1.

Wedding
2. Birthday Party
3. Festival
4. Team Building
5. Cabaret- Cabaret is a stage performance, typically held in restaurants, bars and
nightclubs. It mixes music, song, dance and drama with an overarching theme that is
normally more suited to adult audiences.
6. Conference- Conference are made up of several sessions, often mixing up formats
including keynotes, panels, breakouts and roundtables (to name just a few) and also
blend learning with networking
7. Seminars-
8. Product Launches- Product launch events are often held in a party format to showcase a
company’s latest release, so they’ll generally involve a demo, lots of cool branding,
important people, and plenty of drinks and nibbles.
9. Masquerade- Most common around Halloween, masquerade parties are a great excuse to
get dressed up and revel with others in equally outrageous / amusing / esoteric
clothing.
10. Sports Events
11. Flash Mob- No, not a big gather of angry flashers. Flash mobs are large groups that all
descent at a pre-arranged time and location to dance together. Orchestrated through
social media, they look spontaneous (and pretty cool) to those who are there to witness
them. A favorite for brands who want to look cool and youthful.
12. Auction- Items or services are sold in front of an audience to the person who is prepared
to pay the highest amount. Audience members place ‘bids’ for each item or ‘lot’, with
bids being managed by an auctioneer. Competitive bids are placed increasing in value,
until each person has offered the maximum amount they want to for the lot, at which
point the highest bidder has secured the item. Great for non-profit fundraisers.
13. Endurance- Endurance events are normally individual feats of endurance where you race
against yourself to complete the distance. Like races, the most common forms involve
running, cycling and swimming (or all three), but they could involve dancing for 24
hours (like Dermot O’Leary did for Comic Relief).
14. Consumer Show/Fair- These are usually big events full of vendors selling their products or
services all linked by a specific theme like home wear, travel or weddings.
15. Congress- Congresses generally refer to formal meetings between politicians or
government representatives. Many conferences also adopt the name of ‘congress’ to
sound more formal and important too!
16. Awards- Think Oscars, The Emmys, etc. Of course, not all award ceremonies are quite as
slick and glamorous, but they’re a wonderful way to recognize and reward the hard
work of teams and individuals.
17. Fashion Show- The buzz and theatre of a runway at one of the major fashion weeks are
hard to replicate, but fashion shows can be run anywhere and anytime. They can be a
great, fun way to raise money for charity, too.
18. Exhibition/Trade Show- Trade shows are similar to consumer fairs, but are normally
restricted to professionals and not open to the public. They focus on selling high-value
B2B goods or services.
19. Symposium- Traditionally, a symposium was a Greek social affair that was heavy on
drinking and revelry. These days, symposiums are commonly associated with medical,
scientific or highbrow
20. Obstacle races- These are similar to endurance events but with lots of obstacles now in
your way (and typically lots of mud too!) These can be tough and gruelling , or they can
be fun, with bouncy obstacles. Both options are widely attended.
21. Open Mic- An event where you get the chance to be the star of the show. They usually
focus on poetry, music, and comedy and give aspiring artists the chance to showcase
their skills and get comfortable performing in public.
22. Paint Jam- Find a great space, grab a handle for street artists, and you’ve got yourself a
paint jam. People love watching amazing art come to life.
23. Prom- An American staple and movie classic. Give your attendees to the chance to relive
their high school experience — with (legal) drinks.
24. Rave- Big in the 90s, less so today… but what about getting your attendees to party like
it’s 1999?
25. 26. Reunion- Class reunions are great fodder for Hollywood, and a much bigger deal in
the US than in the UK, but if you believe we eventually adopt most of their events (think
Halloween and Proms) then this is one to watch in the near future.
26. Scavenger Hunt- Scavenger hunts can be a fun and enjoyable way to get people working
together (assuming they don’t fight).
27. Speed dating- If you’d like your awkward silences to have a short time limit on them, this
is the event format for you! On a more serious note, they can be a very efficient way of
helping attendees work a room, meet a lot of interesting people and not get stuck in one
boring conversation all night with no means of escape.
28. Standup/Comedy- Everyone loves to laugh, and stand-up has been around as an event
format since Ancient Greek times to service this basic human need.
29. Street Party- These are great community events, very often organized to celebrate huge
milestones or anniversaries, such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, or the end of the
World War. A great way to bond with your neighbors and build community spirit, why
wait for an excuse to host one?