StandOut Magazine October 2024

Where big ideas meet bold design

Spectacular Event Spaces Modular & Bespoke Structures Sustainability Focussed

OCTOBER 2024

rom a crowd surge at Boardmasters and a funfair ride malfunction at Lambeth Country Show to stabbings at Notting Hill Carnival and Reggae Land. There have been some varied safety incidents this summer. Now throw in Storm Lilian, which battered Creamfields (page 12) and Leeds festival, and organisers across the country will undoubtedly be learning valuable lessons from the 2024 event season.

This month, I have chatted with so many event safety experts that my head has been buzzing with ideas and stories. Some that I can’t share. It’s frustrating because we learn the most from the things that don’t quite go to plan and I think it’s important to push that information out.

Until you test a plan, you never know if it’s going to work but as Sygma Safety’s Brian Cleary states in our event safety feature (page 73) no paperwork ever saved someone’s life and this is why we have a special workshop at Event Buyers Live this year, allowing everyone to share their experiences of what happens When Things Go Wrong.

Thankfully, more and more organisers appear to be conducting tabletop exercises, investing in the safety of their customers and crew. The Event Safety Shop’s Simon James says there are easy answers to most things but whether they are necessarily the right answers is a different matter entirely. Something completely odd and out of the blue could bite you on the arse and if you think you have every element of safety on your site sorted then you’re just plain ignorant.

What’s interesting is the media’s reaction to an on-site incident especially when a handful of customers take to social media. Negative feedback is not great when you’re trying to sell tickets and a few vocal idiots on socials can damage a event’s reputation. Simon acknowledges that a media team will want to conduct some kind of damage limitation but this might have consequences for an ops team. Hence, all departments must align and feel supported, especially as the pressure to deliver amazing customer experiences is increasing. Festival Republic’s Melvin Benn knows only too well that there is a need to give audiences new immersive experiences so when he had the opportunity to do something new at Reading and Leeds this year, he jumped at the chance. Find out what he’s talking about by turning to page 62 and enjoy this issue. I’ve loved writing it so please sit back and let me know what you think.

Happy reading,

Caroline

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10 EVENT TENDERS

Check out the latest event tenders and news of contract wins

12 TURNING UP THE ENERGY

Creamfields’ Jess Shields on managing a £2 million investment in site infrastructure and relocating 400 people from an accessible campsite thanks to Storm Lilian

19 PEOPLE POWER

2024 has seen LS Events mark 20 years in business. Here, Dave Grindle, Steve Reynolds, and Jim King discuss what role values will play as the event production agency looks to the future

26 GET READY FOR IT

StandOut previews Event Buyers Live 2024. Read on and find out why you should attend

29 NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Gloworm Festival has announced it is returning to its original home for 2025. But why? Gloworm’s Richard Walpole talks about the “best decision” ever made

35 OLYMPIC EFFORT

An army of event professionals delivered huge amounts of infrastructure to make Paris 2024 a success

41 LIVING IN A MATERIALS WORLD

What are organisers doing to manage waste on their event and festival sites?

57 IT’S GOOD TO TALK

More than 60 festivals have either announced their cancellation, postponement or complete closure. Event professionals discuss comms strategy and lessening the blow for everyone affected.

62 MAKING A STATEMENT

This summer, several organisers unveiled new and exciting stages to give customers a better experience at their live events

73 SAFETY FIRST

From safeguarding and crew welfare to bad weather and dealing with trespassers, event safety experts give StandOut the lowdown on what went down this summer

12 TURNING UP THE ENERGY

62 MAKING A STATEMENT

29 NO PLACE LIKE HOME

19 PEOPLE POWER

26 EVENT BUYERS LIVE

This month’s

CONTRIBUTORS:

SCOTT HAYWARD

Scott joined Arena in September 2022 as CEO of Arena’s overlay and global major events business and is tasked with leading its development. Scott has worked in the events industry since 2006 and has successfully delivered major events around the world. His knowledge and understanding have seen him oversee the design, development, and manufacture of large-scale capital investment programmes to facilitate major events. More recently, Scott worked on Tokyo 2020 and for the organising committee of Birmingham 2022, as head of overlay. This position gave him a unique understanding of how best to operate to maximise the stakeholder and spectator experience. Fresh from Paris 2024, where Arena provided temporary overlay to 13 venues, Scott talks of the challenges, the memorable moments and teamwork.

SIMON JAMES

Simon discovered his love of live events during his years spent on the road with the stars of the 80s including Tina Turner, Dire Straits, the Who and Michael Jackson. Life on the road unfortunately led him to witnessing several accidents, which made him think about how the sector could be made safer for both crew and public – without dampening the fun. The founding of The Event Safety Shop (TESS) soon followed, and 22 years later, TESS has helped develop event safety plans at Leeds, Reading, Glastonbury, and Boomtown, as well as international events including EDC in the USA and Riot Games events across the world. In this issue, Simon talks about event safety and how there are easy answers to most things but whether they are the right answer is something entirely different.

LUKE HASELL

Luke grew up on a farm before he went away to study civil engineering. However, he knew his life would one day circle back to it. He was a project manager for a big engineering firm and about to emigrate to Australia when his dad suddenly died. He moved home to help his mum on the farm, but tragically, Luke’s mum was diagnosed with cancer and sadly passed away. Luke’s parents loved the land; they loved sharing food and laughing with family and friends, which is why he did two things when he took over the farm. Firstly, he made it organic. Secondly, he started a festival. Ten years on, Luke remains the director of Valley Fest and makes it his mission that everyone who visits Valley Fest has the time of their life! In this issue, Luke discusses the festival’s recent announcement that it is taking a fallow year and the importance of comms, and he ponders his next moves.

Event Power Solutions

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Thirty-eight pairs – watched by 12,500 enthusiastic visitors – gathered in The Hague on September 7 to take part in Red Bull Stalen Ros, a cycling event with a difference. Competitors ride vintage or custom-built bikes, often exhibiting quirky and imaginative designs that turn heads. This year’s competition unfolded on a water-based course along the historic Prinsessegracht in The Hague, where 38 pairs raced their self-designed bikes down an 80-metre stretch, aiming to reach the bell as fast as possible. The course featured narrow passages, a drawbridge, a traffic circle, cobblestones, and inventive obstacles, all of which challenged the teams’ agility, ingenuity, and strategic thinking.

LINKEDIN POST OF THE MONTH

NEWS IN BRIEF

Will

Almost all site visits are carried out in the daytime. But a lot of our events will operate at night in some form, whether that’s the bulk of the content or the end of the event and the egress. Low light levels can present a hazard to your audience by making wayfinding more challenging, increasing the risk of slips, trips and falls and creating dark areas where people may be assaulted. That’s why the lighting check is so important. When the site’s almost ready to open and the lighting towers and festoon are in place, switch everything on after sunset and walk (or drive) the site. Go through all those little areas in between the main entertainment. Make sure all your emergency exits and their signs are lit up. Think about the audience journey including ingress/egress. Check all the toilet blocks. We can’t light the whole site up like a football pitch, but we can eliminate any really dark areas to increase audience safety.

#HealthandSafety #SafetyCulture

#Eventprofs #SafetyFirst

Organisers have until October 18 to apply for a Purple Guide grant.

Plans to require venues to introduce more measures to protect visitors and staff from terror attacks – known as Martyn’s Law – have been introduced to Parliament. However, industry bodies are calling for a thorough review.

onboard:earth is the new name for travel impacts charity ecolibrium

Material Focus has created a guide with practical advice for organisers on how to tackle vapes and e-waste and on funding available for vape bins.

Phil Hargreaves has joined Freedom Festival as festival director.

The BPI has appointed Gemma Cropper as senior events manager. She will work on The BRIT Awards.

Jason Lunn has a new role as head of events, tracks and rental UK at Millbrook

AEG Europe has appointed Michael Aldridge as premium experience manager.

Strata has appointed Louise Greig as head of logistics.

Global experiential agency Collaborate has appointed Steve Harding to its advisory board.

Clare Holmes has joined Super League Basketball as head of events.

Holdoway has joined Togather as delivery director.

Image: © Marcel van Hoorn/Red Bull Content Pool

Pitch and PIN

Looking for new business?

Check out the latest event tenders on offer and news of contract wins

The City of Edinburgh Council has issued a prior information notice as it wishes to appoint an event management company for summer events in The Meadows and Inverleith Park.

Oakengates Town Council is looking for an event management company to organise a carnival and parade. The deadline is 5pm on September 30. Email townclerk@oakengates-tc.gov.uk

Magna Vitae is seeking a contractor to provide event safety manager services for SO Festival, an international outdoor street theatre festival held in June 2025. Email matthew.archer@mvtlc.org

Sodexo Live has extended its contract with Henley Royal Regatta for a further five years. The contract will see Sodexo Live continue

to deliver hospitality, sales, and services, such as the full site build, (including its management), and the catering.

Waltham Forest Council has issued a tender for event security. The deadline is 5pm on September 30. Interested in this tender? Email holly.wilson@walthamforest.gov.uk

NL Productions has been awarded the contract to deliver Dundee’s Christmas Village for the next three years.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has published a prior information notice for an events management planning and delivery framework for major events. The tender will be divided into multiple lots. Email dcms-events-framework@dcms.gov.uk

SODEXO LIVE

Your Answer to Security

Turning up the energy

How do you manage a £2 million investment in site infrastructure, trespassers, and relocating 400 people from an accessible campsite thanks to Storm Lilian? FAB’s Jess Shields, Creamfields’ festival director, and APL Event’s Phil Ludford reveal all

n April, Creamfields revealed it was investing £2 million in site infrastructure to improve key areas of its Daresbury site and enhance essential services at the electronic music festival. The investment included a new 30,000-capacity indoor main stage (replacing the old Horizon stage), five miles of new walkways connecting car parks, campsites and the main arena, a new food and drink village, expanded glamping options, and Cleanfields, a new sustainability initiative to educate festivalgoers on doing their bit. Such moves demonstrate a long-term commitment

to future-proofing the four-day event and enhancing the festival experience for attendees. But it takes an army of passionate professionals to make those changes work, especially when you throw gale-force winds, pouring rain during the build, and juvenile trespassers into the mix.

MUSCLE MEMORY

In 2015 and 2016, Jess Shields worked at Live Nation. She was Creamfields’ festival manager but left the promoter to found Far and Beyond (FAB), the event production

agency. Little did she know that she would return to the festival in 2023 as the festival director, with FAB taking responsibility for event management, major incident planning, event control and SAGs.

“Last year, I spent my time re-remembering everything,” explains Shields, days after leaving the Creamfield’s site. “After a week, weird muscle memory kicked in and I started to remember the names of all the external roads and residents on certain streets so I spent the rest of my time teaching the FAB team about Cream. All of the Cream team is

really lovely and they haven’t changed, it’s the same people working there, so it was so easy to slot back in.”

WELFARE AND SUPPLIERS

It takes a well-oiled machine to turn the behemoth that is Creamfields into a dance music extravaganza. The music festival has grown from a one-day dance event in 1998 to a four-day spectacle, which welcomes more than 80,000 festivalgoers, staff and crew. Phil Ludford, director of APL Event, is responsible for site management, Ian

CREAMFIELDS

Greenway, director of LarMac Live, manages technical production, Sarah Cole, director of SC Productions, manages artist liaison, and Shields and her team handle licensing, security and everything in between. Together, they work closely to ensure all aspects of the festival run smoothly, identifying concerns and controlling appropriate responses as and when issues occur. And the 2024 event was not without its challenges. A severe storm [Storm Lilian] hit the north of England on Bank Holiday weekend, testing even the most experienced of event professionals.

“We knew that the wind was coming,” Shields continues. “We had tracked it and on Thursday, we called an emergency silver meeting. We presented the plan we had made on high winds to all the agencies, which meant everyone had all the information they needed and we met the challenges head on.

“We had lots of information on the time the wind was coming so we could communicate with our audience on how to protect themselves and what to do if their tent blew away.”

Working with Live Safety’s Matt Williams, health and safety manager, and Steve Wood,

Images: Geoffrey Hubbel/ Warren Simmens/Anthony Mooney

director of Events Wellbeing and The Welfare Crew, Shields made a plan; if anyone lost their tent, they had to go to welfare and once welfare facilities were full, they should go to Steel Yard, a 15,000-capacity indoor arena built by Acorn – the structure on site with the highest wind rating.

“One of the first things to go was the perimeter fence on the accessible campsite and we had to relocate the entire campsite, roughly 400 people,” Shields says. “We ran a dual welfare system, so had two welfare sites running with spare blankets and tents ready for people who needed them, and we did use Steel Yard.”

She adds: “We also had all suppliers ready and waiting for extra bracing. The tentmasters from A&J Big Tops were constantly checking the king poles and Entertee were there to sort out fencing.

“We lent on our suppliers so heavily and you ask them to do things not in their remit. When you’re in the shit, it’s so important to have an amazing relationship with your suppliers and I will always stand by that.

“We were right to constantly check the weather so far out, to have an emergency silver meeting so that the agencies were comfortable with what we were doing and to buy blankets and tents,” she continues.

MUD

In 2023, Creamfields was also dogged by horrific weather. Constant rain meant that some of the site was knee-deep in mud before the gates were opened. This led to the decision to invest in additional site infrastructure, overseen by Ludford and the APL Event team. “We had lots of extra trackway through the campsite,” Ludford

explains. “Because of the intensity of the rain last year, Cream wanted to create dedicated walkways so customers were not walking through mud and if it did rain, they had a better customer experience.

“In 2023, we also had an issue with a culvert crossing. Water was collecting and we had to get the gulpers in to take the water away. This year, our agricultural works team created channels, which took the water away and in 2025, there are plans to improve the drainage even more.”

UNAUTHORISED SALVAGERS

With responsibility for site management, Ludford and his team wished to tighten up processes on site and be more efficient. For example, there was a big push to ensure “unauthorised salvagers” – who try to roam the campsites and help themselves to items

left behind – were kept out of the festival site once the gates had closed.

Shields takes up the story: “We used to call them scavengers and salvagers but if you break into a site once it’s over, technically you are trespassing so this year, we did a big comms campaign, locally, to stop people breaking down fencing and raiding the campsites.

“It’s a health and safety risk because whilst we are trying to dismantle the site with big machinery, you have people trying to go through discarded tents.”

Over the last 12 months, the Creamfields team has worked hard to tackle the issue of trespassers. For 2024, the organising team worked with Cheshire Police, who policed external roads and used a drone to find those intent on breaking into the site.

“Essentially, we left road closures in place for an extra two days and Police were positioned on those roads,” Shields comments. “Last year, our traffic management company looked out for trespassers but they got hammered.”

She adds: “We worked with Cream’s PR team and created a huge local campaign that said if you break in, you’re trespassing. This year, the number of people breaking in was minimal so the campaign and measures we put in worked and had a good effect.”

EDUCATE FESTIVALGOERS

Yet, trespassers and wind were not the only issues to be tackled on-site. Creamfields is an over-18s event and so the festival contracted safeguarding organisation Vibe – based in

Liverpool – to appropriately handle juveniles jumping the event’s perimeter fence, and worked hard to educate festivalgoers to improve recycling practices on-site.

“We’re trying to encourage our customers to take their tents home because our customers are notoriously bad for it,” Shields explains. “We’re never going to be Glastonbury but if we can get some kind of buy-in then it’s better for everyone. In fact, we already know we were 80 per cent better than last year. It’s something we will continue to work on. Because there was some uptake, we might introduce food banks in campsites and encourage people to donate left-over food and drinks. If everyone spends two minutes packing things up, we can sort things out and distribute anything left over.”

CONSTANTLY EVOLVING

Now that Creamfields is over, Shields and her team – which includes the “phenomenal” Matt Norman, FAB’s licensing manager and “the brains behind the operation” – will head into several debriefs and start plans for 2025.

“The Cream team are so passionate about the customer experience, they are always going to invest in the land and make the festival as good as they can,” Shields concludes. “Yes, the new improvements cost money but there will be long-term savings.

“We’ll continue to develop the event every year. Everyone who works on the event –Cream, APL, Sarah Cole and LarMac – are a real family, we all work really closely together and whilst we’ve all been around a long time, Creamfields is constantly evolving.”

SUPPLIERS LIST

Fencing – Entertee

Staging – Acorn Event Structures and Lucid Creates

Temporary structures – A&J Big Tops, Field and Lawn, Yes Tents, All About Me and Event Media Structures

Cleaning and litter picking – Ryans

Cleaning and iKlean

Event safety – Live Safety

Safeguarding and welfare – Vibe and The Welfare Crew

Water – MTD

Catering – D&J Catering

Toilets and showers – Ontrax Rentals and Greentree

Waste management – A1

Comms – NRB and Indigo

Portable buildings – Search

Buggies – Enterprise

Bars – One Circle Events

Trackway – Sunbelt Rentals

Trader management – 5D Concessions

People power

2024 has seen LS Events mark 20 years in business. Here, Dave Grindle and Steve Reynolds, co-CEOs, and founder Jim King, discuss how an adaptive nature and speed of mobilisation has led to the business becoming a “proper company” and what role values will play as the event production agency looks to the future

m very proud of the fact that I started this company and the foundations that were built, however, the real story is in the journey and not the past,” says Jim King, founder of LS Events.

As the event production company marks 20 years of delivering large-scale and highprofile live events, festivals and fan zones, King is keen to celebrate the hard work and foresight that has taken the agency from a small business with just a handful of employees to a company harnessing the skills of 46 talented people.

Dave Grindle and Steve Reynolds sit at the top of LS Events, as co-CEOs. They have enjoyed this position for just over a year and have settled into a pattern, taking responsibility for different projects,

recognising each other’s strengths and achieving a balance that works personally, professionally and commercially.

“We know what each other’s strengths are and how we deal with things,” says Grindle, sitting on a bench in East London’s Victoria Park. There’s the gentle hum of a generator gently whirring in the background. “I really enjoy focusing on the music side of the business, which I know Steve does as well, but Steve’s also really good at developing the other parts of the business – such as our relationships with the Greater London Authority (GLA) and DCMS – and I think we’ve naturally fallen into a sort of balance.

“We’re very different people. In fact, we did a psychology test as part of a company away day and we are complete opposites

but we get on really well. There’s no egos with either of us. We both know where we want to go and where we want to take the business.”

ABILITY TO ADAPT

LS Events – previously known as Loud Sound – is respected within the industry. Recognised for delivering major music events such as American Express presents

LS EVENTS

JIM KING ( he/him)

BST Hyde Park and All Points East, the agency is now diversifying, extending its portfolio to include sports and cultural events such as Pride in London, St Patrick’s Day celebrations and Formula E, and commemorative and ceremonial events like Operation London Bridge.

“COVID was a pivotal time for the business,” says Grindle. “Before COVID, we were a much smaller team, and we weren’t working at the level that we are now. We had existing relationships with the GLA because we were working on a Euros project for Greenwich Park, which then didn’t happen. But during COVID, Steve went to the GLA and just said, Is there anything we can do? Is there anything we can help with? The response we got wasn’t quite the response we expected but we wanted to help in any way we could.”

During the height of the pandemic, LS Events was contracted by the GLA to manage the delivery of temporary mortuaries. It was a contract that the GLA acknowledged LS might not wish to take up but Reynolds and Grindle recognised the fragility of the event and freelance workforce. The contract kept people in work and drew on LS Events’ project management and logistics expertise. Grindle and Reynolds soon recognised that the business’ ability to adapt could be harnessed further in the worlds of sport and culture.

PROPER COMPANY

During COVID, both Reynolds and Grindle met so many “great people in the business” that they had not come into contact with before. That tough time gave LS Events access to lots of brilliant people, who it still works with today.

Thankfully, LS Events was soon able to generate enough business to keep some

of those people employed. Because the business diversified, opportunity came from adversity and it gave the agency the confidence to look at other revenue streams.

“I don’t think the vision, back in 2004, was to grow the business to what it is now,” continues Grindle. “The pivotal moment was that COVID time when we thought we could be much bigger than a dozen people and the events that we were running.”

It’s at this point that Grindle laughs as he calls LS Events a “proper company”, a time when the company developed company systems, processes and policies, standard operating procedures and became ISO accredited. All of the things you need to grow and win big contracts.

AGILE AND FLEXIBLE

Reynolds started with the company in the spring of 2016 as senior project manager and quickly introduced protocols around briefing structures and communication. He cites King’s mantra of keeping things simple as a cornerstone of the business but believes that doing the “detail” combined with straightforward processes is what sets LS Events apart.

“The other thing is making sure that events and our clients know what it is they’re trying to deliver and achieve,” Reynolds adds. “What is the scope of work? What is their vision for the event? So we can support them on that.

“We’ve got three different kinds of stakeholders that we work for and it’s the thing that I’m learning all the time. Whether we’re doing a Formula E event, a Pride event

or an AEG show, all clients want things set up slightly differently. That means we’ve got to keep being agile as a business to make sure that we’ve got the systems and procedures, but we’re flexible as to what our clients want.”

STRONG FEMALE PRESENCE

Whilst delivering COVID testing centres and temporary mortuaries, LS Events was able to demonstrate speed of mobilisation. This would see the production agency called on again for Operation London Bridge, which Reynolds describes as the “biggest thing I have ever done”.

The pressure was intense but the sheer number of people who worked on that event and the way the supply chain came together to deliver – all pushing in the same direction – was a “rare thing”, says Reynolds, who admits that he and Grindle are fairly “hands-off” in the business, allowing senior management and team members to take on more responsibility, grow and shine.

Jen-e Jones, project director, and Grace Noest, also project director, comprise LS Events’ senior leadership team whilst Laura Armstrong, operations director, sits within the senior management team They all work alongside Grindle and Reynolds. This strong female presence within the organisation has not gone unnoticed.

“It’s amazing, but it’s not necessarily by design,” says Grindle. “We’re working with the people who are the right fit for the company and who have the right skill sets. We enjoy working with them. The clients love them. And it’s just organically grown that way.”

LAURA ARMSTRONG ( she/her)

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Reynolds continues: “Coming out of COVID, we focused on our values and what kind of values people have. We rebranded, we set our mission statement, we set what our purpose was so that we knew as a business where we are going. And then we focused on recruitment and company values and then brought in people who believed in those values.

“Yes, we’re more female-heavy, but you know, it’s because the values came through.”

BIGGEST CHEERLEADERS

According to Reynolds, Grindle is the opposite of Tigger, the character in Winnie The Pooh. He’s calm, considerate, balanced and the perfect counsel and Reynolds values his experience from working on major events such as Creamfields and Bestival. Grindle describes Reynolds as amazing with people. He can get people engaged and encourage them to come on board whatever the journey. This persuasive nature is coupled with an assertive and decisive nature and an ability to spot new opportunities. Together, they are working hard, supporting employees like Suzanne Johnson, site manager, Meg John, senior project manager, and Zoey Benjamin, senior project manager – partnerships. In fact, they are their biggest cheerleaders, encouraging them to progress through the business, taking ownership and more responsibility.

LS Events is in a strong position to move forward because it has diversified its portfolio but Grindle says that it has also learned when it’s time to walk away from something. “In the early days, you want to win everything,” he says. “You want to do everything. You know, whatever comes your

way, whatever new event or show it may be. I know I’ve learned to slow down in that process now and assess things properly and when it’s time to say goodbye.”

Grindle continues: “We’re very transparent in our budgets, our objectives and what our expectations are. We’re realists and we’ll be completely honest with people because if we’re going to take something on, we want it to be the absolute best that it possibly can be. That’s the mantra that we drive into all of our staff members too, particularly when we’re on site. We always want to know people’s opinions and if things could be done better and what their solution is, to deliver excellence.”

Reynolds says that different clients have different budgets and different visions but by doing the best it [LS Events] can

with what it has, every single time, that consistency is what will propel and drive LS Events forward.

King concludes: “To see the company that we started 20 years ago now deliver the projects that LS Events produces is quite incredible.

“The last five years especially have seen the company grow, not just in scale and revenue and other business metrics, but more impressively in its vision and culture.

“When I walk into LS now, I still see the values and ideals that the company was set up on but there is now a hugely impressive culture and working dynamic. LS is without doubt the best in class at what it does, which is a testament to the leadership of Dave and Steve, the fantastic team that they have assembled and the clients that they serve.”

JEN-E JONES ( she/her)

DAVE GRINDLE ( he/him) AND STEVE REYNOLDS ( he/him)

Raising the bar

Peppermint Bars and Events provides award-winning and sustainable food and drink solutions to some of the UK’s most-loved events and festivals. Discover how it provided support to AEG Presents to make this year’s BST Hyde Park the most sustainable yet

stablished in 2003, Peppermint has been the market leader in greenfield bar operations by crafting innovative experiences based on three core pillars –innovation, people and sustainability.

Created in partnership by Alex Brooke and Adam Hempenstall, the pair has developed long-lasting partnerships with some of the most prestigious events across the UK.

A core event in the Peppermint portfolio is the esteemed American Express presents British Summer Time Hyde Park. Peppermint has worked in partnership with the event’s promoter AEG since 2013, delivering everything from bars and mass-serve frontof-house operations to backstage premium experiences.

Spanning three weekends of events, BST Hyde Park attracts crowds of up to 65,000 per day and has boasted world-class artists such as Stevie Wonder, Adele, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones and many more.

Peppermint enjoys working with AEG’s partners such as American Express and

British Airways and helps to operate popular activations – such as the House of Peroni.

This summer, Peppermint successfully operated 32 bars with more than 400 metres of serving space, and managed more than 1,000 members of staff, every event day. The unique challenge is the wide variety of acts which translates into different drink choices and spending patterns.

Working closely with the team at AEG, Peppermint relies on invaluable data to refine and improve customer experience, increase service speed and improve efficiencies. The latest drink trends inform many decisions and enable Peppermint to work even closer with AEG on the delivery of its sustainability strategy. This year, this included implementing a new waste reduction initiative by using 100 per cent compostable serveware, a limited reusable cup system and a waste-baler to reduce recycling onsite, equating to cleaner cycling streams and fewer truck movements.

By taking these dedicated steps to reduce carbon emissions, American Express presents BST Hyde Park 2024 became AEG Europe’s most carbon-friendly festival series to date.

Sam Booth, AEG’s director of sustainability, said: “This year’s BST Hyde Park embedded a whole new range of sustainability initiatives which we’re really proud of. Every menu displayed environmental labels to help educate our audience on the impact of their food decisions and we also brought in a waste baler to help reduce trucking and maintain clean waste streams. All of this work would be far more difficult without the ongoing support and help of our event delivery partners, and Peppermint is absolutely crucial to this. No

ask is too big for them, and we’re very lucky to have them as a partner on this journey.”

As a core pillar of Peppermint’s ethos, sustainability is implemented across all aspects of its day-to-day business and partnering with like-minded partners. From 2019 until 2022, it has managed to reduce its CO2 emissions by 85 per cent. However, it recognises there is much more to be done to achieve its desired Net Zero status.

Find out more about Peppermint’s sustainability journey and exciting upcoming projects by visiting www.peppermintbars.co.uk

Get ready for it

The 2024 edition of Event Buyers Live is set to be the best yet. Find out what you can learn and discover

hen things go wrong, site management, perfecting familyfriendly events, designing the perfect queue, sustainability and how to have a good event cancellation. These are just some topics to be discussed at this year’s Event Buyers Live (EBL) when it returns to Carden Park, Cheshire (November 11-13).

When things go wrong and the vital lessons learned from incidents on-site will be the focus of EBL24’s only workshop, providing event professionals with a rare opportunity to sit alongside each other and share the honest realities of event life. Claire Drakeley, programme leader at the University of Northampton, who recently completed her PhD on decision-making within event management, will lead the session alongside Sam Watkins, operations director at Vision Nine, Serena Varley, director of Chaos Management, and Judy Bec, freelance festival manager and event control specialist.

Drakeley said: “Being in the midst of my PhD, which focuses on how we make better decisions, I can’t wait to get in a room with organisers, to be honest and share our experiences from event and festival sites.

Let’s face it, despite the best plans, things do go wrong and so I think it’s important that we use opportunities like these at EBL to share best practices.”

PRODUCTIVE ROUNDTABLES

EBL is also respected for its informal roundtable sessions, which provide attendees with even more opportunities to open up and have productive discussions around event challenges. Wimbledon’s Roz Combe, Threshold Sport’s Tariq El Kashef, APL Event’s Phil Ludford, and the UK Crowd Management Association’s Oliver Gardiner will deliver roundtables on queueing, mass participation events, site management and dealing with protestors respectively. Whilst London Marathon Group’s Kate Chapman, LS Events’ Zoey Benjamin, Gloworm’s Richard Walpole, and Major Impact City Events’ Tim Owen will facilitate discussions on sustainability, brand partnership activation and delivery, nailing the customer experience at family-friendly events and working effectively with SAGs.

PERSONALISED EXPERIENCE

Currently, organisers from some of the most

respected events and agencies in the UK are preparing to gather at Carden Park for three days of productive meetings, engaging content, and unrivalled networking.

Following a jam-packed year, marred by horrendous weather conditions, budget pressures and event cancellations, events professionals are keen to connect at EBL24 and talk about plans for 2025.

“Our attendees are poised and ready to discuss their needs for 2025 and beyond,” said Neil Fagg, co-founder of EBL, the leading hosted buyer event for the live events industry. “EBL provides organisers with the platform to discuss procurement needs and supply chain requirements in prearranged one-on-one meetings.

“This year, it’s been hard. Many organisers have cancelled their events because of rising costs and they say that they are no longer financially viable to run in their current format. This is why we have decided to host a panel session on the topic of event cancellations and the impact they have on the wider event eco-system.”

John Rostron, CEO of the Association of Independent Festivals, will chair the session

Images: © Aniseed Photo/Jonathan Taylor

which includes Towersey Festivals’ Joe Heap, Underneath the Stars’ Emma Hollings and Highest Point Festival’s Rich Dyer. Together, they will talk about how to have a “good” event cancellation, if you decide your event or festival can no longer go ahead.

Fagg continued: “It’s an important issue and unfortunately, something that could happen to anyone so we feel that EBL is the right vehicle for people to sit down and have an honest discussion.”

He added: “What’s amazing is that all of this incredible content is on top of unrivalled networking, the return of our NetWalks, and the opportunity to nail down your supply chain ahead of 2025.

“That pre-Christmas procurement window is vital and so EBL with its personalised itineraries and pre-arranged procurement meetings, which sit at the heart of the event, are second to none.”

INCLUSIVE

The 2024 edition of EBL will be the event’s tenth outing. The hosted buyer event will welcome only 100 of the live event industry’s most influential organisers and 47 respected

event suppliers/venues for pre-qualified face-to-face meetings. Event Buyers Live –supported by event partner Visions Group – will be the place to focus, plan, and look forward to 2025 in an inclusive environment that is relaxed, informal and conducive to doing business.

EventWell is working with Event Buyers Live to provide a supervised and fullyfunctioning mental wellness hub and quiet room, Silent Noize is delivering a silent yoga session and EBL has partnered with Mental Health UK and Bridge Creative, a social enterprise that supports adults with learning disabilities and autism by removing barriers to employment. Bridge Creative – led by Ben Tinkler – is providing crew members to EBL24, which is building on the event’s promises to improve and promote diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) within its own event and the wider live events industry. Fagg explained further: “Like any event organiser, we want to build on our achievements and make improvements – even the smallest – to improve the experience of everyone who comes into contact with our event.

“I am ecstatic that we will be working with the Bridge Creative team again, introducing the EBL audience to Ben and his team, and encouraging other organisers to provide employment opportunities in the events industry to people with learning disabilities and autism.”

GENUINE

“The event industry’s desire to reconnect is evident from the organisers and suppliers that have signed up to attend,” Fagg said. “Organisers are ready to have serious conversations about procurement and want to book infrastructure for next season.”

He concluded: “There’s a lot of buzz for EBL24. An event of this nature has never been more needed. The networking will be genuine, the pre-arranged meetings will be authentic, the content sessions will be fantastic, and this year, as it is our event’s tenth anniversary, there will be a few surprises too.”

No place like home

Despite having a new location for 2024, Gloworm Festival has already announced it is returning to its original home for 2025. But why?

Gloworm’s festival director Richard Walpole talks about the “best decision” ever made

hen Richard Walpole revealed in 2023 that the 2024 edition of Gloworm Festival would be moving from Thoresby Park to Holme Pierrepont Country Park, his eyes were firmly focused on the long-term future of the family-friendly festival.

Yet, as the sun set on Gloworm 2024, Walpole and his team announced a return to Gloworm’s original home and now the threeday event will take place at Nottingham’s Thoresby Park in 2025.

The return to the long-running festival’s home for the ninth edition has been welcomed by many families who attend Gloworm each year, calling it “the best decision”.

Walpole, Gloworm’s festival director, explained: “Gloworm Festival has always been about creating the best possible experience for our families and ensuring that we offer real value for money. While our time at the National Watersports Centre at Holme Pierrepont was memorable, it became clear that staying there was unsustainable without compromising on what makes Gloworm special. That’s why we’ve decided to move back to our beloved home at Thoresby Park,

where we can continue to deliver the magical experience our attendees know and love.”

TOO MUCH RISK

Walpole’s decision to move Gloworm came about because Thoresby Park wished to expand its events programme. The idea of back-to-back events did not appeal to the Gloworm team. This move risked the condition of the ground and therefore, posed a risk to the festival.

Therefore, Walpole moved Gloworm to Holme Pierrepont, which was due to purchase more land, enabling Gloworm to expand the number of camping tickets sold. This did not materialise. If Gloworm had stayed at Holme Pierrepont, it would not have been able to expand on its camping offer. Furthermore, the Gloworm team did not find Holme Pierrepont “an easy venue to deal with” so when Walpole and his team discovered that Back 2 Festival was not returning to Thoresby Park in 2025, it opened the doors for a conversation.

“We had stayed in touch with the team at Thoresby Park, so the second that Jimmy [James Dean Events] announced that Back

2 was not going back, we started talking,” said Walpole. “We looked at Colwick Country Park, Belvoir Castle and Lincolnshire Showground, but going back to Thoresby Park was the best thing for the customer and we’re going back to our original dates in the calendar – August 8-10, 2025.”

CUSTOMER JOURNEY AND CONFIDENCE

According to Walpole, the new venue [Holme Pierrepont] did not go down well with loyal customers who compared the 2024 event to previous editions.

‘We delivered a great festival and customers enjoyed it but it wasn’t the same,” Walpole added. “We had no control over the car parks and people who are used to paying two or three pounds to park at Holme Pierrepont were charged £15.”

This did not sit well with the Gloworm audience that respects the festival’s ethos of offering value for money.

However, there was one huge learning that Walpole will take from Holme Pierrepont.

“What we experienced at Holme Pierrepont was incredible purpose-built

GLOWORM

campsite facilities,” Walpole commented. “What it will cost us in additional infrastructure to install more permanent facilities at Thoresby Park will support us in sales and long-term customer confidence.

“The customer journey starts the second they enter the car park and so when you think about camping customers, they are also spending the most. Historically, we would measure their [camping customers] experience the minute they walked into the main arena and not the campsite, so that’s now an area of focus for us.

“Thanks to Holme Pierrepont, we also now have the confidence to expand and invest in activities for older children [Holme Pierrepont has family outdoor adventure and watersport facilities] because our customers have said that if we want to encourage them to attend with their six-year-old, we also need to provide more for their 12-year-old.”

FUTURE PLANS

Now that Gloworm 2024 is over and Walpole and his team are off-site, debriefs have begun. The team is looking

at redesigning the Thoresby Park site, especially as Gloworm has taken on more space for 2025.

For example, Walpole now intends to look at what Gloworm can do around traders and there are plans to increase camping pitches – from 700 in 2023 to 1,000 in 2025.

“A big transition for us will be to move Gloworm from being a festival you attend for a day,” Walpole added. “With access to an additional 33 acres, we want to focus on campers, weekend tickets and longer stays and attract the top end of our demographic and now there’s also a market from Shropshire [Camp Bestival Shropshire has revealed it will not return in 2025] that we can target.”

SUPPLIERS LIST

Toilets – Excloosive

Power – Inter Lec

Event infrastructure – SA Atkin Services

Plant – Sunbelt Rentals

Temporary structures and marquees –Smiddereens, Wow Tents and The Marquee Company

Radios – Ninehundred Communications

Security – Onyx Event Management Event medical – RTC Medical Solutions

CBEEBIES BEDTIME STORY WITH VICKY MCCLURE

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CBringing the magic!

Silent Noize Events thrilled festivalgoers at Camper Calling with its legendary silent disco beats. Read on and discover how you can give your guests a silent experience to remember

amper Calling’s worst-kept secret was back this summer as Silent Noize took over the woods for four incredible nights of silent disco magic! Held over the August bank holiday weekend, the event saw 1,500 festivalgoers each night don LED-lit headsets and dance under the stars, while DJs Daisy Davidson and Damo Batchelor battled it out to get the crowd moving.

The woodland setting, complete with a glitter ball and twinkling lights, created the perfect backdrop for a family-friendly disco like no other. With two channels of music to choose from, attendees could switch between Daisy and Damo’s sets, keeping the energy high and the dance floor packed.

It’s no wonder the silent disco was a hit with feedback like:

“You guys made my daughter’s first festival. The silent disco was her favourite part!”

“The silent disco is our favourite part of the festival.”

“This was the best night of my life!”

“Silent disco was fantastic fun – Damo and Daisy were top DJs!”

UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE

The silent disco didn’t just bring the fun – it also brought a sense of community. From kids to adults, everyone found themselves grooving together under the stars. With Silent Noize’s multi-channel LED headsets, festivalgoers had the opportunity to personalise their experience by choosing which DJ they listened to. Silent Noize ensured the party kept rolling throughout the weekend providing a fun-filled and

unforgettable experience for Camper Calling’s loyal festivalgoers.

Missed out on Camper Calling? Don’t worry. Silent Noize is bringing its legendary silent disco experience to festivals, parties, and weddings across the UK. Available to rent for your events, Silent Noize guarantees an unforgettable night of dancing and fun. Plus, tickets are already on sale for next year’s Camper Calling, where Silent Noize will be back for more woodland disco magic!

Beyond parties, Silent Noize’s sister company, Silent Seminars, provides headsets for seminars, conferences, and panel discussions, helping to maximise space, reduce noise, and enhance audience engagement at corporate events.

For more details on how you can book Silent Noize for your event or to find out where they’ll be next, email info@silentnoizeevents.com, visit www.silentnoizeevents.com,or find Silent Noize on Insta – @SilentNoizeEvents

Olympic effort

Great Britain enjoyed huge success at Paris 2024 – a mammoth project that required the expertise of UK events professionals to deliver vital infrastructure to the Olympic Games. Here, key individuals reflect on the event’s delivery

PARIS 2024

Images: Luca Dugaro/David Cannon/Xavier Praillet

pectators and sports fans at Paris 2024 cheered and waved flags as they heard God Save The King being played 14 times at various competition venues across the country. Team GB, comprised of 327 athletes, won 65 medals in 18 different sports, one more than its medal haul at Tokyo 2020.

Boulder champion Toby Roberts was one of those lucky recipients, winning the first-ever gold medal in sport climbing at Le Bourget Climbing venue. But whilst the athletes’ achievements – on the track, in the pool, on the court, and on the course – are not to be dismissed, the lengths to which the events industry went should be celebrated even more.

BESPOKE VENUES

Despite immense challenges, an army of events professionals delivered comprehensive event infrastructure and overlay to ensure that more than 10,500 athletes from 206 countries could compete and entertain thousands of visitors in the French capital.

For instance, ES Global, WOO Architects and Arena worked alongside each other to design and deliver Le Bourget, the only sports facility, along with the Olympic Aquatics Centre in Saint-Denis, to be built specifically for the games.

SUPPLIERS

Arena built the Aquatics Centre and was just one of the many companies engaged by the Paris 2024 organising committee to provide infrastructure and services to the mammoth sporting event. MTD, ADI, OnePlan, and GL events also supplied event equipment and overlay services that would give 12 million ticketholders an unforgettable experience.

OVERLAY

Arena was contracted to provide temporary overlay to 13 competition venues and sites,

including the Stade de France, the National Golf, Paris La Défense Arena, the Nautical Stadium of Vaires-sur-Marne, the National Velodrome of Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, and the Arena Paris Nord, homes to the athletics, golf, swimming, water polo, track cycling, rowing and canoeing, and boxing, whilst GL events delivered overlay to eight venues within the city centre, including La Concorde (3x3 basketball and skateboarding), Le Grand Palais (fencing), Le Pont Alexandre III (triathlon), Les Invalides (archery), and the Eiffel Tower (beach volleyball).

PARIS 2024 IN NUMBERS

In total, Arena supplied 75,000 seats, 40,000 square metres of structures, 2,000 toilets and portable buildings, 30,000 square metres of trackway, 100,000 linear metres of Heras and 110,000 linear metres of crowd control barrier, whilst GL events provided 45,000 square metres of structures, 107,000 grandstand seats, 30,000 square metres of carpet, and 15,000 square metres of HVAC.

Throughout the Games, MTD’s team of 60 experienced temporary water specialists ensured that every aspect of the event ran smoothly too. It provided 627 U2 pumps, 287 kitchen pumps, 206 bottle refill stations, and 34 misting units for relief during the summer heat. To guarantee the water quality,

it collected more than 2,000 water samples across all venues. Additionally, 175 smart water meters monitored water flows in realtime, and this data will be crucial in creating a water footprint for Paris 2024 and reducing it at future sporting events.

THE RED LINE

Scott Hayward, CEO of Arena’s overlay and global major events business, led the project and grew the overlay division from one person (him) in September 2022 to a core team of 97 in 12 months, recruiting Jeremy Troughton, managing director of the overlay division, along the way in October 2023.

Arena set up a local entity in France, Arena Event Services, to deliver the Paris 2024 overlay contract and at its peak, it had more than 500 people working to deliver the venues, nine of which were transitioned into venues for the Paralympics.

“Working in France, and in particular in Paris, under the scrutiny and the eyes that the Olympic Games get was frankly, crazy and very, very, very difficult,” Hayward explained. “The level of bureaucracy in this country, for such a developed nation, is bizarre.”

Hayward described Paris 2024 as being full of admin-heavy processes, and whilst he is a firm believer in compliance and rigorous event safety, Paris 2024’s protocol

ARENA AT NATIONAL GOLF

of having three or four people checking one set of calculations meant designing and building temporary facilities was costly, timeconsuming and resource heavy.

ADI’s Charles Fogden (major contracts account manager) and Dave Crowther (head of ops, rentals) concurred. The big screen and sports presentation specialist provided 20 large screens to the opening ceremony. These lined the Seine – a 12-kilometre route from Notre Dame to the Eiffel Tower – and allowed guests to view all the action taking place on the river and along its banks.

Paperwork, process and accreditation procedures held up the planning. Tangible information and responses to questions took a while so the ADI team had to get comfortable not knowing all the answers, and knowing that solutions would be found when teams arrived on site.

ADI’s screens were located within a ring of steel, heavily patrolled by security and the Armed Forces. The nature of the event meant there were strict protocols and with the site divided into zones, no one could pass from one zone to the next. It meant that each zone/section had to be self sufficient and have a screen technician, engineer and spare equipment to hand.

According to Fogden, you had to be comfortable with the unknown but also set clear boundaries and establish a “red line”, a hard cut-off point.

CHANGES AND CHALLENGES

“There were lots and lots of evolving designs,” continued Hayward. “Organising committees are massive. If you include the volunteers, I think there are more than 55,000 people involved, so you have to have a massive layer of process and procedure.

“They’re made up of what you would normally call departments, but they’re functional areas, and each of them wants to have their influence and priorities in the design. So, the design that came out at tender evolves quite a lot when the

functional areas and technical delegates get involved. This drives a load of changes. When you’re buying, when you’re shipping, when you’re recruiting, and you’re planning, you’re planning on, you know, design A, for example, and then it evolves into design Z –that was a significant challenge.”

INVESTMENT

Hayward described the Nautical Stadium of Vaires-sur-Marne as an interesting example. It was a dual site hosting rowing and canoe slalom events. Featuring 20,000 square metres of structures and 25,000 seats, the venue demonstrated Arena’s full overlay capabilities and showcased the company’s significant investment in new Horizon seating. A tip-up seat that maximises the quantities that Arena can ship. It can be stacked, so now Arena can almost triple the amount of seats it can pack into a container, reducing transportation costs and carbon emissions. Plus, the seating system featured aluminium flooring, a reusable product, as Arena has opted to replace traditional plywood floors.

“When we work on major events, there isn’t always enough stuff in the country you’re working in,” Hayward continued. “So no matter what we do, we always have to ship stuff. However, with our green and sustainable hat on, we’ve worked hard to try and limit the number of boxes that we physically have to ship.

“You also have to look at the life and longevity of a product. Major events don’t happen every year. Some products are going out three to four times a year, and some are going out once a year for six months. Weather erosion on a product going out for that long was a factor, so we made that decision to invest at a significant cost,” Hayward added.

“We’ve invested 20 million euros in seats, tents, fencing, barrier and trackway, and that’s the logic of creating the overlay division. We want to invest now and build the team because our ambition is to be front and centre at all the jumbo events.”

TEAMWORK

Hayward described Troughton’s skills as first-class and says he could not have delivered Paris 2024 or scaled Arena’s new overlay division to what it is now without his support or professionalism. But what lessons did Hayward learn?

“The lessons are in everything that we’ve done because we didn’t have a playbook,” Hayward said. “We didn’t have processes in place because the processes that we’ve got in the normal business units are not necessarily geared towards stuff of this complexity. We evolved as we went and learned a lot of lessons on many topics.”

But what stood out? He explained further: “For me, there are two standout moments. Firstly, that feeling of achievement, having stood back and seen how cool the venues looked on the TV, how they operationally performed, almost zero issues and the maintenance that we put in place, thankfully, wasn’t needed. And secondly, the biggest one is the team that we built.

“We had 18 different nationalities, roughly across the 100-strong project team, and the feeling that we were a real project family because everybody was away from home and everybody was making personal sacrifices to be part of the biggest event in the world.

“This was the driving force that kept me and Jeremy going, the skill that we had in the team, the unity, the bonds, the friendships that will last forever. When you’re in the trenches together, and there’s no closer bond than going through that level of pressure with somebody.

“During the opening ceremony night, we hired a bar, and we had 60 to 70 people in there, and the feeling was just, I mean, I’m tingling now talking about it, it was truly amazing,” Hayward concluded.

“Our biggest achievement was building such a strong, capable team that supported each other through a really tough ride to deliver a wonderful and the biggest event in the world.”

CYCLISTS IN ACTION

Living in a materials world

Event sustainability professionals discuss event waste management best practices and reveal the steps being taken to reduce the environmental impact of live events or years, event and festival organisers have openly said that waste is one of their top three sustainability challenges. Whether they are trying to reduce waste, recycle more, reduce material use, or separate and compost food waste, there is a big difference between knowing what needs to be done and achieving it.

According to Chris Johnson, chair of Vision: 2025, this is due to a myriad of factors, such as the large number of stakeholders involved in managing materials, the inconsistency of what waste processing facilities can and will take from events, and audience behaviour, amongst others.

Johnson believes that the key to sustainable waste management is a materials policy. It’s paramount to identify the materials you don’t want on your site before contracts are agreed upon and before anything is purchased. This might seem an obvious statement, but in reality, it’s not common practice. Putting in place a materials policy can guide the entire approach to materials across all stakeholders, ensuring that an organiser buys responsibly and is in control of what materials are on a site and what becomes a waste stream.

“The fewer types of materials on an event site, the easier it is to communicate, enforce, manage and collect, and match the materials to an end-of-life process,” Johnson explains. “This relies on clear and strict policy at the outset and

good communication, but also that the policy is reverse engineered to what can realistically be done with the waste post-event. It’s frustrating that a universal approach can’t work in the UK due to a tapestry of different waste processing options regionally, and so event organisers need to find out what the options are for themselves or via a trusted contractor.”

REUSABLE TRAY PILOT

All food and compostable waste from Massive Attack’s Act 1.5 recent show on Bristol’s Clifton Downs is being turned into compost using an in-vessel composter – a type of composting process that takes place within a confined space. The waste was taken to Envar’s recycling facility in Uxbridge, which is where the closest in-vessel composter to Bristol is located.

Hay Festival has been using compostable serveware for several years, but it had to “beg” its compostable waste contractor to take it away from this year’s festival. As a result, it is looking to see whether it can introduce or pilot a reusable tray system at the 2025 event next May.

Andy Fryers, sustainability director of Hay Festival – which became the first business to be certified as compliant with new Welsh Workplace Recycling Regulations – explained: “We have a reusable cup scheme, which works, so there’s no reason why a reusable tray system won’t. But it’s a big change, and

there are financial implications. If we’re going to do it, there can be no financial risk, and we’ll have to cover costs, so it might be that we apply for a grant.”

A MISSION

Claire O’Neill, co-founder of A Greener Future (AGF), provided consultancy services to Act 1.5 whilst A Greener Tour’s Jamal Chalabi was the sustainable production lead, Eloise Clarke was the event’s sustainability co-ordinator, and Alex Fintoni was the senior analyst.

Act 1.5 featured five waste streams –compostables and food, cans, reusable cups, paper and general waste. Festivals Direct provided compostable serveware, and MyCause provided bin fairies to ensure people put the right waste in the right bins. Back-ofhouse, an AGF green team ensured traders were separating waste correctly, and Greenbox Events segregated the waste even further. Each skip had a padlock on it to ensure waste streams, once sorted, were not contaminated.

“I’m going to make it my mission to ensure that anything that touches food or drink should be compostable, and we need more facilities to process compostable waste so it becomes soil enhancer,” said a steadfast O’Neill.

SOFT PLASTICS

Serveware, specifically certifiable compostable serveware, not recyclable or biodegradable,

SHAMBALA

is a big focus for O’Neill and AGF, which is working with several organisations to ensure compostable materials are being used and disposed of correctly. Another big focus is soft plastics – mainly plastic packaging on cans of water, for example, pallet wrap and the kind of plastic you find back-of-house.

At American Express presents BST Hyde Park, AGF helped AEG to write the event’s waste management plans. The sustainability consultancy and champion worked with waste producers, analysed procurement requirements, liaised with traders and sponsors, and looked at what facilities were being used. This required a lot of work, especially as the event’s various waste streams had to be assessed. What could be dealt with by a “normal” waste contractor, and what needed a specialist facility?

BST Hyde Park has a policy which states that no single-use plastic can leave a front-of-house counter. But what about back-of-house?

At BST Hyde Park, AGF worked with Peppermint Bars – which is used to working systematically – to not only reduce the amount of waste being produced but also sort the soft plastic waste so it did not enter “normal” waste streams.

MyGroup packed and filled boxes with soft plastics, which were collected by a courier and then sent to a facility to be turned into furniture. Next year, AGF hopes to work with Waste Baling Machines to bale the soft plastic and send it to different facilities, such as Veolia Westminster, which has recently started to accept soft plastic waste.

CIRCULAR PLASTICS

This year, at Kendal Calling, Hannah Cox, director of Betternotstop, worked with the festival’s organising and operations team

CUP TOKEN SYSTEM

Image: © Nat Argent

KENDAL CALLING

to look at how it could create a circular economy around plastic.

For example, it has worked with all food traders to banish individual sauce sachets from the site, but what can be done with the huge plastic ketchup bottles that are used instead? And despite introducing a cup token system for its reusable cup scheme, at the end of the night, festivalgoers still throw their cups on the floor after the headliner. This has resulted in a lot of broken – and no longer reusable – cups.

The solution? Collect all the broken cups from the circular cup system, collect water piping, and collect all the large empty condiment bottles from traders and turn them into merch.

Kendal Calling is working with Jim Bliss, founder of Blissfully Green, a Cumbrianbased plastics recycling business, and aims to turn the plastic into cup holders for the 2025 festival.

But Kendal Calling is not the only largescale event to take significant steps on its sustainability journey.

WOOD, MILK AND SOLAR

A1 worked with Festival Republic this year and used its in-house system called Big Change to monitor vital data such as transport mileage and waste transfer information, and Grundon delivered waste management services to Royal Ascot, adding large green feather flags to bin stations to make them more visible and used two solarpowered compactors on site too. Goodwood Festival of Speed chose to compost paper towels from the toilets. It also introduced a wood donation store called Good Wood, which encouraged all contractors when building stands or dismantling them to donate good wood, with no nails or screws, so local schools can use it. Furthermore, Hay Festival – which works with Zero Waste Events – recycled 76 per cent of total waste on site. In 2023, it identified that plastic milk containers were a large part of its recycling stream. Therefore, in 2024, it ran a trial of reusable milk churns from Wholy Cow with one of its coffee traders. The trial was successful, with 665 litres of milk being delivered, resulting in the avoidance of 333 single-use milk bottles.

MATERIALS ECONOMY

AGF sustainability consultants Victoria Gomez, Helen Freundberg and Lucy Scrase implemented several key initiatives to minimise All Points East’s environmental impact.

With the help of Nu Group, AGF created a back-of-house sorting facility using repurposed wooden pallets to manage general mixed recycling. Working with MyGroup, it facilitated the collection of soft plastics, and it also worked with City Harvest to salvage surplus food from festival traders and crew/artist catering.

To manage food waste, Shambala hands out 1,000 compost caddies (like the one you might have at home for food waste) to campers over the weekend. This means they can separate their food waste and make use

of this important resource. Also, Shambala’s food traders are only allowed to use totally “home-compostable” plates and bowls as these contain no plastic and are composted after the show.

Josephina Bodimeade, sustainability coordinator at Shambala, explained that the festival generates about 12 tonnes of compost, which local community farms have used. In addition, the compost has been used to grow food for crew catering. This circular approach to waste management is increasing, and a growing number of organisers are looking at how they can encourage audience members to help achieve an event’s sustainability goals.

Bodimeade added: “This year, we returned to good old-fashioned public engagement with a vibrant group of composteers, who cavorted through the campsites promoting our composting. We hope this increases our compost, but importantly, separating the organic waste means we can recycle more of what can be recycled.”

Like BST Hyde Park and Act 1.5, Shambala collected all soft plastics from its production offices and took them to local supermarkets, where they can be recycled easily. Currently, Shambala’s recycling rate stands at 50 per cent, which is in line with Bristol city centre, but the festival team wish to build on that figure and understand waste streams better. Therefore, it has conducted a detailed waste audit to find out what non-recyclable waste is comprised of. For example, what sort of materials are being binned, and if it has items which should be banned. By 2025, Shambala hopes to implement a fully circular “materials

economy” – designing out waste completely from Shambala. No waste from the build, no waste from the break, and no waste from the audience and Shambala has published a sustainable guide to set building to help other organisers think about the materials they use to create immersive worlds and memorable events.

It’s not the only useful piece of guidance to have been recently published. Material Focus has created a guide that delivers practical advice for organisers on how to tackle vapes and e-waste, including how to communicate with your waste contractor, advice on how best to communicate with festivalgoers and information on funding available for vape bins. And there is also the Sustainable Materials and Waste Toolkit, which provides practical step-by-step guidance and resources for those managing procurement and waste at greenfield festivals, including practical checklists to monitor and review actions being taken, templates for developing policies and other documents specific to your festival.

Johnson concluded: “Managing materials must be done well to be successful. Getting it ‘mostly right’ doesn’t deliver results, as small levels of contamination in recyclable or compostable materials leads to whole consignments being rejected by processing facilities, often resulting in no recycling. So, we come a full circle, back to the importance of the Materials Policy, and getting it right at the outset. Everyone needs to know about it, and no-one, including sponsors(!), can be allowed to introduce materials into the event’s ecosystem that are outside the policy or unexpected. “

Show time

StandOut highlights what’s new at The Showman’s Show and shares details of the Sustainable Events Summit

The Showman’s Show will celebrate its 40th year when it returns to Newbury Showground on October 23 and 24 and there will be a plethora of outdoor event suppliers exhibiting everything from new race arches to battery energy storage systems when the exhibition opens its gates this autumn.

New services and equipment on display include a battery energy storage system from ESS Power Store called RoyPow Power Store, a race arch from Expandasign, a Rolling Unit XL trailer from MDSC Systems, and VIP three-bay vacuum toilet modules from Ontrax Rentals.

EventWatch, a new service specifically designed to enhance the safety of largescale events, will launch at the event too. EventWatch works in collaboration with event control rooms to provide rapid aerial visibility to emerging incidents.

The Showman’s Show will also welcome new exhibitors to the showground, including MK Medical, The Rig, an interactive percussion installation, Sun Leisure, with a range of inflatable gazebos, The Titchfield Group, specialising in branded graphics and out-of-home advertising services,

expansion.

CapTrac is also returning to The Showman’s Show for the 10th consecutive year, debuting another new product at the two-day event and TentPlanner will showcase its event layout design tool within the CoverMarque Temporary Structure Supplier Pavilion.

SUSTAINABLE EVENTS SUMMIT

Vision: 2025 will once again be present at The Showman’s Show with the Sustainable Event Summit (SES), welcoming event and festival sustainability professionals to share ideas on how best to reduce our industry’s impact on the environment.

Open to all Showman’s Show attendees from 1pm, the agenda includes sessions on Shaping the Future: A Sustainable Live Events Industry Vision for 2030, and Understanding and Tackling Travel Impacts. A new “Quick Fire” session will focus on a range of this season’s hot topics and there will be behind-the-scenes insight on sustainability innovation as well as Green Supplier and Innovations Awards.

SES 24 will be hosted in a new-look venue, supplied by Evolution Dome, with AV supplied by Production AV. The summit

remains free to attend thanks to their support, along with title sponsor Festival Republic and headline sponsors LS Events, Instagrid, MTD, and Sunbelt Rentals.

Graham Brown, Vision: 2025 steering group member, said of SES at The Showman’s Show: “We’re all really excited by this year’s programme. With significant developments in play on several fronts across outdoor events sustainability, 2024 is a pivotal year for SES, as work begins on establishing benchmarks and shaping the sector strategy to 2030. I sense an enthusiasm to share and inspire action that will shape the industry response to the climate emergency for UK events.”

StandOut is exhibiting at The Showman’s Show. Say hello to the team in the exhibition hall on stand 35.

Dynamic Stretch Tents, Secprint, the event ticket printing specialist, and Pink Moon, the glamping specialist, which will talk about its portfolio

ESS POWER STORE

THE TITCHFIELD GROUP

ITA ROBUST Models

• 45 Kw and 75 Kw outputs

• Fuel tank for 16 hours burning duration

• Large ball bearing wheels

• Fork lift slots

• Fuel Gauge

• Optional lifting hook

IMA Series

• High efficiency heat exchangers

• Radial fans for powerful heat distribution

• Protection bars all around

• Lifting hooks & fork truck slots

• Tigerloop standard

• Burner with rain cover and lower tray for oil containment during servicing

• Available with 1 and 3 phase radial fans

• Outputs of 65kw, 110kw, 150kw & 200kw

IMAC Series

• High efficiency heat exchangers

• Stainless steel frame on box girders with fork truck slots & lifting hooks

• Lockable door panels for control box and burner area with feed through glands for cable and fuel hoses

• Return air flanges are optional

• 120kw, 145kw, 200kw & 220kw models with options of 2 stage burner and 2 speed fan on the 200Kw & 220 Kw models

• IMAC 4000E model has a 2 stage burner & 2 speed fan wth heat outputs of 261kw or 383kw and heated air outputs up to 24,000 cubic metres per hour

The Showman’s Show

23-24 October 2024 | Newbury Showground

ENERGY MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS LTD

Stand 155 Avenue B

Energy Management Solutions offer comprehensive event power solutions, ensuring seamless and reliable power for your events.

With over 50 years of industry expertise, we provide tailored and turn-key solutions that meet your specific needs.

We are committed to eco-friendliness using our innovative solar-powered and battery storage systems to complement our generator configurations.

Visit our stand at the Showman’s Show for exclusive demonstrations, prize draws, and in-depth consultations.

E: admin@energyms.co.uk

W: www.energyms.co.uk T: 0333 3055144

ATTEND2IT

Stand 69 Exhibition Hall

At attend2IT, we specialise in delivering reliable, high-performance Wi-Fi, CCTV, Scanning and bespoke IT Solutions for events of all kinds.

Recognising the critical importance of stable internet access, we personalise our services to meet your unique requirements. Alongside our in-house development team, we craft bespoke packages and tailored solutions that elevate the event experience, providing you with the connectivity you need to succeed.

T: 01763 877477

W: info@attend2it.co.uk

AV MATRIX

Stand 209 Avenue D

Since 2003, we have been dedicated to delivering exceptional audio-visual support for concerts, tours, and festivals. Our expertise in live event production encompasses sound and lighting, outdoor LED screens, mobile screens, and stages. Trust us to elevate your next event with our commitment to quality and innovation.

W: www.av-matrix.com/

ONTRAX RENTALS UK Stand 97 Exhibition Hall

Join us on October 23th and 24th, 2024, at Stand 97 at the Showman’s Show! Ontrax has grown tremendously once again this year, made significant innovations in its products, and introduced new solutions to make events run even more efficiently.

If you’re looking to elevate your event to the next level, be sure to drop by and discover how we can help you get ‘ontrax’. We can’t wait to see you there!

E: hello@ontraxrentals.com

W: www.ontraxrentals.com

EVENTS CREW LTD Stand 126 Avenue G

Events Crew Limited are an Events Management and Infrastructure provider who support World Class events across the UK and Ireland. We offer Fencing, Barriers, Lighting, Power, Trackway, Plant and Accommodation. All of which we can supply, transport and install for your event with our experienced team and fleet of bespoke vehicles. We understand the importance delivering deadlines and attention to detail. Come and see what we can offer your event.

W: www.eventscrew.com

E: info@eventscrew.com

THE OCCASIONALL GROUP Stand 25 Exhibition Hall

The Occasionall Group supplies expert management and staffing for outdoor events, festivals, concerts, conferences, and more across the UK. With a growing pool of staff based nationwide—from Kiltarlity to Kent and Swansea to Southend—they can provide 1 to 100+ staff anywhere, anytime. Their leadership teams have years of experience working at some of the UK’s largest events, ensuring knowledgeable, high-quality service at every occasion.

W: www.theoccasionall.group

BRADSHAW EVENT VEHICLES

The Showman’s Show

23-24 October 2024 | Newbury Showground

DIRECT COMMUNICATIONS

RADIO SERVICES LTD

Stand 28 Exhibition Hall

We are excited to return to The Showman’s Show again this year. On stand 28 in the exhibition hall, we will showcase some of the latest two-way radio technology and hand portables, including the Mototrbo R2, the Mototrbo R7 Series, the complete WAVE PTX Portfolio and our full range of hire equipment.

E: sales@dcrs.co.uk

W: www.dcrs.co.uk

SIMPLIWIFI

Stand 90 Exhibition Hall

With over 10 years of experience working with events, we have become the trusted partner to deliver IT solutions to events both onsite and virtually.

Complete event IT solutions including CCTV, Internet Access, Payment Services (EPoS & PDQ), Telephony, Site Wide WiFi and Live Streaming.

Delivering 300+ events per year, we continuously innovate cost effective solutions that deliver and are supported by our multi award winning team. We look forward to getting your next event #simpliconnected W: www.simpliwifi.agency

SITE EVENT LTD

Stand 157 Avenue B

Site Event is the leading portable sanitation supplier to the best events in the UK since 1988.

With over 35 years of expertise Site Event can offer expert advice and heaps of knowledge, a wide range of hire equipment, come and see our newly launched Site Sleep range at our stand at the Showmans Show.

T: 01256 384134

W: www.site-equip.co.uk

NEWMAN EVENT SERVICES LTD Stand 59 Exhibition Hall

Newman Event Services is the leading provider of comprehensive crowd management and event safety services in Oxfordshire and the surrounding regions. Our team of highly experienced event safety professionals have a wealth of experience serving major events including concerts, festivals, sporting competitions and public events.  You can rest assured that our expertise in the planning, coordination and provision of world-class crowd management services will help you deliver a safe and successful event. E: enquiries@newmanevents.co.uk W: www.newmanevents.co.uk

THE STAGE BUS Stand 186 Avenue C/G

The Stage Bus is an event production and stage hire with a difference; all of their stages are solar-powered! Based in Birmingham TSB proudly boasts an eight-strong fleet of stages that are amongst the most innovative around. So what makes their stages stand out from the crowd? In addition to being solarpowered, TSB stages are fully-integrated, with lighting, PA and sound system built in. They are fast-deploy and can be setup in around an hour. TSB stage units are contained in one vehicle, reducing carbon footprint and can be operated by one crew member. These stages really are super low-maintenance whilst being efficient and sounding and looking great!

W: www.thestagebus.com

MEHLER

Stand 56 Exhibition Hall

At this year’s Showman’s Show, we are highlighting our exceptional Tent Material manufactured with low wick yarns. With over two decades of proven reliability and quality as the number one supplier for tent materials in the UK. Mehler Texnologies® - part of Freudenberg Performance Materials - is the globally recognised specialist for coated technical textiles.

Come and visit us at this year’s Showman’s Show, booth 56.

T: +44 161 684 2310

E: Thomas.Wieneke@freudenberg-pm.com

Hire

TWO-WAY RADIO HIRE, SALES AND SERVICE

A simple solution for those who need temporary communications Two-way radio hire has proven to be invaluable for sectors such as event specialists and organisers, council teams, TV and film crews, security, and parking, to name but a few, with both short and long-term hire contracts available

Organising any event or general on-site communication requires total dedicated support, and at DCRS, there is always a team on-call or on-site ready to assist you

Call FREE: 0800 043 2688

Email: sales@dcrs.co.uk www.dcrs.co.uk

WE BOAST A COMPLETE HIRE SERVICE INCLUDING:

Bespoke radio solutions for large, wide area events

Motorola digital and analogue radios, mobiles and repeaters

Wide area Nationwide coverage with WAVE PTX POC LTE & ICOM por tables

A full range of audio accessories, radio allocation systems and voice recording available

Free radio licence or free programming to your own frequencies

Deliver y and collection to your specified addresses

On-site support and out of hours call-out, 24/7, if required

BRADSHAW EVENT VEHICLES

The Showman’s Show

23-24 October 2024 | Newbury Showground

BUNKABIN LTD

Stand 144 Avenue B

Bunk-a-bin is the leading supplier of on-site sleeper and facility units in the UK, offering single and twin sleeper units with deluxe en-suite accommodation. We boast a fleet of over 3,000 sleeper units and cater to all sectors and events. Based in Oldham, Manchester, Bunk-abin manufactures our units and always prioritises great service and customer satisfaction

W: www.bunkabin.co.uk

DAVIS TRACK HIRE LTD

Stand 118 Avenue A

Davis Trackhire is the UK’s Largest Independent Supplier of Aluminium Trackway. Offering a comprehensive UK-wide service from their depots in North Lanarkshire & East Midlands, Davis Trackhire boasts one of the most modern and versatile portable roadway systems on the market. Whether a backstage area for your festival or a ring road around your event site, we have the skills, products and experience to handle your requirements.

W: www.davistrackhire.com

ROADPHONE NRB Stand 75 Exhibition Hall

Roadphone NRB are the event two-way radio specialists, and we’re excited to be returning to the Showman’s Show. Come and chat to the team about two-way radio solutions for your event, from small quantities of radios delivered ‘ready to go’ by a courier, to thousands of radios and resilient repeater systems for the biggest festivals, conferences and sporting events in the country.

W: www.roadphone.co.uk/

INSTANT MARQUEES

Stand 225 Avenue D/G

Celebrating its 23rd year supplying the outdoor event industry with the UK’s most durable gazebos and quality event branding products, Instant Marquees is now focussing on making its products & rental services as sustainable as possible. From plastic parts for our tents recovered and recycled from the sea to our unique temporary branding solutions and UK production, we can make a significant difference to our sustainability footprint going forward.

W: www.instantmarquees.co.uk

FEWS Stand 110 Avenue A

We look forward to seeing everyone at stand 110A to talk about our new products – PremiumMax and The Orangery, and a new floor system we’re offering. Expect to find the usual hot bacon sandwiches for breakfast and steak sandwiches for lunch. The welcome at Fews will be warm, appetizing and the highlight of the show!

W: www.fews.co.uk/

TEMPOWER Stand 66A Exhibition Hall

Tempower offer and maintain a comprehensive stock of electrical distribution equipment and cable for all your temporary power distribution requirements. We are also one of the largest UK stockists of cable ramps. Servicing the events industry, film and television, construction and industrial markets, indoor or outdoor we have a rental solution for you. All available for same or next-day delivery. Call the team at Tempower on 0845 606 6049.

W: www.tempower.co.uk

T: 01920 830256

E: info@alternative-stretch.co.uk W: www.alternative-stretch-tents.co.uk @alternative_stretch_tents

Cost-e ective stretch tent hire for every occasion: with on-site visit, professional consulting and full rigging & de-rigging service.

We have a wide range of sizes to suit all types of events plus full package solutions, all at competitive prices.

Speak to the experts TODAY!

• MARKING OUT: Flags, Line Marker & Fencing Pins

• SCRIMS & FENCE COVER: Hessian, Tildenet, Bamboo Screen, FR Ranges & Cable Ties

• SITE BUILD & SAFETY: Site Signage, Pipe Lagging, Plastic Sheeting, Hazard & Warning Tape

• STAGE & ARTISTE SUPPLIES: Artiste Towels, Clocks, Ear Plugs, Pit Cups & Stage Brooms

• PPE CLOTHING & COVID: Printed Tabards, Hard Hats, Hi-Vis Masks, Sanitisers & Wipes

• BARS: Optics, Trugs, Ice Buckets, Jiggers, Bar Caddies & Waiters Trays

• SITE CLEANING & WASTE: Toilet Rolls, Cleaning Supplies, Litter Pickers & Work Gloves

• STAFF WELFARE & OFFICE: Coffee, Hot Cups, Extension Leads & Fans

BRADSHAW EVENT VEHICLES

Taking charge

As IDE Systems celebrates 30 years of business, the power distribution specialist talks of new products that will help customers reduce carbon emissions and meet sustainability goals

This year, IDE is celebrating 30 years in the industry, that’s 30 years of manufacturing temporary power products in the UK, 30 years of experience of working with various sectors and driving forward innovative ideas to help customers reduce their carbon emissions on-site.

IDE has progressed significantly over 30 years, manufacturing temporary power distribution products in its production facility based in Cannock, West Midlands.

Year-on-year growth meant that in 2021, IDE became part of the Sdiptech group, which provides value to customers in the infrastructure sector by offering high-quality technologies, solutions, and services to both the public and private sectors, primarily in Europe.

Currently, IDE has more than 70 staff members, a head office and manufacturing centre and three rental depots strategically placed in significant areas of the UK, giving customers flexibility and catering to its international customer base.

TRUSTED ADVISOR

IDE is a trusted name within many industries, from events, construction and the TV and film sector. It has provided temporary power products to well-known large events in the UK and internationally and has supported many temporary infrastructure sites. It has put together a fantastic team that continuously learns new skills and refreshes current skills to ensure customers receive the best service and access to quality products.

The team specialises in combining sales, rental, bespoke design and manufacturing knowledge, and works in partnership with customers, advising on important power distribution decisions. In fact, IDE’s expertise

is so respected, that they are a trusted advisor, taking the time to understand a customer’s requirements and designing and building bespoke temporary power products for the customer’s site.

IDE’s offering is unique. It offers an unrivalled integrated service where it can help the customer find the right balance between buying and renting distribution boards and cables, considering any concerns they may have about capital and operational expenditure, or it could be about longer-term strategic advice. For instance, IDE can help a customer to plan, and future-proof their procurement needs, by ensuring they get the best from the power distribution set-up and IDE’s expert services.

SAY HELLO TO ERICA

IDE is known for driving forward innovation and it has extended its carbon impact products team. Erica is the name of its energy management and control system; the module can be placed into a distribution board, and it can then monitor and control energy consumption on-site by using an

online dashboard. The team can then create reports based on the findings and suggest ways in which sites can reduce their costs, energy consumption and carbon emissions. The carbon impact products also extend into temporary electric vehicle chargers, making charging an electric car more accessible at events, festivals, construction sites, or on a film and TV production set. The temporary electric vehicle chargers are portable, robust and have optional payment methods.

Over 30 years, IDE has utilised smart technology and incorporated that into temporary power distribution boards. The forward-thinking business will continue to provide excellent service and quality handbuilt products as well as produce innovative products to align with its customers’ sustainability goals.

Be part of IDE’s journey and follow along, who knows what the next 30 years will bring!

For more information about IDE Systems and how it can help you, call 01543 574111, visit www.idesystems.co.uk, or email enquiries@idesystems.co.uk

BRADSHAW EVENT VEHICLES

PASSENGER VEHICLE HIRE

TRANSPORT GUESTS IN COMFORT AND STYLE WITH OUR TWO, FOUR, SIX, AND EIGHT SEAT PASSENGER BUGGIES AND WHEELCHAIR ACCESS VEHICLES.

It’s good to talk

This year, more than 60 festivals have either announced their cancellation, postponement or complete closure. Read on, as event professionals discuss comms strategy and how to have a “good” event cancellation, lessening the blow for everyone affected

n August, Luke Hasell, founder of Valley Fest, revealed that the family-friendly festival would be taking a fallow year and not returning until 2026. At the time, he conceded that a festival takes a monumental amount of effort. Therefore, he and his team felt the festival needed some “incubation” time to plan the next stages of its evolution and consider how it could return with a more sustainable model.

Valley Fest’s announcement that it would not return until 2026 – when Glastonbury will take its fallow year – was a carefully crafted statement. A decision that Hasell and his team made during the festival, which experienced a 40 per cent increase in costs this year.

“I was really nervous because you’re turning off the tap,” explained Hasell. “It was a bold decision and a difficult one we had to make, but we made the decision during the festival.

“We’ve had some amazing support over the years, and without that support, we wouldn’t be here,” Hasell continued. “Usually, we would go out with early birds the following week, but the fact of the matter is we need strong collaborations and partnerships, and we lost one two months out.”

BOLDER AND STRONGER

In 2023, despite attracting 12,500 festivalgoers, the festival was a “washout”. Bad weather impacted the site, and the team needed a good year to recover from an exhausting experience. This year’s edition of the festival delivered on all fronts. It was the ideal time to announce a fallow year whilst riding on the crest of a wave.

Valley Fest opted to pause and hopes to return “bolder and stronger”. “We can’t wait to bring the festival back,” Hasell added. “We’re just going to try and figure it out and give ourselves time to bring it back in a really positive way. We want a year to be able to redefine what the festival means for us.”

TRANSPARENCY

Hasell and his team have already been brainstorming. He admits the festival doesn’t stack up, financially, for 10,000 festivalgoers, especially with the content it provides. So now Valley Fest is thinking about how transparent it should be with the audience. Should the festival team approach its audience and say, if you want X, a ticket price will cost Y, and we will need to sell this number of tickets before we book what you

want? Hasell has yet to make up his mind on the strategy moving forward, but one thing is certain: he knows communication will need to be crystal clear.

A DIFFICULT LIFE

Since Valley Fest announced that it was going to have a fallow year, the festival has received nothing but positive messages. Sign-ups for early bird tickets are high. If the festival continues to communicate with its audience in the right way, sign-ups will convert to “proper tickets”, and high ticket sales are all any organiser wants.

Simon Clarke, director of Shindig Festival, concurred. However, when the current ticketbuying trend is to buy late, and if production costs are coming in earlier, it makes life difficult for promoters and organisers, he said.

GUESS WHO’S BACK

In March, Shindig Festival announced that the 2024 event would be its last. At the time, the organising team said that the challenging landscape of the events industry, coupled with a trend of delayed ticket buying and lack of Government support, made it increasingly difficult for independent festivals to operate.

VALLEY FEST

All images: Ania Shrimpton/Connor Baker

The event, held at Dillington Estate, Somerset, in May, celebrated its tenth anniversary and should have been the festival’s last outing. However, Clarke has told StandOut that the team is working hard to bring Shindig back in 2025 at a new location, with a new investor.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS

When Clarke and his team announced that Shindig 2024 was to be its last, the plan was to push sales as hard as they could so they could get the income needed to run the event. Clarke hoped the announcement would speed up. ticket sales. But it didn’t. Shindig’s directors decided to call time on Shindig. But now the team is getting all its ducks in a row and curating a careful plan to come back with a more ethical and sustainable business – and festival – model that puts less stress on the team.

IMPACT

Communication will be key. Currently, Clarke and his team are communicating with Shindig’s suppliers and contractors [because some monies are still owed], keeping them informed of their next moves, and hoping that it can turn its fortunes around. It will be a much-deliberated process as the news of their intended comeback and its impact are considered.

John Rostron, CEO of the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), is keen to talk about impact – the impact on supply chains, production companies, freelancers and audiences when you cancel or postpone an event. Finding a way to communicate with

all parties that your event cannot go ahead because of [delete as appropriate] licensing challenges, skyrocketing costs, unpredictable ticket sales, poor ground conditions, safety concerns, procurement issues, unforeseen circumstances, the cost of living crisis, trading conditions and rising inflation is paramount. So, is there a “good” way to cancel your event? Because everything you say or do will be analysed. There’s a big difference in the way that stakeholders will react to a “good egg” that has had some bad luck because it’s hard to be angry at someone who has made a mistake compared to someone who has questionable business practices and who has been irresponsible.

LESSEN THE PAIN

Rostron said: “It’s very hard to stop and pause and take a moment, but it can be your gift.”

Rostron is talking openly with StandOut on the topic of event cancellations. He’s both perceptive and reflective as we look back on a season that has seen more than 60 festivals either cancel, postpone, or announce complete closure.

But what is the gift he talks about? “I think people need to ask themselves if they can lessen the pain of the people around them,” he said. “If you are thinking about cancelling or postponing your event, can you pause for a minute and pull the plug now? Because the damage now will be bad, but the damage down the line will be worse. For everybody. That’s what you need to think about.”

FESTIVAL IN TROUBLE PLANS

According to Rostron, communication is

paramount. He questions whether it’s time for organisers to prepare “our festival is in trouble plans” just like everyone prepares for wet weather.

“Saying to people at the right moment that we’re not going to make it, or we’re in trouble, or I think this year’s going to be hard, communicating to them as speedily as you can, and honestly and as clearly as you can, is important,” Rostron continued.

“Bad news is bad news, but bad news can get worse if you hang on to it. It’s better for people just to know.”

StandOut is talking with Rostron ahead of a special session at Event Buyers Live 2024

JOHN ROSTRON ( he/him)

(November 11-13, Carden Park, Cheshire) that will look at the impact of event cancellations and postponements on the event eco-system. Having to cancel or postpone an event is a situation that any organiser could face in the future, so is there a good way to do it? One that works for all interested parties, including suppliers, and lessens the blow.

SAYING THE RIGHT THING

Organisers who are facing financial difficulties might hang on, hoping for better news. But Rostron believes that with an event cancellation or postponement, whilst there is an opportunity to be generous to everyone around you and inform them of the fate of your event, there’s also a need to protect yourself.

“Having the advice of your legal team and having the advice of your insurers, if appropriate, before you communicate is paramount because you don’t want to say anything that’s going to come and bite you down the line,” Rostron commented.

“Sometimes, you might not be able to pay people, and sometimes you might have to say, sorry, we’ve just gone into liquidation. Was there a decision that you could have made earlier on?”

Rostron warned that those who continue to trade, even though it’s clear an event is not going to get over the line, could face

significant repercussions. Yet, if you have documented your decision-making process with evidence and clear comms, then you could be facing a more favourable scenario.

He continued: “Communicating quickly is good, but saying the right thing is also good. Good for you and good for them. You don’t want to inadvertently expose yourself to something that’s going to cost you more or be more damaging, and you might also accidentally present the wrong expectations to the person that you’re communicating with, and that could be bad.”

NO REGRETS

Some festivals – like Barn on the Farm, Splendour and Neighbourhood Weekender – plan to return in 2025, but other events –like NASS, Camp Bestival Shropshire and Nozstock have no plans. Regardless of which camp you might find yourself in the future, you want to leave a good impression.

Rostron cites El Dorado festival as a festival that handled its cancellation well. The festival considered its audience and stakeholders, and because it communicated its position in the right way, it won their respect.

“Whatever you walk away from in terms of a relationship, the relationship that you want, even if it’s bad, you want to leave it as good as possible,” Rostron explained further. “You might meet those people again, and

you’ll be able to look them in the eyes. If you can reflect on what you did in a difficult circumstance and be OK with your actions, and what you did is not going to gnaw away at you for the rest of your life, then it’s all fine. But if you prioritise yourself, don’t communicate, and plough on towards show day, saying we’ll just see what happens, you’re going to regret it. Regret seeing those people again and probably avoid them.”

LUKE HASELL ( he/him)

SIMON CLARKE ( he/him)

Wide range of HVO Generators available for nationwide hire, and suitable for various applications across all sectors. Progen Power’s fleet of rental generators range from 18kva, ideal for providing power to smaller sites, up to 500kva appropriate for powering a large main stage, data centre or major construction equipment. We also stock various distribution boards, festoon lighting, and cable available for hire.

Progen Power is built around a team of power experts who support our diverse clientele with dependable Turnkey Temporary Power Solutions.

Making a statement

ZENLESS ZONE ZERO STAGE

Images: © Geoffrey Hubbel/George Harrison/Luke Dyson

This summer, organisers and promoters have taken the opportunity to deliver something new and special to music fans and festivalgoers. StandOut looks at how new stages, arenas and staging products are changing the customer experience and making a statement…

When festivalgoers walked through the gates at Reading and Leeds Festivals, they finally got to see the culmination of nine months of head-scratching and engineering conundrums. Serious Stages, Colour Sound Experiment, Mobile Stadiums, Rope and Rigging and Special Structures Lab worked meticulously to deliver a new stage – named Chevron – on behalf of Festival Republic.

Serious Stages’ new Stellar Stage – which debuted at Crystal Palace Park this summer – was used to host a range of headliners, including The Prodigy and Skrillex, but in front of the stage – with its 20-metre wide roof and eight-metre screens – was a “floating LED mesh” suspended over the audience, creating a spectacular light show.

Both Chevron stages at Reading and Leeds Festival were transformed by the LED mesh, which has been dubbed the LightCloud. This immersive barrel vaulted LED web of pixels was tensioned over an audience of 50,000 people and suspended by a series of bespoke steel tensile catenary cables rigged to vertical steel perimeter truss masts.

With a total span of 60 metres and featuring ten x 2.25-tonne supporting truss masts at 25 metres in height, these structures were designed to create unique festival focal points. Audiences underneath each LightCloud were dazzled and immersed by visual content programmed to be an extension of the video, laser and lighting spectacles around each act on the stages. The entire lighting grid suspending the LightCloud weighed 5,550

kilogrammes, 168 tonnes of counterweight was used to anchor each structure and more than nine kilometres of steel tensile cable was used (4,630 metres per stage).

“The Chevron is more than just a physical stage, it’s a testament to Reading and Leeds’ continued commitment to innovation and industry leadership,” explained Melvin Benn, managing director of Festival Republic. “We demonstrated this previously, with the introduction and success of dual main stages in 2021. This year, I saw the opportunity to do something new and truly special, reflecting the audience’s evolving tastes and cuttingedge production the show is known for. This elevates our electronic and hip-hop music offerings, while still delivering six main-stage headliners and a strong representation across other genres.”

IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE

Serious Stages supported Festival Republic’s desire to create a new-look Chevron stage, with the introduction of the Stellar Stage. Its angled sides gave the crowd a different aesthetic and accommodated the technical production elements housed side of stage. With the tower roof giving a 14.5-metre stage height, it was more intimate than the 25-metre TZ Main Stages with their curved video screens supplied to Reading and Leeds for headliners Fred Again and Liam Gallagher.

“The reaction to the Chevron stage has been immense,” Benn continued. “Tens of thousands of music fans danced under

the sky canopy of hundreds of thousands of glowing LEDs and what the artists were able to do with the tech was something to behold.

“Reading and Leeds never stand still and the Chevron absolutely delivered on giving audiences a whole new immersive experience and artists an opportunity to produce something they’ve never done before. There were some impressive performances across the weekend from The Prodigy, Barry Can’t Swim, Nia Archives, and Skrillex and it will only continue to get better as time goes on and artists bring their bespoke shows.”

KEEPING THINGS FRESH

Festival Republic was not the only organiser to commission a new stage this summer. Cream contracted Acorn Event Structures to deliver the Zenless Zone Zero stage at Creamfields, PepsiCo worked with iD to deliver the Pepsi Tower at Wireless, NoNonsense Group worked with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and provided AEW’s All In London event with a 30m x 30m roof, which sat over the ring, Junction 2 introduced the Dome, a fully enclosed pitch-black rave tent with four dance platforms and a 20-metre wide lighting rig, Shambala worked with Special Structures Lab and d&b audio on a new second stage called Solasta, and Boardmasters contracted Lucid Creates to deliver The Point, a stage inspired by the natural landscape comprised of 2,000 wooden panels, each interspersed with fully programmable LED bars.

SOLAR-POWERED MOBILE STAGES

Becka Whiteley, marketing director at Shambala, said the festival’s much anticipated Solasta stage made its debut and was a huge hit. “We wanted to switch things up and keep Shambala’s offering fresh, with a stage that could play host to both banging live bands, and the biggest DJ and electronic music names on site,” she commented. “Solasta certainly delivered.

“The huge, open plan structure enabled 2,500 thousand revellers to dance comfortably, under beautiful projections and lasers and its cutting-edge, 4D soundscape sound system was something to behold.”

GAME-CHANGER

In November, Cream HQ revealed what it called a” game-changing new superstructure” for the 2024 edition of Creamfields. The 30,000-capacity indoor main stage was branded as the Zenless Zone Zero stage. Open until 4am and offering festivalgoers an additional main stage destination for the Friday, the Zenless Zone Zero stage gave Ian Greenway, director of LarMac Live and Creamfields’ production director, an opportunity to get creative.

“The brief we get from Scott [Cream MD Scott Barton] is to try and evolve things but

you can only do so much in a big top, so what you can creatively develop each year pushes towards something like Creamfields Runway stage [launched in 2022],” Greenway said. “Previously, we had two main stages from Acorn both programmed equally so when Scott said let’s rethink what we’ve got, we took one of those main stages indoors.”

Acorn’s new structure – called Sonic Arena – was originally called Apex by the Creamfields team before it became a sponsored stage.

Andy Nutter, CEO of Acorn, said: “When our in-house design and build team created

THE POINT

SOLASTA

Acorn’s Mega Structure, that launched at Creamfields in 2016 under the Steel Yard branding, we always hoped we could go bigger! Through our strategy for continued innovation, growth and the trust of valued clients, the Sonic Arena became reality. Designed for a global market, it has taken audience experience to a new level while exceeding other venue capacities.”

He continued: “Weather had a big impact on August bank holiday events this year, a trend we are seeing more of. We believe festivals with indoor structures will see increased ticket sales over the coming years as audiences want to ensure their experience is not hampered by the elements.”

From a production point of view, the new Apex structure enabled the Creamfields team to put big-name DJs on during the day because it was not limited by daylight. But would another mammoth structure be considered as just another Steel Yard? In a word, no, said Greenway. He explained: “With its pitched walls, flat roof and legs, it felt

different to Steel Yard. The legs upped roof capacity, we kept Kinesys in Steel Yard and with its huge stage end show and big LFX, the Zenless Zone Zero stage wasn’t the same.”

BE MORE CREATIVE

Greenway was assisted on site by Alex Mackie, production manager (shows), Matt Smith, production manager (artists), Finlay Bowrey, production coordinator, and Craig Campbell, Jake Campbell and Gareth Owen, production site coordinators. Together, they worked alongside Acorn, Adlib, BPM and ER Productions to deliver the new venue, which benefited from a longer build period.

“If you have more comfort in the build, you can be more creative when getting the show in,” Greenway continued. “We’re finding that there’s less incoming production from EDM (electronic dance music) artists which puts more pressure on our teams to produce shows for headliners but then it gives us more control and we don’t have to shoehorn production in.”

He added: “As for 2025, it will be interesting to see what the brief from Cream will be. They want to look after the EDM market, for the crowd to have a good time, and to spend money on the things that the ticket buyer sees.”

TRENDSETTING

As well as delivering technical production at Creamfields, LarMac Live was also kept busy this summer, delivering all guest experiences at Adele World in Munich and all secondary stages at the singer-songwriter’s ten-night residency in Germany.

Live Nation GSA’s Marek Lieberberg, the promoter behind Adele’s staggering residency, described the show – in a custombuilt colosseum with perfect open-air sound –as trendsetting. More than 730,000 fans from across the world watched the artist perform in the open air in a bespoke pop-up arena, comprised of a 4,159.7 square metre LED wall – the largest of its kind.

The stage, which curved and wrapped around the crowd, featured a sweeping circular passerelle that enveloped the audience and brought Adele closer to her fans.

At the confluence between the passerelle and the catwalk was an illuminated B-stage, that elevated Adele into the heart of the arena and concealed within the passerelle was an ensemble of string players that rose at pivotal moments to unleash the drama of a 42-piece string orchestra.

The arena, which was the brainchild of co-promoter Klaus Leutgeb, and the accompanying Adele World were built within four months, only to be dismantled again immediately after the last concert. This was preceded by more than a year of planning which saw close collaboration between Stufish Entertainment Architects, StageCo, TAIT – supplying its largest ever MAG Deck stage – and Solotech to create the spectacle that perfectly demonstrates the level of detail that organisers and artists will go to deliver jaw-dropping and memorable experiences.

ADELE WORLD

STELLAR STAGE

The space to create extraordinary

The home of pioneering spirit: Farnborough International is set for a record-breaking year

arnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre has wrapped its busiest summer since opening in 2018, with more than 200,000 people walking through its gates between May and September, and there are no signs of slowing down.

An award-winning venue, which hosts more than 55 B2B and B2C exhibitions, conferences and experiences annually, a world-renowned event organiser, and film studios, Farnborough International is a catalyst for innovative experiences and rising events conglomerate. The venue has seen vast growth across its client portfolio and new customer base, with 2024 planned to bring 85 per cent more visitors through its doors and counting, compared to last year.

Operating as an incubator and investor, Farnborough International is driven to support independent organisers and the wider event industry in successfully bringing its product to market and creating extraordinary experiences. The accelerating trajectory of the venue has seen its industryleading team dedicating more resources to supporting its client portfolio to grow into its 120,000sqm+ of indoor and outdoor event space. From event management assistance to marketing and PR consultancy, the expert team will bolster organiser teams and provide support to clients from an exclusive 500-person exhibition to a 50,000-strong consumer show.

In addition, Farnborough International recently announced a partnership with Iventis, with its cutting-edge venue and event planning technology, to showcase to clients how they can grow effectively within the event site year after year.

Sarah Marshall, venue director of Farnborough International, said: “Customer service excellence is at the heart of everything we do and what the Farnborough International team has delivered in the last few months is nothing short of incredible.

Following a record-breaking summer, featuring the world-renowned Farnborough International Airshow and the British Motor Show, we are ready to support our client portfolio in delivering exceptional experiences to close out 2024 as our busiest year since our doors opened in 2018.”

Steeped in rich history, Farnborough International is located in the centre of the South East’s sci:tech corridor and the birthplace of aviation in Britain. Offering stunning views of the airfield, the venue sits alongside Europe’s leading business airport and at the home of the world-class Farnborough Airshow.

Conveniently located south-west of London, Farnborough International is just 35 minutes away from central London on the train, under an hour from Heathrow and Gatwick airports, and close to arterial road links, with ample on-site secure parking.

Offering scalable spaces, the latest inhouse technology and more than 70 years of events experience, Farnborough International continues to spearhead the way for all venues around the world.

FARNBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL FACTS

Boasts 20,000 square metres of flexible indoor and more than 100,000 square metres of outdoor event space

3,500 free on-site parking spaces

12,332 square metres of pillarless exhibition hall

Ten flexible meetings and conference spaces

Two x purpose-built, 22,000 square feet film production stages

Zero waste sent to landfill – 98 per cent of waste recycled and two per cent recovered as energy

Thirty per cent of annual electricity needs are generated through solar energy

For more information on Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre, visit www.farnborough.com or contact event-enquiries@farnborough.com

TRAMLINES

Safely does it

Event safety experts discuss the safety challenges and trends of the summer

T he organisers of Y Not Festival are well-versed in dealing with inclement weather and torrential rain. In 2017, the festival was abandoned halfway through because heavy rain became a safety concern, and in 2023, it was hit hard by wet weather again, creating some access issues around the site.

This year, the festival team worked closely with GMC Events and LFX Events to implement a raft of changes designed to

improve efficiencies and safety on site, including additional trackway and revised delivery schedules.

Ryan Wilmot, director of GMC Events, and Luke Fitzmaurice, managing director of LFX Events and LFX Safety, were appointed for the first time to oversee site management and event safety, respectively, at the threeday festival. “It’s been an interesting journey,” explains Wilmot. “There were lots of historical

and legacy aspects that needed updating, so we tightened up all procedures across all departments, aligning all the processes and departments with the ones next door.

“But there were also sensitivities that needed to be balanced. For example, what do you need to do to upgrade facilities and processes to get things where you want them to be? But also, what’s the essence of the event and what makes it?”

Images: © Lindsay Melbourne/Matt Higgs

TRAMLINES FOCUSED ON WELFARE

CONTROLLED SAFETY EXPERIENCE

Wilmot spent a lot of time liaising with contractors, streamlining build schedules, and implementing a new access control system with a site office manager and site coordinators in situ. This ensured suppliers could get on-site, fast, and unload equipment where it needed to be rather than drop kit at a central boneyard and have it “ferried around”.

Wilmot and his team assessed the festival’s servicing routes and back-of-house access to reduce truck movements and create the most efficient networks. These moves contributed to a more succinct and controlled safety experience, says Fitzmaurice, who noted the improved accreditation processes, contractor arrivals and site compliance on the exposed site. Wilmot continues: “When you deliver the fundamentals well, it leaves more room to focus on the customer-facing services. By identifying all these things, we’re uplifting the customer experience and helping the event evolve in a manner it wants and that resonates with the customers who support it.”

MUD BATH

The same can be said for Tramlines Festival, which worked hard this year to rectify and avoid the issues it experienced in 2023.

In March, Sheffield City Council gave Tramlines the green light to continue taking

place at Hillsborough Park. The city-based music festival – owned by Superstruct and delivered by Method Events – has taken place in Hillsborough Park since 2018, when the initial licence was granted. But in 2023, heavy rain turned the park into a mud bath, and the festival faced considerable criticism from residents.

Following a comprehensive review of the licence agreement at a council committee meeting in March, the festival’s organisers agreed to a fee schedule, which would help protect the park from future damage.

This year, the team focused on ground conditions, installing additional trackway (and had a contingency on-site should the weather have turned bad). It also widened existing hard-standing paths and installed more hard-standing too.

TEAM WELFARE

Yet, ground conditions – whilst paramount –were not Tramlines’ sole focus. There was a massive push to improve staff welfare. A dog-petting area was created for staff, and a harassment coordinator was introduced. This enabled crew and contractors to report harassment confidentially.

CarFest 2024 also took big steps to improve safeguarding measures at the familyfriendly festival. Jim Davey, managing director

of Redwood Event Solutions, who manages the event’s safety, worked with safeguarding specialist Dawn Grant on the plans, but the plans did not just focus on the safeguarding of ticketholders. There was a safeguarding requirement for teams on the ground because incidents can happen, and staff and crew need to be supported.

SAFEGUARDING

Tragically, there was an incident at CarFest in which a four-year-old boy died following a medical episode. CarFest staff who witnessed the incident required additional safeguarding and welfare support.

Speaking on the new safeguarding measures, Neil Levene, managing director and CEO of CarFest Management, says: “Every year, we review what’s happened and what could. We plan for the worst and ensure we have the right resources.

“We felt CarFest would benefit from having a dedicated safeguarding resource in view of the family nature of our event.

“Prior to the event, we reviewed everything and ensured that the people responsible for the activities on site were fully briefed. We also decided that it was too much for the safety team to be doing it as part of their remit so now we have a dedicated team, who have the right training.”

LIVE EVENTS & SAFETY MANAGEMENT

UPPING YOUR SAFETY GAME

According to Davey, an increasing number of organisers are looking at introducing safeguarding measures and improving their incident planning. He believes these are key areas of focus for 2025, whilst Harrier UK’s Helen McCabe, health and safety advisor, says that more organisers are enquiring about bringing an ADIPS (Amusement Device Inspection Procedures Scheme) inspector onto their event sites to inspect funfair rides and fairgrounds. This is in response to an incident earlier this summer when a funfair ride malfunctioned at Lambeth Country Show, injuring four people.

Rob Dudley, director of The Fair, says: “People are getting the relevance and importance of safety and understanding that they need to do due diligence and have an audit trail.

“This year, touch wood, there have been less incidents for me, and things have gone smoothly so far. Hopefully, it indicates that people are upping their safety game.”

This year, The Fair provided safety services to In It Together, Houghton Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival and concerts at Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol. But it was also brought in by the team at Notting Hill Carnival to “asset map” and produce detailed plans of where stages, barriers and sound systems are, giving the carnival team updated and accurate site plans.

HOT POTATO

Such information is vital if organisers want to deliver safe event sites that run efficiently. Wilmot describes information as a hot potato. Something you should never hold on to because it only creates an “information cul de sac”. Passing information on to the right people and sharing details is a shared responsibility when a team needs to work together effectively. The golden egg for any festival is for everyone to purr along as one machine.

Simon James, director of The Event Safety Shop, says that smaller festivals don’t always have the resources to be resilient enough,

and the belief that they can get through a particular challenge on-site or incident is, at times, dangerous.

“When I am on-site, I’m scared because I know what could go wrong,” he says. “Something completely odd can bite you on the arse. It’s petrifying to think about what can happen, but there are a lot of people [working in events and safety] who shouldn’t be as confident as they are. Weird shit has nothing to do with a plan you’ve written, and anybody who thinks they have all the answers is ignorant.”

Brian Cleary, founder of Sygma Safety and Events, concurs. “People are talking about compliance more, but compliance is about ticking boxes,” he says. “No paperwork has ever saved anyone’s life. Thankfully, a lot more people are taking part in tabletop exercises to test plans, and that makes me happy.”

BUDGET V SAFETY

This year, Sygma Safety provided safety services to Boomtown, Reggae Land, BludFest, Beatherder and Edinburgh Book Festival. When asked about the marketplace, Cleary states that he’d be more concerned if bigger festivals or good grassroots festivals were going to the wall. Some fiscal probity would not do the industry any harm, he says. This is especially true when organisers are caught out and do not have any contingency in their budget for additional equipment that will keep their site safe and open.

James adds: “I am seldom a budget holder, so my decision about whether a site is safe or not is easy. But when people ask me if their site is safe and I say no because it’s too muddy, you are then faced by people saying they can’t afford the right resources.”

FRESH PERSPECTIVE

According to James, there are easy

answers to most things, but whether they are necessarily the right answers is a different matter entirely. That’s where your safety team will help and should be helping, as their knowledge and experience will foresee potential issues.

But what about issues that you don’t foresee and the things that catch you out?

In August, StandOut visited the Boardmasters site before the festival opened its gates to 58,000 festivalgoers. At the time, Sam Watkins, operations director, told StandOut that he and his team had spent a lot of time carefully redesigning the site, moving things around alongside its ELT team to look at the changes and pull everything apart. However, if any demographic was going to pull apart a site and throw up a challenge, it would be an 18, 19 or 20-yearold audience.

Unfortunately for the Boardmasters team, seven festivalgoers were transferred to hospital with minor injuries following a crowd surge. Too many festivalgoers wanted to see Sammy Virji, a DJ and record producer. Could his popularity have been predicted, and could his set have been moved to a different stage and different time? This raises questions about artist programming.

Whilst debriefs and thorough investigations into the facts and reasons behind the crowd surge take place, Fitzmaurice believes that artist risk assessments and information are not shared enough between promoters and organisers.

“We’re a young industry, but we’re still old in certain areas,” Fitzmaurice explains. “Artists are catching us out. There are YouTubers and TikTokers that we’ve never heard of, but are really popular. How do you plan? Also, when do you get the artist’s risk assessments, and how far does they arrive ahead of the show?”

Cleary concurs. He concludes: “Are the people booking bands the best people to be looking at risk assessments on stages? I think we need to listen to the youth. We can’t know everything, so you need a team around you that throws a fresh perspective into the mix.”

JIM DAVEY ( he/him)

ROB DUDLEY ( he/him)

LUKE FITZMAURICE ( he/him)

Public health: Taking centre stage

Victoria Eaton, director of public health at Leeds City Council, discusses her role and how organisers can work closely with public health teams

How does public health relate to live events and festivals and why should the role of public health be considered by an organising team?

Public health is as important at festivals and other live events as anywhere else, given people are often camping/living and eating and drinking on site and sharing facilities like toilets and showers. Public health teams must work with organisers to support the health and wellbeing of attendees and staff at such events, ensuring arrangements are in place around managing potential threats to public health – from infectious diseases and other health-harming hazards to dangerous drugs that could be in circulation.

Do you think public health is considered enough or could more be done to have a positive impact on public health in cities and regions?

Involvement of public health experts in the planning of festivals, and other live events has become more prominent in recent years, with a positive impact on public health. It is important to note that such events are often sponsored by companies promoting health-

are working closely with the organisers of such events, especially around recommendations for the sale and promotion of such products to attendees.

When COVID hit, and when live events and festivals did restart, public health departments had a prominent role in event planning. What lessons were learned during that time and how have those learnings been implemented in the planning that we see today?

Since the pandemic, organisers of festivals and other live events have become much more aware of public health issues and

Can you give me an example of an organiser you have worked with, what you did and the positive outcome?

Chaired by Dan Burn (Health Improvement Principal (Drugs and Alcohol), Leeds City Council), the Reading and Leeds Festival Advice and Campaigns Team (FACT) is a collaboration between Leeds City Council (Public Health), Forward Leeds, Reading Borough Council (Public Health), CGL (Reading), and Festival Republic. In 2021, the FACT developed #LookOutForEachOther – a drug, alcohol and wider health, wellbeing and safety festival campaign. The campaign is based on a series of animations that are

Having a strong, sustainable working relationship with the local public health team is critical for organisations that run festivals and other live events. It’s highly important for them to include public health representatives in the planning of these events from the outset.

the impact they can have on the population and event(s) they run. As a consequence, public health is now much more centre stage, at these events, with public health representation at key planning meetings and public health advice and guidance threaded throughout their plans and policies. For example, Leeds Festival now run Leeds City Council’s handwashing campaign, with the campaign’s posters throughout the festival site.

How can organisers work more closely with their public health departments? Having a strong, sustainable working relationship with the local public health team is critical for organisations that run festivals and other live events. It’s highly important for them to include public health representatives in the planning of these events – from the outset, throughout, and after (in terms of debriefs/ evaluation) – as well as allowing them to make meaningful contributions by having key members sit on all relevant related groups like SAGS, and as attendees at the event’s licensing committee meetings.

broadcast on the stage screens, between all acts at both festival sites, as well as on the festival app, social media channels and website. The hashtag and key messages are on posters, information points, staff clothing, waterproof phone pouches and temporary tattoos. The campaign has received positive feedback, with festivalgoers saying that, since the campaign began, people are looking out for and helping each other more, compared to previous years.

Do you have a best practice piece of advice for anyone working with public health departments?

Public health covers a wide range of areas – from prevention of infectious diseases and other health-harming hazards to drug and alcohol use. Ensuring you have a representative(s) from the local public health team, with expertise in their topic area and contacts with key specialist partner organisations, will ensure anyone wanting to organise a festival or other live event will be able to do so in the most informed and effective manner to protect the health and wellbeing of staff and festivalgoers.

VICTORIA EATON ( she/her)

ACCESSIBILITY & INCLUSION

Eventwell

T: 0800 470 0958

E: bookings@eventwell.org

W: EventWell.org

ASSOCIATION

Event Hire Association

2450 Regents Court, The Crescent, Birmingham Business Park, Solihull, B37 7YE

T: 0121 380 4600

E: membership@eha.org.uk

W: www.eha.org.uk

MUTA

10B Red House Yard Gislingham Road, Thornham Magna, Eye, Suffolk IP23 8HH

T: 01379 788673

E: info@muta.org.uk

W: www.muta.org.uk

AV, SOUND & LIGHTING

Event Production Services

The Pack House, Drayton St. Leonard, Oxford, OX10 7BG

T: 01844 278446

E: info@epsoxford.com

Hire Frequencies

T: 0203 3026947

E: enquiries@hirefrequencies.co.uk

W: www.hirefrequencies.co.uk

Press Red Rentals Limited

Unit H11, Halesfield 19, Telford, TF7 4QT

T: +44 (0) 1952 587049

W: www.pressred.biz

BALLOONS, BUNTING & FLAGS

B-Loony Ltd

Cape House, 105 Bellingdon Road, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, HP5 2HQ

T: 01494 774376

E: sales@b-loony.co.uk

W: www.b-loony.co.uk

BAR

Bar Live Events

Unit D215, Parkhall Studios, London, SE21 8DE

T: 0208 761 8424

E: nick@barlive.co.uk

W: www.barlive.co.uk

Cambridge Event Bars

T: 01223 785401

M: 07837 707057

E: Info@cambridgeeventbars.co.uk

W: www.cambridgeeventbars.co.uk

Pop-up-Pubs

T: +44(0)1993 832155

E: info@pop-up-pubs.com

W: www.pop-up-pubs.com

Symonds Event Bars

Drakewell, Stoke Lacy, Bromyard, Herefordshire, HR7 4HG

T: 01885 490267

E: info@eventbars.co.uk

W: www.eventbars.co.uk

BAR/DRINK DISPENSE EQUIPMENT

Innserve Ltd

T: 01937 535000

E: eventsandstandby@innserveltd.com

W: www.innserveltd.co.uk

BRAND ACTIVATION & EXPERIENTIAL

Instant Marquees

T: 01840 213063

www.instantmarquees.co.uk

BUGGY HIRE

CABINS

Bradshaw Event Vehicles

New Lane, Stibbington, Peterborough, PE8 6LW

T: 01780 782621

E: enquiries@eventvehicles.co.uk

W: www.eventvehicles.co.uk

Twitter: @Bradshaw_EV

Event Buggy Hire

T: 0113 393 4100

E: info@eventbuggyhire.co.uk

W: www.eventbuggyhire.co.uk

Hopkins Machinery

T: 01633 680754

E: hire@hopkinsmachinery.co.uk

W: www.hopkinsmachinery.co.uk

Qdos Event Hire Ltd

Fernside Place, 179 Queens Road, Weybridge, Surrey, KT13 0AH

T: 0845 862 0952

E: enquiries@qdoseventhire.co.uk

W: www.qdoseventhire.co.uk

Twitter: @QdosEventHire

: www.facebook.com/pages/Qdos-Event-Hire/ : @qdoseventhire

Wernick Events

Joseph House, Northgate Way, Aldridge, Walsall, WS9 8ST

T: 01922 472 900

E: events@wernick.co.uk

W: www.wernick.co.uk/events

: @WernickEvents

: @WernickEvents

Event Traffic Control Limited

Baldersby Gardens, Ripon Road, Baldersby, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 4PS

T: 08000 246 800

E: info@eventtc.com

W: www.eventtc.com

CATERING

Peaks Catering Ltd

T: 07702189920

E: Info@peakscatering.co.uk

W: www.peakscatering.co.uk

CLEANING & SUPPORT SERVICES

Falcon Cleaning

The Falcon Nest, Unit 10 & 11, Lower Gower Road, Royston SG8 5EA

E: admin@falconteam.co.uk

W: www.falconteam.co.uk

COFFEE BARS

Markey Ltd

39b Park Farm Ind Estate, Buntingford, Hertfordshire, SG9 9AZ

T: 01763 271110

E: info@markey.co.uk

W: www.markey.co.uk

CORPORATE CREW

Rodeo Crew

128 Wey House, 15 Church Street, Weybridge, Surrey, KT13 8NA

T: 020 8075 7799

E: bookcrew@rodeocrew.uk

W: www.rodeocrew.uk

CREW SERVICES

BTN Crew LTD

T: 07780 621 860

E: info@btncrew.com

W: www.BTNCrew.com www.facebook.com/BTNCREWltd/ www.instagram.com/btncrewltd/

Falcon Festival Services

The Falcon Nest, Unit 10 & 11, Lower Gower Road, Royston SG8 5EA

E: info@falconteam.co.uk

W: www.falconteam.co.uk

Optimal Events Group Ltd / Trading as Optimal Crew

Marsh Mill Village, 5A, Fleetwood Rd N, Thornton-Cleveleys FY5 4JZ

T: 07375 843976

E: jordan@optimalcrew.co.uk

W: https://optimalcrew.co.uk

S3K Group

The Old Mill Building, Rookery Farm, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO22 6EP

T: 0845 299 7991

E: office@s3kgroup.com

W: www.s3kgroup.com : @s3kgroup

Trojan Crewing Solutions Ltd

57 Eastbourne Avenue, Acton, London W3 6JS

T: 07341 922974

E: chris@trojancrew.com

W: www.TrojanCrew.com

DIGITAL PLANNING

Iventis

Think Tank, University of Lincoln, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL

T: 01522 837205

W: www.iventis.co.uk

E: info@iventis.co.uk

Eamon Kerrigan: E: Eamon.kerrigan@iventis.co.uk

DRONE DISPLAYS

FlightShows

T: 020 3151 6891

E: Hello@FlightShows.com

W: www.FlightShows.com : www.facebook.com/FlightShows/ : www.linkedin.com/company/flightshows/ : www.instagram.com/flightshows/ : www.tiktok.com/@flightshows_drones

EQUIPMENT & INFRASTRUCTURE

Falcon Site Equipment

The Falcon Nest, Unit 10 & 11, Lower Gower Road, Royston SG8 5EA

E: admin@falconteam.co.uk

W: www.falconteam.co.uk

EVENT ACCOMMODATION

Bunkabin

Tweedale Way, Oldham, OL9 7LD

T: 0345 456 7899

E: hires@bunkabin.co.uk

W: www.bunkabin.co.uk

Zoo Events Group Ltd

Stockton Dairy, Stockton, Warminster, BA12 OSQ

T: 01258 840233

E: info@zooeventsgroup.co.uk

W: www.zooeventsgroup.co.uk

EVENT CONTROL, RADIO & WI-FI SERVICES

Controlled Events

T: 0203 286 6392

E: info@controlledevents.com

W: www.controlledevents.com

First class Resilience, Readiness, Communication & Control for incidents or pre-planned events.

EVENT MANAGEMENT

CM Production Management Ltd

T: 020 8056465

E: hello@cmpm.co.uk

W: www.cmpm.co.uk : facebook.com/cmpmlive : @cmpmlive

LFX Events

Unit 10 Merchants House, Market Place, Stockport, SK1 1EU

E: enquiries@lfxevents.co.uk

W: www.lfxevents.co.uk

Victorious Events

T: 07869 701 616

E: info@victoriousevents.co.uk

W: victoriousevents.co.uk

EVENT PASS PRINTING

EVENT SAFETY

EVENT STAFF

Eyecatchers

T: 01772 681000

E: sales@eyecatchers.co.uk

W: www.eyecatchers.co.uk / www.myeventpass.co.uk

FESTIVAL GAS

Inchmere Event Design Ltd

Swan Close Studios, Swan Close Road, Banbury, OX16 5TE

T: 01295 661000

E: alastair@inchmere.co.uk

W: www.inchmere.co.uk

TCM Trailers Ltd

Watery Lane, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 7SE

E: emily@tcmtrailers.co.uk

W: www.tcmtrailers.co.uk

Festival Gas

Priors Revel, Church lane, Middleton, Nr Tamworth, B78 2AL

T: 07930 758893

E: simon@festivalgas.co.uk

W: www.festivalgas.co.uk

Eep Safety Team

Unit 42, Dunsfold Park, Guildford, Surrey, GU6 8TB

T: 01483 266486

E: tom@eepteam.com

W: www.eepsafety.com

LFX Safety

Unit 10 Merchants House, Market Place, Stockport, SK1 1EU

E: enquiries@lfxsafety.co.uk

W: www.lfxsafety.co.uk

The Occasionall Group: Festivall Staff | Occasionall Staff

The Circle, 33 Rockingham Lane, Sheffield S1 4FW

T: 01144 055 044

E: hello@theoccasionall.group

W: www.theoccasionall.group

Moorepeople Event Staffing Agency

1st & 2nd Floor, 169 A High Road, Loughton, Essex, IG10 4LF

T: 0208 508 0555

E: bettina@moorepeople.co.uk

W: www.moorepeople.co.uk

EXHIBITION TRAILERS & MOBILE UNITS

DWT Exhibitions

Trailer Hire, Sales & Management

Jubilee Park, Honeypot Lane, Colsterworth, Lincolnshire, NG33 5LZ

T: 01476 860833

E: pip@dwt-exhibitions.co.uk

W: www.dwt-exhibitions.co.uk

Aero Fire & Rescue Ltd

27 Old Gloucester Street

London WC1N 3AX

T: 0330 111 3635

E: contact@aerofireandrescue.co.uk

W: www.aerofireandrescue.co.uk

Red Rose Fire Solutions Ltd

6 Brissenden Close

New Romney Kent TN28 8JD

T: 01995 503504

E: info@redrosefiresolutions.co.uk

WH Management Group

PO Box 230, Heathfield East Sussex TN21 1DX

T: 01889 500 164

E: info@whmg.co.uk

W: www.whmg.co.uk

FLAGPOLE HIRE

Fuchsia Exhibition Services Ltd

13 Oak Park Industrial Estate, Chelmsford Road, Great Dunmow, Essex, CM6 1XN

T: 01371 644800

E: info@fuchsiaevents.co.uk

W: www.fuchsia-exhibition-services.com

Instant Marquees

T: 01840 213063

www.instantmarquees.co.uk

FIRE COVER

FLAGS

FLOORING & FLOOR COVERINGS

Coir Store

8-9 Yelverton Road, Brislington, Bristol BS4 5HP

E: info@coirstore.co.uk

T: 07983 614410

W: https://coirstore.co.uk

Event Flooring Solutions Ltd

T: 01509 768 252

E: sales@efseurope.co.uk

W: www.efseurope.co.uk

Gigtent UK

Sonas House, Button End Harston

Cambridge, CB22 7NX

T: 01223 870935

E: info@gigtent.co.uk

W: www.gigtent.co.uk

FURNITURE HIRE / SALES

Furniture On The Move

Unit B, Canada warehouse, Chittening industrial estate

Worthy road , Avonmouth, Bristol, BS110YB

T: 0845 459 9875

E: info@furnitureonthemove.co.uk

W: www.furnitureonthemove.co.uk

GBJ Event Hire

Graham Jones

T: Office. 0207 205 4226

E: hire@gbjeventhire.co.uk

W: www.gbjeventhire.co.uk

Innovative Hire

Unit N, Lion Works Estate, 543 Wallisdown Road

Bournemouth BH12 5AD

T: 01202 941 068

W: http://innovativehire.co.uk

HEATING & COOLING SYSTEMS

BiemmedueUK & Arcotherm

Unit 12, Wilson Road, South Wigston Leicester LE18 4TP

T: 01773 836999 | E: sales@biemmedueuk.com

W: www.biemmedueuk.com

Spica Temperature Control Solutions Ltd 20 Crowsport, Hamble, Hampshire, SO31 4HG

T: 02380 453841

M: 07780 638976

E: kay@spicasolutions.com

W: www.spicasolutions.com

INFLATABLE STRUCTURES

Dawsongroup tcs

Export Drive, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire NG17 6AF

INSURANCE

Arc International

St. Clare House, 30-33 Minories, London, EC3N 1PE

T: 0207 977 7637

W: www.arc-int.co.uk/

Tysers Insurance Brokers

71 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 4BS

T: 0203 037 8000

E: tim.rudland@tysers.com

W: www.tysers.com

Vento

LASER & FX

Event Insurance by Event People 107 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 5JF

T: 0333 090 7589

E: freddie@ventoinsurance.com

W: www.ventoinsurance.com

Laser Grafix

Unit 4A Stratton Park, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 8QS

E: info@lgfx.co.uk

W: www.lgfx.co.uk

UK office: 01767 315948

Dubai office: +971 4887 9808

LED SCREENS

EMF Technology Ltd

Unit 27 Freemantle House, Kingsclere Business Park, Kingsclere, Hants, RG20 4SW

T: 020 8003 3344

E: info@emftechnology.co.uk

W: www.emftechnology.co.uk

Lightmedia Displays

LIGHTING

Mobile & Modular LED Screen Hire

T: 0333 600 6000 - 24 hour response

E: sales@lightmedia.co.uk

W: www.lightmedia.co.uk

Tech AV Ltd

London, Essex, Birmingham

T: 0345 257 9969

E: lee@techav.events

W: www.techav.events

YSLV

London & York

T: 0800 080 3310

E: hire@yslv.co.uk

W: www.yslv.co.uk

Dawsongroup | tcs

T: 01623 518538

E: info@dgtcs.co.uk

W: https://dgtcs.co.uk/inflatable-cold-rooms/

Illumin8

Nick: 07593437891

E: sales@illumin8lights.co.uk

W: www.illumin8lights.co.uk

Alternative Stretch Tents

Building 15, Gateway 1000, A1 (M) jct 7, Stevenage, SG1 2FP

T: 01920 830256

E: info@alternative-stretch.co.uk

Fews Marquees

Chessgrove Park, Ditchford Bank Road, Hanbury, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B60 4HS

T: 01527 821789

E: info@fews.co.uk

W: www.fewsmarquees.co.uk

Gigtent UK

Sonas House, Button End Harston

Cambridge, CB22 7NX

E: info@gigtent.co.uk

W: www.gigtent.co.uk

Instant Marquees

T: 01840 213063

www.instantmarquees.co.uk

TT Tents Ltd

North Waltham Business Centre, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG25 2DJ

T: 01256 397 551

E: sales@tttents.co.uk

Tentickle Stretch Tents UK Ltd

Langley Brook Business Park, Unit 3B London Rd, Tamworth, B78 2BP

T: 0121 7401385

M: 07826 843099

E: jorg@tentickle-stretchtents.co.uk

W: www.tentickle-stretchtents.co.uk

Top Cat Big Tops Tents & Marquees Ltd

The Old Stable Yard, Gasworks Ln, Achynlleth, SY20 8BY

T: 01654 700030

E: info@topcatbigtops.co.uk

W: www.topcatbigtops.co.uk MEDICAL SERVICES

Alliance Pioneer Group

Event Medical, Frontline Ambulance & Patient

Transport Services

Hawthorne House, 2nd Floor 25 Darklake View, Estover, Plymouth, PL6 7TL

T: 01752717720

E: mail@alliance-pioneer.co.uk

W: https://alliance-pioneer.co.uk/ : @alliancepioneergroup

: @AlliancePGUK

: https://www.facebook.com/Alliance.Pioneer : https://uk.linkedin.com/company/alliancepioneer-group

Canopy Medical Services Ltd

T: 07514 780025

E: jules@canopymedicalservices.co.uk

W: www.canopymedicalservices.co.uk

Enhanced Care Services

Unit H9, Adanac Park, Adanac Dr, Nursling, Southampton SO16 0BT

T: 02380 201561

E: admin@enhancedcareservices.co.uk

W: www.enhancedcareservices.co.uk

First Aid Cover Ltd

T: 020 8875 5758

E: enquiries@firstaidcover.co.uk

W: www.firstaidcover.co.uk

Location Medical Services Ltd

The Medical Centre, Shepperton Studios, Studio Road, Shepperton, Middx, TW17 0QD

T: 0870 750 9898

E: mail@locationmedical.com

W: www.locationmedical.com

Medirek

8 Primrose Place, Portsmouth Road, Godalming Surrey, GU7 2JW

T: 07776 128 409

safety and medical

E: ryan.soper@medirek.co.uk

W: www.medirek.co.uk

MET Medical Ltd

T: 0203 627 9042

E: info@met-medical.co.uk

W: www.met-medical.co.uk

Trident Medical Limited

Based in Essex, cover events all over the UK

T: 01268 438899

M: 07379 244718

E: events@tridentmedical.co.uk

W: www.tridentmedical.co.uk

Hopkins Machinery

T: 01633 680754

E: hire@hopkinsmachinery.co.uk

W: www.hopkinsmachinery.co.uk

PORTABLE TOILET HIRE

Four Jays Group

Barling Farm, East Sutton, Maidstone, Kent ME17 3DX

T: 01622 843135

E: enquiries@fourjays. co.uk

W: www.fourjays.co.uk

LOOS FOR DOs Ltd

Bakers Court, Forge Road, Kingsley, Hampshire GU35 9NZ

T: 01420 588 355

E: info@loos.co.uk

W: www.loos.co.uk

PLANT HIRE

Just Loos

Paddock Barn, Manor Farm, Itchen Stoke, Hampshire, SO24 0QT

T: 01962 867808

E: office@justloos.com

W: www.JustLoos.com

Ontrax Rentals

Elmwood Farm, Bampton OX18 2PL, England

E: hello@ontraxrentals.com

W: www.ontraxrentals.com

Site Event

The Depot, The Avenue, Lasham, Hampshire GU34 5SU

T: 01256 384 134

E: event@site-equip.co.uk

W: www.site-equip.co.uk

Vacant Event Hire

Unit C White Oak Technology Park, London Road, Swanley, Kent BR8 7AG

T: 01322 761 117

M: 07960 301178

E: info@vacant.events

W: https://vacant.events/

Zoo Events Group Ltd

Stockton Dairy, Stockton, Warminster, BA12 OSQ

T: 01258 840233

E: info@zooeventsgroup.co.uk

W: www.zooeventsgroup.co.uk

POWER & GENERATORS

ATD Electrical

Unit 93, Greenway Business Centre, Greenway, Harlow, Essex, CM19 5QE

T: 01279 507890

E: office@atdelectrical.com

W: www.atdelectrical.com

Energy Management Services Ltd

T: 0333 305 5144

E: admin@energyms.co.uk

W: www.energyms.co.uk

Festival Power Ltd

Unit 2, Temple Bridge Business Park, Bristol, BS39 5AA

E: info@festivalpower.co.uk

W: www.festivalpower.co.uk

Fourth Generation Ltd

220 Cricklewood Lane, London, NW2 2PU

T: 020 8450 2943

M: 07741 052565

E: tweed@fourthgenerationltd.com

W: www.fourthgenerationltd.com

Gofer Ltd

Unit 7 Arkwright Road, Hadleigh Road Ind. Est, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 0UB

T: 01473 282530

E: info@gofer.co.uk

W: www.gofer.co.uk

IDE Systems

T: 01543 574 111

E: enquiries@idesystems.co.uk

W: www.idesystems.co.uk

Head Office & Manufacturing Centre

Unit 3, Swaffield Park Hyssop Close, Cannock

Staffordshire, WS11 7FU United Kingdom

Lifos Advanced Battery Technology Ltd

Stafford Park 5, Telford, TF3 3AS

T: 01952 200198

E: hello@lifos.co.uk

W: www.lifos.co.uk

Midas Productions (UK) Ltd

Unit 1, Uplandside, Manor Road, Clopton, Suffolk, IP13 6SH

T: 0333 772 0772

M: 07949 007 603

E: info@midas-uk.co.uk

Newburn Power Rental Limited

Unit 36 Lidgate Crescent, Langthwaite Business Park, South Kirkby, Pontefract, WF9 3NR

T: 0845 077 6693

E: info@npr-uk.com

Power Events

T: 01277 424800

E: enquiries@powerevents.co.uk

W: www.powerevents.co.uk

Power Revolution

23C Shepherds Grove Ind Est, Stanton Bury St Edmunds, IP31 2AR

T: 01359 256 265

E: info@power-revolution.co.uk

W: www.power-revolution.co.uk

Progen Power Ltd

Belvedere House, Pynes Hill, Exeter,Devon, EX2 5WS

T: 0330 165 5720

E: info@progenpower.co.uk

W: www.progenpower.co.uk

Stuart Power Ltd

Stuart House, Hargham Road, Shropham, Norfolk, NR17 1DT

T: 01953 454540

E: enquiries@stuartpower.co.uk

W: www.stuartpower.co.uk

Summit Power

T: 0333 0349433

E: enquiries@summitpower.co.uk

W: https://summitpower.co.uk/

Tempower

T: 0845 6066049

E: hire@tempower.co.uk

W: www.tempower.co.uk

Wernick Power Solutions

Joseph House, Northgate Way, Aldridge, Walsall, WS9 8ST

T: 03334 001 247

E: power@wernick.co.uk

W: www.wernick.co.uk/power

: twitter.com/WernickGroup

: www.linkedin.com/company/wernickgroup

UK Flyers

Suite 210, Victory House, Somers Road, North Portsmouth, HampshirePO1 1PJ

T: 023 9229 3050

E: sales@ukflyers.com

W: www.ukflyers.com

PRODUCTION AND PROJECT SUPPORT

Smartrad Creative Ltd

5 George Street, Snaith, DN14 9HY smartradcreativeprojects@gmail.com www.smartrad.org T: 07711469787

PROJECTION

EMF Technology LTD

Projection Mapping, Water Screens, Flame Effects,

Lighting, Mains Distribution

T: 020 8003 3344

E: info@emftechnology.co.uk

W: www.emftechnology.co.uk

RADIO COMMUNICATIONS

2CL Communications Ltd

Unit C, Woodside Trade Centre, Parnham Drive, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO50 4NU

T: 0800 389 2278

E: contact@2cl.co.uk

W: www.2cl.co.uk

Audiolink

T: 020 8955 1100

E: info@audiolink.co.uk

E: hire@audiolink.co.uk

W: www.audiolink.co.uk

DCRS

Edison Road, St.Ives, Cambs, PE27 3LH

T: 0800 043 2688

E: sales@dcrs.co.uk

W: www.dcrs.co.uk

SFL Mobile Radio

6 Woodway Court, Thursby Road

Bromsborough, CH62 3PR

T: 0151 334 9160

E: sales@sflmobileradio.co.uk

W: www.sflmobileradio.co.uk/

REFRIGERATED STRUCTURES

Dawsongroup tcs

Export Drive, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire NG17 6AF

REUSABLE CUPS

Re-uz UK Less is now Limited

Unit 1A Walrow Industrial estate, Commerce Way, Highbridge

TA9 4AG

T: 01278 238390

E: info.uk@reuz.com

W: www.re-uz.com & www.green-goblet.com

SEATING

Ace Seating Hire

T: 01832 279333

E: info@aceseating.co.uk

W: www.aceseating.co.uk

SECURITY

DBD Group Services

T: 01934 286000 and 07955314124

E: info@dbdgroupservices.co.uk

W: www.dbdgroupservices.co.uk

Newman Event Services Ltd

Crowd Management, Festival & Event Security/Stewarding. Bloxham Mill, Barford Road, Bloxham, Oxfordshire, OX15 4FF

T: 01295 722844

E: enquiries@newmanevents.co.uk

W: www.newmanevents.co.uk

Right Guard Security

Experts in Crowd Management and Event Security

T: 01227 464588

E: info@rightguard.co.uk

W: www.rightguard.co.uk

Trojan Security

Unit B7 Loughton Seedbed Centre

Langston Road Loughton IG10 3TQ

T: 0330 113 9966

E: info@trojansecurityuk.co.uk

W: www.trojansecurityuk.co.uk : @trojan-security-uk-ltd : @TrojanLondon :@trojan_security_UK

WH Management Group

PO Box 230, Heathfield, East Sussex, TN21 1DX

T: 01889 500 164

E: info@whmg.co.uk

W: www.whmg.co.uk

SET & SCENERY CONSTRUCTION

Staged Events Ltd

Dawsongroup | tcs

T: 01623 518538

E: info@dgtcs.co.uk

W: https://dgtcs.co.uk/inflatable-cold-rooms/

Meadow View, Newnham Lane, Old Basing, Hampshire, RG24 7AU

T: 01256578055

E: info@stagedevents.com

W: www.stagedevents.com

SHOWERS

Zoo Events Group Ltd

Stockton Dairy, Stockton, Warminster, BA12 OSQ

T: 01258 840233

E: info@zooeventsgroup.co.uk

W: www.zooeventsgroup.co.uk

SITE SUPPLIES

Concept Products Ltd

10 Cary Court, Somerton Business Park, Somerton, TA11 6SB

T: 01458 274020

E: ben@conceptproductsltd.co.uk

W: www.conceptproductsltd.co.uk

STAGING & RIGGING

IPS (Impact Production Services)

29 Mount Avenue, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK1 1LS

T: 01908 657950

E: enquiries@ips.co.uk

W: www.ips.co.uk

The Stage Bus

19 Prestwood Road, Birmingham, B29 5EB

T: 0121 585 9264

E: info@thestagebus.com

W: www.thestagebus.com

Steeldeck Rentals

Unit 58, T. Marchant Estate, 42 - 72 Verney Rd, London SE16 3DH

T: +44 (0)207 833 2031

E: rentals@steeldeck.co.uk

W: www.steeldeck.co.uk

TEMPORARY ROADWAYS

Cap Trac Limited

The Stables, Loke Farm, Weston Longville, Norwich, NR9 5LG

T: 01603 880448

E: info@captrac.co.uk

W: www.captrac.co.uk

TEMPORARY STRUCTURES

Fews Marquees

Chessgrove Park, Ditchford Bank Road, Hanbury, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B60 4HS

T: 01527 821789

E: info@fews.co.uk

W: www.fewsmarquees.co.uk

Gigtent UK

Sonas House, Button End Harston, Cambridge, CB22 7NX

E: info@gigtent.co.uk

W: www.gigtent.co.uk

LH Woodhouse

Wolds Farm, The Fosse, Cotgrave, Nottingham, NG12 3HG

Delivering successful events

T: 01159 899 899

E: sales@lhwoodhouse.co.uk

W: www.lhwoodhouse.co.uk

Losberger De Boer

Castle Park, Boundary Road, Brackley, Northamptonshire, NN13 7ES

T: 01280 846500

E: sales.uk@losbergerdeboer.com

W: www.losbergerdeboer.com/uk

Mehler Texnologies UK Ltd.

Hollinwood Business Centre

Albert Street, Oldham, Lancs. OL8 3QL

E: info-uk@freudenberg-pm.com

W: www.mehler-texnologies.com

NEPTUNUS Ltd

Cob Drive, Swan Valley, Northampton NN4 9BB

T: 01604 593820

E: sales@neptunus.co.uk

W: www.neptunus.co.uk

Stunning Tents

Creative House, Station Road, Theale RG7 4PD

T: 0118 380 5590

E: team@stunningtents.co.uk

W: www.Stunningtents.co.uk

Tentickle Stretch Tents UK Ltd

Langley Brook Business Park, Unit 3B London Rd, Tamworth, B78 2BP

T: 0121 7401385

M: 07826 843099

E: jorg@tentickle-stretchtents.co.uk

W: www.tentickle-stretchtents.co.uk

The Dome Company

T: 07876673354

E: info@thedomecompany.co.uk

W: www.thedomecompany.co.uk

The Halo Group

T: 020 787703210

E: info@thehalogroup.co.uk

W: www.thehalogroup.co.uk

TT Tents Ltd

North Waltham Business Centre, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG25 2DJ

T: 01256 397 551

E: sales@tttents.co.uk

W: www.tttents.co.uk

Worldwide Structures Ltd

Ayrshire Farm, Sharcott, Pewsey, SN9 5PA

T: 01672 565 060 / +44 (0) 7875 027369

E: enquiries@w-sl.com

W: www.worldwidestructures.com

TRACKWAY

All Weather Access Ltd

County Farm, High Roding, Dunmow, Essex CM6 1NQ

T: 01371 700510

M: 07801 751137

E: henry@all-weatheraccess.co.uk

W: www.all-weatheraccess.co.uk

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

Event Traffic Control Ltd

Baldersby Gardens, Ripon Road, Baldersby, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 4PS

T: 08000 246 800

E: info@eventtc.com

W: www.eventtc.com

Right Guard Traffic Management

Event Traffic Management

VEHICLE HIRE

CSAS Accredited Traffic Officers

Car Parking

Event Signage

T: 01227 464588

E: info@rightguard.co.uk

W: www.rightguard.co.uk

WASTE MANAGEMENT

D C Site Services Ltd

Fenland District Industrial Estate Station Road, Whittlesey

Peterborough PE7 2EY

T: 01733 200 713

E: info@dcsiteservices.com

W: www.dcsiteservices.com

Falcon Cleaning

The Falcon Nest, Unit 10 & 11, Lower Gower Road, Royston SG8 5EA

E: admin@falconteam.co.uk

W: www.falconteam.co.uk

WATER & PLUMBING SERVICES

MTD (UK & Ireland) Ltd

Unit 1 Westerngate, Hillmead Enterprise Park, Langley Road, Swindon, SN5 5WN

T: 01264 773 818

E: sales.uk@mtd.net

W: www.mtd.net

Water Direct

T: 0345 345 1725

E: enquiries@water-direct.co.uk

W: www.water-direct.co.uk

VENUE MAPPING

Bradshaw Event Vehicles

New Lane, Stibbington, Peterborough, PE8 6LW

T: 01780 782621

E: enquiries@eventvehicles.co.uk

W: www.eventvehicles.co.uk

Twitter: @Bradshaw_EV

Iventis

Think Tank, University of Lincoln, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL

T: 01522 837205

E: info@iventis.co.uk

Eamon Kerrigan:

E: Eamon.kerrigan@iventis.co.uk

W: www.iventis.co.uk

VENUES

Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference centre

T: +44 (0) 1252 532800

E: event-enquiries@farnborough.com

W: www.farnborough.com/ : @farnborough-international-ltd : @Farnborough_Int : @farnborough_int : @farnboroughinternational/ : @farnboroughinternationalex4694

Wicked Event Water Services

Kevin: 07909 771996

E: info@wickedeventwaterservices.com

W: www.wews.biz

& STREAMING

Fli-Fi Ltd

UK Wide

T: 020 3778 0454

E: enquiries@fli-fi.com

W: www.fli-fi.com

SimpliWifi

Unit 13, Leominster Enterprise Park, Leominster, Herefordshire, Hr6 0LX

T: 0800 298 9434

E:  hello@simpliwifi.agency

W: https://simpliwifi.agency

WIFI, INTERNET

Editor Caroline Clift caroline@standoutmagazine.co.uk

Publication manager

Sarah Bourne sarah@standoutmagazine.co.uk

Account executives

Jen Crisp jen@standoutmagazine.co.uk

Holley Wilkinson holley@standoutmagazine.co.uk

Marketing executive

Katie Goldsmith marketing@standoutmagazine.co.uk

Design and production

Neil Hepden

Jemma Heslop

Colin Swaffer

Emma Hickman studio@standoutmagazine.co.uk

Digital and web developer

Matthew Coppard

Credit control

Janine Walmsley creditcontrol@standoutmagazine.co.uk

Managing director

Neil Fagg neil@standoutmagazine.co.uk T: 01795 509101

CEO John Denning

StandOut Multimedia Limited, 10 The Metford, Evegate Business Park, Smeeth, Ashford, Kent, TN25 6SX T: 01795 509113 www.standoutmagazine.co.uk

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SECURITY BEST PRACTICES

Organisers are taking active steps to address event security concerns and adopt better crowd management best practices

TAKE

Ground protection specialists talk about industry trends, best practices, and new products

FOOD

StandOut discusses bar and catering operations at events and festivals, including best practice trader management and market trends

THE FLOOR

FOR THOUGHT

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© Kendal Calling/Abbie Jennings

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