This is a job for Holmes... Sherlock Holmes!

A commotion outside; the dining hall doors fly open; Lord John staggers in. Guests have barely a moment to put down their drinks before he lies dead on the floor. That foul play was responsible is in no doubt. This is a job for Holmes... Sherlock Holmes.

It's a strange job - but somebody's got to do it! Last week was no exception at the very beautiful Tynley Hall Hotel in Hampshire. The Murder Mystery Company team arrived with magnifying glass in hand and created quite the commotion running our popular Who Killed His Lordship? event - leaving even the venue staff wondering 'who dunnit?'.

One of our resident actors, Mark Flitton, seen in recent BBC One dramas Hidden and Silk, donned the famous cape and pipe and burst into the room as the one and only Sherlock Holmes, whipping the lovely clients into an absolute frenzy!

Event Manager Zoe Taylor who was running the evening commented:

'It was one of those fantastic events where the clients were running around screaming for help before the starters had even been served! Mark is a fantastic comedic actor and his improvisational skills are second to none - that teamed with a brilliant plot line and fancy dress costumes for all the teams, made the night so much fun for everyone'

Our client wrote afterwards:

'Just to say a big thank you to you, Zoe and the rest of the team for last night. We had a super time – Sherlock and PC World were superb and we all had a really enjoyable evening.'

Well isn't that lovely to hear? It seems murder can be fun...

If your team thinks they can solve our devious plot and catch the murderer in time for coffee and truffles, why not give us a call on 0845 006 06 06 or check out our other fantastic murder mystery events at www.murdermysterycompany.co.uk - We're dying to entertain you!

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.

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!

Murder at Bracket Hall - Sherlock Prepares

Our very own Terry Bird practices his 'Sherlock' face behind the scenes of Murder at Bracket Hall.

Event Manager Zoe says "Terry completely throws himself into the role of Sherlock. He is one of the best at audience participation - getting everyone up, out of their seats and giggling into their napkins from his very first entrance. He once did a spectacular forward roll entrance to add to the drama - let's just say it left an impression!"

Learn more about Murder at Bracket Hall and our other evening murder mysteries at our main website!

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!

TV Detective World Series Round 1 - Fitz Vs Magnum

Here at The Murder Mystery Company we have been keeping track of the TV Detective World Series - it keeps us out of trouble when we are not running award winning murder mysteries! Round 1 continues in the tradition started by the face off between Jessica Fletcher and Inspector Lewis, so without further ado it's time to introduce the combatants:

[polldaddy poll=6149424]

This match has been subject to massive speculation. Two heavyweights from different sides of the Atlantic meeting competitively for the first time...

Round One - Car

Fitz looks beaten from the outset of this round - and turning his head can just make out Magnum’s Ferrari parked outside; tactical parking from his opponent or just coincidence? Regardless, Fitz doesn’t drive, as he is almost permanently drunk, so prepares for defeat.

But what’s this? Despite Magnum driving around Hawaii in his iconic Ferrari 308GTS, closer examination of the registration documents shows that Magnum is not the owner - the car belongs to Robin Masters, Magnum’s ‘friend’, and he simply lends Magnum his car whenever he needs it. And his house. This means Fitz isn’t quite as beaten as he had feared, and Magnum is left blushing behind his perfectly sculpted moustache.

Round Two - Character Flaws

Everyone knows TV Detectives need character flaws to make them interesting, and Manchester based Fitz has them in spades; the obese, chain-smoking, adulterous alcoholic with a gambling addiction relaxes into a dominant position.

Magnum is a fair bit more clean living than Fitz. True, he once killed a chinese man for blinking, but on the whole his military background and frequent shows of friendship, loyalty and morality mean he is struggling to make headway in this round. Round Three - Being First Choice To Play Indiana Jones

A turn in fortune for Fitz sees him struggle in this round. Despite double checking, at Fitz’s insistance, with both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, it turns out he was never first choice to play the iconic professor of archeology. He wasn’t even in the top five!

Magnum does quite well in this round, as he was Lucas's first choice to play Indiana Jones. In a wonderful display of commitment to being Magnum, Magnum refused! He even went on to create an Indy parody episode called Legend of the Lost Art to show how much better Indy would have been with a moustache (no better).

Final Round - Neatness of moustache

Fitz can’t believe his bad luck at drawing this as the final round, and turns to the bottle in dismay. Judges gather around and make sympathetic noises, but there’s no getting away from the simple facts; no matter how drunk Fitz is, or to what hour he was in back street casinos the night before, he is always clean shaven.

Magnum flashes his signature smile and basks in the glory of an easy win. Whether he is infiltrating a boat filled with hired goons, or pretending to be a butler to help Higgins out of a pickle, Magnum’s facial topiary is never called into question.

Conclusion

They have different styles, different skill sets, different girths and different amounts of facial hair. But who wins this round of the TV Detective World Series? It's over to you. As ever, voting is open for one month so will close on Monday 22nd May 2012.

It is statistically unlikely that your life depends on the outcome of this vote, but just in case it does... get voting!

Next Time...

Can't wait a week before your next hit? Take a look at our main site for all your murder mystery needs!

Behind The Scenes Of A Murder Mystery - Who Killed His Lordship?

Event Manager Dave Hall gets ready for his 'big scene' as Lord John in Who Killed His Lordship?

"I prefer it when the event is a complete surprise to the guests", Dave said. "That way, we get the greatest shock value from the opening scene! Soon enough I'm lying dead in the middle of dinner, and Sherlock takes over for his big intro. The hardest part is staying 'dead' throughout that section, and I have taken to falling on my front so that guests can't see me laughing!"

Learn more about Who Killed His Lordship? and our other murder mystery events at our main website!

Happy Easter from The Murder Mystery Company!

Much excitement at The Murder Mystery Company this morning - we have been visited by the Easter Bunny!

We hope you have a lovely Bank Holiday Weekend, with plenty of chocolate scoffing!

A Guide To Booking A Successful Murder Mystery - Step Two

So, you’ve completed step one and made your decision. You know the purpose and main aims of your murder mystery event; now it’s time to look into the particulars...

Step Two - Things to Consider

How many guests will be attending?

• If you’re not sure on exact numbers it’s better to overestimate than underestimate!
• Think about the maximum number of guests and the expected number of guests.

Who will be attending?

• How well do you know the guests? Think about ages, gender, departments, seniority.
• Are there any disabilities that need to be considered?
• Knowing characteristics and needs of the team will help with event suggestions; ensuring something suitable for all types.

Do you have a set date & time?

• It’s worth bearing in mind that specific dates in the year and even certain days of the week can be busier than others. More flexibility will often mean better venue rates.
• Are you planning an evening or day murder mystery?
• How much notice will you give guests? Short notice, Friday nights and weekends may not work so well if they have family commitments.
• Can the date tie in with other occasions? Team meeting, conference, product launch etc..

Location & Venue?

• Where is the group based?
• Do you have a set location or venue in mind?
• How will the guests get to/from the venue?
• Do you need any overnight accommodation?

Of course, you are welcome to use our Free Venue Finding Service at this point - you don't have to do it all yourself!

Having a detailed brief will help you get the best event options and venue suggestions for your murder mystery party. Although we understand it’s not always achievable to know all the key details, having as much information as possible will mean a better proposal with well-suited choices and accurate costings. Putting you on the right path to a great event and happy guests!

Next step - setting the budget!

Behind The Scenes of a Murder Mystery - Hollywood Homicide

Event Manager Katrina Shoesmith gets ready for her big scene in last night's Hollywood Homicide.

"Playing Marilyn is a lot of fun", Katrina said. "I love the big song and dance number entrance and the death scene is always brilliant! The guests always get really involved and the finale often reveals quite a few shocks - as well as a lot of laughs".

For more information on Hollywood Homicide, our other top murder mysteries or our client feedback, take a look at The Murder Mystery Company site!

Welcome to The Murder Mystery Company!

The Murder Mystery Company are proud to announce the launch of our brand new website!

Part of award winning team building company CCC Events, The Murder Mystery Company has been running successful murder mysteries for 21 years.

We run murder mysteries throughout the UK and Europe, for groups ranging in size from just five or six right up to many hundreds. Our professional actors and well scripted scenarios have been well received by all who experience them, and we have the pleasure of having worked with more than half of the FTSE 100!

Take a look at some of our most popular murder mysteries, read more about where we work or simply start from the beginning and find your own way through our site.

And please follow our blog - not only will we be using it to announce new and exciting events, but we will also be exploring all things murder-related, in our quest to remain very much the best in the business.

Welcome to The Murder Mystery Company...We're dying to entertain you!