This guide will walk you through event theming, idea generation and how to use tried and tested themes in new and innovative ways.
Done well, themes can offer a style that is unique, persuasive and engaging. Theming can be the one thing that makes your event stand out and convince other stakeholders and sponsors to want to work with you in the future.
Event themes include the look, feel, taste, sound and even smell of an event. You can include all the senses within an event theme to create an experience people will never forget. Here are some creative party themes for adults, novel corporate themes and standout themes for charities or fundraising.
Theming a fundraising event can be both challenging and fun. It should reflect the values of the charity and of the stakeholder while also offering a unique take on the theme.
The roaring twenties is a classic for fundraisers as it can be entirely wholesome without detracting from the fun factor. Plus, who doesn’t love an excuse to dress up and roleplay for an evening? Venue decoration and music choice are key, as is dressing staff, but the rest is relatively straightforward. Just try to come up with a unique hook to make your event stand out.
The Orient is another classic that works well. Asian cultures are colourful, offer huge scope for dress, food, entertainment and venue. Lots of audiences will be receptive to an Asian theme if done well as it is great to look at, can be catered to a high standard and offers lots of scope for originality in terms of acts or overall theming.
The medieval feast is another event theme that can be taken anywhere. From a castle venue to fancy dress, hog roasts, roaring fires, mugs of mead, jousting, jugglers and fools, demonstrations of crafts, swordsmanship or whatever is most appropriate for the audience.
Winter wonderland is a very popular event theme as it offers huge scope for the venue and audience. You could go all out with an ice rink or ice sculptures or keep it more sensible with fancy dress and winter table dressing, there is a lot of freedom to express yourself and to represent the stakeholder very well here.
Corporate events vary a lot in their size, scope and style. Some events will welcome creativity and something different while others will want to play it safe.
Back to school is a classic theme that is also refreshingly analogue. Depending on the generation of the target audience, it can be chalkboard and short shorts or more contemporary. Either way, use your creativity with seating, staging, speakers, staff uniforms, food and drink and even music. Back to school helps you leverage powerful feelings of nostalgia to deliver a superb event.
Appliance and electronics manufacturer LG pulled off an excellent event using an inflatable water park in the design of a dishwasher. You don’t have to be quite so daring but the idea could be adapted easily to fit a range of companies or industries. As long as the target market would be receptive to getting wet, this could be relatively straightforward to pull off while delivering a memorable experience.
People from history is a very flexible event theme that can be tuned to the audience in any number of ways. From fancy dress from throughout the ages, a medieval banquet, Game of Thrones style Red Wedding, Roman senate, Viking invasion to Wartime Britain. The scope is huge and coming up with a unique pitch should be easy.
If suitable for the target audience, a Moulin Rouge theme or cabaret could deliver an amazing event. It could be risqué and include burlesque or wholesome and include swing bands, cabaret singers and all that jazz. The potential for venue theming is massive, as is the opportunity to surprise and amaze.
Trade or industry events are only constrained by the vision and the industry. There is a lot you can do to make a conference or networking event much more interesting.
Who doesn’t love a bit of sparkle? Having a diamond themed event can include fake diamonds everywhere, a James Bond link, or not, Precious stone themed rooms, different coloured uniforms for staff and lots of scope for entertainment. Suitable for jewellers, fashion, accessories and all kinds of industries.
Cosplay is huge in some industries and if you’re planning an event for a younger industry or one that is young at heart, cosplay is the way to go. It offers lots of scope for venues, décor, food and drink, staff uniforms, entertainment, demonstrations, guest speakers and a whole lot more.
Sci-Fi doesn’t have to be geeky. It could be neon, stainless steel, black and moody, city of the future, Star Wars or Star Trek themed or just include lots of props and decorations that offer a glimpse of the future. It works well for all kinds of industries and offers huge scope for creativity and originality.
Movie night is another tried and true event theme. It offers a lot of scope, can be tuned to almost any industry, offer massive potential for entertainment, venue décor, food and drink, talent and more. It could be as simple as walking popcorn vendors to having a genuine A-lister as guest speaker. The potential is limitless and has almost no bounds.
Private events offer huge scope for theming but will likely be constrained by the wishes of the stakeholder. Either way, you should have ample opportunity to display your creativity.
The neon garden is a classic theme for birthdays, private music events or where there is electronic music or a futuristic leaning. It can be visually stunning, work for children and adults, be tweaked to appeal to all kinds of event types and offer talking points throughout the venue.
A carnival or circus event theme has been done many hundreds of times but technology, unique acts and other creativity can still deliver something unique and memorable. They can also be tweaked according to the audience and be Cirque du Soleil or more child-friendly. There is huge scope for ingenuity here so you don’t end up the same as every other carnival or circus.
A pirate theme can be tuned to younger audiences or made as raucous as the audience or stakeholder desires. There is an opportunity for dressing staff, venue decoration, props, different themes, ship mockups, live music, serving wenches or fantasy creatures and a whole lot more.
The history, nostalgia and resurgence of Star Wars means it is an excellent event theme for all kinds of private events. You could set up a Mos Eisley Cantina, rebuild the Hoth base, built a mock Death Star and use all kinds of props, sound effects and entertainment. A lightsaber demonstration by two professionals is just one way to add a unique touch too!
