It's that time of the year again... Halloween is now just around the corner and Kit&Caboodle aren't unfamiliar with the whole state of affairs! Having designed exceptional bespoke events for established venues and brands throughout the years, we've proudly worked with Adidas, Maddox Club and took over King's Cross with our Zombie flashmob. It isn't too late to organise a party that will unleash all hell so follow 10 top tips from our event design specialists for a ghoulishly memorable evening... Understand your audience – Is your party for small kids or BIG (aka adults)? Small kids might not want to be too scared but adults mostly love to be terrified … so decide up front if you are going for just a little bit scary eg Ghostbusters or really serious scary, eg vampires. We’ve done Halloween parties from top nightclubs to open-air public spaces … so we can always advise. Pick a theme that everyone enjoys – Try not to create a gender divide. Girls might get excited about unicorns, but no-one wants to dress up as one. In fact, some people don’t like to dress up at all, but it adds to the buzz. Whether you go for gory undead zombies staggering around, or the cool chic of the Cullen coven from Twilight, tell people well in advance and offer fantastic prizes for the best effort. We’ve sometimes put Pop Up Dressing Up units into parties so that people who didn’t dare come on the Tube dressed as Dracula, can join in with borrowed fangs and cloaks once they get through the doors. Venue – Whether you are throwing your party at home, or you’ve got the budget to hire a castle in the Highlands – think about how you are going to use your space to best advantage. Home venues can be extended by hiring a marquee, for example. Decoration – The Americanisation of Halloween has crept into the UK’s supermarkets and department stores. You can purchase everything from the seriously tacky to the seriously authentic. Whether you want to acquire a tomb on which to serve your hors-d’oeuvres, or buy in the Day of the Dead skeleton masks from ASDA – people will react if their environment is edgy and interesting by taking lots of photos, and sharing them online … for all the right reasons. We can provide bespoke props such as an enormous Raven, if you’re having an Edgar Allan Poe party. How random is that? Music – It’s always a bit of fun to throw in some of classic tracks from the past such as The Monster Mash and Thriller … but be sure that your DJ has a good selection of great party numbers, too. Ask to see the playlist before you hire them!We have great tracks on our Karavanaoke karaoke caravan – give us a call. Food and Drink – Whether you theme the nibbles or the punch, you need to think carefully about your food choices. No-one wants to eat something that looks like a pile of brains, even if it turns out to be Spag Bog. There are all sorts of cocktails and mixologists available, and we’ve even worked with customised nitrogen ice-cream mobile bar providers, to add a certain shiver of delight to the menu. Games – There have always been conventional games, such as bobbing for apples – but for an adult audience, you can float them in cider or even vodka, to add a twist. Children’s party games can include feeling weird and slimy objects in a paper bag, just make sure that none of the contents will bite their fingers. Live entertainment – There’s a wealth of live entertainers who can be persuaded, for a fee, to add fun to your Halloween event. We’ve commissioned fire-eaters, magicians and dancers in the past – and we’re always happy to advise so, whether you are having a live band, or a zombie DJ, give us a call. As a rule of thumb, avoid performing animals. Memorable scents and surprises – All too often, people forget how important it is for an event to have the sweet smell of success. Autumn perfumes are available – from fireside pumpkins to harvest festival – evoking warmth and comfort. Maybe that’s not what you want for your Halloween bash … but avoid any fragrance of the undead. The Devil’s in the Detail – it’s the finer things that count. Whether it’s mood lighting, or a full-on projection of witches flying across the ceiling, you need to incorporate the unexpected to create delight and lasting memories. We like to use hundreds of lanterns to great effect when creating a mood at evening events Lastly, our team is always ready to assist with professional expertise and in our own unique and creative style. We can help you manage your event and kit up your venue on any scale. So give us a call. If you dare...

The Dishoom Family Mela was a great opportunity for Kit and Caboodle to build on the creative energy generated by the earlier projects with Dishoom – ie. Their South Bank Beach pop-up café and their Holi paint-throwing epic extravaganza. One a beautiful sunny day, we converted Mudchute Farm Park into a wonderland for all ages with beautiful tents, Colourful bohemian festival flags, clusters of coloured balloons, and teaser signposts, engaging and drawing participants into the various activities and amazing fairground rides installed across the large open air site. From the busy Pamper Parlour to the Super Sand Pit, face-painting stations and festival food village, the Mela was a hive of activity and fun … and for those whose feet were itching to get off the ground, there was a fancy ferris wheel and a bungee swinging experience that threatened to catapult riders into the middle of the City! The day was enjoyed by all and captured the friendly “one big, happy family” workplace culture of our client, Dishoom. “Yesterday was a massive success and there has been some amazing feedback from the team. We were lucky with the sunshine and it truly was a remarkable day. Thank you to Kit & Caboodle for supporting us this year. The extra creative elements and support leading up to the event went a long way and made this year’s Mela the best yet.” SHEENA VADHER, DISHOOM

We were approached by Hello Unity PR for Baileys to create an immersive, multi-sensory experience for press & public during London cocktail week. Kit and Caboodle were invited to experiment, curate and design an experience inspired by the pleasure of chocolate, joining forces with other visionaries to create a sensory journey in taste. Part- exhibition, part-immersive theatre and part exclusive supper club, Bar Chocolat offered something for everyone. The space was meticulously designed to deliver an experience similar to eating a piece of chocolate, from the snap of the bar, right through to the rich after taste of cocoa. As guests travelled through the space to taste the liquid for the first time within the specially curated bar, their senses were heightened for the ultimate drinking experience using bespoke film, scent, sound, experimental dining and magical scenography. We were solely responsible for the realization of the collaborative ideas, ensuring feasibility logistics for a very tight project turn around with full construction and event management including staffing, technical, special effects, show calling, VIP and guest management and management of all the bars.

We were proud to be able to support and celebrate the extension of LGBT+ rights and freedoms in London, the UK and around the world by supporting Pride London and their collaboration with Smirnoff. The purpose of Pride is to promote the visibility of London’s LGBT+ community by delivering inclusive, safe and enjoyable annual Pride celebrations in London. With Smirnoff Vodka as headline sponsors we wanted to combine both Pride and Smirnoff's brand guidelines to make a statement and let everyone know that: Love Happens Here! At the heart of Pride is their cultural awareness, and as a partner of theirs it was paramount that we understood these core values. Using our ability to objectively examine the values, beliefs, traditions and perceptions within our own strategy, we were able to deliver an event that was driven by high engagement for our target demographic. Bright and vibrant furnishings made an eclectic and exciting setting for guests. White wash or pallet chill beds can be given a variety of coloured tops and/or cushions, giving the lounge a real ‘pop’ of colour. Rainbow flowers added a nice effect to the bars/tables. It was awesome.

First Mile, the innovative recycling company founded by Bruce Bratley, listed in the 2017 London Stock Exchanges 1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain, approached us with a request to transform a West End nightclub on a recycling theme, and manage every aspect of their 10th Anniversary Party to provide an exciting, memorable night for their staff and clients. Guests were drawn down an illuminated corridor of plastic bottles into a stairwell hung with an amazing chandelier created from recycled bins. Downstairs, they added to their own party attire with a pop up 'Funky Junk' accessory hub. Freebie Pompadour wigs and masks created from paper and glitter on show at their own bespoke pop up shop and went on to boogie to the Voodoo Love Orchestra beside the giant glittering number 10 onstage. Delicious catering from one of our partner companies, Urban Caprice, balanced out the lively bar trade, and helped the vibe as guests enjoyed party games, funky tombola and an amazing photo-booth experience. Bruce was very happy with the event experience particularly as he clinched a massive deal on the night. Our industry is often known as one that promotes living in excess, but whenever possible we do pride ourselves in making sustainable choices for our events. For this event especially, sustainability was a priority and we were able to find a way to make all props and dressing out of recycled material. We loved the added challenge as it pushed our team to be really inventive with materials and treatment. This really added a feel-good factor for all guests as they came together to celebrate the achievements of First Mile over their first 10 years. “We were thoroughly impressed with the way you designed and organised our 10th anniversary party. All of the details were taken care of with a reassuring and complete professionalism, from the food, band, DJ and down to tiny details like the menu cards. The design and concept of the night was inspired and actioned perfectly on the night, which went without a hitch. Tanya and her team were amazing to work with, very flexible and professional and took into account our feedback throughout the whole process. We recommend them unreservedly and wouldn’t hesitate to use their services again.” BRUCE BRATLEY, FOUNDER, FIRST MILE

Brief - To design and deliver the full event concept, which included event name, brand identity and full event design for two years running in Berlin and Madrid for the European Music Awards after show party for guests up to 2000 per year. Services Discover: We were working with two vast tennis arenas in Madrid in creating exciting environments for guests to party. Our concept here was to create a night fantasy vs. day dream treatment to the two spaces giving guests the choice of rooms. Design: We implemented our design in Madrid with different personalities and style treatments to each arena. Night Fantasy was dark and dirty with giant industrial back lit fans, trannies dancing on podiums, laser shows and a very naughty VIP area behind the DJ inside an articulated lorry. The opposing Day Dream space was designed for networking incorporating a 12-metre origami chandelier with multiple viewing platforms and VIP lounges overlooking a vista of sparking wall surfaces and giant inflatable clouds. Delivery: For both Berlin and Madrid we were responsible for the design and realisation of the full production working in partnership with Sculptivate. All builds were constructed in our workshops and trucked to locations from the UK. We also managed a number of key local suppliers in Madrid and Berlin including all tech, staging, carpet and furnishing.

Kit and Caboodle’s Creative Director, Tanya Clark, devised and delivered the most talked-about hospitality hotel for the London Olympic Games. No. 1 Soho Square, a stunning Georgian house situated on Greek Street in London, was refurbished imaginatively into sparkling, comfortable environment for VIP guests during the duration of the Games. Nicole Kidman was just one of a number of celebrity guests, with Joe Cocker DJ-ing and a giant screen in the garden show live sporting events. From a feminine haven of peace filled with vases of peonies and twinkling tea lights, guests could discover The Planet Ocean room, with a screen spanning one wall showing waterproof timepieces submerged in a tropical fish tank, complete with a reef. A space-themed room, named after the first watch to be worn on the moon, took guests to an inter-planetary dimension, and whimsical works of art such as Martha Freud’s pigeonhole filled with 48 ceramic cups lighting up in an approximation of time – delighted and entertained guests as well as allowing them to share the serenity and elegance that is the hallmark of the best of London’s private clubs. "It was a pleasure working with you on this challenging Omega job and your attention to detail from the beginning to the end has been flawless. You and your team did an amazing job on site over the last couple of days and the problem solving that took place was brilliant! Thank you so much for all of your hard work. I look forward to working with you again soon.” ANABEL FIELDING, CEO, QUINTESSENTIALLY

We were challenged to create a festival style experience which is laid back, engaging, bursting with fun and laughter for 1500 Facebook staff. Offering full turn-key event management service and using the house and grounds of a stunning stately home location, we brought everything we love about summer to the event. From a plethora of games and workshops for staff kids, a food village in the woods full of culinary delights, team games including a glitter pit and inflatable football pitch, Pimms shack and picnic blanket chill out zones, live performance stages, fresh floral headdress making workshops and live acts throughout the day including Carlo Rossi with Organic Jam and an animatronic roaming camel. We engaged the skills of Butch Auntie to create incredible 3D projection mapping content within the nightclub space to beats provided by Ben Bridgewater. Throughout the grounds the styling and vibe of the dressing was magical and captivating, thanks to our careful attention to detail. “Fortune favours the brave”, subsequently looking forward to working with you for our Christmas party.” Torie Nicholson

We were asked to design and deliver a wedding ceremony/evening in Baku (Azerbeijan) for 600 guests including the President and Minister for Defence. We created an “Enchanted Forest” for guests using abundant organic styling and bringing technology such as projection mapping, holograms, soundscapes and scents to create a multi-sensory experience. The venue was a blank canvas with multiple entrance doors into a large open space with a really strong “Persian” style. The aim here was to take over the existing aspect by creating an enchanted forest for guests which would leave them in awe. Taking heads of department, translators and a skeleton team from the UK we worked solely with local suppliers for all the equipment hire and bespoke construction, sourcing some incredible local talent in the most unlikely of places! We approached the production as we would a film set by building up layers of décor and dressing, moving away from a traditional banquet format. We made use of abundant styling, generous organic dressing and sculptural features, stunning lighting and projection techniques. Guests entered the spaces through multi sensory tunnels and emerged onto a sparkling silver lake surrounded by a glittering forest scene of giant organic stylized trees adorned with UV insects and butterflies. A scented petal drop and dry ice reveal marked the arrival of the couple onto a platform under a giant sparkling oak.

Kit and Caboodle Ltd are delighted to have designed and built an amazing interactive art installation for Tinder in collaboration with artistic couple Charlotte and Philip Colbert as part of the #internationalwomensday global campaign #beboldforchange in 2017. The installation, situated on London's iconic South Bank, features an interactive message wall where women can exchange inspiring and empowering messages to one another. The women at Tinder HQ in West Hollywood were the first to send over supportive messages to the women of London. As supermodel and entrepreneur Lily Cole wrote on her card earlier today : when women support women - amazing things happen. Check out Dazed and Confused Magazine coverage of our International Women's Day pop-up interactive art installation for Tinder. We had such a great day supporting and inspiring women to #beboldforchange Happy International Women's Day! #beboldforchange “Thank you for an inspiring day today. I really enjoyed watching people interact and the pleasant surprise of receiving a message from a stranger. Happy International Women’s day to you!” LAURA ROCHE, TINDER Video from Dazed and Confused