When a venue or a client books a Murder Mystery events, we have a face to face or a phone conversation with them to talk through who the guests are, what reaction they are after and what to expect. During this conversation, one of the first questions we ask is “do your guests know they are coming to a murder mystery?”

Most organisers want to shock the guests and therefore will not tell them whats going on.  We love this approach and really enjoy the surprise but lets look at the two different approaches.

1: Don’t tell your guests

This means that when the guests arrive they have no idea and most of the time simply think they are coming to a party or drinks.  It means we can hide the actors and spend the first 30 – 45 minutes getting the guest to completely believe the actors are who they say they are.  An example may be when guests arrive they are met by a Team Building facilitator who explains that they have been hired to play some team games, or a party where one of the guests brings her new boyfriend or even the new company director is there to meet the team in a casual environment.  Believe me – the guest will suspect nothing!

Some time in there will be an argument, an announcement, a slap or a glass of water thrown into a face – something loud and that will take everyone by surprise.  Only after that will the guests be told they are at a Murder Mystery and that someone is going to be murdered.

This approach is perfect when you know the group are fun and outgoing.  However can be harder work when the guests have been working really hard and are there to relax – a corporate Christmas Party where guests come straight form work for example. The guest’s mentality is to want to relax and chill out and not have to think too much.

2: Tell your guests

The second method is to let your guests know before hand.  This means that the guests can get dressed up and into the spirit and also the game can actually begin well in advance.  We can prepare news articles, rumours, memos etc to circulate with your guests weeks in advance to get them thinking.

Perfect for a dress up night.  1920’s, 40’s or 60’s.  It sets the theme for the night and lets guests get into the mood.  We can still hide the actors and the night still runs in a very similar way.

 

In short, think about the mindset your guests are going to be in when they arrive.  We will talk you through this – but you know your guests.