Actividades: The Venue and Decoration Find a venue with a large space for the cocktail area to allow enough roaming space for both animals and attendees. Ensure that you keep a restricted exit, with direct access to the animal transportation. Alternatively, why not at the zoo? You can hire their carts to bring your attendants from the entrance to the event hall. Of course, you can place your company logo to personalise these carts. The Decoration The Stage Area: Set the stage with a backdrop of tiger prints or paw prints, with the company logo, event name and dates (you can also use black and white zebra prints if this is a black-tie affair). Mount a projection screen on the centre of the backdrop (at least one 10'x 14' projection screen for 200 attendants) to provide 'live' telecast of the event. Get your roaming cameraman to run the camera as the guests enter, and film the attendants from table to table when they are seated. All present can see who's who on the screen. Dress the stage and around the stage with green landscaping. And place garden torches on the outside of the venue to add to the ambience. Tables Decorate the tabletops with animal prints linens, complemented by matching seat covers. Use exotic flowers as the centrepieces surrounding a long elegant candle, and place them on top of green ferns to give that jungle feeling. Fold napkins into a roll and place an animal print napkin ring to give that finishing touch. The Ambience Dims the lights during the entrance of the attendants and fill the air with sounds of animals. Create that warm suspense with the candlelight on the tables. When all are seated, put down the lights and the animals' sound. Place a spotlight on the stage as the emcee welcomes everyone to start the evening. The emcee can be dressed as Tarzan to go with the theme. You can also get the waiters' face painted and dressed in animal suits! Entertainment Opening Dance Entertain the guests with a jungle dance: You can use Paul Simon´s "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", the soundtrack of "The Lion King", or Kool & The Gang's "Jungle boogie"! This can also be enhanced with special lights & laser effects. To make it even more impressive, end the dance with pyrotechnics effects! Dance till dawn As the opening dance begins, drop coloured balloons and confetti with the upbeat music and get everyone into the groove! Games Get the crowd to participate... Bring out the animal instinct in them! Play them while waiting for the next course to be served. - Select 10 persons (or 1 representative from each table) on stage and see who has the loudest roar. - Have all the tables collect a list of "jungle items" and see who has the best interpretation (e.g. hunting spear can be a fork, anaconda - a lady stocking!) Prepare some small tokens or presents to be given to the winners for their great efforts and teamwork!
Consejos: - Contact the zoo or the circus (when in town) for the rental of the animals - Ensure that the trainers of the animals are briefed about what to expect from the attendants, so as to predict the behaviour of the animals - Build up the excitement and tease your audience with invitation cards of animal prints or create an event web page for this event! - If people are to get dressed in costumes with animal prints, let them know where they can find them, and hire a few extra for those who did not arrive with them. - Ensure that you have cleaners on site just in case the animals have their "nature calls". People will be forgiving, but act fast to prevent any further embarrassment! - Be aware that the zoo may smell. Work with the zoo to ensure that the area where the dinner will be held is minimised from this unpleasant odour.