The Main Event (June 09)

Issue 29 June 2009 £4.75

Concert postponed due to poor ticket sales

Collapse puts event’s future in jeopardy

By Christina Eccles THE future of a Derbyshire music festival is in doubt after freak weather caused a stage to collapse, injuring two of the event’s staff – and leaving organisers with a £15,000 bill.

Organisers of the Bearded Theory Festival had only allocated £1,000 for health and safety expenses but the clean-up and investigation costs have soared to 15 times more than their original budget.

And while fans have pledged to raise money to ease its financial plight, organiser Rich Bryan admitted the incident – caused by winds gusting to more than 50mph – has compromised its future.

He said: “You don’t really expect a tornado, so you don’t budget for one.

We have a £15,000 deficit which to some events may not be a lot of money. But it is to us.”

A member of the security team and one of the crew were injured when the roof of the stage was blown off.

Both suffered minor injuries but a full investigation has been launched by the local council and the Health and Safety Executive.

Rich added: “This has given us a wake up call and made us realise we need a good contingency fund,

which is part of next year’s plan.”

Proceeds from previous events have been donated to charities but now the festival itself is in need of financial help.

Fans are organising benefit gigs in the summer to offset the deficit but Rich added: “We can’t be too reliant on the gigs because any happening in August or September are not going to help us in the short term.”

He added he was happy with how the matter had been dealt with onsite – with a helicopter arriving just two minutes after the stage collapsed – and the festival did have a comprehensive health and safety plan in place.

A full accident and emergency plan had been drawn up and Rich said it worked successfully, earning praise from police and paramedics.

The event continued despite the drama and co-organiser James Willis added: “True to the festival spirit, personnel and festival goers pulled together to ensure the continued running of the festival.

“Organisers worked hard to accommodate the acts which were due to appear on the main stage at other points during the festival.”

A FESTIVAL which organisers hoped would raise over £1m for the British Armed Forces has been postponed due to poor ticket sales.

Festival for Heroes was to take place at Blenheim Palace– with a line up including Lulu and Gabrielle.

But organisers pulled the plug after deciding the market was too tough to launch a new festival.

Festival director Jack Knowles said: "We had a great line-up of artists, a great location, and a great cause. What we didn't have was a great box office.”

Proceeds were pledged to the Royal British Legion and spokesman Russell Thompson added: "Much as we tried to help this event to succeed, we have to be realistic. It's a tough year to launch a breakthrough festival.”

Organisers hope to reschedule at a later date.

As head of live events at BBC Radio One, Jason Carter was responsible for organising the Big Weekend, kicking off the festival season in Swindon.

In an exclusive interview with The Main Event, he talks about how the event has evolved and the challenges that come with putting together something so successful.

For full story, page 10

The Main Event is the official magazine of the National Outdoor Events Association

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Fayre’s future in doubt after poor attendance

By Christina Eccles ORGANISERS of an event in Sheffield are contemplating its future after attendance figures plummeted from last year.

After 23,000 people turned up to 2008’s Highland Fling Town and Country Fayre, organisers decided to extend it to a two day event, taking place over the May Day bank holiday.

But now its future has been left in doubt after only 3,500 paying adults – children could enter for free – came through the gates.

According to Gary Smith, of producers Green City Events, a combination of factors were to blame including the recession, poor weather conditions and important football matches for local teams being televised live over the same weekend.

He told The Main Event that the company’s priority now is to make sure all suppliers and people who worked on the event are dealt with – although he admits they will not be

able to pay out the full amount owed.

Gary said: “We took a financial hit and have warned suppliers there will be problems.

“We will settle up with people as close to the amount as we can but we are short of being able to pay everyone involved in full. We are looking after people as best we can.”

Gary also said the directors have met to discuss whether the event will return this year but as yet have not made a final decision.

He revealed they had been looking into staging another event later in the year if the Highland Fling had made a profit and also ploughing funds back into community festivals – but this can no longer happen.

He added: “This has had a knock on effect and it is now impossible for us to make a contribution to community festivals.

“We were disappointed for all the people who put a lot of hard work into it but you can’t force people through the doors.”

Kelly Rowland performs at anti-racism event Page 6

Alex hopes to make mark on calendar Page 7 Safety first at Abu Dhabi’s first festival Page 12

Traffic Management Local authority spotlight Notts County Show NOEA

CONTACTS EDITORIAL MUSICIAN and TV presenter Myleene Klass is getting ready for a busy summer season after signing up to appear at several major events.

Myleene will be performing and compering at the Glastonbury Abbey classical concert, where she will be joined by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

She will also open a new beauty and fashion event – 10 Years Younger Live – which takes place at Earls Court next month.

Festival hopes to attract more visitors with date change THE Wizard Festival has moved dates this year in order to make it easier for visitors to attend.

The event will take place in line with the August bank holiday weekend on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 August and organisers expect about 4,000 people.

Other changes for this year include a new event website and a submission process for local acts to send

Page 14 Pages 16&17 Pages 18&19 Page 29

Group Editor Andrew Harrod Tel: 01226 734639 editorial@themaineventmagazine.co.uk Reporters: Christina Eccles (ce@whpl.net) Mary Ferguson (mf@whpl.net) Louise Cordell (lcordell@whpl.net)

PRODUCTION Studio Manager: Stewart Holt (sth@whpl.net) Tel: 01226 734414 Group Deputy Editor: Judith Halkerston (jhalkerston@whpl.net) Tel: 01226 734458 Graphic designer: Kyle Wilkinson (kw@whpl.net) Tel: 01226 734711

ADVERTISING Group Sales Manager: Paul Allott Tel: 01226 734484 Fax: 01226 734478 Mob: 07500 905717 Email: pa@whpl.net Assistant Manager: Adam Parry Tel: 01226 734485 Mobile: 07747 446923 Email: ap@whpl.net Sales Executive: Mandy Mellor Tel: 01226 734702 Email: mm@whpl.net

demos in and win the chance to perform at the festival.

Organiser Roy Thain said: “It’s great to be back for a third year. The buzz around the festival just gets bigger and bigger every year so we thought the time was right to make our first major announcement about the date change, new website launch and the demo submission process getting

under way.

“Each year it gets harder to compete with the previous year’s acts but in terms of headliners and support bands already confirmed, 2009’s bill is shaping up to be a real treat.”

The festival takes place at New Deer Showground in Aberdeenshire and bands performing include The Charlatans and The Buzzcocks.

Sales and Marketing Director: Tony Barry Email: tb@whpl.net

CIRCULATION Kelly Tarff Tel: 01226 734695 email: circulation@wharncliffepublishing.co.uk

www.themaineventmagazine.co.uk

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Festival organisers Celia and Ian

Student idea proves just the ticket ...

By Christina Eccles A FESTIVAL in Cornwall has found an alternative way of marketing the event – by signing up students to sell tickets at their universities.

Beach Break Live – which was set up as an event for students – does not advertise through traditional means such as billboards and leaflets but instead signs up festival fans to promote the event and sell tickets around campus.

So far, almost 1,000 student reps have signed up, who are given

incentives of free tickets to the event and commission depending on how many tickets they manage to sell.

Organiser Celia Norowzian said: “We don’t spend money on direct advertising instead we have a network of promoters who are incentivised by commission. There are almost 1,000 of them out there in the universities.”

The festival also has a big online presence on social networking sites such as Facebook and is currently running a competition to get at

least 10,000 Facebook members to change their profile picture to the Beach Break Live logo for 24 hours – with prizes up for grabs including VIP festival tickets, £500 cash and Kopparberg cider.

Celia also said that sites such as these are great marketing tools which other festivals could also benefit from using.

She added that if people become fans of the festival online they can invite their friends to become fans too, which means more and more people get to know about it.

She added: “Anyone not using Facebook is missing out on an opportunity. Most of our marketing takes place on there.”

This year’s festival has a capacity of 10,000 and is on course to sell out and according to Celia, its growing popularity is down to them finding a gap in the market.

“The event has found a niche that really works. Those who come are with a whole group of people who are at a similar stage in their lives. It is almost like a holiday and that’s what sets it apart.”

Event safety plans at two events in Henley will be provided by Capita Symonds. The company will provide risk assessment and event safety plans at the Henley Royal Regatta and risk assessment, event safety plans and full safety co-ordination at the Henley Festival. This year’s Henley Royal Regatta takes place from July 1-5 at Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire and the Henley Festival is held from July 8-12.

A free event is taking place later this month in Kent which includes an appearance from the Red Arrows.

Margate’s Big Event is happening at Palm Bay and includes both land and air attractions – with others on offer including a concert and firework finale.

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Glasgow move gives festival boost

By Christina Eccles A SCOTTISH music festival has moved sites to a new venue in the heart of Glasgow city centre – giving it a unique selling point over its rivals.

Retrofest has swapped its old home at Strathclyde Country Park to a new one, Glasgow Green, which is within walking distance of the city’s main train station and a wide range of accommodation.

Organiser Malcolm Cannon said he believes the move will be

appealing to the event’s crowd as they are not a typical festival audience and may find the city centre location more convenient.

He said the site having good rail links will encourage visitors to use public transport while the large range of Glasgow hotels will mean a greater choice for those who do not want to camp.

The move also enables the organisers to make some improvements to the festival’s layout and the new site has the capacity to hold up to

30,000 people over the weekend.

He said: “There are so many benefits that come from being in a city.

In Lanarkshire, the hotels increased their room rates over the weekend of the festival but there are so many hotels in Glasgow it will be more cost effective for visitors. If they come into Glasgow Central Station, they are also within walking distance of the site. In terms of transport, access and camping it is very cost effective.”

Malcolm also revealed why he

thinks the festival is flourishing in a market where some of its neighbouring festivals have struggled.

Recent casualties in the Scottish festival industry include the Outsider, Homecoming and Connect festivals but Malcolm is confident that Retrofest will survive a challenging market. He added: “The festival market in Scotland is in a serious downturn but our niche market is unique and less financially under pressure so ticket sales are positive for this year.”

Festival is cancelled for second year SCOTTISH festival The Outsider has been cancelled due to the recession and poor ticket sales.

The event – which would have taken place at the end of June in Rothiemurchus, Aviemore – started in 2007 but was forced to postpone last year because of financial difficulties.

Organisers had hoped it would return this year with a reduced capacity and a smaller line-up but have now decided it will not go ahead.

In a statement they said: “Due to

the unremitting economic downturn and audience numbers now projected we feel that we cannot produce an event that provides you with a festival experience at the level that is expected and deserved.

“Clearly a recession is not the time to realise this bold new concept but we still believe the Outsider was right for its time and perfect for its place and are hugely disappointed that it is not going ahead.”

A music festival has taken place in Stoke to campaign against racism. The Love Music Hate Racism festival took place at Stoke City FC’s Britannia Stadium and included performances from Kelly Rowland (pictured), Beverley Knight and N-Dubz. The festival was organised by Love Music Hate Racism, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Stoke City Football Club and supported by Kick It Out, football's anti-racism charity. Last year, the event took place in London’s Victoria Park and was attended by over 100,000 people.

Glastonbury festival teams up with Orange again VISITORS to Glastonbury will get help to navigate their way around the site thanks to a partnership between the festival and Orange.

After proving successful at last year’s event, Orange has brought back the GlastoNav – a downloadable mobile application which provides an interactive guide to the festival.

Once downloaded, the service is completely free and available across any mobile network on the majority of UK handsets – over 15,000 festival-

goers downloaded it last year.

Orange UK’s head of sponsorship Ian Smith said: “Glastonbury is a highlight in Orange’s music event calendar and this year’s line up is one of the best ever.

“Orange is proud to be involved with the nation’s favourite music festival and look forward to announcing some more exciting initiatives for Glastonbury 2009 in the coming weeks.”

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The festival and, pictured centre, organiser Alex Trenchard.

Alex ready to make his mark on festival calendar THIS will be the year boutique festival Standon Calling gets the recognition it deserves, according to its organiser.

The event started life in 2001 as a birthday party for Alex Trenchard but has grown into something attracting up to 3,000 people.

And Alex said he feels 2009 is the year when the event – which takes place in Hertfordshire – can make its mark on the festival calendar.

He said: “There is a real sense that we can make this year our year and

we want to be the emerging festival for 2009. We offer something that noone else does.”

The event has made some changes this year and Alex feels although there are a lot of festivals out there, Standon Calling has the ability to compete.

He added: “We are taking a step up in terms of the line up and giving acts longer sets so people feel they have seen proper gigs.

“I think it is going to be a huge year for all types of festivals. The big festi-

Success for castle caterers ...

GUESTS attending an event in the grounds of Windsor Castle left well fed thanks to catering company Chilli Pepper.

Chilli Pepper catered for the site’s three hospitality areas – which served visitors to the Royal Windsor Horse Show in the day and Windsor Castle Royal Tattoo in the evening.

The team worked closely with event management and production company The HPower Group to create a different menu for each of the hospitality areas catering for over 4,000 guests

and a menu selection for the public café to serve up to several thousand guests.

Managing director Glen Chadwick said: “This year we built on the success achieved at the 2008 event and developed the menu choices to suit the temporary venue and guest requirements. Once the site is set up, the challenge is the logistics of getting the food from the kitchens to the different areas.”

In total, the events welcome around 70,000 visitors across five days.

vals will all be very popular but I think a lot of people will be looking to find something more affordable.

“We have been growing slowly and expanding at a manageable pace.

This year people will be staying in the UK and looking for alternative events and we are best placed to offer that.”

Alex admitted that in the beginning, he didn’t set out to create a new festival but increasing demand has led to Standon Calling becoming a leading boutique festival.

“We didn’t have any plans to grow

into a festival but did the same party every year and we wanted to give people a bit more.

“We have got more people involved and every year have improved and taken a step up.

“But it is still an intimate festival and even though we have gone from 30 to 3,000 we have managed to keep the intimate feel.”

New additions for the festival this year include some independent theatre and a secret area which people can enjoy after midnight.

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Association changes name THE Performance Textiles Association has changed its name and will now be known as MUTA in order to focus on its largest membership – the marquee and tent industry.

The name was chosen as it is the brand that resonates most with the industries that the association represents.

MUTA remains: ■ The only professional body with an HSE approved accreditation scheme for marquees (MUTAmarq) and inflatables (PIPA).

■ The only association with a dedicated health and safety compliance officer.

■ The only association with an NVQ assessment centre for temporary structures.

President Tony Marsh said: “The reason that our organisation has survived for so long is because we have been able to evolve and adapt as times change. Our 2008 membership survey and a series of internal discussions have led to a renewed focus on the issues that matter most to our members, such as health and safety, NVQ training and the recognition of the skills and experience base of our membership.

“In adopting MUTA we are demonstrating that the priorities of the Association have moved on. In 2009, MUTA aims to become the essential resource for information, assistance and support for all of our existing members as well as a host of new ones.”

Let kids in for free says festival organiser

By Christina Eccles FESTIVALS which want to be seen as family friendly should allow children to attend free of charge, according to the man behind Camp Bestival.

Rob da Bank launched the festival last year in Dorset with an emphasis on organising an event which caters for the whole family.

As part of this, under 12s can go free and there is a reduced ticket price for teenagers aged 13-15 and for students.

He said the festival will be sticking to this policy because it would be unfair for parents to have to pay for children who may not be interested in the bands that are playing there.

He said: “Why should a 12 year old pay for music that they are not going to watch? Also if you offer a festival where the kids go in for free, parents see it as a bonus.

Particularly with the recession, the more people who can save money the better.”

Rob also said the key to creating a family friendly festival is ensuring there are enough activities to keep the kids happy but also making sure there are also things nearby to keep parents entertained.

He added: “You need to have a lot of things for kids to do such as workshops, fancy dress and face painting to keep them busy – and don’t try to charge for them. We know as parents that bored kids can be a nightmare. Also have lots

of toilets and clean facilities and make it as easy as possible for families.”

Last year there were 3,500 under 12s at the event and according to Rob, it can be a challenge creating a festival which is suitable for the whole family.

“We didn’t anticipate that people would bring so much gear with them. We discovered that one parent was driving down with the tents and camping gear and the other was driving down separately with the kids, which threw off our plans for car parking.”

He said that as last year was the first event, this year will be about fine tuning some of the issues that cropped up.

The Event Hire Company is sponsoring a fundraising gala ball to raise money for Action Against Hunger.

The company will supply all marquee equipment required for the event from tables and chairs to boilers, ovens and fridges.

The ball will take place in a themed marquee in Hampshire and guests will be treated to a performance from Strictly Come Dancing stars Camilla Dallerup and Ian Waite.

Eavis lends support to rival festival GLASTONBURY founder Michael Eavis has lent his support to a rival festival by urging those who can’t get a ticket to his event to visit the Glade Festival instead.

The event has been a part of Glastonbury for 10 years and developed the first standalone Glade Festival in Newbury in 2004.

Now in its sixth year, the festival makes its debut at Matterley Bowl, Winchester, Hampshire in July after

outgrowing its previous site.

Michael said: “The Glade Festival has lots of Glastonbury connections with thrills and feelings not dissimilar to our own, including programming and atmosphere that has form and reputation. If you couldn't get a ticket for our show here at Glastonbury, thank you very much for trying, but would you mind me suggesting that you give Glade Festival a try? I don't think you'll regret it.”

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RADIO 1 BIG WEEKEND

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When BBC Radio One brought its Big Weekend to Swindon, organisers were responsible for putting on the biggest event the area had ever seen.

Mary Ferguson spoke to the people involved.

Lydiard Park welcomes music’s biggest names SNOW Patrol, Dizzee Rascal, Lily Allen and The Prodigy joined some of the biggest names in music for the two-day show held at Lydiard Park in May. Four stages and widespread coverage on the radio and TV meant the BBC and event producers SJM had to work closely with Swindon Council to make sure everything went to plan.

Jason Carter, head of live events at Radio One, spoke exclusively to The Main Event. He said: “We cover a lot of festivals but we wanted to create a wholly-owned event that epitomises what the station is about.

“It’s public service at its best and there is no sponsorship, with even the artists performing for free. We have relationships with the artists right from when they start out so for many of them, performing is a way of saying thank you.”

When the Big Weekends began in 2003 they took place at major cities including Manchester and Birmingham but the aim now is to take the event to smaller towns that don’t normally attract the big artists.

Last year, Madonna performed in Maidenhead and Preston hosted the event in 2007.

Contractors list Suppliers at the event included: Power: Buffalo Power Cabins and Buggies: Search Big tops: Kayam Marquees: Waap Security: G4S Water tankers: TESS Toilets: Portaloos

Ticket priority is given to people in the area with 65 per cent of them allocated to Swindon. Listeners are invited to text in for a chance to get tickets a fortnight before the event, with winners selected at random.

“When we used to do One Big Sunday anyone and everyone would turn up and although having 60,000 people there was great, they were not all Radio One listeners. The DJ’s love the Big Weekend because they feel they are seeing the people they talk to every day on the radio.

“In terms of its value and credibility it’s got stronger and stronger and it’s now part of the staple diet of record companies.”

Jason said the event production on the ground has evolved, as well as artist hospitality.

“Ten years ago we would have had a blow up tent and a bowl of peanuts but now we want to make sure the artists’ experience is as polished as it is at festivals like Glastonbury and Reading.”

He claims nothing major has ever gone really wrong, but this year certain areas needed to be refined.

“The biggest thing for me recently has been because the event has such large scale BBC coverage both on TV

and the radio, the whole backstage area gets very hectic. Last year, along with the TV trucks and other equipment there was also too many people and it was extremely busy.

“We tightened the area this year and people flowed through more like tumbleweed. We introduced a stricter pass system and restricted access to the stages. We also stopped vehicle movement backstage and put barriers up to create walkways.”

The other thing addressed this year was the out-front production at the main stage.

“I wanted to move forward with our sound and lighting rig and develop a set design, so we put a header up at the top of the stage. We got Brian Leitch from Siyan in to create some really stunning lighting and it made a huge improvement.”

Work on next year’s Big Weekend is about to begin and Jason hinted that the 2010 event may be in the north.

He added: “We do know that rather than a bland green field site our future events will be inspired by how nice Lydiard Park was. Because it’s a fairly small festival, it makes it easier to find a good site.”

Mark Hopkins, programme director for Swindon Council, headed up the team that worked on the Big Weekend in partnership with the BBC. WE very much took a one-team approach, working with a number of partners – some for the first time – and had a number of meetings with everyone involved, so communication was good.

We had some issues with the M4 being due to close on the weekend of the event, ironically because of another council project. But we talked it through with the Highways Authority and the significance of it closing and it was agreed to delay the closure for a week, which prevented potential problems.

We are particularly proud of how the park and ride system operated. Initially,

the police had some concerns about where people would be coming to the area from and because the BBC didn’t allocate tickets until the last minute, we only found out a week before the event.

We had to plan on assumptions but it all worked out well and at the end of each day, we managed to clear 11,00 people from the site in under 90 minutes by loading a number of buses at a time.

There were no queues.

We restricted a number of roads and closed three completely for the whole weekend, and some farms nearby the park were affected when we turned roads

into one way systems. So we stationed someone at the end of their driveways and every time machinery needed to get in or out, we stopped the traffic.

We have held big events at Lydiard Park before but nothing on the scale of the Big Weekend and although there were some interesting challenges, we learned a lot along the way.

It’s been a great opportunity to showcase Lydiard Park as an events site and we are now talking to the BBC about how we can support the next town they choose for the Big Weekend, by passing on our experience to their council.

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A new festival is being launched in Warwickshire this year which, according to organisers, could attract up to 8,000 people. But in an already crowded market and with a free festival taking place simultaneously just a few miles away, how will they succeed? Christina Eccles found out.

Ragley Hall playing host to VVIPs

Simon Jones

THE first ever Monarchy Live takes place at Ragley Hall in July – on the same weekend as the free Godiva Festival in nearby Coventry.

But according to organiser Simon Jones from SMR Entertainment, the two events are so different that this shouldn’t be a problem.

The event aims to provide a boutique experience which is available on several levels depending on the ticket which a visitor wants to buy.

As well as standard entry and VIP packages, festivalgoers have also been given the opportunity to purchase VVIP tickets, costing £500 each. With only 300 of these available, tickets include champagne, a variety of food and drink and the chance to mingle with the bands and djs performing.

Simon told The Main Event that the luxurious feel of the festival will be enhanced by its stately home venue – something they are hoping to include as much as possible, even down to the event’s falcon logo which is also part of Ragley Hall’s crest.

Simon said: “We are trying to give people something that isn’t out there at the moment – something I would personally want to go to.

“Our biggest advantage is the

stately home itself which is amazing.

And if this year is successful, we should be able to use it for the next 10 years. The venue is allowing us to use the great hall so we will have all the VVIPs in there. A lot of people don’t go to festivals because they feel they are not catered for – we are trying to create a different experience.

There are VIP areas at most festivals but there will be nothing like Ragley Hall.”

Ragley Hall Simon also said that even though the festival is launching in what could be a challenging time for the events industry, he feels confident that it will do well.

To ensure it gets as much publicity as possible, he has sent members of staff up and down the country to hand out flyers and spread the word.

He added: “Being a new festival it is going to be hard work getting it out there. We have advertised heavily and have poster campaigns all

over the country. We will keep promoting and pushing as hard as we can. Even in a recession people still like to enjoy themselves.

“The Godiva Festival is going to be competition but we feel as though as long as we create a different experience, ours will be a different style of festival.

“We are trying to outline areas that people are dissatisfied with at other events, listen to what they like and put that in place.”

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MIDDLE EAST

Airline is carrier for airshow GULF Air has been confirmed as the official carrier for the Bahrain International Airshow which takes place next January.

A sponsorship agreement was signed between Gulf Air senior management and Civil Aviation Affairs in a ceremony held at CAA headquarters in Bahrain.

Companies already signed up to participate in the show – the format of which will focus on business-tobusiness meeting opportunities – include Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, TAG Aeronautics Ltd, Bell Helicopter Textron Inc, Cessna and Bahrain Aerospace.

Spokesman for joint organisers Farnborough International Ltd Amanda Stainer said: “We are delighted that alongside CAA we are able to confirm Gulf Air as the official carrier for BIAS 2010.

“Gulf Air also hosts the other major event the country is home to, the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix and it is very pleasing indeed to welcome them on board for BIAS which will be the only event of its type in the whole of the Middle East. We are certain the airshow will prove itself to be as an exciting event in Bahrain as the motor-racing has over the last few years.”

TESS director Tim Roberts and Abu Dhabi’s first WOMAD Festival

Safety key for Abu Dhabi’s first festival SAFETY was the biggest priority for TESS when the company worked on Abu Dhabi’s first WOMAD Festival.

Abu Dhabi had never hosted a festival of this sort before, so careful evaluation of crowd safety and production risks was a key part of the planning.

Detailed assessments were made of every feature of the event, including site layout, crowd dynam-

ics and access control and challenges faced included the 40 degree temperatures and the fine beach sand – which was not ideal for forklifts or construction.

TESS director Tim Roberts said: “Much of the public element of the event was unknown. As it was the first free event of its type in the country, there was no way of knowing how many people would turn

up. So we maintained a constant count of the numbers of people entering and exiting to ensure we didn’t exceed safe capacity.

“Many people stayed for a few hours rather than the whole show.

Dipping in and out to sample what was on offer; rather than staying at the pit barrier for the whole event.”

Over 82,000 people attended the event during the three nights.

Company ships temporary structure PRODUCTION Freight has been handling Live Events since 1993.

We understand the meaning of a live event and our goal is to fulfill your delivery criteria With our experience in live events

and the knowledge of the equipment you need to move we can tailor the services we offer to the unique situation you face.

Production Freight were happy to be involved with the shipping of the

temporary structure for the WOMAD festival in Abu Dhabi recently, as well as equipment for the Kylie Minogue concert in Dubai, the London Bus sent over to Beijing and many other varied events worldwide.

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Opening goes with a bang Innocent scraps its village fete

By Mary Ferguson

A HUGE pyrotechnics display accompanied a performance by ‘free runners’ to mark the opening of a new bridge in the North East.

Durham-based events company She’s Gott It! were contracted to organise the unveiling of Infinity Bridge in Tees Valley and brought in Parkour – or ‘free running’ professionals – to close the event with a bang.

Parkour is the urban activity of running along streets using bins, benches and walls as natural obstacles. It has its roots in music and She’s Gott It! brought in Salfordbased Walk The Plank to deliver the performance.

A boat rigged with pyrotechnics sailed under the bridge, shooting fireworks to ignite the structure, and the lighting was designed to highlight the design and emphasise its curves.

The free runners then appeared from the centre of the two arches, as the soundtrack – put together by famous composer Sandy Muttgens – began with the sounds of heavy, rasping breathing.

After letting off flares, the performers started running and climbing along the bridge, their headcameras beaming images onto big screens.

Director Nicky Gott told The Main Event: “The free runners were a real

performance piece and we came up with the idea inspired by the opening ceremony for the Olympics. There was a real sense of pride involved with the unveiling of the bridge so the similarities worked well.”

To make sure it was dark enough, the pyrotechnics display didn’t kick off until 9.40pm which is why the event was held in May, instead of later in the summer when it stayed lighter even longer.

Two months into the planning process the budget was halved, meaning Nicky and the team had to scale down their ideas.

“It was disappointing but it just meant we had to be more clever with money.

“I think we are lucky that the events industry still seems to be ticking along in the recession, but we have noticed budgets being cut elsewhere too. It’s frustrating but the event was still a big success.”

During the lead-up to the final performance, the 20,000 onlookers were entertained with fairground rides and street performers and a local radio DJ stirred up the atmosphere. Candy floss, doughnuts and a chocolate fountain added to the carnival atmosphere.

INNOCENT has scrapped its Village Fete in order to concentrate on marketing its products.

The event – which has been held in London’s Regent’s Park for the past two years – had attracted crowds of about 50,000 and included family orientated activities ranging from dancing and live entertainment to more unusual activities such as duck herding and ferret racing.

But Innocent has now revealed the event will not return this year as the company has decided to focus on other projects.

A spokesman said: “We like doing new things. We held our Fruitstock festival for four years, then our Village Fete for the past two – and now we are on the lookout for something new and exciting.”

The company said it is still thinking about organising outdoor events and is working on developing new ideas.

The spokesman added: “We are on the look out for something new and exciting for next year. We don't know exactly what but we are working up ideas as we speak.

“In the meantime, this summer we'll be busy working on a TV ad that will be focused on communicating the health benefits of our smoothies.”

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TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

The journey to and from an event is an important part of the overall visitor experience but can cause headaches for organisers. In a special feature for The Main Event, The Highways Agency reveals how to get traffic management right...

Up-to-date information is key

Helping visitors arrive stress-free is important.

GETTING to and from an event is important for visitors and keeping congestion to a minimum is important for a venue’s relationships with local residents and businesses.

The Highways Agency – which has a growing role to manage England’s motorways and trunk road network – can help both festivalgoers and promoters.

A key task is to provide road users with the accurate, up-to-date information they need to make informed choices about their journey. This may mean setting out at a different time, taking a different route or simply allowing enough time to arrive at their destination with a minimum of stress.

Live traffic flow data from sensors and incident reports from control centres allows the agency to provide up to the minute travel news to websites, broadcasters, phone services and its own digital message signs on the roads and motorways themselves.

Helping visitors arrive stress-free is important because the journey is part of the customer experience.

The happy memory of a day out or weekend away can be tarnished if

too much of the time is spent in queuing traffic.

Live traffic information can be added to an event website as part of the ‘how to get here’ pages – as the Bloodstock Open Air festival has done. A hyperlink to the Highways Agency can show average traffic speeds on the approach roads, information about incidents and roadworks, the messages being displayed on overhead signs and even the view from CCTV cameras.

For major events, the Highways Agency will work with organisers to help get visitors to and from the venue and reduce delays for everyone.

An example is recent Oasis concerts in Manchester – attended by about 210,000 people over three days.

The agency supported the promoters, working closely with local councils to deliver a traffic management plan for local roads and motorway routes.

To ease access to the venue and reduce congestion on surrounding roads there was no access from the nearest motorway junction to the park. Fans driving to the event were

The agency provides up to the minute travel news. instead directed off at the next junction towards a Park and Ride shuttle. Signs were used to provide advice warning and there were also extra temporary signs at the key junction.

In cases like this, extra traffic officer patrols can be deployed to tackle motorway traffic management issues while colleagues in the Regional Control Centre can monitor conditions on cameras and set electronic signs to advise drivers.

Organiser hopes traffic plan will make a difference A NEW traffic management plan at the Leeds Festival will make a ‘significant difference’ to both festivalgoers and local residents, according to the event’s organiser.

Festival Republic’s Melvin Benn said the decision to bring traffic straight off the motorway to the festival site will mean cars are no longer diverted into the city and back out again as they have been in previous years.

He claimed this will be beneficial for visitors as it will reduce travel time and also to local residents who won’t have to deal with the presence of a large volume of traffic.

Melvin said: “This will make a significant difference on two levels. One will be for attendees who will definitely get in quicker than last year. The other will be for local residents on the eastern side of Leeds who will be largely unaffected by traffic this year.”

Melvin also said that traffic management is an issue every year at festivals but he says it is something that he is always looking to improve on.

One way of doing this is to

reduce the number of cars which are brought in the first place by persuading festivalgoers to use public transport.

He Melvin Benn added: “What I am doing at Leeds is bringing 70,000 people into an area that may otherwise have 1,000 people – this causes a significant impact.

“It is something we look at year on year. We encourage people to use the train and shuttle them into the festival on buses and we also have a proportion of tickets on sale which can only be bought with coach tickets.”

To help devise a new traffic plan for the event, Festival Republic brought in the expertise of traffic management experts Faber Maunsell – and Melvin said he was delighted with the results.

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Organisers cut ticket prices for biggest show ever ORGANISERS of the boutique Bloom Festival have decided to drop ticket prices this year, despite gearing up for their biggest ever show.

Weekend tickets are now available for just £75, ten pounds cheaper than last year, for a festival featuring seven stages, entertainment and its biggest ever line-up.

Olivia Chapman, organiser, said: “We decided to reduce prices because it is really important to us that we remain affordable.

“Obviously it is risky on our part, but hopefully it will give a lot of people the chance to get to a festival this year, even if money is tight.

“We also have a very loyal, local crowd as well as visitors from all over

the country, and we like to make sure we offer the best value possible.”

The festival has also had to relocate this year, after 2008’s summer of bad weather caused havoc on the previous site.

It is now set to take place in West Littletown Down and will offer shuttle buses from nearby towns including Bristol and Cheltenham to help keep visitors’ car journeys to a minimum.

Olivia added: “Our last site was almost ideal, but when it came to the festival the weather was awful – we had gale force winds blowing tents away. People still had a great time, but logistically it was a nightmare.

“This year we are really excited

because we feel that we have been getting better every time and now we have got things just the way we want them.”

Attractions at this year’s festival include a groove garden complete with gnomes and a music shed, a converted DJ bus and a cabaret tent featuring burlesque performances, comedy turns and bingo.

For a break from the music, organisers have also set up a workshop tent where visitors can get involved in kung fu, tai chi, mask making, knitting, flamenco classes and even leave a message in the video diary shed.

The weekend has also been designed to be completely family

friendly, with a dedicated kids’ zone including activities, games and a library corner.

Olivia added: “I think if you are paying to be somewhere for the whole weekend then you are going to want variety – even the most enthusiastic music lover doesn’t just want to watch bands the whole time.

“People are expecting a higher level of entertainment when they go out these days and that applies to festivals too.

“We try to provide something for everyone – so that anyone can come along and have an amazing time.

“Basically we just try to organise something that we are really excited about going to ourselves.”

Gourmet stays on boutique festival menu A BOUTIQUE festival has kept high quality food a number one priority, despite expanding rapidly during its four year history.

The Bloom Festival, held in West Littletown Down, near Bristol, has become well known for its high-end catering and is planning on expanding its offering again this year.

Organisers sift through hundreds of catering applications to find the highest quality providers and many

are selected based on their local, ethical and organic credentials.

Organiser Olivia Chapman said: “Providing great quality food has always been very important to us – right from the beginning when we were only catering for 1,500 people.

“We want to offer high end, gourmet food that is locally sourced and organic wherever possible.

“We also help our traders to find nearby farms for supplies so that we can keep our food miles as low as

possible.”

Food on offer at this year’s festival in August will include wood-fired pizzas, sushi, French pancake stands, pie or sausage and mash, a huge range of vegetable curries and other vegetarian dishes, organic fish and chips and much more.

Olivia added: “There will always be a market for the traditional burgers and pasties at some festivals, but we have found that our visitors love the healthy and organic options and it is

one of our unique selling points.

“It is well known that, if they can, people will always moan about three things at festivals – the food, the loos and the queues.

“We pay special attention to all of these so there is no cause for complaint!”

There will also be a selection of Bloom Bars on site serving alcoholic and soft drinks as well as a range of cocktails specially created for the occasion.

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LOCAL AUTHORITY SPOTLIGHT From film premieres to triumphant sports parades, there is never a dull moment for the events team at Westminster Council. Dominic Musgrave found out more.

Fireworks spectacular highlight of a packed calendar of events

Trafalgar Square is one of Westminster’s Council’s key venues, with Nelson’s Column as a backdrop.

THE events team at the London borough council is made up of nine people and headed up by events manager Tim Owen.

There are more than 400 events and 200 protests and marches taking place in the area every year, culminating in the largest celebration of all, the New Year’s Eve fireworks on the River Thames which attracts approximately 500,000 people and is screened live on the BBC. Annual events include the BAFTAS, Notting Hill carnival, the Chinese New Year, Trooping the Colour, Remembrance Day and the annual Christmas light switch-ons on both Oxford and Regent Street.

Tim said the council plays a more facilitating role in events, rather than an organising one.

He said: “All events use pretty much the same formula, and we have a meeting a month to discuss any

issues.

“We have a licensing, operational and safety planning group for events, which will include the organiser wanting to stage the event, representatives from the emergency and the transport services.”

The meetings for the New Year’s Eve celebrations also involve the owners of the London Eye and nearby hotels, as well as the Port of London Authority and neighbouring councils affected by the event Tim added: “The transport services are key to all events, but particularly on that night. It is a slow build-up but once the fireworks have finished everybody just wants to go home quickly. How we do that is something we are learning every year, and you can guarantee that something happens that we weren’t expecting.

“The group looked at the roles of both the stewards and the police at

the event, as well as things like how many trains can you get on a platform at a station and how many people can you get on a train. They also looked at how big a footprint should it have, and how big a responsibility for it should the organisers have.”

The council only puts on one event of its own annually - West End Live which takes place on a June weekend in and around Leicester Square.

Tim added: “All of the musicals, ranging from Oliver to Mamma Mia and the Sound of Music, put on a 10minute show in the gardens.

“We also invite all sorts of organisations including museums to have stalls at the event, which is half funded by the council and half by local businesses. The gardens can only hold around 2,500 people, but we probably get between 10 and 15,000 attending over the weekend.”

Westminster regularly hosts film premieres and award ceremonies.

Venue has its place in history CENTRAL Hall is a unique historic building offering elegant marble foyers and stairways leading to a wide variety of event spaces.

Throughout its history, Central Hall Westminster has played host to events of national and international importance: ■ The Suffragettes – campaigning for the vote for women – met there in 1914.

■ Mahatma Gandhi addressed the Temperance movement in 1931.

■ In 1940 during the Second World War, General de Gaulle used the venue to announce the foundation of the Free French movement to the world.

■ In 1946 the Inaugural Assembly of the United Nations was held in the Great Hall.

In 1998, Michel Sharp, who is both chairman of ACE and on the board of HCCE, joined the existing team to develop Central Hall as the modern day venue ideal for all types of events.

It now offers facilities for confer-

ences, AGMs, graduations and banquets just to name a few.

Following a refurbishment covering two years from 2004 – 2006, the venue now boasts over 30 individual meeting rooms and the jewel in the crown of Central Hall is the Great Hall seating up to 2,160 people – ideal for use as a concert hall.

Still to this day at Methodist Central Hall, church services are held on Sundays as well as mid-week and the venue works hard to support the local community – it is truly one of Westminster’s most unique event venues.

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Will Smith is one of many stars to have performed in the area.

Secret gig most unusual ONE of the most unusual events Tim and his team got involved with was the ‘secret’ U2 gig for the BBC, which was only confirmed once the band took to the stage.

Tim said: “It was all pretty short notice. We knew the BBC were having U2 day, and the original plan was to have the band performing as a back drop into The One Show, which was scrapped.

“We knew Bono would want to do something with a live audience, but until he actually walked out onto the roof of the BBC building and started playing we didn’t know it

was going to happen.”

He added that what made it most difficult to steward was the fact that they could not give any prior warning to the event taking place.

“We hadn’t got anything we could really warn people about, because we didn’t know much information about it ourselves.

“We had plans in place to deal with the event, which 5,000 people came to watch, but it didn’t really affect Friday night rush hour at all.

Some people still aren’t aware that the event even took place.”

TRIUMPHANT sports parades by returning stars have become fashionable over recent years.

The winning England Rugby World Cup team were the first to tour the city on top of a London bus in 2003, and since then the winning Ashes cricket and Olympians have followed suit.

Tim says they now have a successful plan in place should any other sports stars want to do something similar.

He said: “The RFU were the first, and they became the organiser. They understood what was needed and kept us informed “We didn’t want to really talk about winning the competition before it had taken place, but talks had gone on beforehand. We now have plans in place so that we wouldn’t need to talk about it before the competition now.

“All an operator would need to do now is say yes we want to do it and we can get the wheels in motion”

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NEWARK & NOTTS COUNTY SHOW

The Newark and Nottinghamshire County Show celebrated its 126th birthday this year, yet the event shows no signs of slowing down. Christina Eccles caught up with its organisers to find out why it is going from strength to strength...

Heavy horse ploughing was a first at this year’s show.

Sally makes changes but maintains show’s core values ALTHOUGH this is only the second year that show manager Sally Devereux has been involved in the event, she has already made several changes and improvements – with more in the pipeline.

According to Sally, the key to organising a successful show involves changing things to keep the event relevant while still maintaining its core values.

One of the most important changes at this year’s show is that children under 17 could attend for free – something introduced to attract more families to the event.

The decision to do this was received well by the crowds – with paid attendance rising by five per cent this year and a large number of families walk-

Celebrating success at the show.

ing through the doors.

Sally said: “This is something we wanted to do. Families need a hand and something to smile about.”

Estimated attendance at this year’s show – at Newark Showground – was about 55,000 and visitors were treated to a number of displays and activities including: ■ Prize winning show jumping ■ Animal displays including cattle and alpacas ■ Flower show ■ Food arcade ■ Classic cars ■ A youth zone – new for this year.

Sally added: “When I came, it was a successful show that needed a fresh pair of eyes.

NEWARK & NOTTS COUNTY SHOW

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Organisers aim to give show the ‘wow’ factor Continued from page 18 “We are going back to our roots and educating people about agriculture and farming heritage. What we don’t want to do is dilute a good thing.

“An agricultural show tries to achieve so much but the balance has got to be struck to appeal successfully to audiences and make sure standards are right.”

The team also said the show’s lasting success is down to good communication between all of the parties involved.

A thorough debrief is held after each

show to see what worked well and what could be improved for next year.

Chief executive of the show’s promoter – the Newark and Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society – Adrian Johnston added: “People like coming to the event and we never forget who pays our wages. They are number one.

“We try to come up with something new every year but we make sure that any projects or investments are relevant to the show. We want it to have the ‘wow’ factor.”

Adrian Johnston

Increased numbers cause car parking headaches ONE thing which the organisers need to watch out for is that the show does not become a victim of its own success.

Adrian revealed that although an increase in visitor numbers and entries in the horse classes is obviously a positive for the show, it did cause headaches when it came to car parking.

Judging the alpaca competition.

Communication key to a safe and enjoyable experience THE show prides itself on forging good communication links to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for visitors.

Chris Hall, director of Event Safety Planning, told The Main Event that when working on the show, regular planning meetings with all parties involved is an important part of the process.

To make things easier, the company uploads the event safety plans on to its website, where those involved – such as the police – can sign into a secure area and download them.

Chris said: “We put the latest version of the plans on our website which gets around the problem of sending a

large file by email.

“We coordinate with the local police inspector and have police and CSO’s onsite. It is all down to communication – if you can’t give a coordinated response then things are going to go wrong.

“There are really good ground staff so if there are any issues they are usually dealt with promptly. It is important to make sure everything is kept up to date with paperwork and everything is signed off properly.

“The event brought in a new show manager last year and she has been very receptive and keen to make sure things are done properly and carry on that legacy.”

Contractors list Health and safety Power distribution Security Marquees Cabins TPA Radios

Event Safety Planning McConnell’s Back Stage Security Northern Marquees Portakabin Trackway Ace Communications

He added: “There was not enough car parking. We introduced the new horse classes but didn’t realise how many horse boxes would turn up. But this is something we are looking at for next year.”

Adrian added that they already had some options to increase the amount of car parking available at next year’s show.

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EVENT CLEAN UP

Website encourages festivalgoers to clean up after themselves

By Christina Eccles AN online portal has been set up to encourage festivalgoers to clean up after themselves at events.

Green campaign group AGreenerFestival has teamed up with online portal Virtual Festivals.com to develop My Greener Festival in order to help visitors to events reduce their environmental impact.

A dedicated area on the Virtual Festivals website will contain tips for fans on how to reduce their environmental impact at events plus energy saving tips, details of

Festivalgoers should not need incentives to clean up after themselves and should do so automatically, according to one organiser.

Matt Gough – organiser of Kent based festival Lounge on the Farm – said that although the event promotes sustainability and encourages visitors to recycle and tidy up the site, it does not offer incentives for those who do so.

Matt said: “Everything at the festival is as environmentally friendly as possible and this is encouraged.

But it shouldn’t be rewarded, it should be automatic.

“We place importance on the environment and expect and hope that our customers do the same – we are lucky that our audience is receptive.”

the Greener Festival Award scheme as well as examples of what festival organisers around the world are doing to reduce their carbon emissions – including Bestival, Glastonbury and the Summer Sundae Weekender.

It will also include a regular Blog penned by A GreenerFestival cofounder Ben Challis which will include rolling commentary on the latest news and developments in the green movement.

Ben said: "Our website www.agreenerfestival.com has been a resource to support festival and event organisers, suppliers

Pictures: Claire O'Neill. and artists but we felt that by working with Virtual Festivals we could start to engage with the audience.

“We already had a partnership with Virtual Festivals through our Greener Festival Award scheme's link with the UK Festival Awards and this initiative, linked with our new Great Big Green Ideas competition to get fans to think about the environment, means that we now can directly ask the audience to do their bit in the fight against climate change.

Founder and director of Virtual Festivals Steve Jenner added:

“Although many festival organisers are now taking active measures to minimise the carbon footprint of their events, by far the greatest negative impact on the environment is caused by the audience, particularly through their transport to the event and waste generated on-site.

“Through Virtual Festivals we have a unique and powerful platform to promote awareness of this and show people the simple, cheap and easy ways in which they can make a significant difference, not only in the festival field, but at home too.”

Footwear firm offers organisers a helping hand FESTIVAL organisers have been given a helping hand to clean up their sites thanks to footwear company Schuh’s new ‘welly exchange’.

The idea is that when festivalgoers get tired of their muddy and ruined sandals or trainers, they can visit the exchange to swap them for a brand new pair of wellies – preventing organisers from having to deal with the piles of shoes normally left behind after events.

The discarded shoes will then be collected by the European Recycling Company and shipped to third world countries where they can be cleaned up and sold on.

The Schuh welly exchange will be appearing at several major events including Rockness and Oxegen.

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Scottish festival T in the Park is leading the way with its policies on event clean up and recycling. Christina Eccles spoke to event manager Colin Rodgers to discover how it intends to raise the bar even further in 2009...

Stakes are raised to Aiming to take the stress away collect cups

ALTHOUGH Colin admits that waste management and site clean up post event can be a challenge for organisers, T in the Park is working hard to take some of the stress away.

The festival’s organisers have developed a number of schemes to make it easier for festivalgoers to clean up after themselves including a cup deposit scheme and separate bins for food waste and general waste.

Partnerships with sponsors such as Duracell also allow festivalgoers to swap used batteries for new ones rather than just throw them away.

They are also looking at the long term picture of determining where the litter actually comes from and trying to reduce the amount brought into the site in the first place – as part of this catering concessions use biodegradable plates.

Colin said that one of the festival’s biggest challenges with event clean up is leftover tents but the festival is looking at ways to reduce this.

He said eventually he would like people to be able to buy tents online in advance with the incentive of being able to join a fast track line into the campsite.

The festival is also encouraging people to keep their tents and customise them so year on year they end up

with a memento of being at the festival.

Colin said: “One of our biggest problems is leftover tents. We are taking a slightly different approach to sustainability with tents by encouraging people to buy one and keep it for a while.

There is almost nothing on a tent that can be recycled – our biggest enemy is cheap tents. We need to get people to appreciate it is a huge problem.”

Colin also said that one if the most important things to consider when hosting a major festival is that it doesn’t have an impact on local residents and the surrounding area. The festival has been working closely with the local council to achieve this.

Colin added: “ We have 85,000 people within 10 minutes of the nearest town. We have to get litter off the ground and off the campsite so there is a minimal impact on the local community.

“This is an industry wide issue – our industry showing how responsible we are.”

The festival’s success in this area has led to support from the Scottish government which is recognising that large events such as festivals are good platforms to communicate messages about recycling and sustainability.

Firm provides waste services at prestigious UK events FOR many years Grundon has serviced some of the most prestigious events in the UK’s social and sporting calendars – including Cartier International Polo, Formula One Santander British Grand Prix, Henley Royal Regatta, The Championships, Wimbledon and for the first time in 2008, the CLA Game Fair.

Operating across the south of England, the company provides the full range of waste collection and recycling services, using highly manoeuvrable waste wheeler containers, rolonofs, skips, compactors or tankers as appropriate.

In particular Grundon’s 'Two Bin’

recycling system is very popular, resulting in a clean, simple to use and easily managed site. Mixed recyclables comprising paper, cardboard, cans, plastic bottles and now also glass bottles and jars are placed in one container ready for collection and recycling, whilst a second container takes the remaining general waste.

Available throughout the year including weekends, Grundon services indoor and outdoor events of every size and type, from corporate functions, exhibitions and sporting events to festivals, agricultural shows and village fetes.

A MUSIC festival has found an alternative way to reduce the number of cups left on site – a wooden stake painted up to collect them.

The Beautiful Days Festival introduced the ‘cup stake’ with help from waste management company More-Bins and according to the company’s managing director, Chris Nowell the concept is working well.

He said: “We introduced the cup stake at Beautiful Days Festival – this is a wooden stake painted up to collect large and small paper and plastic drinks containers.

“This works incredibly well as it takes pressure off the bin stock, compacts the cups and provides an opportunity to quickly separate compostable cups from non-compostables.

“Visitors to an event also like this method of waste collection as it is visual, very easy to use and eliminates any confusion over compostable, degradable and biodegradable material separation.”

Colin Rodgers

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LAST MINUTE LIFE SAVERS

Rival event offers cut price tickets

By Christina Eccles DISAPPOINTED ticketholders left out of pocket after a festival was cancelled have been given a lifeline by a rival event which offered them cut price tickets.

Organisers of the Port Eliot Festival in south east Cornwall stepped in to help visitors affected by the cancellation of the nearby Celtic Rally Festival – offering them a rate of £85 for an adult weekend ticket rather than the full price of £105.

About 12 people have currently taken up the offer and according to organiser Rick Worthy, not only has it attracted a new audience to the festival, it has also been good for restoring faith in Cornwall’s festival market.

Rick said: “We thought it was a good opportunity to bring some credibility back to event management in south east Cornwall. It has been very well received and keeps the notion of three day festivals respectable. It has made a good story for the credibility of festivals.”

Haven steps in to help charity

The festival takes place on July 24-26 and organisers are currently putting the finishing touches to its line up.

After taking a year off last year, Rick said both the organisers and the festival’s fans are looking forward to its return.

He added: “A year off forced us to rethink things. We changed the title of the event from LitFest to the Port Eliot Festival and have streamlined things. Taking a year off does energise your audience.”

About 4,000 - 5,000 people are expected to attend the event which has evolved from a literary festival into something which incorporates a range of genres including literature, music and comedy.

Rick added that ticket sales are going well for the event and have been helped by it being held in Cornwall, a popular holiday destination, on the same weekend as the schools break up – which encourages families to tie a visit to the festival in with a longer break.

A VENUE on the Isle of Wight has stepped in at the last minute to help a charity in need.

Cowes Yacht Haven came to the rescue of Transplant Sport UK after charity organisers planning a weekend long event realised so many people wanted to come to its gala dinner that they would not be able to fit into the original venue they had booked.

The venue offered the charity the use of its events centre, which can seat up to 400 people, to ensure noone had to be turned away and also made sure everything kept to the charity’s original budget by charging them the same rate as the smaller venue.

Events centre manager Ian Gregory said: “The work that Transplant Sport UK does not only for children who

have had transplants, but for their families too, is fantastic. We were more than happy to step in at the last minute to make sure the whole weekend ran smoothly.”

Team dedicated to deal with late requirements for bars PEPPERMINT Events and Bars know all too well about last-minute planning for events.

The company runs bars at music festivals all over the UK - from Scotland to the Isle of Wight - as well as their own events. This summer they have a dedicated team based at their head office to deal with last-minute requirements such as VIP/backstage bars, or

sponsored bars that require specialist staff and higher standards of service.

Head of operations Alex Brooke said: “It’s the nature of our industry - the goalposts constantly change, you get used to it. Even with our own events like Cowes, we’re reacting and tweaking the event plans right up until the last hour of build.”

LAST MINUTE LIFE SAVERS

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Water is key for many events WATER is a key factor in many events and is sometimes overlooked which is when it develops into an emergency.

Water is a commodity that we all take for granted, but when it is short in supply or not fit for consumption it is only then apparent how important wholesome water is to us all.

Just ask a resident or business owner in Cheltenham after their experiences in the Gloucestershire floods two years ago.

Watermills supplied resources to help them during that time as well as many other public incidents before and since. The company was established in the first place to support contingency planners and water emergencies. Managing director

Adrian Mills has provided such specialist services for over 12 years to water utilities and emergency services.

Watermills entered the events industry just three years ago, bringing their expertise and know how in and providing a quality assured service for temporary drinking water and waste water services.

Adrian said: “Naturally it would not be cool to highlight any particular event that needed our help. We help out events regularly when thing go wrong; the show must go on. Where we can we try to spot the problems before they happen, sometimes it isn’t possible. Our strap line is ‘Water in any Event’ and that’s what we do.”

PURPLE Audio offers a high quality last minute sound solution for all events especially those that are leaving it until the last minute for booking services.

As well as the highest quality sound systems, Purple Audio supply lighting, stages, security, barriers, event branding, toilets and more. They have an arrangement with suppliers to provide full technical production at the last minute to all concerts, events and festivals.

Based on the south coast, they cover the entire UK and use highly experienced and professional crew to ensure that all events they work at are to the highest standard.

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LAST MINUTE LIFE SAVERS

LAST MINUTE LIFE SAVERS

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New training academy launched A NEW academy is being launched to equip the industry with trained behind the scenes staff for events.

The Backstage Academy will be based in South Kirkby, with additional training and workshop space being sought in the Wakefield and Doncaster areas.

It has been set up to address the need for the 30,000 new technical

staff the industry will require by 2020.

Adrian Brooks, managing director of Litestructures(GB), the academy's main partner, said: "Just as the music industry is always looking to nurture new talent for the future, so too must the backstage sector look to investing in the next generation - those who will build the stages of tomorrow.”

Firm supplies wide range

2,000 attend annual show OVER 2,000 event managers made the trip to Manchester Central for this year’s RSVP North.

Visitors could choose from over 140 exhibitors who were showcasing everything from venues and production to ice cream and pottery.

There were also a range of seminars – with topics including credit crunch events and opportunities for the event industry in the North of England during the London 2012 Olympics.

Group exhibitions director John Dare said: “Despite all the media doom and gloom about the economy which is difficult to escape at the moment, we were delighted to see so many people visiting the show and placing orders and bookings while they were there.

“88 per cent of our visitors were looking for ideas and 70 per cent of them either placed an order at the show or will do in the next six months. It is great to see such a positive attitude in our industry.”

Exhibitor Carli Pollard from The Finishing Touch added: “We were impressed at the quality of visitors who all seemed to be decision makers rather than just spectators.

“A really vibrant show and wholly enjoyable. It allowed us to meet our objectives of raising awareness of our presence in the North West and talking to potential new clients. We have lots of new enquiries and counting.

We are definitely coming back next year.”

RSVP North returns to Manchester Central on April 21-22 2010.

LAMATA Contract Furniture is a manufacturer and supplier of a wide range of contract furniture.

This includes everything from folding trestle tables to outdoor event furniture and also hotel banqueting products.

Lamata contract furniture have a long history of being industry leaders in: ■ Banqueting furniture.

■ Café, restaurant and bistro furniture.

■ Event and hospitality furniture.

■ Pub, club and venue furniture.

■ Sports and leisure furniture.

■ School and college furniture.

LCF has launched a new qualitative website with a new fresh look.

The renewed site is very userfriendly and includes the complete product range. The new catalogue is split in to specific product categories – e.g. folding tables, party tables, folding chairs – which

makes the site very easy to use.

With just a few clicks you can easily find the information you need.

The site also includes detailed product information as well as images of each item which can then be downloaded in high resolution.

Not only has the website been refreshed but also the collection has been considerably enhanced.

Lamata now offers a complete range of chair and table covers in all sizes and colours, and also illuminating tables, modular lounge furniture and beanbags.

NOEA

Event UK and NOEA in partnership to promote outdoor events and services EVENT UK 2009 will take place from September 22-23 2009, as part of National Meetings Week, which runs from September 21-27.

Event UK and NOEA are working in partnership to promote outdoor events and services to event organisers at this year’s show and there is an opportunity for all NOEA members to be involved and meet new buyers.

The organisers have created a pavilion where NOEA themselves will take a stand and there are just five pod areas (4sqm each) available for members to book.

For 2009, Event UK states that this is the largest exhibition for the events/live media market outside of London. With a central location that’s easily accessible from all corners of the country, the show is able to provide a marketing platform for venues and suppliers to meet corporate,

agency and association buyers. With such a diverse visitor base, around 4,000 industry professionals created new business contacts right across the country last year. The show attracts a broad range of buyers: from blue chip organisations to medical associations and local government departments to event management companies looking for something a bit different.

The visitor analysis from last year’s show highlighted the seniority of the audience that attended Event UK. Most significantly: ■ 72 per cent of visitors have budget approval or recommendation.

■ 40 per cent of visitors have annual budgets of between £100,000 to over £1million.

The organisers are offering an introductory discounted rate for NOEA members of a 4sqm shell scheme

stand including carpet, wall panels and fascia name board, a full profile in the Event Guide and product listing index, full entry on the Event UK website inc. web link, profile, contacts, listing on ‘You are Here’ directional board and complimentary visitor tickets for all NOEA exhibitors and NOEA. For more information or to book a pod area, please contact Caroline Gourlay at caroline.gourlay@ubm.com or on 020 7921 8172 as soon as possible.

The Leisure Industry Week Exhibition, organised by the same company, is taking place at the same venue from September 22 – 24 and this is an opportunity for NOEA Members to visit this show too! Once again please contact Caroline Gourlay for further information.

Event looks at the commercial opportunities from the Olympics

Richard Limb, NOEA president, at the recent 30th Anniversary NOEA Convention & Tribute Celebration Evening

ORGANISED by R3 Events and Mash Media, this event aimed to skip the hype and get down to the “nitty gritty” of how your business can benefit from the 2012 Olympics.

The event was designed largely for key decision makers from event organising companies, venue managers from the key indoor and outdoor venues around the UK, as well as event managers from local authorities, universities, hotels, entertainment companies, event project managers, corporate hospitality organisers and regional tourism officers.

It featured: ■ The views of official sponsors such as Coca Cola and Deloitte ■ Presentations and hands-on workshops from Visit London and CompeteFor ■ The chance to meet those involved in the planning of the Olympic Games ■ A networking exhibition of suppli-

Never a dull moment with NOEA ...

THERE are many important developments taking place within the Association over the next few months and some of these were discussed at the General Council meeting held recently at the offices of the University of Derby.

These included the COOL Conference held in London June 2 & 3 and the Event Industry Forum meeting on June 4, ongoing discussions between NOEA and NEAC, progress on NOEA Scotland, partic-

ipation in the EVENT UK Exhibition, NEC, Birmingham, September 22 & 23, new concepts for the 2010 NOEA Convention and some re-structuring of the activities and services of the Association – never a dull moment with NOEA! The Event Industry Forum – Special meeting to discuss the future of the Event Safety Guide (Purple Guide) on June 4 – a report in the next edition.

ers to the meetings industry ■ Case studies from companies involved in previous games ■ A sports quiz and tour of the Olympic Park According to a survey conducted recently by R3 Events and Mash Media two thirds of companies in the events industry had yet to start getting a strategy in place for 2012. The overall interest in the London Olympics and what it might bring in terms of business opportunities is tremendous, but with just three years until “the greatest show on earth” comes to town, the clock is definitely ticking…

A report will appear in the next edition.

Enquiries to:Rory Ross Russell, R3 Events 020 8788 3710 or 07957 169114 rory@r3events.co.uk www.r3events.co.uk

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NOEA calendar Calendar of events: June 2-3 The Commercial Opportunities from the Olympics in London 2012 – COOL2012 IndigO2, The O2 Centre London June 4 Event Industry Forum – Event Safety Guide meeting September 22-23 Event UK Exhibition NEC Birmingham – NOEA Stand September 22-24 Leisure Industry Week, NEC, Birmingham September 24 The Events Industry Golf Tournament – postponed to 2010 October 21-22 Showman’s Show, Newbury - NOEA Stand October 21 NOEA Local Authority Network Meeting, Showman’s Show October 21 NOEA Dinner/Disco Party Evening (tbc) October 27 Event Industry Forum Meeting (venue to be confirmed) November Regional Conferences – Perth, Exeter and Leeds (provisional) 2010 January 20-21 The Event Show, London – NOEA Stand January 20 Spotlight on Local Authorities Seminar (tbc) February Smile-Expo Russia - EAAPA (www.eaapa.com) (tbc) February 24-26 NOEA Convention & Tribute Celebration Evening – venue to be confirmed February 25 NOEA Golf Day (Convention) – being considered March Main Event Exhibition, Glasgow – NOEA Stand (tbc) March/April Regional Conferences – provisional Other Conferences to include Bath, Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Channel Islands and Cornwall, Teesside, Reading and Waverley (Lowestoft) (tbc = to be confirmed) AT the time of going to press, after substantial rewriting, the BS8901 current draft was out to public comment. Follow this link: http://drafts.bsigroup.com/ However, the public comment period ended at the end of May 2009.

Also the Get Go Green competition (for ages from seven to 19 based on planning an event using the BS8901 structure) is open for entrants- please see http://www.getgreengo.com

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Audio Visual FMX Fenwick By-pass Ayrshire KA3 6AW tel. 01560 600271 ross@fmx-ltd.com www.fmx-ltd.com SRD Group Limited The Studio Shipbourne Road TONBRIDGE TN10 3DJ tel. 01732 373920 info@srdgroup.co.uk www.srdgroup.co.uk

Bars Creativevents Earls Court Exhibition Centre London SW5 9TA tel. 0207 370 8685 general@cevents.co.uk www.creativevents.co.uk Peppermint Bars 19 Pensbury Street Battersea London SW8 4TL tel. 0845 226 7845 info-me@peppermintbars.co.uk www.peppermintbars.co.uk

CCTV Etherlive Brinkworth House Chippenham Wiltshire SN15 5DF tel. 01666 511862 tom.mcinerney@etherlive.co.uk www.etherlive.co.uk In Focus Communications & Vision Ltd Unit P, Part L Hadrian's Enterprise Park, Haltwhistle Northumberland NE49 0EX tel. 01434 322162 info@ifcv.co.uk www.ifcv.co.uk Spindlewood CCTV The Resource Centre Featherstone WF7 5EW tel. 0845 230 0113 charlieb@spindlewoodcctv.com www.spindlewoodcctv.com

365 - SUPPLIER DIRECTORY Communications contd.

Health & Safety Staging

Smye-Rumsby Limited 123-125 Snargate Street Dover, Kent CT17 9AP tel. 01304 248900 info@smye-rumsby.com www.smye-rumsby.com

Event Safety 12 Vale Avenue Bury, BL9 9LW Mobile 07812 159 339 tel. 0161 763 7020 kevin@event-safety.org www.event-safety.org

Crowd Management G4S Events Sutton Park House 15 Carshalton Road Sutton Surrey SM1 4LD 0800 085 9899 sales@uk.g4s.com www.g4s.com/uk-events Showsec International Limited Floor 1e & 2e Phoenix Yard Upper Brown Street LEICESTER LE1 5TE tel. 0116 204 3333 simon.battersby@ crowd-managment.com www.crowd-management.com Specialized Security Royal Highland Centre Ingliston Edinburgh EH28 8NF 0131 333 4747 tom@specializedsecurity.co.uk www.specializedsecurity.co.uk Touchline Event Management Ltd 7 Allison Court Metro Centre Gateshead Tyne & Wear NE11 9YS tel. 0191 496 1000 info@touchline-em.co.uk www.touchline-em.co.uk

Emergency Heating &Cooling Cool Services Building 26, Bay 4, The Pensnett Estate, Kingswinford, DY6 7TB Tel. 0800 9705656 kevin@event-heating.co.uk www.coolservices.co.uk

Branding Communications Event Piggotts Branding Midland Radio Links Unit 4, 181-187 Moseley Street Birmingham B12 0RT tel. 0121 7667661 paul@midlandradiolinks.com www.midlandradiolinks.com

Murphy Comhire Ltd Communications house Sheffield,S9 1LD tel. 0114 243 4567 mandy@murphy-com-hire.com www.murphy-com-hire.com

43 London Road, Stanford Rivers, Ongar, Essex, CM5 9PJ Tel. 01277 363262 kelly.seymour@piggotts.co.uk www.piggotts.co.uk

Event Production

Sledge The Mill House, Millers Way, London, W6 7NH Tel: 020 8743 3232 ian.irving@sledge.co.uk www.sledge.co.uk

Insurance Services Event Insurance Services Limited Event House 20A Headlands Business Park Ringwood BH24 3PB tel. 01425 470360 info@event-insurance.co.uk www.event-insurance.co.uk Robertson Taylor 117 Fenchurch Street London EC3M 5DY Tel. (0)870 114 2643 enquiries@rtib.co.uk www.robertson-taylor.co.uk

Marquees Piggotts Marquees 43 London Road, Stanford Rivers, Ongar, Essex, CM5 9PJ Tel. 01277 363262 richard.treml@piggotts.co.uk www.piggotts.co.uk

Medical Management SP Services (UK) Ltd Unit D4, Hortonpark Estate Hortonwood 7 Telford Shropshire TF1 7GX Tel. 01952 288 999 Fax. 01952 606 112 sales@spservices.co.uk www.spservices.co.uk Venture Event Medical Management Copperfield House 47 Leeds Road Gawthorpe Ossett West Yorkshire WF5 9QW tel. 07988 388461 enquiries@ventureemm.co.uk www.ventureemm.co.uk

Revolving Stages Movetech UK A division of British Turntable Co Ltd Emblem Street, Bolton, BL3 5BW tel. 01204 537682 rental@movetechuk.com www.movetechuk.com/rental

Screen Hire XL Video 2 Eastman Way Hemel Hempstead Herts HP27DU 01442 849400 zoe@xlvideo.tv www.xlvideo.com

Centre Stage Events Unit 108a Leyland Trading Estate Irthlingborough Road Wellingborough, 01234 783234 info@centrestageevents.com www.centrestageevents.com Steeldeck Rentals Ltd Unit 58, T.Marchant Estate, 42-72 Verney Road, London SE16 3DH Tel: 020 7833 2031 richard@steeldeck.co.uk www.steeldeck.co.uk The Outdoor Staging Company Ltd 1 Langley Drive, Castle Bromwich, B35 7AD tel. +44(0)7866 470 293 info@outdoorstage.co.uk www.outdoorstage.co.uk

Temporary Fencing Beaver 84 Beaver House, Crompton Close, Basildon, SS14 3AY Tel. 01708 861821 info@beaver84.co.uk www.beaver84.co.uk

Ticketing Tungate Group Brookhouse Way, Cheadle, Staffordshire, ST10 1SR Tel. 01538 755755 Fax. 01538 756062 info@tungategroup.co.uk www.tungategroup.co.uk

Venues Fabric London Level 2 Greenhill House Cowcross Street London EC1M 6B tel. 020 7549 4844 celine@fabriclondon.com www.fabricevents.com

Waste Management Morris Holdings (UK) Limited 17B Mile Oak Industrial Estate, Maesbury Road Oswestry Shropshire SY10 8GA tel. 01691 680373 info@morrisholdings.co.uk www.morrisholdings.co.uk Grundon Waste Management Special Events Services Ewelme Wallingford Oxon OX10 6PJ Tel: 08700 604366 specialevents@grundon.com www.grundon.com

To advertise here call 01226 734 456

CLASSIFIED

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POWER SUPPLY

FAIRGROUNDS

TOILET HIRE EVENT BRANDING

CATERING

MEDICAL

VEHICLE HIRE

The Event Medicine Company Unit D, Central Estate, Albert Road, Aldershot, Hampshire GU11 1SZ Tel: 01252 313005 Email: info@eventmedicinecompany.co.uk www.eventmedicinecompany.co.uk

BARS

INSTALLATIONS

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EVENT HIRE

HEATING & COOLING

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TO ADVERTISE HERE CALL 01226 734456