the beach doesn’t really appeal does it? 

Many large English resorts, like Blackpool, used to rent deck chairs out for just £1.50 a day. Over 68,000 chairs were rented out in 2003 but over the years they have been slowly phased out.

But what happens when you hire a deck chair; how do you actually put it up and how do you get into it gracefully? 

It’s not rocket science to be able to put up a deck chair but for some, it can seem quite a tricky process and if you aren’t careful, you can get your fingers trapped. If you have never put a deck chair up before, it can be bewildering but practice makes perfect.

So here is an A-Z on how to put up a deck chair with zero-fuss and get into it smoothly:

Point both folding arms upwards and stand the folded chair vertically. 

Next, rotate the longer arm away from the frame until it can no longer go any further.

Then, repeat step 2 with the shorter arm and fix the bar in place in one of the pivots/notches of the longer arm. 

Place the upright chair on the ground and adjust the seating accordingly. Make sure it is stable.

Lay your feet firmly on the ground and slowly sit down, holding onto the arms for support. If you’re wearing a dress or a skirt, keep your feet together when you sit down and try sitting down on a side angle.

And relax! Sit back and enjoy your event in style. However, be careful not to lean back too much or you could end up tumbling backwards. 

Remember to always hold onto the arms for support when standing up, or you could end up on your bottom. Alternatively, just ask someone to give you a hand!

Don’t shy away from these fantastic alternative furniture items; they always make people smile and are a fantastic talking point for your event! 

Interested in hiring a deck chair for your event? If you need some inspiration, please check out our directory for more beach themed event hire! 

Here are some fab, fun facts on the history of deck chairs:

Mr John Thomas Moore was the very first person that took out a patent for the adjustable folding chair back in 1886. 

The British businessman manufactured deck chairs in Macclesfield and even supplied them to the infamous Titanic, of which only six survived the sinking. One was even sold at auction for £35,000 back in 2001.  

However, the comfy pieces of furniture can also be traced as far back as the ancient Egyptians. 

A love for Puppets

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British children’s television in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s made stars of some puppets, from the marionettes ‘Muffin the Mule’, ‘Andy Pandy’, ‘Bill and Ben’, ‘Lady Penelope’, ‘Parker’, ‘Troy Tempest’ and ‘Captain Scarlet’ to the glove puppets ‘Sooty and Sweep’ and ‘Basil Brush’ as well as the American sock puppet ‘Lamb Chop’ (who was still operated by hand). The Pipkins’ ‘Hartley Hare’ was a rod puppet and Jim Henson created many different types of puppets for ‘Sesame Street’ and ‘The Muppets’ which British audiences loved.

Britain’s first purpose-built puppet theatre, The Harlequin Theatre, was opened by Eric Bramall at Rhos-on-Sea, North Wales in 1958, followed by John Wright’s Little Angel Theatre in Islington in 1961, Ray and Joan DaSilva’s Norwich Puppet Theatre in 1980, Gren and Juliet Middleton’s Puppet Theatre Barge on the Regent’s Canal in 1982, and The Biggar Puppet Theatre, opened near Edinburgh by The Purves Puppets in 1986. Artist and Illustrator Mary Shillabeer created various full-scale marionette shows in the 1970s and 1980s, some of which appeared during the Edinburgh Festival, including ‘Peter and the Wolf’, ‘Boite a Jou-Jou’ (The Toy Box) and ‘Babar the Elephant’.

‘Spitting Image’ puppets, created for television in the 1980s by Peter Fluck and Roger Law, renewed the 18th-century tradition of satirical puppetry at a time when many innovative British touring puppet show companies were established, and theatre companies such as Forkbeard Fantasy began using large scale puppetry in their work.

Muffin the Mule, the first marionette to become a television star, is seen here with his presenter Annette Mills.

Muffin was carved in 1934 by Fred Tickner, a famous maker of Punch and Judy puppets, for Ann Hogarth and her husband Jan Bussell, who formed The Hogarth Puppets in 1932. For their show they wanted a comic-looking mule with a big head that could kick his back legs at a marionette clown.

When television started again after the war in 1946, Annette Mills – sister of the actor John Mills – asked the Hogarth’s if they would make some puppets to go with her songs for the programme ‘For the Children’. The Hogarth’s suggested she used some of their puppets instead, so she wrote new songs to go with the puppets she chose – the mule and clown – which she called Muffin and Crumpet.

Muffin was later joined by other marionettes including Mr Peregrine Esquire, Louise the Lamb and Oswald the Ostrich. The act consisted of Annette Mills talking to Muffin and singing songs at the grand piano while he and his friends clattered around on its lid. His operator, Ann Hogarth, also stood there, hidden by a partition.

A few dedicated puppet theatres survive in Britain, often in the face of financial indifference from local authorities, but puppetry in 21st-century Britain is also finding new audiences with companies and productions incorporating puppetry into their work, and of course the beloved ‘Punch and Judy’ is still as popular today as ever for both young and older generations.

Ice and Lights; the perfect combination…

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Ice sculptures promote class and beauty so whatever your event you will be sure that these sculptures will cry out just that. An intricate Ice Sculpture can be extremely intriguing and also very beautiful. You may want to make a dramatic statement for your event and an Ice Sculpture would be the very thing. From centre pieces on dining tables, two sculptures depicting two lovers entwined on your very special Wedding day.

Your event wouldn’t be any sort of event if it doesn’t have the right lighting; it can bring your special event to life and create the atmosphere that you are hoping for.  You may have a large event where dramatic lighting is needed for a theatrical performance or just a small affair where a few lights would give that intimate feeling of warm and very cosy.  Whatever your event private or corporate we are sure we have the perfect lighting advertised within our Red Masque directory.

You can never be 100% sure of the British weather and hiring a Marquee is a smart if not a must if you are having an event outside or indeed you are bringing your guests from inside to outside to celebrate or to watch some hired acts.

You could be having a Wedding in your back garden or want to have a marquee for your children’s birthday party where making mess outside is far more appealing than clearing up your house afterwards. Marquees can be used for many purposes; from dance floors to banqueting you will find your perfect marquee that will make your event very special indeed.

If you need staff to meet and greet your important guests, then promotional and/or event staff could be just the thing you have been looking for. You could be having a launch party where staff is hired to wear your brand or dressed in a certain way in which they really stand out. They are able to tell potential clients all about your product whilst being very professional at all times.

You may want some ‘eye candy’ to serve drinks on trays as your guests arrive, which will look very opulent indeed and make the first impression a good one.

Eurovision Party?

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Celebrate Eurovision with a Party Theme Night & tributes to Cliff, Lulu and Abba. A European Themed Event with French, Bavarian & Greek Bands & Music! 

Drag queens will definitely be a big hit on this occasion the louder the outfits the better. Don’t forget to hire your Abba Tribute acts or even a Lulu lookalike (hopefully she’ll sound alike too?) but it doesn’t matter if they can’t; as not many can sing at Eurovision!!! It’s all about taking part that matters right??

Eurovision parties can be as elaborate as you like, the weirder the costume the better you can even dress up as a lady even if you have a beard!! Just have fun and enjoy. Tribute acts or themed acts will be needed though taking you through the eras or Eurovision from when United Kingdom was popular to vote for, all the way to nowadays when United Kingdom is always at the bottom! Why not have your very own ‘voting system’ and put on your very own talent show; you could make it a ‘fantasy’ where United Kingdom always gets ‘Twelve Points’

If this has got you thinking then get planning.  At Red Masque entertainment directory we have so many entertainments that you can hire ready for your big party ahead. The right lighting would be very important to create the ambiance it deserves.  European food caterers and don’t forget ‘Fish n Chips’

A live band, a host, decorations that would be key to this colourful event and don’t forget your flags!!!!

Now sit back and enjoy your every own Eurovision

Booking a top party DJ

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Looking at booking a DJ for your Christmas party but doesn’t know how to get the most bang for your Christmas fund? Well look no further as we’ve compiled some of our top tips on hiring the DJ with a deck to get the dancefloor jumping in bounds of jolly. Or something like that.

Whether you want to put on a festive playlist or if you want to simply leave them to it, getting a DJ to perform at your Christmas party or event is a truly tried and tested way to make sure that the good music keeps on flowing throughout the night.

Let’s just hope your colleagues remember all the hard work and research you put into finding the right DJ for your Christmas party the morning after whilst nursing a familiar combination of shame and migraine. If they do, that’s a sure sign of success.

1. Book early

Now this we cannot emphasise enough book your DJ several months before your Party.

With so many companies throwing a Christmas bash and needing to find the best DJs for their budgets its still mind boggling when it gets to December and yet still someone hasn’t booked yet. 

2. Book through an entertainment agency

This couldn’t really be emphasised enough. As said before, you could spend your time comparing rates of DJ to DJ, sending email after email attempting to get just what you’re after (only to find out they’re booked on the day of your party,).

Or, you could simply talk to those who actually have all of this knowledge stored in their brains and ready to be unleashed at the tips of their fingers. It’s why entertainment agencies exist – to provide a meaningful and effective service at finding the absolute best performer for a brief and budget.

3. Make sure you know what you’re getting

And the hypocrisy comes full circle. Do some research, check out what your DJ can do, what he or she is like, and see for yourself if they’re exactly what you’re looking for. 

Now that doesn’t mean auditioning, no no; that’s a little too much in most cases. It could be. It could be as simple as reading some testimonials or taking some advice from Red Masque.

By doing so, you’ll be better prepared (and in a safer mind-set) to stick with a choice and most importantly, be happy with it. 

4. Explore off peak options

Now of course, everybody wants to have their Christmas party on a Friday – and you all know why that is, don’t you?

Turns out, every DJ knows that too – so expect to pay a premium on weekend nights.

Due to simple supply and demand, the holiday season necessitates a premium due to the sheer amount of Christmas parties going on all around one month. It never hurts to explore different dates and times for your event to get a rate that’s a little lighter on your budget – but won’t leave your wallet feeling too light either. 

It might not always work in terms of pricing, but it certainly has the possibility to help if your preferred DJs are booked up for a certain date. 

5. Think about equipment

Most professional DJs have their own equipment, but they did pay a lot of money to purchase it in the first place so it’s expected that they’ll want to make a return on their investment. In other words, the cost is pushed onto you.

Now you should never force a performer to use equipment they’re not comfortable with or haven’t used before. That’s a given. But when it comes to stuff like PAs and microphones – well, there’s not much variation apart from how loud (and clear) they’re designed to go.

Look to see if your venue offers a cheaper option to hire the PA from and thus you won’t have to pay extra for someone to lug a van full of expensive equipment across the city centre in rush hour.

6. Budget, and budget some more

It’s personal finance 101, but make sure you have a clear indication in mind of what you’re willing to spend when it comes to booking a DJ for your Christmas party. 

Of course, first you have to do a little research into what the general rates are but once you’ve done that, you’ll be in a much more efficient and convenient place to book your DJ without having to worry about negotiating rates or booking a performer too high above or below your initial budget.

7. Don’t hand them a playlist and expect them to play it

DJs are artists too – if you wanted a set list of songs you required playing, do everyone a favour and put a playlist together and leave it at that.

Of course, it’s fine to make requests (it would be ridiculous not to) but professional DJs are experienced at getting the crowd dynamics just right – almost like they know exactly what they’re doing – and making sure everyone has a fantastic time at your Christmas party.

10. Book your Christmas party DJ with us

It’s a shameless self-promotion, but we like to think we know almost everything when it comes to booking the right DJ, act, or performer for any event of any size.

We at Red Masque have every entertainer imaginable to make your party get off to a flying start.  Have a browse through our categories and see for yourself why we are becoming ever so popular.

A few ideas for your wedding

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Make the most of the sunshine and delight your guests with the best in British summertime entertainment for your wedding day and evening party. Let the fun begin!

Turn your wedding into a traditional fete on the lawn, with lots of activities for all ages, and a slap-up tea on vintage china in the marquee instead of a formal sit-down meal. Everyone loves those retro fete games and side stalls, such as a coconut shy, tin can bash, skittles, hoopla, giant table football and two childhood favourites made large, a games and a giant scalectrix. Give your fete a contemporary twist with a roving street magician ready to thrill anyone with card tricks and logic-defying illusions anytime, any-place, no table required.


Fantastic feats of dexterity that seem to defy gravity, from traditional club jugglers to comedy jugglers who’ll play around with everything from eggs to bowling balls! Skilled caricaturists can create hand-drawn, unique portraits of you or your guest in under five minutes, one-of-a-kind souvenirs of a very special day. Expand your guest lists with everyone you’ve ever wanted at your party with our lookalikes, from David Beckham to Marylyn Munroe to Brad Pitt.

Keep the little ones amused for hours with the help of professional children’s entertainers. Kids can twist and turn with balloon modellers, fall about laughing with a clown, get artistic with face painters. Warning; adults always want to join in too!

Forget high priced tickets for muddy fields and distant views of so-so bands bring the festival to your wedding instead. Set up a stage or two, pop up a beer tent and start booking your acts. The famous festival mixes its music, so you can hear an up and coming bad one set, then opera the next! Do the same; mix rock and jazz, acoustic and electro, DJs, opera singers and solo sax. Remember, that gospel choir who performed at the ceremony and the function band you’ve booked for the evening would probably love to be part of your festival too!

Bring a sense of theatre to your festival with unusual acts, such as stilt walkers, living statues, mime artists, themed walkabout and more. OK, we know the weather is even more unpredictable than the best man’s speech, so choose wedding entertainment that works just as well in your venue as outside on the lawns, such as micro-illusion magicians, caricaturists or a small jazz band.


Create a lovely atmosphere during your meal with gentle background music from an expert and experienced pianist, guitarist, harpist, or even a Capella group depending on the size of your room. There are plenty of moments in a wedding meal where you can surprise your guests with unexpected entertainment. Roving magicians can work the tables to bridge the gap between taking your seats and the starter being served, for example. Singing waiters have been around for years but they never fail to amuse, delight and entertain, as your waiters suddenly develop a passion for performance along with magnificent voices!

Your guests are arriving for the evening, ready to celebrate your special day and have a really great time. So, give them an evening they’ll be talking about for years! Wow them from the first moment they arrive with living statue, as costumed artists meet and greet your guests from the centre of a table and hand them the first drink of the evening! Surprising and practical too!

Will Lady Luck smile on your guests when they play in your very own casino complete with slots and showgirls? The money may be fake, but the enjoyment is 100% pure gold.

Cocktail bartenders will conjure up incredible cocktails for your guests. Expect flying bottles, swirling shakers, exotic ingredients and a taste sensation in every glass. Photo booths bring out the teenager in everyone, so get in there and banish those passport photo horrors to history! Hire some paparazzi desperate to take your guests’ photos, and get the latest scoop. Give your guests a taste of celebrity fame when the pics get posted online to a private micro-site, to view and buy if they wish. Turn your venue into a comedy club with classic stand-up by tomorrow’s stars, or today’s big names. If you’ve got the budget, we’ve got the best comedians to hire.

It’s been an amazing day, so why not finish it with a stunning fireworks display, custom-made to your venue and requirements, and with your choice of sound track or even live music. We hope we’ve given you food for thought, so when you book your wedding think of Red Masque entertainment – it really couldn’t be simpler.