Tag Archives: best

Milestone Birthdays

Posted on by

Big Birthday milestones don’t necessarily need to be celebrated in a big way. For those who have a large family, an extensive social or business network, or those who enjoy mingling amongst a crowd of well-wishers, bigger may be better. For others who may have a close inner circle of friends, or perhaps a small, close-knit family, more intimate gatherings may be preferable

The key point here is to weigh in with your host regarding his or her thoughts on their celebration. If the event is a surprise, then talk to the guest of honour’s spouse or partner or closest friends to determine which approach is best. Surprise parties can be fun, but the surprise element should be a positive experience stemming from the timing of the celebration, not missing the mark on the party itself.

Personalisation is key to making a birthday party memorable. Research back to the year they were born and incorporate newsworthy details from that time period into the party theme. Depending upon the year, invite guests to dress as they would have if it were that year. 1960s hippie clothes and 1980s big hair can make a party fun and provide great opportunities for photos, laughter, and reminiscing.

Hiring entertainment for a Birthday Party can be as imaginative as you like. Think party bands, DJ’s, Celebrity Lookalikes, Photo Booths or even a great Magician!

Making a Birthday Special

Posted on by

Birthdays are personal and birthday parties should be as well. If you don’t know your guest of honor, gather some information about him or her. What are their hobbies and interests? How do they spend their free time? Learning whether they enjoy football, cooking or traveling, will present numerous opportunities for you to personalise their party with creative details.

For example, use a favourite hobby as a theme for the birthday cake and decorations.
For the footballer set up a net in a corner of the venue, for guests to try their hand. Use green tablecloths with football candle holders. If your guest loves to travel, send out traditional tourist postcards in lieu of customised printed invitations and offer a varied international menu from some of the places they have visited.

If the birthday child is fond of pirates and adventure, hold a treasure hunt. For younger children, keep it simple and have them work in teams of three and keep the list of items short. Older children will enjoy the challenge of finding numerous items on their own. Children remember what they did at a party and whether they had fun playing games. Less important is whether the balloons matched the napkins and the overall colour scheme.

When children reach a certain age, they become well aware of when their birthday is, even though their concept of actual time may not be that accurate. It doesn’t take long before they associate a birthday with a party, cake, candles, decorations and….presents!!!

Fun and games for all can often leave the host frazzled and exhausted. To minimize the stress level when planning a children’s birthday party, follow these tips:

Limit the number of children: the rule of thumb is to match the number of guests with the age of the birthday child. For example, invite four children for a four-year-old’s birthday party. While that may not be reasonable in circumstances of a large family, in general, it is better to invite fewer children to a children’s birthday party. It doesn’t take long for a well-planned party to spiral out of control when too many children, excited for the party and fueled on sugary cake, take over.

Keep it short: While an hour and a half may seem like a short period of time to celebrate a three-year-old’s birthday, that 90 minutes can seem like 900 minutes when tired children in need of the afternoon nap begin their meltdowns. So keep the official party time to an hour and a half; many parents, when picking up their children, stay and socialise at the end of the party so the party will go for two hours anyway.

Ideas for Corporate Events

Posted on by

Planning a corporate event? One of the most challenging aspects of corporate event planning is coming up with an idea. The event theme is the driving force behind every other aspect of an event, from the invitation to the selection of entertainment and food. Before you get busy with any other part of the corporate event planning process, first find out the goal of the event.

The best corporate event ideas take that business objective — after all, corporate events have business objectives — and use it as the springboard for the event theme and the overall atmosphere of the event.

Corporate events can set the stage for presenting information regarding a company’s upcoming product launch, a new approach to corporate training, or simply for conducting team building exercises in a fun, engaging environment.

Is the purpose of this corporate event to reward a sales team for exceeding targets by providing a retreat focused on rest and relaxation? Is the goal to bring employees of two different companies together due to a merger, with the priority resting on connecting people and building relationships?

Whether the purpose of the event is business or pleasure or a combination of the two, the right corporate event idea can meet the objective and deliver a successful event.

For many employees, reporting to work every day at the same time, dressed in the same business attire, with the same people, becomes a bore.

While they may enjoy the work itself and their colleagues, the predictability of it all gets old quickly.
Why not mix it up?

Take a corporate meeting to another venue, away from the offices and cubicles. Even if employees must spend the day poring over reports or sitting in meetings, the change in surroundings can be refreshing.

A few suggestions:
Change the dress code for the event, allowing employees to dress comfortably
If weather and venue permit, schedule part of the event outdoors
Skip the standard meeting sandwich platter and offer an assortment of foods from local restaurants or made-to-order food service stations
Schedule a fun, interactive activity during the mid-afternoon slump
On the last day of the event, and earlier than the usual going home time; they will appreciate getting out of work early

The key to having a productive corporate event is to take employees out of their usual work routine. Changing the attire, location, and overall vibe can change their interactions and re-energise staff, even if they are staring at annual report figures all afternoon.

The quiet room

Posted on by

When it comes to booking event entertainment, guests normally want something that produces a bit of a sound and has people reacting with one of any number of emotions – smiling, laughing and being amazed – but it turns out that in order to be entertained in the US, you might not need any sounds at all. That brings us to this rather curious venue in Minnesota, a room that the Guinness Book of Records’ has dubbed the World’s Quietest Room.

The so-called ‘anechoic chamber’ at Orfield Laboratories in South Minneapolis is 99.9% sound absorbing. Created from 3.3-foot-thick fibreglass acoustic wedges and with walls made out of insulated steel that are surrounded by a foot of concrete on every side, you might be forgiven for thinking the space has been envisaged and built from a mad scientist. You’d only be halfway right – the company behind the room are involved in design, research and testing for various companies with both Whirlpool and Harley Davidson using the anechoic chamber to evaluate sound quality of their products and assess just how loud they may be. NASA have also taken to using the room, with astronauts experiencing a ‘simulation’ of what they can expect once in space.

According to the man in charge, Steve Orfield, the record for time spent in the room in one go is only around 45 minutes because anybody inside actually becomes the sound. You’d be able to hear your heart beating, your lungs inhaling and your stomach processing the lunch that you ate earlier that day. Standing up isn’t an option either; humans use sound to help with their orientation and movements, which naturally become impossible when there is no sound to hear at all. As Orfield explains, “In the anechoic chamber, you don’t have any cues. You take away the perceptual cues that allow you to balance and manoeuvre.”

There are actually a few anechoic chambers in the UK – once again used by companies and academic institutions – but they aren’t generally available to the public and haven’t yet been designated as being ‘the quietest in the world’. The Faculty of Brain Science at UCL use theirs to study how the brain reacts to a lack of sound, which is probably more interesting and useful than what we would want to do with one…

The Postal Museum Venue

Posted on by

If there’s one thing we love about London it’s the fact that there are always new and exciting things going on within its bustling confines. One of the hottest openings this year is undoubtedly The Postal Museum, a unique look at how London’s postal services have been ran for over 100 years. We don’t want to hype it too much but you do get to ride a two mile train underneath London so… Let’s see what we know!

The Postal Museum will offer a fascinating and often surprising look at the very first social network. London’s letters and parcels used to manoeuvred from place to place via a special train line, which has now been modified for guests to enjoy as they travel through this subterranean landscape. We ourselves have not ridden it yet, but we are pretty certain this will be cool as hell. And the best bit? You can book it for events!

We love providing ideas for entertainment for events but naturally having your very own private train is probably the best entertainment of all. What else can you get when you hire the Postal Museum for your event? Available for both corporate and private hire, the venue’s spaces include the Mail Rail depot and the Postal Museum itself.

The Mail Rail depot is a must-see for your exclusive party! Within captivating architectural features, guests will be able to dine and drink to their heart’s content and there can even be an opportunity to ride the train! A hugely adaptable space, you could hire a band for a dance or make use of the vaulted brick arches in a completely unique way. From receptions to product launches and even award ceremonies, this is a truly exciting new space in London’s event world and holds up to 275 people!

Perhaps you’d prefer your guests to stay above ground? No problem! The Postal Museum itself offers a contemporary space that’s light, bright and perfect for a stunning summer’s night. Featuring a private courtyard and innovative living wall, it’s ideal for cocktail receptions or summer parties. Looking to enhance the space by booking some entertainment? No problem! Holding up to 140 people, you may even like to enjoy a private museum tour whilst in attendance.

The Chinese Dragon

Posted on by

Just like the Chinese lion dance, the Chinese dragon dance dates back well over a thousand years. Rather than having just two performers, the Chinese dragon dance requires many performers to manipulate the serpentine body of the mythical creature, ideally making the dragon appear quick, powerful and mysterious. Although it may look easy, the dragon dance requires an exceptional level of acrobatic skill and a lot of practice with those involved training for many years in the craft.

Although the Chinese dragon dance is an ancient tradition, you’re far more likely to watch a Chinese lion dance this New Year simply because of the sheer space that a dragon dance requires. Performed by a troupe of circus acrobats who lift the dragon above their heads on poles, movements are carefully coordinated so as to appear seamless, which makes sense when you consider just how long the dragons can be. The shortest are generally 80 feet long, the average length is 100 feet and the world record lists a dragon that spanned 3 whole miles – that’s a lot of acrobats! The Chinese dragon tends to follow a pearl of wisdom – held by one of the performers – which it ‘chases’ through the streets of the procession.

In Chinese culture, odd numbers are associated with good luck and being conducive to success, so you’ll never see a Chinese dragon dance performed with 8, 10 or 12 acrobats! Teams of 9, 11, 13 and 15 performers are the most common and if you’re wondering what the dragon symbolises, it’s similar to the lion; the longer the creature is, the more prosperity and good fortune will be attracted.

A Chinese dragon dance is a rarer sight than a lion but just as entertaining. Some would argue that it is the pinnacle of Chinese New Year entertainment with fireworks which adorn its segmented body throwing off sparks during the dance. Performers in both the Chinese lion dance and Chinese dragon dance are often martial arts students due to the stamina required for a performance, but by no means is it a requirement and anyone wanting to learn can get involved. Be warned though: the training regime is extensive, intensive and exhausting with a highly demanding schedule.

The right entertainment is Key

Posted on by

Entertainment is hugely important in corporate events. Different calibres of individuals are usually invited for corporate meetings and occasions. They deserve to be entertained all through the event. If you’re hosting an important corporate event, you need to plan everything concerning entertainment very well. You need to keep your guests happy and satisfied.

If you don’t want to use an entertainment directory, you can go ahead to hire a band by yourself. You have to create time to locate a reliable band. You need a band that has the best musical instruments. Such a band should also have the best artists. You need a band that has experience in covering different kinds of corporate events. You can be sure of entertaining your guests when you find such a band. Of course Red Masque has done all the hard work for you and you will find excellent artists just waiting to be picked by you.

Again, you can decide to hire a DJ for the corporate event. The DJ will play popular recorded music at the event. You can choose the specific musical pieces that will suit your audience. You must sit down with the DJ to arrange all the songs. You have to avoid playing songs that will not be suited to certain guests.

The first step you can take is to engage a reliable entertainment directory. Such as Red Masque our website will help you organize every aspect of the entertainment required for the event. Our portfolio can help you choose the best music band to entertain your guests. They will save you the headache of making choices by trailing through the internet as we have the best entertainment in one place. They will also save you time since we understand exactly what you need.

It’s important you decide on the best attire for the DJ or the band you’re hiring. Corporate event requires corporate attires. The band or the DJ must appear cute on the very day of the event. They have to entice the audience by their appearance.

Meanwhile, you need a good MC for the corporate events. You can hire a professional MC that renders quality services. You can also engage a DJ that also serves as an MC. This saves you some cash in the process.

The house of Wax

Posted on by

Madame Tussauds Famous for its incredible wax works of celebrities and royalty from around the world, Madame Tussauds is also an award winning themed venue that has been hosting high-profile events for over fifty years.

Situated right in the heart of London, the venues offers five themed areas that can host events with up to 1,000 guests. Each event space can be adapted to suit your events exact requirements making it an ideal location for corporate events, private parties, presentations, gala events and press conferences.

The World Stage Ballroom was designed to impress with a grand stage, back projected screen, full lighting rig and plasma screens. LED lighting can be programmed to display specific colours to suit your corporate identity or theme. The largest space in Madame Tussauds, it is perfect for a whole host of corporate events and can even accommodate smaller events with adjustable and removable walls that can be used to create a more intimate space.

Not forgetting that this venue’s main attraction is its spectacular collection of wax works, guests can walk through over 200 years of history and with the museum-style ropes and poles gone they can also get up close and personal with historical icons, A-list celebrities and sporting legends. Not only is Madame Tussauds a great venue for corporate events but it also offers team building exercises and incentives: staff also have the chance to go behind the scenes and see how a waxwork is made at Madame Tussauds, ride through London’s history in a mini black cab and battle with Marvel Super Heroes in a 4D movie experience!

A popular choice for high-profile celebrity launches, Madame Tussauds is an impressive event space twice voted the UK’s number 1 favourite venue! No entertainment is more apt to accompany your event at this exclusive venue than one of our lookalike tribute bands. Alternatively why not invite 007 to entertain guests, as he poses for photos and suavely mingles with guests.

Beach Blanket Babylon

Posted on by

Is a decadent venue in trendy Shoreditch perfect for exclusive events and celebrations with an impressive capacity of up to 800 people. The venue has a number of opulent event spaces on offer that lend themselves perfectly to stylish corporate networking events, cocktail receptions, corporate event dinners, gala events, conferences and fashion shows.

The Champagne Lounge is ideal for private parties of up to 300 guests with rich wooden surrounds, decadent mood lighting and unique decorations. The Gallery offers a versatile self-contained space, with rustic wooden floors and white walls it is the perfect blank canvas for conferences and exhibitions and can hold up to 175 guests. The Mezzanine and The Bar are both gorgeous spaces; The Mezzanine elegantly holds up to 70 guests while the vibrant cosmopolitan bar holds up to 250 guests.

To complete the look and enhance the atmosphere Red Masque entertainment have a few Swing and Jazz bands on our books from London provide standout musical entertainment that will.

The Floating Cinema
This is one of London’s top 8 coolest art venues in 2013, the floating cinema is now available for private hire offering a unique event space for product launches, corporate away days, film shoots and special occasions.

This intimate venue has a capacity of 12 passengers when cruising and 20 people standing while static. The Floating Cinema is a purpose-built wide beam barge with a flexible ‘whitespace’ auditorium that offers a unique and original experience for guests. The space can be easily reconfigured to accommodate meetings and team building sessions. As a cinema it offers state of the art high-spec lighting and surround-sound facilities, a fully equipped cinema auditorium space and a stunning central viewing deck from which guests can enjoy a new perspective of London’s most iconic views.

The Warner Bros Studio in London
Home to Harry Potter film sets – offers an exciting event space not just for fans of the Harry Potter franchise. Corporate event organisers can choose to host exclusive dinners and award ceremonies in the Great Hall, sip cocktails and tankards of butter beer in the Three Broomsticks, and host networking events in Dagon Alley.

What better entertainment to accompany a corporate event in the place where Harry Potter was filmed than a string quartet that will create an atmospheric setting fit for the Harry Potter films and could even play the film franchise’s iconic theme tune!

Great London event venues

Posted on by

With a rather ‘strange name’ this venue is one of London’s hottest new places to go called ‘The Mayor of Scaredy Cat’ This is located on Artillery Lane in central London guests have to enter this unusual event venue by walking through a Smeg fridge – all you have to do is ask to see ‘The Mayor’!

Before journeying down through the Smeg fridge to see the Mayor guests can enjoy a delicious meal in the restaurant. Of course it is the basement bar that is the main attraction; the interior is a mix between industrial chic with bare brick walls and exposed ceilings and light fixtures, and rustic charm with high wooden tables and stools and even a stuffed deer’s head on one of the walls! Their intriguing cocktail menu is just as novel with delights like ‘Basil-No-Faulty’ and ‘Rosie and Gin’ on offer. The menu also informs guests about some of the rules of this quirky venue, including the method of exiting the bar, which we are told, is just as entertaining as the entrance!

The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town can be hired exclusively for private events and makes a really unique party venue that will be sure to impress guests no end.

Another venue to consider is Café de Paris offers a great position by bustling Coventry Street. From the moment you step through the doorway you are transported into another world seemingly hundreds of miles away from the modernity of the city above.

Home of cabaret and fine dining since 1929 Café de Paris is still regarded as one of London’s best cabaret venues. Retaining many of its unique original features, it truly is a spectacular and opulent venue – sweeping staircases, ornate finishes, glittering chandeliers and an exquisite ‘Titanic’ ballroom all add to the club’s naughty but nice feel.

Despite the venue’s antique look it houses state of the art sound, light and staging facilities capable of catering to even the most demanding of shows. Its versatile event space can be used in a multitude of different ways: standing events, seated dinners, dinners and dances, and theatre style shows. With a capacity of 180 to 715 people, a mezzanine level and VIP room it is a unique location for product launches, award ceremonies, presentations, incentive events and champagne receptions.

Red Masque directory is able to cater for cabaret style entertainment for Café de Paris where a burlesque dancer wouldn’t go amiss along with some authentic dancers to really wow your guests.