Cocktails, Conspiracies & Copious Amounts of Tape

Some parties have a theme; this one had a cover story.

My most recent themed event was Cocktails & Conspiracies – an evening hosted by the Bureau of Unverified Truths and Theories (B.U.T.T.), a fictional shadow agency dedicated to the investigation of the world's most unexplained and concerning questions.

Every guest received a personalized agent dossier – complete with their agent profile and mission, official badge, an "open if compromised" envelope with a special mission and their voting card to pick their favorites at the end. The typewriter aesthetic and all-knowing eye B.U.T.T. seal design carried through every printed element, from the dossiers and Person of Interest posters to the award certificates and badges.

The living room, hallway and kitchen were transformed into a fully-operational conspiracy web – complete with Person of Interest posters, sticky notes, red string and an amount of tape that I am not authorized to disclose. Photos of every agent in attendance were included on the wall, which made for a particularly entertaining moment when they found themselves on the suspect list. The Cognitive Protection Unit – our mandatory tinfoil hat-making station – kept us all safe from the 5G waves. The food was on theme and labeled as evidence. The drinks were cold and classified. The atmosphere was, by all accounts, appropriately suspicious – and absolutely unhinged in the best possible way.

Agents kept notes throughout the evening and then wrapped it up by voting on their favorites. Five awards were presented:

• The Grassy Knoll Award for Most Unhinged

• The Whistleblower Award for Most Believable

• The Redacted Award for Most Likely to End Up on a Watchlist

• The Smoking Gun Award for Best Presentation

• The Reynolds Wrap Award for Best Tinfoil Hat

The truth is out there – we had a great time looking for it.