Your murder mystery party’s success hinges on more than just a good plot. From the theme to the guest list, each detail plays a crucial role in creating an unforgettable experience. 

But there are so many murder mystery events for people to choose from. What can you do to stand out and sell more tickets?

At Eventbrite, we help event organizers worldwide deliver unique and successful events. Keep reading for our expert advice on creating a murder mystery game that stands out; whether it’s for a virtual Halloween event or a surprise party, you’ll be sure to wow your guests with these tips. 

Host a murder mystery party that guests will never forget 

How to play a murder mystery game: The basics

How to write a murder mystery party

15 steps to host a murder mystery party that guests will never forget

How to measure the success of your murder mystery party

How to play a murder mystery game: The basics 

The easiest way to understand a murder mystery game is to imagine an in-person version of the classic board game Clue. 

Participants assume a character and receive cards representing possible murder weapons and crime locations, all of which are clues. This example gives you some idea of the preparation needed to throw a great murder mystery party. 

For an in-person or virtual murder mystery game, you need:

All of these factors depend on the murder mystery party theme you choose and whether you’re writing the story yourself, purchasing a pre-made murder mystery party kit, or hiring a company to handle the entirety of the game.

Checklist for writing a murder mystery game

How to write a murder mystery party 

Before we explain how to host a murder mystery party, let’s walk through the key elements of creating an intriguing murder mystery story for your guests. 

1. Think about your audience

Understanding your ideal event audience helps you create a murder mystery plot and characters that appeal to them. 

Designing an event for true crime fans? Spend time on the finer details of the mystery to keep attendees interested and engaged. Planning an event for kids? Change the central mystery to a simpler plot with children as the characters, adjusting the puzzles and clues accordingly. 

If you need more support researching and understanding your target audience, use Eventbrite. Access event data to better understand the demographics, preferences (like popular ticket types), and behaviors to craft the perfect murder mystery for your ideal audience. 

2. Design something unique 

Murder mystery games have grown in popularity since the pandemic. To stand out from the crowd and attract potential guests, you must create a plot that’s unique and interesting. 

Think about how you can add a new twist to the traditional format like The Dinner Detective did with The Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Show. Actors take part in the audience, but guests don’t know who the actors are. It’s an interesting spin on a classic murder mystery, which helps it stand out in a saturated market. 

3. Map your plot 

Walk through each step of your murder mystery plot to ensure the storyline has a linear structure and is easy to follow. 

Here’s an example of how it should flow: 

Having this type of structure helps with time management so your event starts and finishes at the promised time. Allocate timeframes to each section of your plot, so there’s enough time for guests to complete the mystery and there’s a planned pace throughout the murder mystery party.

4. Make interesting characters 

Part of the fun of murder mysteries is playing characters within the story. Create interesting character descriptions with backstories and quirks that make the experience more fun and engaging for the participants.

Let’s use Lady Beatrice Harrington to exemplify the key principles you should consider when creating a character: 

Mapping these topics for your characters is a great way to ensure they’re all fully developed and believable. If you’re missing any key areas (like some background information), using this list will help you identify them. 

5. Create challenging but solvable clues 

Creating a successful murder mystery party involves toeing the line between a challenging and easy resolution. You want it to be engaging and fun to solve but not so hard that it’s impossible.

Run through the plot with team members to ensure it’s solvable. Ask them to pretend to be guests and take part in the mystery to ensure they can test the clues and identify the murderer. If they struggle or finish really quickly, you know you need to refine your clues. 

Now, let’s walk through the steps you can follow to create a successful murder mystery game. 

Checklist for hosting a murder mystery party

15 steps to host a murder mystery party that guests will never forget

Hosting a murder mystery event requires a lot of planning, logistics, and creativity. To help you cover all these bases, we’ve outlined 15 steps to planning an unforgettable night.

1. Define your budget

Start by confirming your event budget. This will help you to manage your money and ensure that your event is profitable.  

Here are the key areas you’ll need to budget for: 

Use our event budget template to plan and ensure your calculations are on point throughout the event planning process. 

2. Consider a murder mystery party kit 

A murder mystery kit is a ready-made murder mystery experience. If you don’t have the time or budget to create an event from scratch, these kits help you get started with free downloadable plans or boxed sets that cost a few hundred dollars. 

Here are a couple of examples:

The level of planning and prop-making also depends on the kit you choose, the size of your event, and your budget. With a small budget, you may need to add your own props to enhance the guest experience. If you have a larger budget, you can look for a package that includes what you need to create an immersive event. If you can’t and you have the budget, consider working with a murder mystery company that specializes in these events, like The Murder Mystery Co. 

3. Choose the right venue 

Your choice of venue is crucial to the overall murder mystery experience and atmosphere. You need a venue that aligns with your murder mystery theme to make it believable and really encourage guests to feel like they’re part of the story. 

Take a look at websites like Peerspace and Unique Venues to find interesting locations for your murder mystery event. Here’s a checklist of some of the things to consider when searching these sites:

On top of all these physical elements, it’s also important to find a venue that’s in line with your budget to ensure the event is profitable. 

4. Create a custom event page

With 64% of attendees reporting that immersive experiences are the most important event experience, it’s important that you create an experience of your event on your website — or through Eventbrite’s platform — to secure ticket sales.

Use Eventbrite Organizer to create custom event pages for guests to buy tickets. Provide a clean layout for easy navigation and add sections that seamlessly guide guests through the buying process. 

Creating a custom event page for a murder mystery party

Add branding to your event page that aligns with your murder mystery event, or create a video to encapsulate the heart of the event — like Oya Arts used for its 1920s Murder Mystery Paint and Sip event. 

5. Get the word out to sell tickets 

Once you’ve decided on your budget, theme, and venue, it’s time to generate interest and excitement for your event to make ticket sales. 

If you need an event platform to help sell tickets or promote your event, check out what Eventbrite has to offer. 

Statistics from Eventbrite's marketing tools: tickets sold, clicks, and impressions

After creating an event page, you can use our marketing tools (like Eventbrite Ads) to create ads on social media and make your events top the search and discovery pages. We use data from previous events to help you target the right audience, and you can also A/B test ads within the app, split-testing them for different audiences.

Promote your event to the right audience

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Dancers perform at an outdoor event

6. Offer different ticket tiers

If you’re not hosting a free murder mystery party, you may want to offer different ticket types based on the kind of experience your attendees are looking for. 

Studies show that the number of users in the events ticket market is expected to reach 769 million by 2028, so get ahead of the curve by managing your event ticketing effectively and offering secure payments.

For example, you can offer VIP tickets that include food and drink packages, exclusive swag or props, or the opportunity to be assigned a character who is an important part of the mystery. Using Eventbrite’s ticketing system, you can create different ticket types and sell them to attendees right on your website or Facebook event page.

7. Send themed invites 

A well-crafted invite shows guests what to expect, what the game instructions involve, and how to prepare. 

Typically, when you send out murder mystery party invitations, you’ll assign each attendee a character to play while they’re at the party. Be sure to give the attendees enough background information so they can come up with costume ideas and a persona (which leads us nicely to the next section). 

8. Help guests get into character ahead of the event 

The more people lean into the theme and their characters, the more fun it will be. Send them an email with ideas for costumes, how to create them, and places to source costumes from. 

Here are some of the places you can recommend for costume rentals: 

Provide some backstory so guests can interpret their characters and add their own spin to their costumes. For example, if one of your characters is recently widowed and inherits a fortune, your guests can run with that. They can dress up with costume jewelry, extravagant hats, and other accessories. 

Guests at a luau event in themed outfits
Wes Chiller / Dead Man’s Luau / Los Angeles, CA

9. Prepare props in advance

Props can play a big part in believability and setting the scene with a murder mystery party. But finding high-quality, authentic-looking props that fit the theme and setting of your murder mystery can be difficult — especially if you have a specific or unusual theme. 

Give yourself plenty of time to source or make top-quality props for the event. To supply props for your guests that suit your theme, check out sites like Custom Prop Shop and Event Decor Direct. 

If you’re on a budget, head to Pinterest for some inspiration on how to DIY props and decorations. 

10. Create the right ambiance

Small details — like playing music that captures the spirit of your theme or mood lighting — can immerse your attendees in the fantasy of the event. 

Take a look at A Risky Business – A Totally 80s Murder Mystery Dinner Event from Something New Studio as an example. To immerse guests in the 80s vibe, the suspects (all professional actors) are on brand with the decade, complete with yuppies, big hair, leg warmers, and zipper jackets. 

You could even have your team and vendors dress in line with your theme to really create an immersive experience. 

11. Provide themed food and drinks

Another way to make the experience immersive is to provide food and drinks that match the theme.

For example, if you’re hosting a murder mystery set in a gothic English mansion in the 1800s, serve cocktails with alcohol from that time period (like rum or beer). 

Or if the mystery is set in the Wild West, serve dishes like fire-roasted corn or BBQ ribs. The Wild West Murder Mystery Dinner Fundraiser from the Zanesville Business and Professional Women’s Club provides a BBQ menu with many Western favorites. 

12. Secure the right sponsors

Sponsors are a great way to expand your promotional reach and secure more funding and support for your event. 

Here are some websites to help you find sponsors: 

Before approaching potential sponsors, think about the types of companies that align with your event and your target audience. For example, partner with a local distillery to create themed cocktails for your event. Or work with a company to make trendy snacks if your event is for teenagers or children.

13. Get attendees excited through social media

Promote your event on social media to generate more interest (and boost ticket sales) and excitement ahead of the big day. 

Drop hints about the mystery and give sneak peeks about the characters. Create a hashtag for the event that attendees can use on X/Twitter and Instagram before and during the event and encourage them to post about their experience. This will also help you generate interest for future events. 

Eventbrite integrates with major social media platforms and makes it easy to post about your event and expand your audience. Here’s how it works:

Take a look at our essential guide to social media for events to find out more about using social media to promote your events and sell more tickets. 

14. Keep the game moving

Keep your game on track throughout the night, ensuring the pace of the mystery continues unfolding. Guests can get distracted, so you may need to keep them on task and moving through the game promptly. 

Create a specific timetable for the night to keep you on schedule. Consider having staff who can shadow each team of guests as they look for clue cards, or post-event staff near the clue locations to monitor team progress. Stay in communication with your events team throughout the night so you can keep tabs on their progress.

15. Document your event

Take pictures and capture videos at the event to document the experience, and encourage your attendees to post their photos on social media using your hashtag. You can give out or sell photos to attendees as souvenirs and use the images and video as marketing material for future events. If your event is a hit and you want to recreate it next year, you’re going to want lots of media showing how much fun the previous attendees had.

Checklist for measuring the success of a murder mystery party

How to measure the success of your murder mystery party 

Identifying the successes and failures of your event is the best way to improve future events. 

Your findings will show you what to keep and help you identify ways to improve your murder mystery events in the future. 

Here are some of the ways to track and measure event success:

1. Calculate your ROI 

Determine your event’s return on investment (ROI) to calculate the financial success of your event. 

This involves:

Here’s the full ROI calculation: 

[(Total Sales Revenue – Total Cost of the Event) ÷ Total Cost of Event]  X 100 = ROI

So let’s say you had $4,000 in revenue from your murder mystery event. The total cost of the event was $1,500, so here’s your ROI calculation:

[($4,000 – $1,500) ÷ $1,500] x 100 = 166.7%

Use the Eventbrite ROI calculator to determine the financial success of your event. 

To determine whether your ROI is successful, assess how much you need to earn for your event to be financially viable. For example, you might need to hit 50% to make a profit that you consider “reasonable.” 

The ideal ROI varies based on several factors, including your budget, event costs, and ticket sales. This means you have to work out what you need to recoup for your specific event to identify your ideal ROI percentage. 

Track event performance in real time 

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Attendees check social media on their mobile phones

2. Gather guest feedback 

Send guests post-event emails, create surveys for feedback, or ask them to leave reviews to get some insight into their experience.

Learn from what they say and incorporate it into future events. For example, if they say the plot was too convoluted, simplify it in the future. If they want it to be more challenging, create a slightly more complex story going forward. 

3. Collect anecdotal evidence 

Look for anecdotal evidence that could help you better curate your next event. 

Did the bartenders notice guests asking for a particular drink or cocktail that you didn’t offer? Did you sell a lot of one kind of merchandise but not much of another? Did attendees use your social media hashtag and share posts online about the event? You can gather a lot of information by paying attention to what guests say to each other and on public platforms.

To collect feedback from event staff, it’s a good idea to use a staff survey or have a debriefing meeting afterward. That way, you don’t have to worry about talking to everyone individually after the event or missing any valuable information. 

4. Determine attendance vs. tickets sold 

Attendees vs. tickets sold is a good indicator of whether you’ve delivered in the following areas:

Was there a big gap in the number of attendees in comparison with how many tickets sold? If so, why? What could you improve to increase the number of attendees? 

To keep an eye on attendance and analyze numbers after the event, use the Eventbrite Check-in App. You can track guests in real-time and ensure that everyone has all the information they need ahead of the event. 

Ready to host your murder mystery party? Let Eventbrite help 

There are many moving parts when hosting a murder mystery event, and it’s vital to manage them all effectively for the best results. 

But the main challenge? Creating a unique, engaging, and fun murder mystery party for your guests. Understand your ideal audience and think outside the box to cut through the noise and sell tickets. 

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