Murder Mystery Days: CSI Team Building in London

Last week, The Murder Mystery Company put our clients' investigative skills to the test with a brilliant CSI:City event. Teams were tasked with training as CSI agents and solving a baffling murder case - a quest which found them meeting up with mysterious contacts all over London, analysing clues and exploring evidence.

Armed with their team iPads, radios and suspect case files, teams examined fingerprints, studied forensic clues and dissected witness statements in order to catch the killer. After plenty of teamwork and deliberation, the killer (and winning team) was announced, to the excitement of all!

Event Manager Katrina commented;

"CSI:City is a fabulous daytime Murder Mystery event because it gets the teams out and about, working together and having fun. Plus, who hasn't wanted to be an awesome crime-fighting detective, if only for one day?!"

Are you interested in making a Murder Mystery Day your team building event of the year? Visit our website or call 0845 006 06 06 to speak to a member of our lovely team.

A Guide To Booking A Successful Murder Mystery - Step Five

So you've looked through the proposal and found the murder mystery you want. Hopefully you'll be feeling excited by now as you should have an idea of the theme surrounding the murder mystery and what it entails! As the organiser it's important for you to know the timings and logistics of the event. This means you can relax on the night, have fun, and let the event company take over. Make sure you ask your event coordinator any questions you have so you understand exactly how the events going to run.

Booking the event:

• Call or e-mail the company to book your murder mystery.
• Confirm your chosen event, date and venue with your dedicated event coordinator.
• They will finalise the arrangements, answer any questions and liaise with the venue you've chosen.
• Closer to the date, you will be introduced to your event manager for the day (or evening).

Final Planning:

Once you have confirmed the event and venue, you can begin to let the team know the plan (unless you’re planning on surprising them) and tick off your final check list.

• Catering - does anyone attending have dietary requirements? Vegetarian, vegan, halal, lactose intolerant, nut allergies
• Prizes - usually the company will supply a prize for the winning team. Think about whether you would like any additional for individuals.
• Teams - split the confirmed guests into teams/tables. Mix up the departments, seniority and put people together that maybe don’t know each other. Think about your key aims for the murder mystery, this should help.
• Invitations - make sure they include all (or as much of) the information you want the guests to know:
  • Date and Time (pretty important, I would recommend including this one!)
  • Location and Directions (as above)
  • Programme (if tied in with a meeting or conference etc..)
  • Transport information (if applicable)
  • What teams people are in/table plan (this is up to you if you want to let people know prior to the event)
  • Dress Code (this is particularly important if the murder mystery is a surprise)

  

  Remember that your event coordinator will help with the final planning. They will advise if any particular footwear is required, check whether you need additional prizes and even put guests into teams if you'd prefer it was completely random. However it's always good to have a think about the above beforehand; preparation is the key to success after all!

  Well, we're almost done. The guide is nearly complete. Next time we'll be discussing 'on the day and post event'. In the meantime, take a look at our website or give us a call on 0845 006 06 06.

'Ello 'Ello 'Ello...what's all this then?

  Event Manager Zoe Goode gets ready to help solve the mystery behind Who Killed His Lordship?

Event Manager Tamara said "I love Zoe playing PC Whirl, she looks like butter wouldn't melt but in reality she's a real tough cop, not to be messed with! Teams always think they can charm information out of her, but not our Zoe, she always stays true to her role till the bitter end."

Check out Who Killed His Lordship? and our other murder mysteries at our main website!

A Guide To Booking A Successful Murder Mystery - Step Four

Step Four – Contacting Companies Next step you need to talk to a murder mystery company. You may want to talk to several to compare - hopefully if you talk to us you may not need to spend more time looking!

Whether you’re inviting 15 or 150, you are likely to know many of the guests; meaning the events success will reflect on you - making the buying decision pretty important. However with hundreds of companies out there all promising to deliver the murder mystery you want, how do you decide who will work best for you?

You need to have confidence in the company you are buying from, feel like you are in capable hands and most importantly, that you are getting value for money. Here are our top tips to watch out for:

Website

• Are they a specialist murder mystery company?
• Is their focus corporate events, hen parties or private events and does this match your needs?
• Does it look professional?
• Is it up to date?

Ideas

• Do their event ideas make you want to participate or find out more?
• Do the events work for your group size?

Track record

• Do they have an extensive client list?
• Are there lots of testimonials to browse?
• How long have they been going?
• Any awards?

On the phone?

• Do they sound like they know what they’re talking about?
• Did they ask about your guests and specific requirements?
• Any tailoring offered?
• How was their venue knowledge? Will they help source one?
• You should expect nothing less than experienced professional and friendly event coordinators.

What if it all goes wrong?

• Murder mysteries should be risk assessed and method statements in place where required.
• The company should hold public and products liability insurance policy.
• If you don’t get the above by return it’s a big red flag!
• Event managers and/or staff should be First Aid Qualified. Amazingly not all event companies have a first aider on every event.

To talk to us about your next murder mystery party, give us a call on 0845 006 06 06 or if you'd rather, complete a quick enquiry form and we'll get back to you.

Next step - booking the event and final planning!

A Guide To Booking A Successful Murder Mystery - Step Three

We're onto the third step and making good progress! Step Three - Setting the Budget

We understand that often at the initial planning stages budgets have not been set, however it’s worth considering what you will need to budget for.

Event Costs

This is our part in the process. Event costs will include:

• Actors
• Live event writers
• Props
• Costumes
• Theming (if required)

Venue Costs

All murder mysteries will require a venue. Costs could include:

• Room hire
• Syndicate rooms or ground hire (some murder mysteries may require break out rooms or outdoor space)
• Overnight accommodation costs (if required for your guests)

Catering & Refreshments

Whatever the type and timings of the murder mystery, food is likely to be required at some point during the day and/or evening (typically a three course meal). Think about the amount you want to spend per head.

It's also worth considering if you will have an open bar or if guests will purchase their own drinks.

Transport

Will guests arrive individually or will you be organising transport?

Tips

• Consider combining with another department as the price/head goes down with more guests - you'll get more bang for your buck!
• Consider incorporating with an upcoming meeting or conference
• If you are contacting the venue directly, ask for free room hire!
• Be flexible on dates

Knowing what you need to pay for will hopefully help set a realistic budget for your murder mystery. It's important not just to spend, but to invest - in your staff and your clients. For example, if you're rewarding staff or entertaining clients you need to exceed their expectations to make the event memorable. Would it be beneficial to do less events, but make the ones you do have an impact?!

The Bottom Line

Be realistic about the budget and what you get for your money!

£20/head = Cinema, Pop corn and a Drink £30/head = Meal with half bottle of wine £50/head = Venue with private dining, meal and half bottle of wine/head £80-£150+/head = Popular murder, meal, drinks and more!

Once your budget is set, we'll work hard to fit within it. We'll provide you with the best event options for your group and requirements. We also have over 22 years experience as a recognised venue booking agent and offer a Free Venue Finding Service - take advantage of it!

Next we'll be looking at one of the most important steps - calling us!

A Guide To Booking A Successful Murder Mystery...

Organising a murder mystery can seem like a long and daunting task but it doesn't have to be! We've put together a step by step guide for anyone looking to hold a private murder mystery using a passionate and professional company. We've got over 20 years experience and are happy to help from the very beginning all the way through to the bloody end...

Step One - Decisions

Generally perceived as ‘an evening of fun entertainment’ (which they absolutely are), murder mysteries are also great icebreakers and team building events. They stimulate creativity, encourage problem solving and offer a great opportunity to build relationships. The first thing we would recommend is deciding on the aim of your murder mystery. Have a think about the reason for the event and what you want to achieve.

• Is it purely for fun & entertainment?
• Is it a reward or celebration?
• Is it a team building event?
• Do you want to integrate new team members, increase communication, etc?
• Is it a bit of everything above!?

Different murder mysteries will be more effective for different objectives. If you’re looking for pure unadulterated fun then you may be swayed by the theming of the murder mystery. For example, Murder and the Mob is very popular due to the option of a  glamorous dress code. However if you want to really challenge your guests ensuring some serious teamwork, you may consider something trickier like The Da Vinci Files.

Knowing what you want out of your murder mystery can help us to advise you on which to choose. They are all great fun, but we have worked hard to provide events that focus on different priorities, whether it's an emphasis on audience-participation, lateral thinking, team based communication, creativity or problem solving.

We don't dress the same event up with a couple of different characters or settings. Rather, we meet your specific requirements - whatever those requirements may be!

Next we'll be looking at all the important things to consider and ways to keep all the group happy!