Tag Archive: event planning

1. Roll Up Roll Up, The Greatest Showman invaded Doncaster Lakeside last week as part of our ‘Social Distanced’ Summer Entertainment Programme!

   10th August 2020 5:35 pm Leave a Comment

   The Brief

   We had the pleasure of creating a Summer Entertainment programme for Doncaster Lakeside all through August 2020. The popular and well-established Shopping Centre sought out our help in creating amazing, interactive and above all fun entertainment options that visitors can enjoy whilst shopping. In particular, the centre wanted children to have the opportunity to have fun and interact with each other in a safe environment whilst maintaining social distancing!

   As we all know, the coronavirus has caused a storm throughout the world and ‘social distancing’ has quickly become the new norm. Because of this, Doncaster Shopping Centre wanted to help prepare children for when they go back to school, and have to interact with each other at a distance, in order to remain safe. Their aim was to prove that you can still have fun whilst being 2 metres apart!

   The second of entertainment programmes was a Greatest Showman/Circus themed weekend! The first being a Trolls weekend which you can read all about here.

   Due to the ever so popular ‘The Greatest Showman’ movie captivating the hearts of nearly the whole world when it premiered in December 2017, we knew that this theme would be a huge hit with children and circus enthusiasts alike!

   The Challenges

   The main challenge we had when putting together this Circus themed weekend was creating entertainment that not only was fun, interactive, and unique but also safe and honoured the ‘social distancing’ guidelines. We constantly asked ourselves ‘what can we do to engage and capture visitors’ attention and attract them to the shopping centre all whilst staying safe and maintaining 2 metres apart?’ It was a hard concept to execute however here at Big Foot Events, we are well known for our ability to adapt and improvise and adhere to even the most challenging of briefs.  With this in mind,  we knew that we would be able to overcome any issues and put together an amazing Circus themed weekend that not only brought a lot of attention to the shopping centre, but also had children amazed, engaged and entertained (social distanced of course)!

   The Solutions

   In order to overcome any safety issues and abide by the current ‘social distancing’ law, we restricted our workshops to a limited number of people. This way, we could make sure visitors remained 2 metres apart and that each visitor got the opportunity to safely interact with our fantastic Circus performers, acts and entertainers, as well as learn a few Circus tricks of their own!

   We hired a marque with personalised branding to raise awareness of not just Doncaster Shopping Centre but also our Circus themed workshop. In order to create a WOW factor and give visitors a truly mesmerising and unmissable experience, we hired our world-class aerialists, contortionists, bubbleologists, hula hoop artistes, stilt walkers and circus performers, as well as our uncanny Greatest Showman characters to literally perform ‘the greatest show’! We made sure that all our acts and entertainers were 2 metres apart from each other and never physically interacted with visitors. Not that they needed to, as their high-quality and world-class circus talents captivated visitors’ attention anyway! 

   It was important that the workshop was fun and exciting for children as it gave children their first experience interacting with other children in a small space whilst social distancing. We all know children find it hard not to touch each other when playing. We ensured that the event would be a quick and easy set-up and did not need a large team of people to set up the event – therefore keeping social interaction to a minimum. We ensured all staff were coronavirus free and kept sanitised at all times.

   The Results

   We were extremely thankful that we had the weather on our side as it was glorious sunshine on the day of the Circus themed weekend! We transformed part of Doncaster Lakeside Shopping Centre into our very own Big Top Circus Tent! Filled with aerialists, jugglers, stilt walkers, plate spinners, hula hoop artists, and of course skilled Circus performers. It was like stepping inside a 1950s Circus!

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   Children had the amazing opportunity to learn impeccable Circus skills and meet some of our incredible Circus characters. It was truly heart-warming to see children’s eyes light up with amazement as our stilt walkers juggled plates, knives and not forgetting – fire. Even more so, it was exciting to see such  a diverse audience whole-heatedly take part in the Circus skills workshop and give their all to plate spinning, rope jumping and even bubble hopping – yes, children took great pleasure in trying to jump through our clown entertainers giant bubbles! And as you can see from the pictures below, some actually succeeded.

   We had giant stilt walking clowns, mind-blowing aerialists and weird and wonderful Circus characters walking around the centre enticing people to join in and experience what Hugh Jackman once sang, ‘The Greatest Show’! We made sure to have a wide variety of acts, entertainers and Circus workshops/demonstrations situated throughout the centre in order to give each performer enough room to well -perform. This also was to ensure safe crowd control and social distancing measures.

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   Each workshop we made sure to wipe the equipment thoroughly ready for the next person to have a go. Thankfully, children respected the 2- metre rule and waited patiently to meet our Circus performers! We noticed that this was mainly due to our large-scale stilt walkers towering over everything else and keeping visitors occupied whilst they waited to join the workshops.

   Overall, the second ‘socially distanced’ Summer entertainment workshop at Doncaster Lakeside was a huge success and we had people instantly signing up to the next workshop taking place the following week.

   We cannot wait to see how our Frozen themed weekend turns out! Keep updated on our website and Social Media platforms for more ‘Socially Distanced’ entertainment!

2. The First ‘Social Distanced’ Summer Entertainment Workshop at Doncaster Lakeside Shopping Centre was a huge hit!

   3rd August 2020 5:00 pm Leave a Comment

   The Brief

   We had the pleasure of creating a Summer Event and Entertainment programme for Doncaster Lakeside throughout August 2020. This popular and well-established Shopping Centre sought out our help in creating amazing, interactive and above all fun entertainment options that visitors could enjoy whilst shopping. In particular, the centre wanted children to have the opportunity to have fun and interact with each other in a safe environment whilst maintaining social distancing!

   As we all know, the coronavirus has caused a storm throughout the world and ‘social distancing’ has quickly become the new norm. Because of this, Doncaster Shopping Centre wanted to help prepare children for when they go back to school and have to interact with each other at a distance, in order to remain safe. Their aim was to prove that you can still have fun whilst being 2 metres apart!

   The first event on our entertainment programme was to bring The Trolls to Doncaster Lakeside! Due to the new Trolls World Tour movie that was released earlier this year, we knew this theme would be a huge hit with children and child-like adults alike.

   The Challenges

   The main challenge we had when putting together this Trolls themed weekend was creating entertainment that was not only fun, interactive, and unique but also safe and honoured the ‘social distancing’ guidelines. We constantly asked ourselves ‘what can we do to engage and capture visitors’ attention and attract them to the shopping centre all whilst staying safe and maintaining 2 metres apart?’ It was a hard concept to execute, however here at Big Foot Events, we are well known for our ability to adapt and improvise and adhere to even the most challenging of briefs.  With this in mind,  we knew that we would be able to overcome any issues and put together an amazing Trolls themed weekend that not only brought a lot of attention to the shopping centre, but also had children amazed, engaged and entertained (social distanced of course)!

   The Solutions

   In order to overcome any safety issues and abide by the current ‘social distancing’ law, we restricted The Trolls Meet and Greet to a limited number of people per session. This way, we could make sure visitors remained 2 metres apart and that each visitor got the opportunity to safely interact with our fantastic Trolls! This first event, that took place on Saturday 1^st August 2020, was simple yet crowd-pleasing. It captured visitors’ attention and kept them in the shopping centre, as well as gave children their first experience interacting with other children in a small space, whilst social distancing. We all know children find it hard not to touch each other when playing. We ensured that the event would be a quick and easy set-up and did not need a large team of people to set up the event – therefore keeping social interaction to a minimum. We ensured all staff were coronavirus free and kept sanitised at all times.

   The Results

   We were extremely thankful that we had the weather on our side as it was glorious sunshine on the day of the Trolls Workshop weekend! Our interactive, cheeky Trolls truly glistened and shined in the sunlight and their bright colours caught the attention of visitors as soon as they entered the Shopping Centre. We knew children – and Troll enthusiasts – would still be on a high from the newly released Trolls movie, and this was confirmed when their faces lit up with excitement when they saw the Trolls mischievously walking around the Shopping Centre.

   As you can see from the picture below, our Trolls were extremely eye-catching, and immediately lit up the centre with their happy-as-Larry personalities. It was fantastic to see little children, as well as adults, wanting to take a picture with the beautiful beasts. We had a giant marquee behind the trolls, as well as friendly staff in order to maintain crowd control and keep visitors at a safe distance from each other. It was fascinating to see children excitedly communicate with each other through looks, hand gestures and of course through talking whilst maintaining social distancing! In fact, they were so captivated by the Trolls that they didn’t even seem to mind that they had to stay 2 metres apart from each other.

   

   Overall, the first ‘socially distanced’ Summer entertainment workshop at Doncaster Lakeside was a huge success and we had people instantly signing up to the next workshop taking place the following week.

   We cannot wait to see how our ‘Greatest Showman’ themed weekend turns out! Keep updated on our website and Social Media platforms for more ‘Socially Distanced’ entertainment!

3. The Time To Plan Your Next Event Is Now!

   14th July 2020 11:52 am Leave a Comment

   Can we all agree that this disastrous Coronavirus and subsequent lockdown has severely impacted our economy? With companies and organisations being thrown into uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the last few months have been incredibly tough for everyone.

   We know that this pandemic has been difficult on the events industry specifically due to the lockdown measures in place – resulting in all public and private functions being postponed or cancelled. Thankfully, it seems that we are slowly conquering this deadly virus and the lockdown measures are beginning to ease. Businesses are starting to re-open their doors and welcome customers back for the first time in over three months.

   However, many businesses are still on hold at the moment and events are still cancelled or postponed until lockdown is completely lifted. Once these restrictions are over and we all get back to some semblance of normality, or a ‘new normal’, it will be time to play catch up!

   Here at Big Foot Events, we have been working closely with our clients to reschedule events that could not go-ahead during lockdown. This has resulted in a lot of events being fitted alongside events that have already been planned for later in the year. We are ready for exciting times ahead as the Big Foot Team help businesses to return with a bang!

   With so many events being rescheduled and planned ahead of time, we can guarantee that the best venue availability, alongside the greatest entertainment – which is always at the centre of any event, will soon be tricky to find due to being fully booked for the year. Which is why putting plans in place now will put you ahead of the rest! Whilst we don’t know for certain when this lockdown will fully lift and we can throw large scale events – or even events with more than ten people, if you don’t plan ahead now you could have your hands full when your business is back in full swing.

   The time to start planning your events is now! It gives you a high chance of securing your chosen venue and live entertainment before other competitors snatch them up! With help from Big Foot Events, you can easily, simply and quickly plan your event and still have plenty of time to get back to the day to day tasks of the business – which we imagine will be a hefty task due to not being in the office in a good while. With a dedicated, hard-working, and passionate events manager at your service, we will deliver all of your event needs and wants in an effortless and timely period.

   Calling on our fantastic array of artistes, performers, crew and suppliers, we will fulfil all elements of your event, from venue décor and live entertainment to props and catering. We’ll get creative on your behalf and come up with an exciting concept for the event; we’ll develop a cohesive theme that runs through every detail – from delegate name badges to your presentation slides. Or if you are wanting something a little edgy and outside the box, we can arrange anything from weird, wacky yet wonderful interactive meet and greet acts to world-class live entertainment that is suitable for all ages. With over 15 years of experience in the events industry – we have the skills, knowledge, and desire to step into our client’s shoes and understand what each event needs to achieve success. Prepare for an event that is on brand, unique and a definite stand out from the rest!

   In summary, lockdown is not going to last forever, and amazing events take time to plan. It is going to be a competitive market for the events industry over the next few years so this makes it crucial for you to get a head start in the event planning process in order to secure the very best venue, live entertainment, props and décor.

   Why not get in touch to discuss your next event – we’re ready to work alongside you to create a world-class experience for your guests. And if you need to engage with your customers before the lockdown ends then we have some amazing Virtual Events and entertaining Social Distancing solutions to discuss. 

   Contact us and speak to a member of our team today!

4. Outdoor Event Planning Tips

   28th January 2020 9:15 am Leave a Comment

   We have put together a list of tips that will help you make your outdoor event a success.

   When it comes to planning an event, whether it’s a festival, exhibition, corporate function, wedding, private party or any other type of celebration or showcase, we’re considered experts in the field. So, believe us when we tell you that outdoor events are taking over the events industry by storm.

   Why you ask?

   It’s simple, the aesthetics for one, there’s nothing more pleasing to the eye than being surrounded by natures beautiful scenery. With outdoor events, you’re often working with a blank canvas, making the event set up both practical and fun. Unlike inside venues, there’s no quirky spaces or odd floor layouts to take into consideration – amazing! This means that you can plan the seating, tables, podiums, and mingling areas where you see fit. That being said, hosting an outdoor event isn’t without its flaws, from permits to bad weather, it takes advanced planning in order to execute an outdoor event successfully.

   Location is key

   When you’re looking for the perfect outdoor venue there are a few factors to consider, the first being the time of year. If your event is in the winter months then you can expect to have rain, therefore choosing a field as your outdoor space wouldn’t be a great choice because let’s face it, who wants to be walking on wet, muddy and potentially stodgy grass? Although if your event is in the summer or even Autumn then by all means go ahead, there’s nothing better than a day at the park when the weather is beautiful.

   Another thing to consider…

   If you’re hosting a kids party then it wouldn’t be smart to host it where the floor is hard and jagged for obvious reasons – injuries. Kids like to roam around and be wild and have absolutely no concept of coordination, so it’s best to have some sort of soft surface for them to land on in case they fall. With so many different outdoor spaces, you will definitely find something that will suit your needs.

   Don’t forget about permits

   Once you’ve decided on the perfect outdoor space, you then need to determine what permits you need in order to be able to host your event on that site. The worst thing you could do is not do your research on permits and site regulations and go ahead with your event anyway because not only will it get shut down, but you could also face legal consequences. If your event includes selling alcohol or live music, then you must get a premise licence. It is always good to apply for any licenses at least a month in advance in case any problems arise. If your outdoor venue is privately owned, then the owner could already have a premise licence that they might let you use – it can’t hurt to ask.

   Check the weather

   Unless you have a crystal ball to hand, you will never know what the weather is going to be like on the day of your event. We’ve had people tell us that they’ve had countless sleepless nights because they’ve been too worried about the weather ruining the day. Don’t let the worry of the weather stop you from hosting your event outside as there are many things you can do to make sure your attendees stay dry, cool or warm.

   The first being to always have a backup plan, yes that’s right, it all comes down to a plan B, which is to have an alternative venue indoors in case the weather turns bad. Before it gets to plan B though, you should hire a gazebo or multiple shelter areas for people to stay dry or cool (depending on the weather) because you never know, the weather could change at any time. You may even want to purchase or hire portable outdoor heaters to keep people warm when it’s windy or purchase portable fans to keep people cool when it’s hot. There are many ways to manage the weather, so don’t let it stop you from hosting a stellar event outdoors.

   Theme ideas

   One thing we can all agree on is that anyone who hosts an event wants it to be memorable – for all the right reasons that is. And one of those reasons is the décor, which is a huge part of your theme. Often, the theme is the first thing that makes people interested in your event, so it has to spectacular.

   You could choose to dust of that old cowboy hat you’ve been hiding and host a good old-fashioned hoedown, or even better, get your dancing shoes on as you get into the swing of things with a 1960’s disco. Why not go a little left field and go down the rabbit hole to find the mad hatter, the queen of hearts and Alice? Get excited with a Dinosaur themed party, or steal that naughty list from Santa himself as you host a winter wonderland extravaganza. It’s your event, you can choose whatever theme you like and with so many to choose from, the sky really is the limit.

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   Don’t forget the entertainment

   It’s time for the best part – entertainment! This is one area that we can confidently say we excel at, which is providing the highest quality entertainment that is suitable for any event or function. We have over 25 years’ experience and knowledge running live music events, festivals and providing specialist entertainment to venues, resorts and military events. This means that we know what works, and we know what kind of entertainment will be right for your event. From spectacular, out of this world street performers, world-renowned tribute acts, state-of-the-art interactive entertainment to celebrities and lookalikes – the list is endless!

   Ideas…

   Wanting a party to remember? Book one of our popular club night packages which range from UV paint parties, foam parties, laser shows and live music with the best DJ’s in town. Hosting a summer street fair? We have a fantastic range of outdoor inflatables ranging from bouncy castles to obstacle courses, inflatable football and much more. We also have various food stalls that can be set up easily and provide scrumptious street food. If you’re wanting to add a little luxuriousness to your event, then hire our flair bartenders for an alternative source of entertainment. Watch as they flawlessly perform choreographed performances while serving everyone’s favourite drinks. Like we said before, entertainment is a huge part of any party, event or function so it’s important you make sure it’s something that everyone will enjoy.

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   Clean up

   Your event is over – which, if you followed our tips, was a huge success! It’s time to clean up. Making sure that you have cleaned up the area is extremely important because it will affect your reputation. Someone was nice enough to rent you their space, so it is only fair that you give it back to them the same way you got it.  You can plan with the local sanitation department to clean up afterwards or have a hauling firm on hand to clean up and remove unwanted items once the event is over.

5. Tips and Tricks for a Smooth Event

   20th September 2019 1:36 pm Leave a Comment

   Plan, pester and perform!

   Ensuring everything is organised nice and early is essential; you don’t want to be getting to the last few days before your event and panicking because you haven’t booked a party band, or you’re having to scroll through google messaging every man and his dog to see if they have a piece of equipment you’ve missed off!

   We have lost count of the number of last-minute calls from clients who have forgotten to book their live entertainment and haven’t thought about the venue décor, so here is our guide to preparing for a smooth-running, stress-free event:

   • Create a timeline for your event; run through the key elements in detail and write a list of every requirement.
   • Research each element; this takes time so make sure you allow plenty!
   • Refer to your checklist daily; tick things off as they are confirmed and contracted and stay on top of people you’re relying on to ensure they fulfill your brief. Don’t be afraid to pester!
   • LEAD! If you have a team or a network of suppliers working on your event, show them what it takes to knock an event out of the park!

   Preparation well in advance will reduce stress, so that when it comes to the final days before the event, you can start to get excited about it!

   Use an Event Planner

   Don’t be put off by the idea of outsourcing someone to do the work for you; by utilising their expertise, knowledge, experience, network of suppliers and vast resources, they will save you time and pressure. Event professionals are the single, most effective way to reduce stress when planning your event. Here’s why:

   They will save you money!
   An established Event Company has ‘buying power’; they use tried and trusted suppliers and artistes whom they regularly work hand in hand with so they can get the most competitive rate available.  Knowing your budget and the purpose of your event, they can match you with the perfect entertainment, theming and décor and their solution won’t burden you financially because, well let’s face it, they’re good at what they do!

   Contracting is taken care of!
   The stresses of contacting people, getting quotes, figuring out the timing of the event, making sure all the minor details have been seen to, and practically anything else you think may be a hair-pulling task, is in their hands. AND they will keep you in the loop as things progress and start to fit into place. All paperwork is dealt with under one roof which makes it easier for you.

   Knowledge & Experience!
   An experienced Event Company can tweak, refine and execute events to a tee. They not only have an infinite selection of event staff, prop suppliers and live entertainment, they know WHO to choose and HOW to get them at the right price, for you.

   Overall, it makes sense financially to use an event planner. And if not for saving money, do it to save yourself. Planning an event is stressful, so you may as well leave it to the professionals.