50th Party at The Hurlingham Club, London

RJCC Events have been some fantastic venues in our time, from Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire to Stapleford Park in Leicestershire and even a beach for a Wedding in Corfu!

On our list of such venues would be The Hurlingham Club. Renowned for its stunning rooms, exceptional cuisine and entertaining the stars we sent a team up to produce a joint 50th Party.

All of the above and below equipment photographed was installed in under 2 hours in The Quadrangle Room from opening the van doors to the sound check due to the venue's tight schedule of events that day.

 Our client was very specific on the lighting they wanted. We installed 4 Martin Mac 250's and 6 Martin Mac 300's, together with a basic stage wash of 8 Par 64's, not forgetting the all important mirror ball and pin spots. Our light jockey Matt programmed and operated the show on MaqicQ PC (unfortunately our new Chamsys MQ60 or PC Wing Compact had not arrived in time) on the fly after patching and in advance to great effect.

Sound was taken care of by David using the Allen & Heath iLive with a simple and highly effective JBL VRX PA System. The Playhouse Band were so happy with Dave's mixing that they specifically thanked him via the client for us: 

Below, preset for guests arrival.

Some kind words from the son of the Birthday girl:

"Not really sure how best to express my thanks/amazement at Saturday night... It couldn't have gone much better and the guys who came were all absolutely amazing. Somehow everything managed to get rigged and soundcheck done in just under 2 hours which was very very impressive so please pass on my, mum, Sally's and everyone else's thanks for making the room look and sound so good! The band also said to extend their thanks to the crew for their work. Now all that remains is for me to convince mum to have another party for something soon as it seems a bit depressing now its over! 

Thanks again for helping make the event go so well!" Tom

DJ Henry Greenwood mixed up a storm on a pair of Pioneer DVJ X1's with requests sent in advance by our clients.

"Please thank Henry for the amazing evening, he along with the band have been commented on by so many friends saying it was the best entertainment they have ever had! All your guys were amazing  and the band asked specifically to pass on their thanks to all the team.

 Will no doubt be finding another excuse for a party in a year or so, am sure we will be in touch. Until then many thanks again" Nicky

So all in all another successful event for the team at RJCC Events and we can't wait to be back at The Hurlingham again soon!

10 Tips on Party and Event Planning

Here at RJCC Events we thought we would let you know how we start to organise your party. Whether its an 18^th, 21^st, 30^th, 40^th, 50^th Party or you don't even know yet – you just want a party – here are a few pointers to get you on the way.

We usually ask the following questions so before you call anyone, make sure you have a few of the answers so that your supplier(s) can give you accurate estimates, advice, ideas and quotes.

1. What do you want to do? We find it quite common for clients to call without the slightest idea of what type of party they want!

2. Decide on a date or a range of dates, without a date it is rather difficult for a supplier or venue to provide a quote or discuss venue availability including equipment, staff and supplies etc.

3. Decide on where you would like to host your party. Marquee, field, garden lawn, hotel, bar, sports hall. If you don't have a venue booked yet – don't worry, many event organisers have plenty of venues or venue solutions they can suggest to you.

4. How many people would you like to invite? In our experience we have found that its better to invite more people that you actually want to be there as you are bound to get people who can't attend for one reason or another. Needless to say a party for 100 guests is completely different from a party for 1000.

5. What is the postcode of the venue? It is very useful for a supplier to know the exact location of the event and the ability to decide on the cost of transport. Some companies build this in to the cost of their services – if in doubt just ask. If you're not sure just give an area like Oxford which will be more helpful than nothing.

6. Who's in charge? If you run the company by all means delegate the task of organising the event to an employee. Make sure that employee feels comfortable with the task at hand and that they are authorised to make decisions based on your instructions. It can be frustrating for a supplier not be able to deal with the key decision maker. It makes quoting and all the finer details involved in planning an event take that much longer. Keep in mind that planning a party during peak season times could be that much harder – Tip: allow plenty of time to plan the event! RJCC Events recommend at least 6 month lead time, although we have 'thrown together' successful 500 capacity events in less than a week!

7. What is the purpose of your event? Are you celebrating, showcasing, selling or sharing something? The end result will require different event production in terms of your event planning and the atmosphere achieved will be determined by the individual elements your suppliers recommend to you.

8. Try to think of a brief description of what you want to ask of your suppliers. Suppliers can throw loads of ideas at you so having a good sentence will get the ball rolling. Rather than saying “I would like to have an 18^th Party” try saying ” I would like to have a themed 18^th party at my house for 150 guests and all I know is I need a marquee and great music”. A good supplier will then be able to talk you through the different options available to you. A great supplier will come out to meet you for a site visit resulting in a no obligation quotation.

9. What is your Budget? We find it so helpful when clients say they have a certain amount to spend for the event. It is really important to have a figure in mind so you don't end up over spending and so that your suppliers can provide practical options within your budget. Our estimates and quotes break down into individual elements of the event for you to pick and choose from. We can guide you on a budget but inevitably you get what you pay for and strive for quality rather than quantity. Be wary of suppliers quoting lower than others so they get your business, on the other hand smaller companies may send out rock bottom quotes to get much needed business – everyone has to start from somewhere! Event organisers may have built up good relationships with trade suppliers when they out-source services for your event but generally speaking, by booking an event package from a single supplier such as ourselves you will save money in comparison to booking individual elements from said party planners or separate suppliers.

10. Enjoy yourself! We are lucky enough to love what we do and whether you’re organising a private party at home or a corporate event remember that planning your event should be fun. We let you be as involved as you want to be and we work with you to produce a very memorable event that hopefully you should get all the thanks for! Try to think of at least one 'Wow' factor element to the party that may not have been done before – a simple touch like asking guests to send in requests and/or shout-outs in advance for the DJ on the night can make all the difference.

Its your event so enjoy it and finally; if your event is outside, especially if it's in the UK, take out inclement weather insurance!!!

The RJCC Events Team

www.rjccevents.com

www.portablenightclubs.co.uk

www.oxforddisco.com