Silhouette cutting at Corporate Events

Booking a silhouette artist is a good idea for a wide range of events. We are usually booked as strolling "mix 'n' mingle" entertainers, but the way we will work does vary according to the size and nature of your event. What kind of event is yours?

An exclusive dinner for up to 20 guests
Reception &/or dinner for 20 - 60 guests
A gala dinner for up to 200 guests
A fundraising ball for 200 - 500 guests
A large company dinner with 1000 guests or more
A trade show or conference
A family fun days and other outdoor shows
Silhouette workshops at Team Building events

We are happy to work in costume if required.
Take a look at our photo gallery!

Small dinners, both corporate and private

These kind of events are among our favourites! You'll need to book one artist who will come and do silhouettes of all your guests. Since time is not an issue there are many possibilites for playing with the art of silhouette. You might decide to have all your guests in full length. Another possibility is to cut a complete set of profiles early in the evening, and then later cut all your guests from a single sheet of paper! This will create a wonderful "group portrait" as a permanent momento of the event. If you wish we can also provide smart maple-wood frames and frame each silhouette right then and there. [ Top of Page ]

A Reception and dinner for up to 60 guests

For this kind of event you will need to book one artist who will come and do silhouettes of everybody in the room. Depending on the size of the event (and how fast an artist you book!) this will take anywhere between 1 and 3 hours. We will mount each silhouette on a smart folding card which can, if you wish, be printed with the details of the occasion when the silhouette was cut.

Since we will be "doing" everybody we can also make duplicates of each and every silhouette we make. We do this by cutting 2 sheets of paper at once! You'll get these unmounted duplicates at the end of the evening as a record of your event, or we could bring an assistant on the night to paste them all onto an easil at one end the room as the evening progresses. This will create a fabulous talking point and centre of interest! [ Top of Page ]

Dinners for 60 - 200 guests

We do so many of these events I loose count! Often in a hotel ball-room, but also in marquees, on trains or boats, in wonderful country houses. Many weddings fall into this category as well. There are two possibilites:

Firstly, one artist will easily cover the room as an entertainer. This means we go from table to table (or group to group during a drinks reception) doing 2 or 3 silhouettes at each one. This is the most popular option.

Secondly, we can arrange for everybody in the room to be silhouetted! You will need to book either 2 or 3 of us as necessary. We will either go around the room together, or split the room between us, but rest assured nobody will escape our scissors! This is a spectacular accomplishment which will leave your guests talking about it for years.

For even larger events we can sometimes arrange for a "guest artist" to help out. Since the total number of silhouettists in the UK is very limited (about 6 at the last count) you should book this kind of event quite early to ensure we can all get there! [ Top of Page ]

Larger events for up to 500 guests

At this kind of event the emphasis is always on fun and entertainment rather than the number of cuttings. You should consider booking more than one of us if your budget allows, to ensure that each table is visited during the evening. But if you can only manage one of us, not to worry! Because of the sheer speed at which we work a silhouettist is the only kind of table entertainer who can cover 40 or so tables in one night, even if it means picking out just one prominent profile on each table!

If you are booking other table entertainers as well (and we would recommend it) we will split the room between us to ensure that each table is visited at least once during the evening. Another variation which can work at such events is to book 1 or 2 silhouettists after dinner rather than during it. We will set up a stall at one side of the room so that guests can come and have their silhouette cut out while taking a break from dancing. This is the more traditional approach to the cutters craft!

If you are organising a fund raising event for a well-known charity we will happily enter into the spirit of things by asking for a donation for each silhouette. Working this way we can provide entertainment for your evening at very little cost, if any, since the donations we raise can offset our fee. [ Top of Page ]

Corporate events with 100's or even 1,000's of guests

These large events are very challenging in all kinds of ways, not least the entertainment! Mix 'n' mingle entertainmen works very well at such events, but you might need to book quite a lot of it! Try and book all 3 of us if you can, and also book some other entertainers who we will happily recommend. How about creating an arts theme with 3 or more silhouettists and half a dozen of the best caricaturists?

Having said that, a little story.....
Charles was once booked as the only entertainer for a dinner at Grosvenor House for 1400 guests! Not recommended, but as it happens it worked out well that night. The company had arranged a cameraman to follow the event (especially the speeches) and relay them onto screens around the room. After a quick word he also agreed to film Charles in action at the top tables, so the whole room was able to see their president get his silhouette cut out, to great applause!

This goes to show that whatever kind of event you book us for, you can rely on our experience and professionalism to find a way of making it work. [ Top of Page ]

Trade shows and conferences

Silhouette artists are a great way of bringing people up onto your stand, and giving them a momento of their visit which they'll certainly keep! We'll mount the silhouettes onto a card printed with your corporate details (as this is an important part of such events). For most stands it's essential to set up a base from which the silhouettist can work, this can be as simple as a couple of bar stools and a square yard of wall space on which to mount some profiles. This is because word will spread around the hall and people will actually come looking for the silhouette cutting! If you can book more than one of us we will ensure that at least one of us is on the stand at all times, with all artists working during busy periods.

A word of caution. The "mix and mingle" approach we use at drinks receptions does not normally work well at trade shows. The atmosphere is quite different. If you have a very large stand which incorporates its own bar area and seating for several groups of people, then some mix and mingle work might be possible there, but in general we would always recommend using the more traditional static approach and basing the artist(s) in one spot. [ Top of Page ]

Family fun days, and other outdoor events

These events are a fantastic opportunity for the most traditional kind of silhouette cutting. We will set up a silhouette stall reminisent of those seen on seaside piers during the 1920's, and cut very rapid profiles of anybody who wants one! You should book more than one of us if you can, as it's sure to be a hit and your guests will soon form a queue to be profiled.

If your event is a large public show we can sometimes operate on a "sponsored rate". This means this you pay a reduced rate and we charge a small fee per silhouette to the public. [ Top of Page ]

Team building and motivational events

Our silhouette workshop is unique and not at all traditional. Silhouettists, like magicians, are traditionally a secretive lot, and shy of sharing their skills with others. However, for your event we can leave all that behind and put our scissors in the hands of your guests!

Having picked on one or two of your guests and demonstrated the technique, we will then ask your guests to each find a partner, and distribute scissors and paper among them. We then give them 3 minutes to each cut a silhouette of their partner! The results are always a great mix from the hilarious to the surprisingly good, with prizes for the best (& worst) examples. Silhouette cutting is a great test of both manual dexterity and spatial awareness, and you will soon spot those in your company with hidden artistic talent. [ Top of Page ]

Conclusion

However we are booked, and whatever kind of event it is, you can be assured that your guests will see a delightfully unusual and professional art. They will leave with a momento of your event that they are bound to treasure for many years.