How a Travel Company Turned Its Awards Night Into a Spy Thriller

The brief and the venue

The company's awards ceremony was held at a large bar and club venue on a south coast waterfront, transformed with staging, projections and themed decor. The brief was to create a spy-thriller experience for staff that would run through the whole evening, from the drinks reception to the after party.

Arrivals: security checks and strings

Guests were greeted by comic security guards with metal detector wands, who pretended to pick out the suspicious characters in the queue. It set a playful tone straight away.

On the stairs up to the main room, an electric string duo played covers of famous spy-film themes. Ice-queen hostesses in fur-trimmed costumes then showed guests into the venue, where bare-chested hosts in swimming trunks added a cheeky nod to a well-known beach scene.

The drinks reception and ceremony

Over champagne and canapés, a powerful female vocalist performed big, dramatic spy-film ballads, giving the reception a real sense of occasion. When it was time for the awards, showgirls in red costumes escorted the chief executive to the stage.

Each winner then posed with the showgirls for an official photograph, while a videography team filmed the ceremony. Using performers in the formal part of the evening keeps the theme going through the speeches, which is often where energy dips.

Short musical stings between each award, played by the band or DJ, also help. They give winners a walk-on moment, keep the pace brisk and stop the ceremony feeling like a list of names. Keep each award segment under a couple of minutes where possible, and plan the running order so the biggest awards come last.

The party rooms

After the awards, a whole range of acts spread across the venue so guests could move between rooms.

• Character actors playing villains and henchmen mingled and posed for photos.
• The ice hostesses invited guests to a themed ice luge, pouring vodka through for them to catch.
• Two dancers performed in illuminated giant martini glasses, which doubled as a photo opportunity.
• Gold body-painted hostesses walked the rooms with handwritten signs announcing that dinner was served.
• A hypnotist and magician worked from table to table with pickpocketing, PIN guessing and modern close-up magic.
• Day of the dead stilt walkers in skull make-up and bespoke costumes towered over the dance floor.

Bringing it to a close

Guests were encouraged into a photo booth stocked with props, before a live band took the stage with commercial covers and rock anthems, followed by a DJ. The mix of a big set piece, a free-flowing buffet and several rooms of entertainment meant that guests could make their own evening.

Lessons for your own awards night

Behind the scenes, the changing space was tight and the line-up was large, so a dedicated event manager kept every act on schedule. If you are planning a themed awards night, a few points make a big difference.

• Choose a descriptive theme name, such as secret agent or spy thriller, and let the decor and acts do the work.
• Ask performers to play a role in the running order, not just to appear.
• Check changing space and storage for large props such as martini glasses and stilts.
• Make sure someone owns the timings on the night.