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Issue 39 April 2010 £4.75
Twinning boost for leading UK festivals By Christina Eccles THE UK’S leading independent festivals could benefit from artist exchanges, increased levels of PR coverage and possible new investment thanks to a project launched by the Association of Independent Festivals. AIF – whose members include Camp Bestival, Creamfields and Field Day – has created a twinning programme, giving its events the chance to partner with their international counterparts. Those taking part will help to promote their twin locally, be encouraged to take part in artist exchanges and talent discussions and include links on their website to their twin’s site and in their PR campaigns. Ben Turner – director of Bestival and AIF co founder – told The Main Event that organisers were encouraged to approach festivals with similar characteristics to their own event and Bestival immediately thought of Melt in Germany – which is already proving to be a successful partnership. And Ben said successful twinning could lead to long term partnerships and many benefits for both the UK festivals and their international ‘twins’. He said: “The idea came from
Summer Sundae organiser Rob Challice and everyone got inspired by it very quickly. “AIF stands for the more creative and culturally rich festivals and this is very much about us mirroring what we are with events around the world. There are a lot of interesting ways the events can work together. I would like to see branded stages at each other’s events and talent bookings are also an important part. It is down to each festival to drive it as hard as they want.” After a successful partnership last year with VisitBritain, which allowed European visitors to enjoy its member festivals at a reduced price, AIF is also hoping to renew the deal this year. And Ben added the twinning campaign is another way of forging links with other countries and marketing UK festivals to an international audience. He added: “Our ethos is very much about co-operation and sharing experiences. This is a very positive way of working by increasing the UK’s links with the rest of the world through festivals.” Other festivals partnered include the Big Session Festival with Tønder Festival, Denmark and the Glade Festival, with Symbiosis Gathering in California.
Investor pulls out of festival THE Magic Loungeabout festival has been cancelled after the event’s main investor pulled out. The festival was due to take place this summer at Broughton Hall in North Yorkshire but organisers were forced to pull the plug after failing to secure other funding. A statement from event promoter Simon Adamson on the festival’s website said: “Our main investor has pulled out on us which leaves us with a funding gap. Despite recent efforts to find other sources it became clear that we would run out of time. “We feel it would be unfair to our customers not be upfront about this and we want to give you plenty of time to make alternative arrangements to entertain yourselves over the summer.” The statement went on to say the festival will be back in 2011 and all ticketholders will be given a full refund and be entitled to a 25 per cent discount on tickets for next year’s event. A festival on the Isle of Man has secured a weekend of high profile headliners to perform at the event. Lemar, The Saturdays, JLS and Calvin Harris are among the acts lined up to play the Isle of Man Bay Festival after organisers saw a gap in the market for a music festival on the island. To find out how plans are going for the festival see Page 6
The Main Event is the official magazine of the National Outdoor Events Association
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Festival gives something back by supporting local talent By Christina Eccles A YORKSHIRE festival is giving something back to the community by supporting local talent and making it easier for people from the surrounding area to enjoy the event. The Lime Tree Festival – which takes place at Lime Tree Farm in Grewelthorpe, North Yorkshire – has been running for the last three years. And according to organiser Sean Birdsall, one of the things which makes the festival stand out from its competitors, is its commitment to putting on up and coming local acts. Bands can perform on one of three stages and Sean said one of his favourite parts of organising the event is sourcing new talent and giving them the chance to appear at the festival. He said: “Musically we are still trying to promote as many local bands as possible and it is really good to see their progression.” The festival also goes out of its way to make things as easy as possible for local people to attend the festival and this year is going even further by offering one day tickets for each day of the festival and £15
Top award A SUCCESSFUL partnership approach to organising one of London’s largest free events has been recognised with a top award. Capita Symonds’ leisure and safety team and Lambeth Borough Council work together to deliver the Lambeth Country Show held in Brockwell Park. And their successful working partnership was rewarded with the best practice gong at the National Outdoor Event Association’s Tribute Awards. The award was presented to Capita Symonds’ executive director Chris Green and Lambeth Borough Council’s event manager Emma Dagnes. To find out more about the work being done by the events team at Lambeth, see our local authority spotlight feature next issue.
Geoff reveals the secrets of T’s success Page 4
Country estate hits the right note with Katherine Page 6 Thousands watch historic landmark light up Page 8
Local authority spotlight Caring for Your Audience Training and recruitment NOEA
Pages 10-11 Pages 17-21 Page 25 Page 24
Classified
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CONTACTS EDITORIAL Group Editor Andrew Harrod Tel: 01226 734639 editorial@themaineventmagazine.co.uk
The Lime Tree festival return coach travel from Leeds. Sean added: “We have never done day tickets from day one before but it became apparent that although we support the Leeds music scene, our sales weren’t coming from Leeds. “But we have had another year of networking and of being around so hopefully more people will know about us.” The festival also prides itself on its
Reporters:
non music offering, which includes a health and healing area. The site is also a nature conservation area, where organisers are hoping to get David Bellamy on board to do nature walks with children. As part of their commitment to protect the site, organisers will also be encouraging festivalgoers to take home their rubbish and will have a team of stewards on site to ensure it stays clean and tidy.
Dragons breath fire into Dewsbury theatre show THREE fire-breathing dragons were let loose on the streets of Dewsbury as part of a free outdoor theatre show organised by Kirklees Council. An estimated 4,500 people flocked to the town centre for Spirit, which included a street procession from the mechanical dragons, a lightshow and mini firework display. Earlier in the day people got into the spirit of the event by searching for lost baby dragons stranded in the town centre. Hundreds of mini dragons were hidden along the procession route and each lucky person that found
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As promoter of T in the Park, Geoff Ellis has first hand experience of building up a festival brand. In a special feature, he reveals the ups and downs of working on Scotland’s flagship music festival.
Secrets of T’s success THE festival started in 1994 and has grown into a weekend of entertainment which attracts 85,000 fans. A strong partnership with Tennents – a brand which has been with the festival from the start – has helped to contribute to its success and after securing acts including Eminem, Muse, Kasabian and Jay Z, organisers are hoping that this will be another successful year for T in the Park. But organising the festival has not always been plain sailing and organisers have managed to overcome many challenges over the years. Geoff explained: “T in the Park started in 1994 and we went against the grain by doing an outdoor event in Scotland. We lost quite a bit of money but got great media coverage and our audience really loved the event. “In the first year, the challenge was the creation of the event, the huge risk involved and financial planning. “Our second challenge was moving the event from Strathclyde Park to Kinross. We had gone from having a sold out 35,000 capacity event
and moved to a rural location. “But we thought the event and the brand was strong enough to move and the move made it a Scottish festival rather than a Glasgow one. “The third challenge was re-invigorating the brand. In 2003, we were selling out the event but we knew the media had become complacent about it. “It was our 10th year so we had the opportunity to create a new sub brand and the 10th anniversary brand re-ignited the media. “That really was a tipping point for the festival. We saw a 28 per cent increase in media coverage and had 40 per cent of sales outside Scotland.” Geoff also revealed the secrets of the event’s success and how it has managed to keep afloat in a crowded marketplace. He added: “It is important for us to speak to both ends of our audience. There are new kids coming through every year but we also want to retain people who have been coming since the start who have grown up with the event. “Our audience is our strongest USP and bands want to play the
event because of the experience they have had. “Sponsors are also an integral part of the event – Tennents have been with us from the start. Having the right kind of partnerships can help to develop the event and keep it going forward. “Also innovation and being seen to be pushing the envelope. We are the largest carbon neutral festival in the world and I like to think we lead the way with our Healthy T Area. All festivals are competition but having that is good and healthy. We compete for artists and audiences and competition is everywhere – we are up against the World Cup this year. “There are a multitude of festivals. Lots have fallen by the wayside but quality will always keep things going. “As long as our festivals are different from each other, there is a chance that people will come to more than one. “T in the Park has gone beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. But it has been a gradual process – we have never had a bridge that is too far to cross. The festival could get bigger, the demand is there. But it is
Geoff Ellis important not to go too big. Always have demand exceeding supply. We like to keep improving and adding to the quality rather than making it bigger.”
Sir Paul McCartney has been confirmed as a headliner for this year’s Isle of Wight Festival. The festival takes place in June at Seaclose Park and other performers include Jay-Z, The Strokes and Blondie.
Elvis parachutists get free entry to Glade festival PARACHUTISTS dressed as Elvis will be able to enjoy the Glade Festival for free thanks to a quirky marketing campaign by organisers. The offer came about after festival director Nick Ladd was asked by a friend if he sky dived into the festival in aid of charity, could he attend for free. After agreeing to his request, Nick decided it would only be fair to open the offer out to other festivalgoers – as long as they agreed to the other terms of being dressed as Elvis, wearing a sound system strapped to their back and hit the ground
dancing. Nick said: “A mate of mine who is into sky diving asked me, 'If me and some friends did a charity sky dive into Glade would we get in for free?'” “I thought it was only fair that we threw this open to all comers and added in some stipulations. “It’s worth mentioning that the 50ft high flame that comes out the top of the Arcadia Stage is probably worth avoiding.” There will be a designated landing area for parachutists of which details will be released soon.
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From left to right: Jamie Irving (promoter) Ian Bone (production manager) Richard Agar (production manager) and Jonathan Irving (promoter).
A 180-acre country estate will play host to three nights of live music this summer after organisers secured a series of open air concerts. Katherine Jenkins (pictured), The Magic of Motown and The Bootleg Beatles are among the artists coming to Wakehurst Place in West Sussex in June – the first time it has opened its gates for an event of this kind. To find out how organisers are gearing up for the first Wakehurst Place festival, see the May issue of The Main Event
Revamped festival lands headline acts By Christina Eccles A REVAMPED festival is punching above its weight after securing headliners including Lemar, JLS and Spandau Ballet. The Isle of Man Bay Festival was initially created after organisers saw a gap in the market for a festival on the island, which is best known for its TT racing events. They organised an event in 2007 – with a line up including Ronan Keating and McFly – to tie in with the 100th anniversary of TT racing. And although the event wasn’t as well received as they would have liked, organisers saw the potential of hosting another festival and decided to go ahead with their plans this summer. Production manager Ian Bone said: “The event went ahead but it wasn’t as successful as we had hoped. There was too much of a distraction with the TT racing and the concert. But we decided there was enough of an interest to have a festival again this year.” For this year, organisers have chosen a site in Douglas, the island’s cap-
ital and are staging a three day event – with acts picked to appeal to all ages. Each of the four concerts will take place in a specially erected structure with a capacity of 10,000 people – a mixture of seated and standing. Friday night is aimed at pop fans with performances from JLS and Lemar, Saturday is headlined by Spandau Ballet, Sunday afternoon features a family friendly line up of X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent favourites and Sunday evening celebrates the best of the 1980s. Festivalgoers can buy tickets for individual gigs or a package which allows them to see all the concerts and camp for the duration of the festival. It is hoped the event will become an annual festival and Ian and the team are already thinking about future years. Ian added: “Our feeling was, with the profile of the audience we decided to give them the undercover experience. Maybe in future we will go to a more conventional festival model. We are keeping it quite small scale at the moment but the site is big enough to expand.”
Creamfields secures three-year licence for festival site CREAMFIELDS has been granted a three-year licence for its festival site in Daresbury – the first ever dance festival to receive an extended year licence. Following last year’s sell out show – which attracted a record breaking 60,000 people – the team behind the festival have increased investment into site infrastructure for 2010, which will see bigger and better arenas and increased space and capacity
in the campsites. Event manager Loudsound’s Jim King said: “This decision to grant the festival a three-year licence is a very important decision in that it clearly shows the confidence that the authorities have in Creamfields and its management team. The festival has now established itself at its new location in Cheshire as one of the largest, most popular and well operated electronic festivals in the world.”
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James Shepard
Picture: Brian Jones
Why James has always shunned sponsorship THE Larmer Tree Festival has been successful for the last 20 years because of its diverse programming, spectacular location and loyal audience, according to its organiser. The festival – which takes place at the Larmer Tree Gardens in Wiltshire – is celebrating its 20th birthday this year and organiser James Shepard revealed to The Main Event the secrets of its success. He said that in a crowded market place, the festival has managed to flourish because it has deliberately steered clear of sponsorship deals – instead focusing on delivering an event which allows festivalgoers escapism from everyday life. He said: “For us it has never been like a business. It has always been something we wanted to do and that comes across in the festival. “We have shunned sponsorship so everything that happens is what we want to happen and we are not told what to do by anybody. With sponsors there are a set of strings attached. “We see the gardens as an
unusual place – away from the rest of the world. If we have the site all covered in brand names it would be just like real life.” Tickets for this year’s event went on sale in December and although they have not yet sold out, James said he was pleased with how they are selling. He added that there will be a few surprises in store this summer to commemorate the festival’s birthday and some of the most popular artists who have played there over the years have also been invited back to perform. And although James is predicting a turbulent year for the events industry, he is confident that the Larmer Tree Festival will do well. He added: “It is going to be tough for a lot of festivals. The good ones will survive but there may be a few casualties. “A lot of festivals try to get bigger and bigger but we have a capacity of 5,000, which is a perfect size. “We have a very loyal audience and a lot of people are involved in the festival and look forward to it every year.”
The Courtyard at Ripley Castle is to be transformed into a winter wonderland this December as part of a new festival. An impressive temporary structure – complete with stage and seating for up to 1,600 people – will be built in the castle grounds for the White Rose Winter Festival. The festival has secured sponsorship from Welcome to Yorkshire. The Main Event will be visiting Ripley Castle in next month’s issue to speak to organisers Emma Ramply and Shan Wildblood about how plans are going for the festival.
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Freak weather incident fails to daunt Rich A spectacular outdoor event lit up Hadrian’s Wall
Thousands watch as historic landmark lights up ... A SPECTACULAR outdoor event lit up the length of historic landmark Hadrian’s Wall, watched by an estimated 25,000 people. The lights ran along the 84-mile Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail – recreating those that once shone from the imposing Roman turrets which were regularly stationed along the length of the wall. The line of light brought Hadrian’s Wall to life, as well as generating about £1m of spending by tourists over the weekend The project – led by Hadrian’s Wall Heritage – formed part of the worldclass programme of festivals and
events developed by the culture10 team based at NewcastleGateshead Initiative and the Lakes Alive programme in Cumbria. Chief executive of Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Linda Tuttiett said: “We’ve been delighted by the enthusiasm that Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall has generated. After all the months of hard work it was tremendously moving to see the line of light make its way along the wall and to see the reactions of the illuminators and the people who came to watch the event from all across the UK and overseas, as well as the surrounding communities.
THE organisers of a Derbyshire music festival have revealed how they bounced back from a freak weather incident which injured two people at last year’s event. The Bearded Theory Festival was left with a £15,000 bill after winds of more than 50mph ripped through the festival – causing the roof of the stage to blow off and injuring two people on site. But organisers were praised for the festival’s swift action and comprehensive health and safety planning and organiser Rich Bryan told The Main Event this is one area of the event they have focused on even more for this year. He said: “More planning has gone into the event site this year after the incident. But what happened last year proved that our emergency plan worked because we could actually see it working. “We had already got a high emphasis on health and safety but this gave us even more of an insight into proceedings. We learned a lot.”
As with last year, the festival has employed a health and safety consultant and has studied issues such as soil composition and wind exposure to help with decisions such as where to place marquees. More undercover venues will also be used so in the event of bad weather, some of the music acts will be able to be moved around into marquees and undercover. Organisers have also invested more heavily into this year’s line up – securing artists such as The King Blues and The Wonder Stuff – and Rich added that what sets them apart from rival festivals is the amount of input which festivalgoers have over who plays. He added: “We don’t choose anybody ourselves. Instead we ask the people who attend, who they want to see. It has worked this year better than ever before and keeps interest in the festival all year round.” Future plans for the festival include possibly moving sites next year to allow for room to grow.
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After working on the Bristol Balloon Fiesta for 16 years, Susan Tanner has first hand experience of organising an outdoor event – something she feels will stand her in good stead as NOEA’S new general secretary. Susan spoke to The Main Event about where she feels the association is heading and why getting students and young people involved will be key ...
Susan unveils her NOEA ambitions AS an experienced outdoor event organiser, Susan has dealt with the ups and downs of working on a major event. And in her new role, she hopes to be able to share what she has learned with NOEA’s members. She said: “I have been there for the good times and for the struggles and have an understanding of what contractors need from organisers and also what organisers need from them. I hope to be able to bring that experience to the role.” Susan also explained what she thinks are the biggest issues currently facing the outdoor events industry and how NOEA can play a part in helping to resolve them. She added: “One of the biggest issues at the moment is the Olympics and how it is going to affect events and suppliers. There isn’t a huge amount of communication coming down to organisers about how we can get involved and what other events are being
planned.” According to Susan, involving young people in events is also key to ensure that they get a good grounding for a future career in the industry. She explained: “There are also a lot of interesting issues around how we can get more courses on events and get the next generation coming through. How can we link up organisers and contractors with new talent and make NOEA the first port of call for members who can offer work experience?” As general secretary, Susan will be working with the association’s president Richard Limb and the council who between them have vast experience of the outdoor events world – something she would like to tap into to help other members with their queries and to create a strong voice for NOEA. “There is a huge amount of work to be done but we have got very strong membership and are always
Susan Tanner worked on the Bristol Balloon Fiesta for 16 years ing on the success of this year’s looking for volunteers. There is convention and tribute awards, furhuge experience in the association ther development of NOEA and it is interesting to get people Scotland and more regional confertalking.” ences. Other future plans include build-
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LOCAL AUTHORITY SPOTLIGHT
Above: The Respect Festival showcases diversity in Brent. And, above right: Stephen and Melissa
With an award-winning Diwali and an Olympic venue on its doorstep, Brent Council is well placed to host spectacular events. Christina Eccles paid a visit to discover how one of the country’s most diverse boroughs is championing events for all.
Two key messages: community and legacy A VISIT to Brent Council resulted in two key messages, which the team really believe their events reflect. The first is community – the Brent community is extremely diverse and events are used as both a celebration of these differences and also to educate and bring together different cultural groups with their neighbours. The second is legacy – events do not finish once the show is over. Instead they act as a platform for work which can be ongoing and have lasting benefit for people who live in the borough. Festivals manager Stephen Gilby explained: “A lot of our events are culturally specific – such as Eid, St Patrick’s Day and Diwali – so they
need to be authentic. But at the same time, we are very conscious that they are also open and accessible to everyone in the community. All of our communities want to share with the rest of the Brent community. Brent is a very cohesive community where people live side by side.” Being so diverse is a key strength, and events such as the Respect Festival give the team the chance to showcase that. Stephen added: “This year at the event, the focus is on food as it is difficult to get a food offering at events which reflects the diversity of the borough. We are holding some training workshops to give people the skills to operate on a food stall at
events, which is a really exciting project. Food is a big draw for people at events and this is an amazing resource for us to take advantage of.” The team has also recently been involved in the Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations, which gave them the opportunity to produce an event which left a lasting legacy for the community. The theme set by the Holocaust Memorial Trust was the legacy of hope and a group of young people were signed up to work on the project who started by interviewing local survivors. From this they created a 15-minute film, which documented the key messages they wanted to get across
to the community and was shown at a special screening at Brent Town Hall. It is now being used as an educational resource in schools and after receiving extensive coverage, one of the young volunteers is hoping to get work experience in the media as a result of working on the project. Arts and festivals officer Melissa Inman added: “We wanted to create something with longevity which didn’t just end at the end of the event. Creating economic opportunities through events is very important. There are real, tangible career paths in events and people can gain real skills and experience by engaging in the programmes we provide.”
Why authority events can be overlooked MORE recognition should be given by the industry to the events which local authority event organisers deliver, according to Stephen and Melissa. They said that they would like to see more engagement between
local authorities and organisers of commercial events as both sides have something which they could offer the other. Stephen added: “Local authority events can often be overlooked by big commercial events. But we pro-
duce a huge amount of events and there is a great opportunity for more sharing of knowledge between these two sides of the industry. “We have an immense amount of skills and I would really like to see
that recognised and more accepted. “The free public event sector is very important and we are seeing the benefits which these events are having and the opportunities which they create.”
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Strategy looks to consulting local people COMMUNITY involvement is a key part of the success of events and festivals in Brent. To ensure all parts of the community feel included, the council has created a strategy, which involves consulting local people on what events they would like to see come to Brent and any areas where the council could improve. Stephen added: “We have just finalised a cultural strategy and are creating a culture and festivals strategy. This will involve going out into the community and asking them if this is what we should be doing and what they would like to see. We are trying to get as much involvement from the community as possible. “We are also working with the Wembley town centre manager on Brent Council’s flagship events include: Diwali St Patrick’s Day Holocaust Memorial Day
the Wembley Ambassadors Programme where we have people out on the streets and when visitors come to the stadium, they welcome them and let them know what there is to do in Wembley and where the restaurants and shops are. We are trying to get more benefit for the local area from people coming to the stadium. “Wembley is a 2012 venue and this will play a big part in our plans for 2012 to showcase to visitors what Brent is all about.” Melissa added: “We are really leading in terms of a one council policy, which brings together different council departments. We also have advisory forums which meet with the community to ensure we are engaging with them in the right way.” commemorations Eid Respect Festival Brent Dance Month
A record-breaking 6,000 people took to the streets of Brent to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. Revellers were treated to a glittering parade led by the Mayor of Brent, Coun Jim O’Sullivan complete with pipers, floats, dancers and circus performers. All 32 counties were represented by festivalgoers carrying flags, with the mayor flying the flag for his birthplace, Cork.
The council’s biggest event is its award winning Diwali, which last year attracted 60,000 people – making it the biggest in the country. The 2009 event grew from 35,000 visitors in 2008 to 60,000 and included a parade and floats telling the story of Diwali to the audience. The team also beat off stiff competition to scoop two awards for the event at the International Visual Communication Association (IVCA) Livecom awards.
Stephen added: “It was exciting to win because our competition wasn’t other local authorities. This shows we can compete on an equal footing, which is great for all local authority events. “Diwali has been a really good quality event for many years and now it’s on a roll and gaining that momentum. “There are different community groups which get involved who are working hard to raise the level of the event.”
Boroughs share knowledge BRENT Council has also been heavily involved in setting up a new London borough events forum to help local authorities to share knowledge and ideas. The forum is designed to be an event toolkit, which every local authority can use to standardise their application process, and also acts as a benchmark for best practice. Stephen added: “We are creating
an IT system for applicants which will be there for all of London in time for 2012 and beyond. This will make applying for an event much easier and streamline the process for both the borough and the applicant. We don’t want to stop after the Olympics have finished. 2012 is a fantastic opportunity for us to use as a springboard to improve the cultural life of the borough and London as a whole.”
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BARS AND CATERING
The complete outdoor cooking system ... Advertiser’s announcement WITH this year being a packed sports diary event period there could not be a better time to enhance the outdoor catering offering and earn that much needed foodservice profit. Manufactured to the highest catering equipment standards, the Crown Verity BBQ is capable of being the complete outdoor cooking system. Its large cooking surface and enormous range of optional and interchangeable accessories make this the most versatile system on the market. Removing an accessory and changing with another gives the capability of convection, steaming, roasting, frying, smoking or grilling. From a simple BBQ function, an all-day breakfast to a big hog roast
event, the Crown Verity Professional BBQ system offers the complete outdoor cooking solution. Delivered ready assembled, they are ready to go. Just connect your gas bottle and start cooking. Why not add some Simply Stainless outdoor stainless steel benches making it easy to set up a complete food store, cook and serve facility?
Boutique festival opts for locally sourced food A BOUTIQUE festival is leading the way when it comes to catering by serving up only locally sourced food to festivalgoers. Lounge on the Farm takes place at Merton Farm in Kent and as part of the organisers’ commitment to giving something back to the local area, all food sold at the event must have been sourced from within the area. Food on offer includes traditional festival food such as a hog roast to more unusual options such as Haji Baji’s curry stop and The Farmhouse Pie and Mash. And some of the food on offer can even claim to have zero food miles, as the lamb and beef burgers served up come from animals raised on the farm itself. Promoter Vic Hazell said: “One focus for us with the festival was to give something back to the local
economy. “All of our food has to come from within Kent. It is of vital importance we work with local farmers and suppliers. “It gives a personal touch with the food and makes everything unique. Even our burgers come from cattle reared on the farm. “It is a unique selling point for us but is also incremental to the festival and what it represents.” Vic also offered advice for organisers who are thinking about offering more food choices to festivalgoers. She added: “Think about what happens to the money that is spent on site and who benefits from it. If noone local benefits from it then you are not doing anything for the area. “By using local produce, you are encouraging the local area and getting them involved.”
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Cashless bars and themed cocktail areas will be just two of the trends seen at this summer’s festivals, according to one expert. The Main Event found out more ...
Cashless bars and themed cocktails A SYSTEM where festivalgoers do not need to bring cash on site at events could soon become a reality, thanks to Peppermint Events. The company is preparing for another busy season which includes working on its regular portfolio of events – such as Bestival and Secret Garden Party – as well as new ones such as Rockness. But this year, Peppermint is hoping to bring bars with a difference – where festivalgoers can leave their money at home and pay for drinks using a pre-paid card or wristband. It is hoped this will reduce the amount of money on site – deterring campsite thieves – and also cut down queuing times at the bars. Director Adam Hempenstall explained: “We are currently in talks with a couple of suppliers and will hopefully be trialling a cashless system at one or two of our events. “This technology will allow festivalgoers to have a wristband or card, which would be pre-charged, and when they make a purchase, they put it on a reader and it deducts the price. During the festival they can top up the card by text or auto top up. “But the challenge is that a lot of the current systems run off wireless. Not every event has wireless systems and at big sites it can be difficult to
have internet activity across the whole site. The challenge is to try and make it work offline.” Adam also said that one of the biggest trends at festivals this year will be themed bars, as festivalgoers look for a greater choice at events. He added: “We have pre-empted that people expect a lot more at festivals. Gone are the days when people pay for their tickets and just see the headliners. They also want decent toilets, good food and nice drinks. The themed bars are a natural progression. “Tastings with organisers are also important – especially for the boutique led shows. At these shows, everyone expects a high standard of service for everything. If people come away feeling they have got value for money, organisers will get loyalty. “We have worked with many festivals from the start and we try to get under the skin of the event and work closely with organisers to produce drinks which fit the event. “We also have data from previous festivals as we can gather hour by hour information through our tills. “This means we understand where the peaks and troughs will be and can put on extra staff to keep queuing times to a minimum.”
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SOUND, LIGHTING AND POWER
BRM looking forward to event season
Specialist supplies to over 30 countries
NOTTINGHAM-based BRM Productions do not appear to have been badly affected by the recent financial climate, according to MD Martyn Smith.
RUBBER Box Co are a specialist manufacturer of power distribution equipment to the film, television, events and entertainment industry. Over the last 18 years, Rubber Box has become a market leader and a well-respected name within the industry, supplying to some of the largest venues and events, not only in the UK, but in over 30 countries throughout the world. Whether it’s portable power or a fixed installation, we have the expertise and experience to produce the highest quality equipment at the right price in a short space of time. From a standard 16A single phase extension cable to a 400A three phase multi outlet 19” flight cased distro, we can provide a solution to power any event, large or small. All of our boxes ensure trouble free power distribution in all weather conditions and comply to all UK and European regulations. So whether you’re a DJ at a
He said: “We did lose a couple of long term contracts as the downturn happened, however these contracts involved substantial travelling. “I can only assume the client turned towards a local company to help reduce their costs. This worked well for both parties as we increased our workload locally. “Contracts have become very price sensitive with the client requiring full details of what is actually on offer. “Environmentally, it is not easy to go green as equipment hire companies provide generators either full of Red Diesel or completely empty, this can leave us with a fuel movement/storage problem. “However, we are looking forward to the 2010 event season and are happy that we already have a pretty full schedule, however we do have the capability to handle more.” BRM has recently taken over a further industrial unit to aid with the current expansion of the business, along with the purchase of more generators. So here’s looking forward the summer with the sun, rain, mud and the smell of diesel!
small event or organising the World Cup, Rubber Box can
be your one-stop-shop for power.
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Providing power solutions for the last 12 years
Firm back on the road with JLS BLACKBURN-based lighting rental company HSL supplied all lighting equipment and crew to Production North for popular boyband JLS’ UK tour. The set consisted of four sets of steps connected by a raised walkway at the back. Upstage of this was a 30ft wide by 10ft deep video screen which showed specially created content throughout the show – ensuring that lighting and
video complemented one another was an important aspect of the visual design. HSL's project manager Mike Oates said: "It's good to be back on the road with the Production North team and working alongside production manager Karen Ringland on this. “The design is straightforward and uncomplicated, well thought out and works perfectly for the band and the style of presentation.”
SPARKS Power has supplied power solutions to the event industry and to the emergency services for the last 12 years. Whilst everyone is trying to reduce their events overall cost, fuel prices are still rising. Action to prevent the impact of this involves early planning with organisers, site visits to plan when, where, and how much power is needed during an event. The amount of power required in the build up and during the event can vary quiet dramatically – and the generator technology provided by Sparks Power can mirror this demand. One customer that benefited from this system was for the PGA European Tour 2009. The tour has enhanced its reputation as an environmentally friendly organisation by dramatically reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions at the recent European Open. The event, held at the London Golf Club in Kent, used latest generator technology, provided by Sparks Power, which sensed the changes in demand for electricity and reacted by starting and stopping generators as they were needed. Fuel consumption decreased by a massive 38 percent and more than 20,000 grams of carbon from the previous year. For more information contact 01580 755594 or visit www.sparkspower.co.uk
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SOUND, LIGHTING AND POWER
Using lightweight cable an ‘immense advantage’
Sustainable power sources ‘high priority’ for organisers SUSTAINABLE power sources will be a high priority for organisers of the Forestry Commission’s outdoor concert series this summer. As all the sites used for the gigs are sensitive forest locations, it is essential no damage is caused to the environment. The main concerns when using
generators are emissions and fuel leakages but to combat this, the concerts will be using Pearce Hire’s double skinned fuel tanks, which help protect against leakage, as well as only using generators and plant equipment that meet the current European low emission standards.
AUDIO over IP or digital audio networking has transformed the way audio installation and rental companies handle large numbers of audio channels both in installations and on live shows. The advantages of using a lightweight Cat-5 cable to transmit large numbers (64+) of audio channels are immense. Apart from saving on trucking and labour costs, it allows compatible equipment to all share the same audio sources and pre-amps. For instance with an Allen & Heath iLive installation in a multi-purpose venue at a college campus, the front of house desk in the theatre would provide a digital split of the stage channels, plus mix outputs using either Ethersound or Audinate Dante audio over the local network. This would then optionally feed a monitor desk on stage, the amplifiers driving the venue speakers, plus perhaps foyer speakers, a link via the campus network to the college radio station and a full multichannel record feed to a recording
facility in another building on site. This sort of flexibility could not have been achieved without hugely expensive copper multi-core solutions and big patch panels using analogue technology. Hopefully the emerging IEEE Audio/Video Bridging (AVB) standards will mean eventually the audio industry will allow equipment from all manufacturers to interoperate without barriers.
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CARING FOR YOUR AUDIENCE ADVERTISER ANNOUNCEMENT
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Team succeeds on a national scale COOPERS Marquees and supply partners Acorn Event Solutions have completed a stunning temporary structure to house 2,000 delegates over two days. The supply partners created a winning formula to provide a splendid working environment in Millennium Square, Leeds. On behalf of Coopers Marquees, Acorn Event Solutions provided an elevated system base of over 1,400 square metres rising up to four metres high to bring the base to level. Coopers then built a 25m wide marquee structure over the base, to a
length of 55m, to house the 2000 delegates. The structure build took place over three days and was complete 24 hours ahead of schedule. With a team of over 40 erectors the build was achieved smoothly and efficiently. With eight artic lorry loads of equipment, deliveries to and from site were planned and worked within a tightly coordinated schedule. With the recently developed Acorn event flooring system, cables, heating and computer network cables were easily fed to strategic points within the floor area.
The beauty of the system is it is completely flexible and enables marquee floors/stages to be built to any level over any type of land – a fully engineered solution. This was complemented by Acorn’s new glass balustrade finishing to the entrance balcony. Coopers Marquees are now one of the leading UK marquee companies with over 60,000 square metres of tentage in stock, covering in excess of one million people per annum, providing hospitality at many UK racecourses, county shows and national sporting events.
Acorn Event Solutions own the largest stock of Layher event scaffolding in the country, supplying and erecting not only marquee bases but ice rink bases, stages, ramps and staircases in addition to providing power distribution, specialist lighting and generators. In addition, together Coopers and Acorn supply bespoke structures for many private parties requiring elevated or split level structures. The team once again proved that although Northern based can succeed on a national scale.
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CARING FOR YOUR AUDIENCE ADVERTISER ANNOUNCEMENT
Planning and building relationships the key WHILE the orange shirts of AP Security’s staff are familiar to those enjoying live events throughout much of the UK, what the public generally doesn’t realise that caring for an audience is about so much more than the staff facing them on the day. Two of the keys to AP’s success in the crowd safety industry are longterm planning and building and maintaining relationships. Many months of prior planning, liaison and site visits are meticulously carried out for every event the company is involved with. AP knows that the only way to really care for an audience is to have the most intimate knowledge of the event, the venue, the age and type of audience, the many organisations involved and of how people tend to react in any given situation. The surrounding area, a wide range
of local issues and even weather conditions also have a significant effect. Coupled with this, the company builds high quality, long-term relationships with event organisers, local authorities, police and other emergency services to ensure its staff are aware of every possible scenario that might arise. Of course, thanks to the inherent unpredictability of both the public and the British climate, the most meticulously laid plans sometimes need to be rapidly revised. AP’s ability to react fast and appropriately to any situation ensures that its clients can get on with the job of creating great entertainment without having to worry about the audience and that the public can enjoy themselves knowing that they’re in very safe hands.
Olympic gold medallists Chris Hoy and Rebecca Adlington and Paralympian Eleanor Simmonds start the 2008 Great North Run with then Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Extra stewards recruited AUDIENCE safety will be top of the agenda at some of the North East’s premier events this summer after organisers recruited extra stewards to help out on site. Touchline Event Management has recruited 115 extra stewards to help out at the Tall Ships races in Hartlepool and the Great North Run in Newcastle. TEM – part of the IPC Security Group – are recruiting up to 80 safety stewards and 35 security stewards for these and other
events across the North of England from Yorkshire to Tyneside. TEM’s general manager John McLean said: “It’s great news we are recruiting. It reflects the success we are enjoying in attracting and servicing very prestigious and high profile clients and major events. I hope it also reflects that the North East economy is picking up and people are going to go out to these big events as we are expecting them to be very well attended.”
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Firm offers a range of security services RESPONSE Security Solutions are a crowd management and event security provider who offer a wide range of services to provide clients with a total crowd management and safety solution. A large network of personnel allows the company to provide services across the UK, even at late notice. Response Security Potential clients are allocated a client liaison manager Solutions offer a The services of Response host of professionally trained and licensed teams to make your event Security Solutions have recently been contracted by a number of a success, including but not limitcompanies to provide crowd maned to: pit safety teams, incident agement including: Tesco UK, response teams, close protection Asda, The Perfume Shop, Costa officers, event safety stewards, Coffee, Skechers Europe, and TV’s door supervisors and car parking Most Haunted Live to name but a teams as well as experienced TV few from the company’s ever and film security location and growing prestigious client list. audience. Whether you require a total As a potential client of ours you crowd management solution or can expect to be allocated a client individual services for your festiliaison manager who work with val, concert, signing session, peryou and your team from the plansonal appearance or sporting ning stage through to the end of event we have the personnel to the event, ensuring all your needs suit your needs. are identified and met.
Festival experience for kids FESTIVAL Republic has partnered with a boutique babysitting service to provide a mini festival experience for children attending its events. Boutique Babysitting will be providing bespoke childcare at Latitude and The Big Chill, which will include creating a dedicated kids club area – complete with soft rubber flooring, blankets, bean bags and pillows. Parents will be given the chance to drop off their little ones at a choice of two four hour sessions, with the later one taking place after the festival’s own children’s area has closed up for the night. Co-founder Lisa Merrick-Lawless said: “We are delighted to announce
our partnership with Festival Republic and residence at Latitude and The Big Chill, where we hope to add a little extra something to the experience of these fantastic familyfriendly festivals. “Like every parent that’s ever taken their child to a festival, we know exactly what it is like: you love having your kids there but even the most dedicated parent needs a break sometimes. “With Boutique Babysitting we wanted to offer parents that precious respite from looking after their children 24/7, whilst giving children some amazing festival memories of their very own kids club.”
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CARING FOR YOUR AUDIENCE
Although health and safety is a vital part of event organising, looking after the welfare of your audience – whatever their age – is just as important, according to Linda Krawecke.
Caring is just as important as health and safety WE may be legally bound to look after the health and safety of all on our sites but we’re morally bound to care for them and see that they are looked after with all the concern we’d want our own family members to receive when attending an event. Children and older persons at event sites need particular care. We’re already aware of the methods for looking after lost or found children, but what about activities and facilities? At a family event, is there enough for kids to do? What about those difficult youths? When children or youths aren’t engaged they’re likely to create their own fun, which could mean exploring parts of the event site that can be off limits and even dangerous. What are toilet facilities like for the young ones? Do parents have a sheltered place where they can change nappies? Having spare “emergency” nappies on site could
make a big difference to a parent caught short. If there are many young children, consider having “toddlers only” toilets – ones that parents feel happy to let their kids use. Can the kids reach the hand washing facility or the hand gel? Do your caterers have child friendly foods that are healthy and not highly spiced? What about hearing protection for little ones at music events? Have information on your web site or literature about protecting young ears. Unfortunately not all parents are up to the job of parenting. What do you do if a parent claiming a lost child is very drunk, incapable or aggressive and abusive? How do you care for the child then? Then there’s the 13 going on 30 brigade. Other than ensuring they’re not served alcohol, what are you doing for them? This is a very difficult time in their young lives and emotions run high. Consider
having experienced youth workers available especially for weekend campsite events. Having someone to talk to helps. Mobile phones are very important to youth, not just for calling friends but to a link with parents. Have a place where phones can be charged to avoid the “I couldn’t call you, because my phone battery ran down” excuse. On the other end of the age scale, older people need a certain amount of care at events at well. Sitting down and resting is important. If it’s an open event site, many may wish to bring folding chairs or mobility scooters. Consider a place where the can set their chairs with a good view of the entertainment but out of the way of major footfall. They may need to charge their electric scooters. Take a tip from public transport and have priority seating signs in any areas of seating you have.
Linda Krawecke Linda Krawecke is owner of Tiger Tea – a company specialising in health and safety and welfare at events.
Providing security for a diverse market SPECIALIZED Security is one of the leading and well established security and crowd management companies, currently providing a series of high quality man-power based security solutions and services for a diverse market throughout the United Kingdom. Specialized’s management team have well over 20 years experience working within the security industry in a number of different market sectors. The management team have a commitment to customer focus and aim to provide a close working relationship with customers to generate a mutual partnership and a trust for the
benefit of both organisations. Specialized’s reputation as a quality security service provider relies on the quality and professionalism of the people we recruit and employ. We pride ourselves in providing a progressive working environment for our employees providing nationally recognised training tailored to the client’s needs. Specialized currently have the SIA Approved Contractor Status and are working towards ISO 9001:2008 accreditation which demonstrates the company’s determination to continually improve quality throughout, leading to a high quality level of service for the customer.
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CARING FOR YOUR AUDIENCE
G4S works on T in the Park
In recent years there has been an increasing focus on ensuring that customers who choose to camp at festivals have a much better experience, as G4S Events’ Mark Hamilton explains ...
Generating harmony in the campsite ENSURING everyone has a positive experience needs a range of solutions to what are issues reflected in society as a whole. These include noisy neighbours, criminal activity and the unfortunate task of having to exclude people from the area. G4S Events has therefore found itself in a situation of having to develop what are sometimes unique, but often partnered, initiatives to ensure that not only is anti social behaviour addressed, but pre-empted. We take a lead role at all of the music festivals where we are employed which has enabled us to make progress such as ensuring there are dedicated teams to provide community patrols for campsites. This initiative has G4S staff and police operating together in a manner that enables both teams to work more closely with the camping customers, building up a rapport which then leads to greater cooperation and a safer campsite. However just like in any street, sometimes the neighbours do not get
on and this may require the removal of one or more attendees. To ensure this is conducted with a high degree of accountability, a process known as customer removal has been developed to ensure that not only are the details of the person being removed properly recorded, but that they have also been given the appropriate level of support to ensure friends and family are aware of their predicament. The process includes the issuing of a ticket, which details the staff member responsible for authorising the removal and a set of standard conditions to clarify opinion from the person being removed. Generating harmony in the campsite requires a multi-faceted approach and is partly a process of educating the audience, but in the end it is about ensuring the vast majority of good campsite citizens are given a high level of service not compromised by the attention given to the anti social minority. Mark is managing director of G4S Events.
Mark Hamilton
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SOCIAL NETWORKING
Social media is becoming an increasingly popular way for events to interact with their audience. Ian Irving tells The Main Event why organisers should make the most of this opportunity...
Twitter: a very powerful tool ... THE use of digital to enhance and amplify a consumer focused experiential campaign is well documented. But just as experiential techniques can be used in a corporate environment to engage internal audiences, social media can also be used to create exposure and increase attendance pre-event, engender engagement whilst on-site and then gather feedback and reinforce the event’s impact long after visitors return home. Twitter is a good place to start – it is a very powerful tool in terms of pre event promotion and an incredible tool for engaging with audiences during an event. It appears that using channels such as Twitter in the corporate event environment actually liberates staff to speak out when they would normally shy away from asking questions or offering commentary. I spoke at a conference last year and an audience member suggested that it was dangerous to allow freedom of
speech in such a public way and such practices could open up a can of worms, and heaven forbid – what if the commentary was negative? Well, in my opinion you cannot make change and improve if you do not know all of the facts and you do not know how your staff feel. If you have the negatives you can turn them into positives. Recently, a client of ours embraced a proposition we made to resolve an internal communications issue. We opened a Twitter channel for internal communication, posed the question and thus opened the debate. Answers could only be a maximum of 140 characters - ensuring that employees think about what they say and how they say it. This mechanic also allowed direct messaging for an immediate response and commentary was archived. The business has a massive network of out of office staff but they are all on blackberry so access to twitter offers an easy communication
Employees must follow guidelines when interacting online WHEN introducing a social networking policy it is important to ensure employees follow guidelines when interacting with each other online, it has been claimed. Showsec brought in its policy about two years ago and the document is circulated around the company among both permanent and casual members of staff. The written policy ensures that employees know what is considered appropriate behaviour on social networking sites and what to be aware of when mentioning the company name online. And according to the company’s head of human resources Debbie Atherton, it has proved useful. She said: “Social networking is becoming more of a feature of life and there are a lot of forums out there and things being said. “But people don’t always draw a line between something connected with the workplace and their own social life. We found occasionally someone said something inappropriate about
someone or the company and we felt we had to do something to fall back on. The policy has been useful in that we can draw this to people’s attention. If someone is found to be using social networking inappropriately we will take action. We have never ended someone’s employment but we have used it to remind people about their behaviour.” But Debbie added that used in the right way, social networking is a valuable tool to help employees interact with each other and for casual staff working for Showsec to meet others. She added: “There are so many positives to it. Employees can join sites such as Facebook and Myspace and talk to each other. And if people are new, they can talk to people who have been there before, from the point of view of a co-worker.” The policy also includes advice for employees on how to protect themselves online including restricting their personal information and who they give it out to.
and content sharing option. So in my opinion, you cannot and should not ignore the opportunity to support live experiences with digital
and interactive media. Ian Irving, pictured, is director of corporate at RPM.
Sporting event leads the way A COUNCIL run sporting event is leading the way with social networking after using online tools to promote this year’s event. The organisers of Run Balmoral – 10K and 5K races over a course on the Queen’s Balmoral Estate in Aberdeenshire – have been going online to raise awareness of this year’s event. And according to Andrew Miller from Aberdeenshire Council's sports development team, this is proving to be successful. He said: "Run Balmoral has been running for 13 years and now has its own Facebook page and Twitter account. This year we're doing more to promote the event online and provide regular updates to generate interest. “It’s possible for individuals and groups to apply for the race via the website and we also send out an e-newsletter to remind people who had previously taken part to sign-up again. “Those who take part will also be able to download their certificates directly from the website.” Andrew also revealed his top tips for organisers of sporting events
who want to utilise social networking. These include: Choose a social networking site – Facebook, Bebo, YouTube and Twitter can be very helpful in generating interest and keeping followers updated with the latest news about your event. Update website/social sites regularly. Posting regular messages on sites such as Facebook and Twitter will keep followers up-to-date with the latest news and helps promote the event to a wider audience. Access to photographs and video clips from your event can generate interest from those who attended. Allowing instant access to final results from the event will also show your online presence is well maintained. He added: “The event itself is more than a race, it's an occasion for families and friends and we can achieve a real sense of community by using social networking tools to reach a large number of residents."
Companies join forces VENUE IT and Etherlive have joined forces to offer a range of communications services and consultancy to the events industry. The two companies – who between them have worked on events including Red Bull X Fighters, the Southampton Boat Show and the Green Man Festival – will initially maintain both the Etherlive and Venue IT brands and will operate
from the Etherlive headquarters in Wiltshire. Managing director at Etherlive Chris Green said: “With our strong technology background and Venue IT’s events history and experience, we’re a great fit. “Having worked successfully together for a year and a half on a number of projects, the most logical step was to join forces and work as one.”
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With some high-profile accidents resulting in prosecutions, and the Health and Safety Executive looking to reduce the incidence of accidents in the sector, health and safety is now where it should be – at the top of the agenda – in the live events industry. Here, in the first of a regular column, Heath Freeman, managing director of Pinnacle Crew, looks at what people need to know on-site to ensure good health and safety practice.
Health and safety at top of the agenda THE Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations requires employers to ensure that all their representatives on site, both permanent and freelance staff, have received adequate and formal training in all aspects of health and safety prior to commencing work. In the live events industry there are some basic principles that require training to ensure we adhere to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance. These include workplace safety, which covers occupational law, employer and employee responsibilities, risk assessment and a safe place of work. Training in the correct and safe use of plant and machinery is another HSE requirement, as is health issues covering work equipment, electricity, noise, transport, hazardous substances, manual handling and stress. Finally, training should also cover safe systems of work, emergency procedure, fire, accidents, pollution prevention and environmental issues. In an ideal world, every employer would have an in-house training programme that covers all of the above. Furthermore such a training pro-
gramme would be presented in such a way that it would make the issues relevant to their particular sector and hence easily understandable. I leave you to judge whether this is happening throughout our sector. However, I find it encouraging that a new initiative specially designed for the live events industry is gaining momentum. I refer to the Safety Passport Scheme. This scheme comprises a one day course aimed at the general live events workforce – production staff, stage hands, lighting and sound crew, stage and set builders, technicians, stewards, drivers, riggers, laser and pyrotechnic technicians, video and production crew. Of course, there is a limit to what can be learned in one day; but if nothing else this scheme sets a basic standard for health and safety in our industry. The scheme has existed in other sectors for some years, and has helped them achieve credibility and a reputation for taking health and safety seriously – something we should all be aiming for in our industry. This simple concept helps establish
Manual handling, such as illustrated here with crew lifting the Abbey Santander two seater show car at the Formula 1 event in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, is one of the health issues covered by the new Safety Passport scheme. a safety culture by providing a nationally recognised standard of health and safety training and assessment that is cost-effective, easily accessible, and tests individual knowledge in the form of an exam. In addition, by introducing an industry wide safety scheme we can
raise awareness of our serious approach to health and safety. Without setting industry wide basic standards, how are we to improve? It is for this reason, if no other, I believe the Safety Passport is an important development in the live events industry.
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NOEA
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NOEA diary dates 19 – 20 April Wales Conference, Gwynedd 21 – 22 September Event UK NEC 20 – 21 October Showman’s Show, Newbury Mid November Scottish Conference (venue tbc) 26 November Regional Conference and AGM (venue tbc)
For more information contact: Susan Tanner PO Box 4495, Wells BA5 9AS. (T) 01749 674 531 (E) secreretary@noea.org.uk Susan Tanner is NOEA’S new general secretary. See feature on Page 9
Main Event Glasgow March 11
Wales Conference April 19-20
New display earns Informative event praise at Scottish event with networking opportunities
THE Main Event held at the SECC in Glasgow is Scotland’s event dedicated to corporate events, hospitality and entertainment and with its bright pink carpets and welcoming stewards in kilts proved to be a very successful show for NOEA. The new display with the new logo was ably put up by Tom Clements’ (NOEA Scottish chairman) team from Specialized Security and we received many comments about how striking the display was and how it caught the eye. Jan Booth (NOEA vice president) from Sunbaba helped man the stand and did not allow anyone to simply walk past. Even if they did not appear interested, Jan soon found something to talk
about to the potential member. Consequently, we have quite a few leads to follow up with a wide variety of potential members. Students from Caledonian University, the next generation of event professionals, also attended and were interested in the work of NOEA. There appeared to be a real need for networking opportunities with outdoor event professionals and suppliers to take place in Scotland and NOEA will take this forward with a conference which is likely to take place in November with dates to be confirmed. Steven Schofield from Dundee City Council also helped on the stand providing cover for loo breaks!
NOEA Wales Conference – in association with Gwynedd Council and the Welsh Assembly Government – will be held at The Vaynol Estate, Felinheli in Gwynedd. The programme of events has been expertly put together by Hugh Edwin Jones, the creative enterprises officer for Cyngor Gwynedd Council, who has been working extremely hard to pull together an interesting and educational programme of events. The conference starts on Monday afternoon with an opening discussion about the role of the main statutory agencies involvement with events, with representatives from the Police, Fire and Ambulance services. There will also be workshops on marketing your event and creating a financial plan. On Tuesday the Head of the Welsh Assembly Major Events Unit, Arthur Emyr will be speaking about how events are important to the Welsh economy. Other topics during the day will cover the 2012 Olympics and an update on the Cultural Olympics and also the Ryder Cup. There will also be a discussion about public sector support for events. The programme is a very interesting one and non-members are also welcome to attend.
‘Other topics during the day will cover the 2012 Olympics and an update on the Cultural Olympics and also the Ryder Cup’ Not only is the conference a very informative one but also offers great networking opportunities. Fee for members of NOEA, Gwynedd and North Wales Event Group is £25 plus vat and for non members the fee is £35 plus vat. There will also be exhibition space available. Full information can be found on the web site with downloadable booking forms if you follow this link: http://www.noea.org.uk/events.asp? menuId=5r or call Susan Tanner on 01749 674 531.
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As head of TAO Productions, Andy Cotton has worked on major projects both in the UK and abroad. In the first of a new column, he shares his experiences with The Main Event – starting with a look at working on international events.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do but ... THE international events industry is reportedly worth tens of billions of dollars, whether that is for conferences, festivals, concerts, marketing or promotional events. Consequently, UK companies are venturing more and more from the shores of ‘Blighty’. Overseas work for UK-based companies tends to be awarded by other UK-based companies, these can be large-scale corporate companies, experiential brand marketing companies, PR firms, UK promoters and specialist corporate event companies to name a few. As recession ‘ebbs and flows’ in the United Kingdom the major pro of working overseas is financial, together with increasing your company’s market base; it’s a big wide world out there after all. With all pros unfortunately there has to be cons and the international event world does have some for UK based companies. One of the first that should be considered at the earliest stage is the financial implications that can come from monetary exchange; thanks to some amazing politicians in the UK there is always a chance that over the lifetime of an overseas project the pound will drop – this can leave in
some cases a large deficit in budgets. Another early issue to consider is a company’s normal insurance, public liability, product and professional indemnity, which may not cover overseas work, especially in the USA. Working with other cultures means adapting; ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do!’ Yes or No? The answer has to be Yes, it is their country and their rules/legislation, but… and there is a big but… The UK has a strong and professional events industry, which is covered by extensive legislation and good practice guides; some of which are so good they have been adapted for use in other parts of the world. The UK industry compared to some areas of the planet is ‘old father time’ as it has been running events for many decades, and many of the real industry professionals are old … (sorry to all my colleagues over 40 ... you know who you are!) Other parts of the world have a young events market due to financial or political issues in those countries pasts and their personnel cannot be expected to have the experience that UK professionals may have. Experience has shown that the
Andy with local crew on a project in Hong Kong main changes between certain parts of the world and the UK in the events world can be structural safety, as some areas outside of Europe, the US and Australasia do not have tested purpose built structures; the main roof elements tend to be purpose built, however the stage base can be of various wooden components on a mix and match basis. General health and safety elements are vastly different between countries and local legislation information should always be sought at an early stage. If legislation is lacking then it appears that the safest bet is to
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT
New degree launched at Derby A NEW degree has been launched by the University of Derby Corporate and Showsec. The foundation degree in Applied Professional Studies specialising in Crowd Management started in February and already 24 junior and mid-operational management executives have embarked on the flexible programme, which combines academic and theoretical knowledge with work-based skills. Workforce development fellow at
University of Derby Corporate Conor Moss said: “The commitment from both parties on this project has been exemplary; the programme fits in well with our extensive selection of courses based around the events industry. “The programme has been developed to recognise the existing experience and knowledge of the individual learners/employees to enable them to achieve components of the course at a speed that suits them.”
An Irish first for Sean with rigging supervisor certificate SEAN Pagel from Production Services Ireland has become the first person in Ireland to attain PLASA's National Rigging Certificate Level three – rigging supervisor level. The certificate demonstrates that individuals have reached a professional standard within their chosen
rigging discipline. Sean said: "With health and safety issues increasingly topping all rigging agendas, and our commitment to offering clients the very best and highest quality services, industry driven and recognised qualifications like this are vitally important.”
utilise UK legislation as if you were working at home, this should keep the standards high enough to avoid issues. Always remember that punishments for infractions overseas can be far higher in foreign lands than in the UK, it’s always best to return home with all body parts intact. Generally though, foreign events are run extremely well and can be a company’s saving when marketplaces are falling foul of the recession in certain parts of the globe, and I advocate exploring this marketplace at every opportunity. Like Sir Francis Drake – explore the world!
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Audio Visual Arcstream AV Unit 22 Nonsuch Industrial Estate Kiln Lane Epsom Surrey KT17 1DH T: 01372 742 682 M: 07813 825 215 F: 01372 737 279 E: neil.m@arcstreamav.com www.arcstreamav.com
Bars Eagle Event Bars 27 Bridge Street Carmarthen Carmarthenshire SA31 3JS T: 01267 235031 M: 07790 614401 E: dyfrig@eaglehospitality.co.uk www.eaglehospitality.co.uk
Backline & PA Hire Sensible Music Group 90-96 Brewery Road London N7 9NT T: 020 7700 9900 F: 020 7700 4802 E: studio@sensible-music.co.uk www.sensible-music.co.uk
Communications Wall to Wall Communications Unilink House 21 Lewis Road Sutton, Surrey SM1 4BR T:020 8770 1007 F:020 8770 9700 E:hire@walltowallcomms.co.uk www.walltowallcomms.co.uk
Crowd Management A.P. Security (North) Ltd. 33 Metro Centre Dwight Road Watford Herts WD189SB T: 0870 412 2232 E: johnphillips@apsecurity.co.uk www.apsecurity.co.uk Event Security Solutions Limited B1-B6 The Alison Business Centre 40 Alison Crescent Sheffield S2 1AS T: 0114 283 5948 E: info@eventsecuritysolutions.co.uk www.eventsecuritysolutions.co.uk G4S Events Sutton Park House 15 Carshalton Road Sutton Surrey SM1 4LD T: 0800 085 9899 E: sales@uk.g4s.com www.g4s.com/uk-events Specialized Security 4 Fairways Business Park Deer Park Livingston EH54 8AF T: 01506 442255 E: tom@specializedsecurity.co.uk www.specializedsecurity.co.uk
365 - SUPPLIER DIRECTORY
Emergency Marquee Stakes Staging Heating & Cooling and Accessories Carrier Rental Systems Wigan Road Leyland Preston PR25 5XW T: 0800 026 4717 E: info@CarrierRentalSystems.co.uk
Event Branding Piggotts Branding 43 London Road Stanford Rivers Ongar Essex CM5 9PJ T: 01277 363262 E: kelly.seymour@piggotts.co.uk www.piggotts.co.uk
Event Power BRM Productions Unit 12 Canalside Industrial Park Kinoulton Road Cropwell Bishop Notts NG12 3BE T: 0115 989 9955 M: 07860 285305 F: 0115 989 9977 E: power@brm-productions.co.uk
Health & Safety Event Safety 12 Vale Avenue Bury BL9 9LW M: 07812 159 339 T: 0161 763 7020 E: kevin@event-safety.org www.event-safety.org
Insurance Services ARC International St. Clare House 30-33 Minories London EC3N 1PE T: +44 (0) 207 977 7630 F: +44 (0) 207 977 7631 E: twaller@arc-int.co.uk Event Insurance Services Limited Event House 20A Headlands Business Park Ringwood BH24 3PB T: 01425 470360 E: info@events-insurance.co.uk www.events-insurance.co.uk Robertson Taylor 33 Harbour Exchange Square London E14 9GG T: 020 7510 1234
E: enquiries@rtib.co.uk www.Robertonson-taylor.com
Marquees Piggotts Marquees 43 London Road Stanford Rivers Ongar Essex CM5 9PJ T: 01277 363262 E: richard.treml@piggotts.co.uk www.piggotts.co.uk
Ansell Hand Tools 72 Catley Road Darnall Sheffield S9 5JF T: 0114 244 8098 E: ansellhandtools@aol.com www.ansellhandtools.co.uk
Medical Management SP Services (UK) Ltd Unit D4, Hortonpark Estate Hortonwood 7 Telford Shropshire TF1 7GX T: 01952 288 999 F: 01952 606 112 E: sales@spservices.co.uk www.spservices.co.uk Venture Event Medical Management Copperfield House 47 Leeds Road Gawthorpe Ossett West Yorkshire WF5 9QW T: 07988 388461 E: enquiries@ventureemm.co.uk www.ventureemm.co.uk
Portable Kitchens PKL Group (UK) Ltd, Stella Way Bishops Cleeve Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL52 7DQ T: 01242 663000 E: postbox@pkl.co.uk www.pkl.co.uk
Promotional Staff ACG : Artimis Creative Group Hickory House Primsland Close Monkspath Solihull B90 4YH T: 0121 703 3168 M: 07977 252308 E: info@artimis.co.uk www.artimis.co.uk
Revolving Stages Movetech UK A division of British Turntable Co Ltd Emblem Street Bolton BL3 5BW T: 01204 537682 E: rental@movetechuk.com www.movetechuk.com/rental
Centre Stage Events Unit 108a Leyland Trading Estate Irthlingborough Road Wellingborough T: 01234 783234 E: info@centrestageevents.com www.centrestageevents.com Daytona Stage Hire P.O. Box 43 Huddersfield HD8 9YU T: 01484 605555 M: 07889 132580 F: 01484 602806 E: daytonastagehire@mac.com www.daytonastagehire.com Steeldeck Rentals Ltd Unit 58 T.Marchant Estate 42-72 Verney Road London SE16 3DH T: 020 7833 2031 E: richard@steeldeck.co.uk www.steeldeck.co.uk
The Outdoor Staging Company Ltd 1 Langley Drive Castle Bromwich B35 7AD T: +44(0)7866 470 293 E: info@outdoorstage.co.uk www.outdoorstage.co.uk
Ticketing Performance Ticket Printers Ltd The Smithy Brownlow Heath Congleton CW12 4TJ T: 01260 276164 E: austin@ticketprinters.co.uk www. ticketprinters.co.uk
Trade Associations NOEA Susan Tanner PO Box 4495 WELLS. BA5 9AS T: 01749 674 531 E: secretary@NOEA.org.uk www.noea.org.uk
Venues Fabric London Level 2 Greenhill House Cowcross Street London EC1M 6B T: 020 7549 4844 E: celine@fabriclondon.com www.fabricevents.com
Water supplies Water Direct Ltd B-26 Earls Colne Business Park Earls Colne Colchester Essex CO6 2NS T: 0845 345 1725 F: 01787 223354 E: enquiries@water-direct.co.uk www.water-direct.co.uk
Screen Hire XL Video 2 Eastman Way Hemel Hempstead Herts HP27DU T: 01442 849400 E: info@xlvideo.tv www.xlvideo.com
To advertise here call 01226 734 456
CLASSIFIED
27
POWER SUPPLY
FAIRGROUNDS
TOILET HIRE WASTE MANAGEMENT
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
EVENT HIRE
BALLOONS
PORTABLE ROADWAY
PORTABLE ROADWAY
STAGE HIRE
RADIO HIRE
RECYCLING
HEATING & COOLING
EVENT BRANDING
LARGE SCREEN HIRE
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