TENDERS

BRIGHTON DOME © Hert Niks/Unsplash

Tender time

Looking for new business? Check out the latest event tenders

Salford City Council requires an event management company/individual to manage a programme of events. The programme of events will support the promotion of key Salford high street areas. The deadline for this invitation to tender is 5pm on October 4. If you are interested in this opportunity, please email daniel.cunliffe@salford.gov.uk

The Royal Parks is inviting suitably experienced event service providers to submit a tender proposal to deliver the Royal Parks Half Marathon. The deadline is 2pm on October 8. Interested? Email procurement@royalparks.org.uk

Breckland District Council is looking for experienced suppliers to plan, deliver and manage post-summer events across the district. The deadline is 5pm on October 1. Email fleur.ramm@breckland.gov.uk

Forestry England has issued a tender for backstage catering for its Forest Live Events. The deadline is 12pm on October 4. Email helen.tew@forestryengland.uk

The University of Derby has issued a prior information notice. It is looking for a suitable provider to operate weddings and events at the Devonshire Dome, Buxton. Email procurement@derby.ac.uk for more details.

Brighton Dome and Festival wishes to invite tender submissions for the supply of lighting, audio, and AV equipment for use in the Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre spaces. The deadline is 5pm on October 1. Interested? Email andy.furneaux@brightondome.org

Bristol City Council is undertaking a soft market testing exercise to re-tender the delivery of the Run Bristol events; the Bristol 10k and the Bristol Half Marathon. It is looking for an experienced sports event management company to deliver these events. The council is investigating the market for re-tendering these events. Its key objectives are to understand how confident operators are to commit to a contract and whether there is opportunity to re-build these events following the pandemic. The deadline is October 1. Email ritu.mundray@bristol.gov.uk

• Golf Buggy Hire • Buggy Hire • Mule Hire • Road Legal Buggies • Electric Buggies • Trailier Hire • Trilo Vacum Hire T: 01923 265211 E: info@oliverbuggyhire.co.uk W: www.oliverbuggyhire.co.uk

Park party

Parklife 2021 welcomed 80,000 festivalgoers. Engine No 4’s Jon Drape talks of operational changes and the festival market

Eighty-thousand festivalgoers

descended on Manchester’s Heaton Park (September 11-12) to watch Disclosure, Skepta and Jamie XX at Parklife 2021. The metropolitan festival, which usually takes place in June, was one of the first in the event calendar to move its dates “to give it the best chance of happening”.

Given the challenges around the supply chain, the extra time was needed to produce the two-day festival. Jon Drape, director of Engine No 4, which provides Parklife with site management, technical production, and operational expertise, explained: “We went early doors and pushed back our dates. At the same time, we looked at what else we could do. We made the decision to have no covered structures.”

Parklife 2021 featured a new Hangar Stage, delivered by Star Live, and the festival also worked hard to deliver sustainability measures, including the use of green fuel and compostable cutlery.

“We didn’t want to deliver the same old Parklife,” Drape said. “We tried to maximise the footprint and we reviewed our security and CCTV measures in light of the Manchester Arena Inquiry.”

Drape contracted NoNonsense Group, Lucid Creates, Decordia, Serious Stages, 2CL, Kayam and Buffalo Power to deliver kit and services to Parklife. Conversations with suppliers started early and Engine No 4 tried to build in contingencies. However, like every other events professional trying to put on a show, Engine No 4, experienced issues.

Drape continued: “Whilst we have good supplier relationships and good personal friends who are in the supply chain, we were not ignorant about the issues facing suppliers when the industry restarted. There were fundamental problems around suppliers selling inventory, redundancies, staff leaving to work in other sectors, and Brexit. There were 10 moving parts that came together to create a problem.”

He concluded: “I think the festival industry is more fragile than anyone thought it would be, so we need to re-evaluate the structure of the market. Our ticket prices are out of kilter with other industries. If you look at what festivals provide, we’re too cheap, we treat suppliers with disdain and security professionals need to be paid more.”

Parklife will take place in June 2022.