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Issue 37 February 2010 £4.75
A guide to greener events
Warning over alcohol brand sponsorship By Christina Eccles ORGANISERS should think carefully about forming advertising and sponsorship agreements with alcohol brands, an expert has warned. Professor Gerard Hastings claims although advertisers are prevented from promoting themselves directly at young people, they are finding ways round this by sponsoring and advertising their brands at festivals – he claims many of which are attended by a young audience influenced by what they see at these events. He has produced a study looking at how alcohol advertising influences the behaviour of the people it is targeted at and he said organisers should think of the moral implications of being associated with brands, even if sponsorship would bring in valuable revenue. He said: “Organisers should think very carefully. It is very nice for them to get money to run their festivals, but it is coming at a cost. If festivals are joining up with alcohol companies, they are becoming part of the effort to promote the product. “The problems we have when people drink too much could be serious issues at festivals. If organisers feel there is an issue with young people drinking too much, do they want to
be part of that process?” The report also explored some of the ways alcohol advertising – which is worth about £800m per year – is making itself attractive to festivalgoers. Brands such as Carling have forged strong partnerships with festivals and the brand was headline sponsor of Reading and Leeds until 2007 – renaming the event, the Carling Weekend. The report said Carling took particular interest in the fact the event was the ‘first choice for the festival virgin’ and capitalised on that by offering branded tents and free cans of beer to festivalgoers. Professor Hastings added by appearing at festivals, brands can benefit from the appeal of the acts on and get their brand associated with that. He added: “There is the implication that an event wouldn’t happen without their support and the bands somehow endorse the product. Organisers should think about the consequences.” The Main Event approached Carling’s owner Molson Coors but the company declined to comment. Is it right for organisers to expose young festivalgoers to alcohol brands even if sponsorship brings money to the event? Send your comments to ce@whpl.net
A never-before-seen Ice Queen was the star attraction at Newcastle’s New Year’s Eve Winter Carnival. The puppet – along with two other carnival queens – was paraded through the streets as producers Walk the Plank raised icy temperatures in the city. Producer Liz Pugh said: “The whole event was very good natured and there was a real willingness from spectators to come out and support what was happening. We managed to get some of that carnival heat out onto the streets.” Picture: Karen Wright Full story Page 8
A NEW guide has been published which gives organisers a helping hand on how to make their events more sustainable. It has been written by Meegan Jones – who has worked as a sustainability manager for Festival Republic on Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds. It helps festivals who want to become green to know where to start and the steps they need to take. Sustainable Event Management: A Practical Guide includes case studies and examples from festivals around the world including: Big Green Gathering Glastonbury Camden Green Fair Latitude Reading It also looks at key aspects of how organisers can understand and manage the impact of events of any type and scale and includes discussion on energy, zero emissions options, carbon management, water and waste. The Main Event is the official magazine of the National Outdoor Events Association
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In an increasingly competitive industry, events professionals will need to go that extra mile this year to ensure they stand out. Here festival and event management guru Paul Gudgin shares his top five tips for excelling in events ...
Guru Paul on how to excel in event management 1. EDUCATION, Education, Education: Many events professionals are now seeking a formal qualification to complement their practical experience and improve on skills and knowledge. Build on your existing relationship with your employer and ask for their support in your event management training. Approach them with a realistic plan and offer the new event management skills you develop as a great return for their investment. Courses should provide a good grounding not only in creative areas and ideas, but in practical areas such as event operations, budgeting, project management and risk management. 2. Keep up-to-date: In recent years, areas such as project management, information technology and risk management have revolutionised many of the systems used to successfully manage events. Currently, it is sustainable development and green practices and in the next few years we can expect to see an increasing emphasis on economic sustainability and the ability to deliver quality events on modest budgets. It is also important to keep an eye on what is currently happening overseas. Industry associations provide opportunities for networking with colleagues and international forums for the discussion and exchange of new knowledge and developments.
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Leisure centre branches into events with Tinchy Stryder
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‘The dream is that the whole of Bath becomes funny’
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Local authority spotlight Temporary Structures Training and recruitment NOEA
Pages 14&15 Pages 16-17 Page 19 Pages 20&21
Classified
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CONTACTS EDITORIAL
Group Editor
Andrew Harrod
Paul Gudgin 3. Get online: Going green is more than saving trees, budgets, and reducing carbon footprints. Get online and look for ways to make it easier to engage with your event audience. Every attendee and exhibitor has a public voice – Twitter, Facebook, etc – that can turn a small incident into a catastrophe or a nice event into the best ever. By being engaged and nurturing the communications going on in the background, you can encourage event participants to help sell and promote your event. 4. Location, Location, Location: Basing yourself in the right location is crucial. Consider where events are truly booming such as
Edinburgh. The city has a worldwide reputation for events, and is estimated to bring in revenues of over £200m each year. 5. Go the extra mile: Events have to provide not only quality, efficiency and innovation but also a memorable experience that will differentiate them. With many events competing for similar audiences, you need to ensure yours stands out from the crowd. Invest time in researching event supplier companies for the latest quirky, engaging and unusual ideas that will add that extra sparkle to your event. Paul is former director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and also lectures in event management at Edinburgh Napier University.
Firm secures five-year deal at Murrayfield G4S EVENTS has agreed a five-year contract to provide Scottish rugby with security and stewarding services at Murrayfield, Scotland’s national rugby stadium. The contract means the company will provide up to 470 staff per event to international rugby fixtures and high profile concerts held at the
Safety first as 80,000 descend on Princes Street
stadium. Services include crowd management, provision of hospitality stewards, turnstile management, car parking, response teams and stadium safety stewards. Managing director Mark Hamilton said: “Scottish Rugby’s long term commitment to our services enables
us to offer a bespoke stewarding and security programme to the organisation. “We can recruit new staff with confidence from the local area, in the knowledge that we can offer them long term job prospects and development opportunities.”
Tel: 01226 734639 editorial@themaineventmagazine.co.uk Reporters: Christina Eccles (ce@whpl.net) Mary Ferguson (mf@whpl.net) Louise Cordell (lcordell@whpl.net) Dominic Musgrave (dm@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 Sales Executive:
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www.themaineventmagazine.co.uk
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Organisers in bid to attract new audience By Christina Eccles
A South Yorkshire leisure centre is branching out into the events market with an ambitious programme for 2010. Among the acts lined up to perform at Barnsley venue The Metrodome is chart topper Tinchy Stryder who will be appearing there in April. To find out how the Metrodome is transforming its sports hall into an events space for the concert, see next issue of The Main Event.
ONE of Scotland’s most popular festivals is using technology to help attract a new audience to the event. The Wickerman Festival, which takes place in Dumfries and Galloway, has revamped its website to attract more visitors and has also launched a competition to find a soundtrack for a television advertising campaign – with the winning act getting a slot to perform at the festival. The website has expanded its online features to include an online TV channel – Wickervision – where visitors to the site can watch video clips of the festival and get a taste of the Wickerman experience before they arrive at the event. The site also contains ideas of things to do in the surrounding area, which festival director Sid Ambrose said is useful for helping festivalgoers to plan a longer break. He told The Main Event that having a website is essential for the festival, but to attract people back to it, the site has to be as good as possible – and additions such as Wickervision help with that. He said: “Last year a lot of people didn’t go abroad and instead came to festivals for a ‘staycation’. “The website shows people what the festival is all about but also shows other activities they can do in the area. “We want to try and make their visit as fun and action-packed as possible, especially as a large percentage of our audience bring kids.” As the festival is very much a familyorientated event, organisers are tak-
Sid Ambrose ing steps this year to improve the experience for those who bring children – but also for those who don’t. More work is being done on the campsites to divide them into sections for festivalgoers who may want to stay up later and for those who have families with them who may want a quieter experience. Sid added the festival is also trying to increase the range of activities which are non-music orientated to cater for all sections of the Wickerman’s audience.
Oxford transforms historic venues for jazz festivals SOME of Oxford’s most popular and historic venues are being transformed into exciting performance spaces as part of this year’s Oxford Jazz Festival. Venues including the newly refurbished Ashmolean Museum and the Bodleian Library are being used for the event, which takes place in the city over Easter weekend in April. The festival was set up last year after founder Max Mason decided to stage an event which combined his love of jazz with a way to boost tourism in Oxfordshire. He explained: “Oxford has 9m visitors per year but there is not a festival to keep them in town. The festival is a way of retaining people in Oxford and giving them a staycation. “Events provide an exciting backdrop for tourists visiting the city and the festival gives them a reason to
come back on an annual basis.” Working in such unusual venues, which are not normally used to hold events, could prove complex for organisers but Max said that the key to success is finding out which artists would match well with each setting. He added: “It is an unusual thing but it’s not too difficult if you find the types of acts which are most suitable for each venue.” The festival attracted about 4,000 people last year and organisers are hoping for a similar audience this year. Max said that even without sponsorship last year, the festival managed to break even through ticket prices – and after increasing the number of venues it is using, he is hoping for even greater success this year.
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As one of the UK’s largest street parties, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations attracted an 80,000 strong crowd. Christina Eccles found out why providing them with a safe and enjoyable experience was top priority for security staff.
How security staff look out for 80,000 revellers
The event attracted 80,000 people
WORKING closely with organisers Unique Events and the emergency services, G4S’ staff were on hand to ensure visitors to Edinburgh city centre on New Year’s Eve had a good, and most importantly secure evening. The event has been running for the past 17 years and G4S has been involved from the start – meaning that over the years, strong relationships have been created with partners and other suppliers. Experience and knowledge of the event has also been built up, which has helped the team carry out duties including the safeguarding of entrance and exit points, ticket checking, securing the fireworks sites and protecting VIP areas. As a major highlight of the five-day festival programme, the Hogmanay Street Party
joined together 80,000 visitors in Princes Street to see in 2010. And although cutbacks had led to the number of stages being reduced and capacity cut from 100,000, festivalgoers were still treated to a music and fireworks spectacular, including a concert featuring performances from Madness and Noisettes. G4S Events’ operations director Peter Croy explained: “The event is one of the largest street parties in the UK. I have been involved for the full 17 years, as have a lot of other staff so there is a lot of experience there.” One of the most important parts of the role is acting as an information point – especially when it comes to helping festivalgoers get home safely. He added: “This is a major part of the job – particularly
after the event. Free buses are put on so we make sure crowds are being pointed in the right direction.” This year was the first in a long time that the event was affected by snow, which made the planning even more interesting. “There is always a challenge. We had over 500 staff working that night. We also bring up 100 G4S staff who are based in Manchester and Sheffield. We thought the weather conditions might be an issue with them getting here but fortunately it wasn’t. Our biggest challenge is to get 80,000 people through the entrances between 7pm and 11pm when they shut. But we have a lot of experience working on it and the template is there. It gets tweaked every year but the changes are very small.”
A rare Cold War jet fighter will perform its first UK flying display for almost a decade when it appears at this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo. The display will form part of the event – which takes place in July at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire – after an agreement between the air tattoo organisers and the Romanian Air Force.
Uncertainty is over as Pride secures funding THE financial future of Pride in Brighton and Hove has been secured thanks to successful fund-raising events, cost-cutting measures and a short-term bridging loan from Brighton and Hove City Council. Fund raising efforts netted over £14,000, while cost-cutting measures saved about £11,000. A loan of £20,000 from Brighton and Hove City Council, along with a commitment to pay by one of last year’s sponsors, meant that the potential budget shortfall was successfully bridged by the end of last year.
Acting pride chair Robert Clothier said: “With our financial position secured, any uncertainty about this year’s Pride that there may have been is now over. We are committed to working with our new production company, Fisher Productions, all our other contractors, local LGBT businesses and community groups to make this year’s Pride festival better than ever before. “We have exciting plans for the Pride Parade and the main park event, which will be announced very shortly.”
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Extra revenue to be used to improve event A FESTIVAL in Cumbria is raising ticket prices this year in order to generate extra revenue to improve the event. The organisers of Kendal Calling are preparing to put tickets on sale for the three-day festival priced at £85, which represents a price increase of £5 per day on last year’s tickets. But according to promoter Ben Robinson, the extra money made from ticket sales will allow the team to make developments to the site and infrastructure – creating a better experience for festivalgoers. He said: “Logistically, we are looking at the toilet and litter situation. Ticket prices will be increased by £5 per day and this increase will go to improving the actual event.” The festival is also doing its bit for charity by donating a portion of ticket revenue to the Cumbria Flood Foundation. Although the site wasn’t directly affected by the recent flooding in Cumbria, surrounding areas were hit. But the rain did mean that the festival got chance to see how the site would cope if it was hit by bad weather – and thankfully it held up well. Kendal Calling moved to the site – Lowther Deer Park – in 2008 after spending the last few years trying out different locations. And Ben thinks the event has now found its ideal home where it can grow and develop over the next few years. He added: “We have sorted out the
Ben Robinson site for the next three years after coming to an agreement with the landowners. “The beauty of the site is that it has good road links and infrastructure. It is a good place to expand and grow. “I think this year should be really good. We want to emulate the success of last year and concentrate on adding to the festival experience. We are really excited.” How are plans going for your festival? Let us know by emailing ce@whpl.net or contact our editorial team on 01226 734463. A new light installation has been created in Blackpool, which aims to draw more evening visitors into the town. The centrepiece of the Brilliance installation is six arches over the town’s Birley Street plus additional lighting pods along surrounding streets. The Birley Street lightshow – with lights by Robe UK – takes place every 10 minutes to a specially composed sound track and is designed to encourage visitors to stay in Blackpool into the evening to take advantage of the area’s bars, restaurants and entertainment venues. The scheme was commissioned by Blackpool Council and has received additional funding from the Northwest Development Agency and the European Regional Development Fund.
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An event on the streets of Newcastle gave the city a carnival flavour, complete with a never before seen ice queen. Christina Eccles found out how the party atmosphere warmed up sub zero temperatures on New Year’s Eve ...
Carnival hots up chilly Newcastle THOUSANDS of people braved the cold on December 31 to say goodbye to 2009 and welcome in a new decade – and producers Walk the Plank were on hand to ensure the event went off with a bang. Three carnival queens – including a specially made ice queen – were paraded through the city alongside puppeteers, dancers and musicians, with the whole event coming to a climax with a spectacular fireworks display. Although the traditional idea of a carnival involves bright colours, exotic climates and skimpy costumes, Walk the Plank turned this idea on its head by designing a carnival procession, which reflected the winter season. The colours, sound and entertainment associated with creating a carnival atmosphere were all present – but given a twist to suit the freezing temperatures of Newcastle in December. One of the features of the ice queen
was a built in snow machine – something which actually wasn’t needed when the snow started for real. Producer Liz Pugh explained: “We thought it would be a good idea to take the traditional summer carnival and transform it for New Year’s Eve. “But we had to think how to turn the flimsy carnival costumes into something which would keep participants warm. “All the ice queen’s attendants had hats as part of their costumes and the puppeteers also wore thick clothing. “We had the challenge of working outdoors in minus five degrees so that had to be worked into the design elements from the start.” The Winter Carnival was a highlight of NewcastleGateshead’s festivals and events programme, developed by culture10 and was organised in partnership with Newcastle City Council. Walk the Plank has been commissioned to work on nine out of the last 10 New Year’s Eve celebrations in the
city – but this year the company and partners involved decided it was time to do something different, so decided on the winter carnival theme. As in previous years, the entertainment began early afternoon and finished about 6pm with the fireworks display. And the afternoon start made it a popular choice for families wanting to celebrate the New Year together. Liz also said that as the company had worked on the event before, it had built up a good working relationship with the emergency services, which helped with the smooth running of the carnival. She added: “We know how busy the emergency services get later in the evening so that means a lot of planning. But we now have an event plan that has been proven. The road closures go in, the parade route is one that everyone has signed up to and we can work on the basis that we have done it before. “We were really pleased. The whole
event was very good natured and there was a real willingness from spectators to come out and support what was happening. “We managed to get some of that carnival heat out onto the streets.”
‘It’s the quality that counts’ EVENT Security Solutions Ltd was formed in 2007 by a group of security and crowd management professionals with the aim of providing clients with a bespoke service that offers high quality with good value for money. Although the company is relatively young, our collective experience within the company at all levels is vast, encompassing all types of events from high profile international events such as the European Jumping and Dressage Championships and Leeds Festival to smaller shows such as Worcester Christmas Fayre and Brockelsby Country Fair. Our philosophy is to provide our clients with trained, quality personnel that are handpicked to suit their event or venue. We recognise that a steward or security person who does a very good job at a music concert is not necessarily suited to an event such as a trade exhibition.
This is achieved by working closely with the client, listening to what they want, our experience and not overstretching the company resources. All our personnel are vetted using British Standard 7858:2006 as the bench mark. This ensures we have a 10-year history, giving peace of mind to our clients. Additionally they will be qualified in or working towards an NVQ level 2 in Spectator Safety, this includes personnel who hold licences in accordance with the Private Security Industry Act 2001. This is the base level, we then have a number of continuation courses, such as customer care, first aid to name but a few. As a company we have no desire to ‘rule the world’. Our aim is to become renowned as a supplier of high quality services that retains the personal touch. To paraphrase an old adage, ‘size doesn’t matter, it’s the quality that counts’.
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Organisers are urged to pull together By Christina Eccles
The Natural Theatre Company will performing in outdoor spaces around Bath
‘Dream is that the whole of Bath becomes funny’ THE Bath Comedy Festival will be bigger and better this year after organisers decided to expand the outdoor element of the event. After a successful first event last year, the festival will begin again on April Fools’ Day – presenting comedy to residents and visitors to Bath in a variety of venues and public spaces. One of the most popular parts of the festival is outdoor street theatre and after forming a partnership at last year’s event with The Natural Theatre Company, it is something organisers are keen to grow. Organiser Alex Timms said: “Street theatre creates a lot of magic moments and we are working with the local council and city centre management to create lots of performance spaces. “Bath is a World Heritage City with some wonderful public areas, which are ideal for performances, and a backdrop of beautiful architecture.”
As well as the return of The Natural Theatre Company, the festival is also working with students from Bath Spa University, who will also be performing street theatre around the city which explores Bath’s rich heritage. Local retailers are also being encouraged to get involved in the comedy theme by creating funny shop window displays. And Alex told The Main Event that as the booking period for performers is well underway and the finishing touches are being added to the event, he is looking forward to the festival getting started. He added: “We had a brilliant comedy festival last year and we are working to make it even bigger and better this year. “We are involving more people and have some wonderful acts performing and an eclectic mix of entertainment. “The dream is that during the period of the festival, the whole of Bath becomes funny.”
FESTIVALS should pull together and help each other out by sharing knowledge and ideas, it has been claimed. Ben Turner – co founder of the Association of Independent Festivals – thinks that organisers should not feel worried by competition and should get to know people who work on rival events, who may have useful skills which could benefit their event. The association formed just over a year ago and has already attracted over 20 members from some of the UK’s leading independent festivals, including Creamfields, Bestival and Secret Garden Party. And Ben told The Main Event that by joining forces, the association has given the independent sector a voice and a platform to come together and share their experiences of running major events. He said: “We very much welcome educating festivals and nobody feels threatened by helping other events.
Not everybody on the board wants to get bigger. Some are comfortable where they are. “We have got a job to educate about what we are doing and I feel we are in a stronger position now – we have a voice.” But the association also has a strong moral code and was forced to suspend one of its members – the Bloom Festival – after it emerged its organisers still owed festivalgoers refunds from last year’s cancelled event. Ben added: “We carry a strict code of practice. The festival chose not to take our advice and we have suspended them indefinitely until they can show festivalgoers have been refunded.” Initiatives which the Association of Independent Festivals has been working on include leading discussions with PRS over a special rate being installed at festivals and a task force set up in conjunction with security companies to tackle campsite crime at AIF member events.
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The use of technology at events can vary from keeping visitors safe and secure to enabling them to use the latest gadgets to interact with each other on site. Christina Eccles caught up with one of the industry’s leading suppliers to discover what organisers need to consider when using technology at their events.
Why wireless technology is proving a hit with organisers WIRELESS technology has become increasingly popular because of the flexibility it gives to organisers. The use of this kind of technology means they can do anything from delivering important information all over a festival site to managing noise levels. Systems can be installed rapidly and and if organisers want to make any changes, they can be responded to really quickly. One company at the forefront of this technology is CBA Spindlewood – which has recently formed after a merger between CBA and Spindlewood. And according to the team, using this kind of technology at events can help organisers with some of the most common problems they may face. One of the things it specialises in is manufacturing noise monitoring sys-
tems, which operate in real time. CBA Spindlewood’s Chris Beale said: “Festivals can suffer from complaints about noise but organisers also want levels to be as good as possible for the fans. “The way to achieve that is to remove uncertainty. If someone has a valid complaint, we want to know straight away so we need real time, good information so we can react accordingly. We can control the situation by managing the noise profile so that it fits exactly within the local authority’s limits.” Wireless technology also reduces the number of cables needed on site, which eliminates waste and helps organisers to improve their green credentials. Chris added: “Festivals have to be conscious of green issues. Most promoters make massive efforts to reduce their carbon footprint and we
Investing keeps firm at the top of their game ... XL Video are always researching and investing in new products to bring to the rental market and in this fast developing industry they pride themselves on being at the top of their game. A recent addition to XL’s inventory is the new PIXLED range of lightweight screens. With over 10 products, ranging from 5mm to 40mm pixel pitch, there is arguably something for everyone. The beauty of these products is that in being so lightweight, it opens up a whole new dimension of creative freedom allowing integration into locations previously considered unfeasible. Being lightweight also allows for greatly reduced transport costs, quicker and easier on site rigging and therefore less manpower required, reducing costs all round. But being lightweight and low cost does not mean you are skimping on
quality. All PIXLED screens incorporate three in one SMD technology, superb colour depth and proven reliability and are proving very popular in a whole range of applications. The PIXLED family consists of a wide range of products, including standard format LED, transparent and creative LED and of course, being XL, they have a dedicated team of engineers to design any bespoke framework.
want to play our part. “The company has a strong philosophy of producing new and improved methods and we spend time thinking about how we can make them better.” Technology is also being used more widely by festivalgoers themselves but according to Chris, this is something which organisers need to be wary of. Although wireless enabled mobile phones allow festivalgoers to interact with each other and enhance their festival experience, it also means that there is potentially the chance they could all be informed about a secret gig in a certain area of the festival, for example, and huge numbers of people could congregate in one place. “You have got to be careful about it. If you have an audience all equipped with wireless enabled phones, they
could all interact simultaneously and you have to think about the consequences of that. “We have got a duty of care to the people who are there and we have to think really carefully about everything we do.” One area which has potential is the entertainment opportunities which wireless technology presents. Live streaming is a growth area at festivals and something which will continue to expand as the technology improves. “Live streaming has been limited in the past because of broadband speed. As these speeds increase, we will get more chance of doing that. “But we mustn’t get away from the fact that festivals are about people and live music. We want people to be at festivals and the most important thing is to improve the experience of people who go to them.”
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The first part of 2010 is going to be busy for the events industry in Qatar, with sporting events in particular taking centre stage. In this month’s column, Dan Schofield explains why sport is putting the country on the map...
Qatar nets sporting events QATAR is one of those places that very few people actually know anything about. I certainly knew nothing about it when I first came here. Like many other Middle-Eastern countries, Qatar has huge ambitions. Ambitions that will not only see it topping the various oil and gas charts and GDP per capita tables but that will see it as one of the key destinations in the international sporting calendar. The sporting year in Qatar opened in the first week of January with the Exxon Mobil ATP Tennis event, which this year featured Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal plus four other players in the current top 10. At the end of January was the Qatar Masters golf event – one of the richest golfing events on the planet and featuring six of the current top 10 PGA tour players in the world. The week after the golf finishes you have the Ladies’ Tour of Qatar swiftly followed by the Mens’ Tour of Qatar, partly organised by the ASO (organisers of Le Tour De France). The tours brings some of the
world’s best cyclists to the streets of Qatar, all looking to make a flying start to the season. March sees the biggest event for Qatar in terms of international coverage when Doha hosts the World Indoor Athletics Championships. This is not an insignificant event. Broadcast rights have been sold to every continent and over 150 countries have confirmed they will be sending teams to Doha. The Moto GP takes place in April at the Lusail Circuit. After many, many pub based arguments over the merits of Motor based sports being classified as actual sports I’m going to skirt over this event but it’s still a big international event for Qatar to be hosting. What does this all culminate in? Not a lot actually, Qatar has hosted big events for many years but what it does show is that whilst these events individually may not scratch the international surface of interest, add them together to a calendar of events and Qatar looks like the greatest sporting nation in the world. Something which I am sure will be pushed upon in the bid book
From photographers, stylists, choreographers, make-up artists, event planners and organisers to photographic models, presentation and fitting models, showroom models, catwalk and fashion models, child models, actors and TV
Next month Dan reveals more about which international event he will be at the heart of.
ORGANISERS of the Royal International Air Tattoo have launched an earlybird ticket offer, valid until the end of February. Those who book early can benefit from a saving of £5 per ticket. The £4 booking fee has also been waived. Deputy director of marketing Helen Webb said the offer, combined with free entry for all under-16s, meant the airshow offered unrivalled value-for-money for families.
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Dan Schofield
Tattoo launches earlybird offer
The UK’s largest temporary ice rink has returned to Millennium Square in Leeds. Ice Cube – which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year – is organised by Leeds City Council’s events team with support from media partners 96.3 Radio Aire and the Yorkshire Evening Post. As well as enjoying the ice skating, visitors can also enjoy a wildlife photography exhibition and a public cafe area overlooking the ice. Since the rink first opened in 2001, over half a million people have taken to the ice.
SINCE 2000, the Artimis Creative Group has built an enviable reputation supplying only the very best in high quality, specialist talent for the fashion, retail and entertainment industries.
that Qatar submits on May 14 as it vies to become the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. On a personal note I genuinely, sincerely and truly hope that England is successful in its bid to host the 2018 World Cup. It will be great for the UK events industry but selfishly it will also mean they won’t roll over to the 2022 voting and go up against Qatar’s bid which I will be backing 100 per cent. Why am I writing about sporting events in Qatar? Partly because the Qatar Marine Festival project I was working on has been postponed so I can’t write about that, partly because I wanted to highlight a myriad of opportunities available to UK suppliers looking to the Middle East and partly because each of these events forms part of my current freelance working life. Being in Qatar is a hotbed of event activity and I am in the very fortunate position of being able to make a living picking up work on each of these international events, of which one in particular is about to become a big part of my life ...
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ADVERTISER’S ANNOUNCEMENT
The smallest hitch could turn a carefully planned event into a total nightmare. It probably won’t. But what if it does? You need to know everything is taken care of, just in case. That’s what we’re here for. If you get a quote or buy your event insurance from us during February or March, you could win one of the latest Ipod nanos from Apple. Get a quote or buy online now at www.events-insurance.co.uk/eventpromo10 making sure you enter the promotion code MEIP03 or contact us on 0800 515980 for more information.
Don’t let the weather catch you out ...
Looking ahead to a busy season WITH January under our belts we can now start to think about the start of the season ahead – and already it’s looking like a busy one. February kicks straight off with the six nations, offering more than enough rough and tumble for the most avid rugby fan to fill their corporate boots with 15 fixtures around Europe over seven weeks. Will Ireland retain their pole position? Amid all the scrums and tries the English and Irish will no doubt lock horns again at the
sensational Cheltenham Festival. Playing host to visitors from all over the world, this is no doubt one of the great sporting occasions of the season, the showpiece event of the National Hunt racing calendar with over £2m in prize money. What a fantastic start to the corporate calendar as we strive to head out of recession. What superb opportunities to impress potential clients, improve relations, reward successful employees or just have fun with friends.
TUESDAY January 5 2010 and mayhem unveiled itself as the country ground to a halt under a blanket of pretty white snow. Panic shopping at the tills had supermarkets reeling in what is predictably the slowest week of the year with shelves emptied leaving many stores looking like they had been looted. And what of the event market, as with consumer habits one would have thought that the first week of the New Year would be a non-event, think again. Tuesday saw the first round of nervous calls from people up and down the country who were having weddings, bar mitzvah’s and events on the Saturday, the tentative enquiry, what if we can’t go ahead? For reasons beyond your control, if the event has to be cancelled and that reason is within the terms of the policy then naturally that policy will respond. That doesn’t however compensate for the months of planning and the emotion and disappointment endured when faced with the reality.
Tuesday also bought a wave of enquiries for adverse weather cover for events and weddings, taking place over the forthcoming weekend, amazingly this was followed by genuine bewilderment that, no, you cannot get cover for a pre-existing condition. Most insurers operate a 14-day rule on adverse weather cover, check the web and you can normally get a fairly accurate prediction of what weather to expect certainly in the week to come and an idea of what will follow in the short term thereafter. Obviously the unexpected does happen but if somebody has been a year in the planning it seems incredulous that they have chosen to leave the insuring of such varying sums, some of which were quite steep, to the week of the actual event. Weather patterns are unpredictable, wash out summers and arctic winters may become common place but if a risk is insured in a timely manner then cover will apply and financial losses avoided.
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LOCAL AUTHORITY SPOTLIGHT
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A major issue affecting local authority event organisers is budgeting and how to make events good value for money without compromising on visitor experience. One team managing this successfully can be found in Tower Hamlets. Christina Eccles paid a visit to find out more.
Park proves big boost for funds Event takes over streets,
Pictures: Dave Sinclair
parks and open spaces THE Baishakhi Mela is one of the council’s flagship events and attracts a massive crowd of 95,000. The event is a celebration of the Bengali New Year and takes over the streets around Brick Lane plus parks and open spaces in the borough. A procession links the sites together and popular artists perform on stage – with the event now so popular it is televised to audiences in Bangladesh. The Mela started off as a community event but when its capacity kept on growing, the council stepped in to
help with the organisation. It awarded funding to the event in 2008 and 2009, which will also be in place this year. Challenges around the event include road closures and dealing with a very substantial audience moving between sites. To combat this, programming is considered very carefully to ensure there is lots going on at different sites, which encourages crowds to spread out rather than congregate in one area.
SENIOR arts and events officer Nick Green and festival and events officer Pam McCrea admit that in a challenging economic climate, the amount of money spent on local authority events may have to be cut. However, with one of the London’s best parks on the doorstep, the team has an ideal resource to help raise funds to put on events. Victoria Park hosts the Lovebox Weekender, Field Day and Underage festivals as well as several major oneoff events each year. And the money generated from holding these commercial events in the park is ploughed back into the council’s events programme to make sure they remain free and accessible to local residents. Last summer about a quarter of a million people attended events in Victoria Park – with about 120,000 of them going to free events put on by the council. About 60,000 also attended the council’s bonfire night fireworks display in the park – showing there is a definite appetite for events in the area. Nick explained: “We are very successful at attracting festivals and good quality music events to the
park. Both of us have worked in events outside local authorities so we know how it works. “We are quite active in talking to commercial organisations and take a strategic view of what works in the park. We work closely with these festivals to help them develop. “Also, the number of local people who go to these events is growing and that tells us that locals support them. We know local authority finances can have a big impact on us as we are not a core, statutory service. Savings will have to be made across all councils everywhere and this will translate into expectations about raising revenue.” Quality is a key factor for the team and they are always striving to provide a high standard of arts and events experiences for both visitors and local people. Pam added: “Ours events don’t have to keep growing and getting bigger. It is about having good quality work and how you approach it. “We are very strong on our production values and work hard to get good quality productions which will add to the audience experience.”
Forming part of Cultural Olympiad AS one of the five Olympic host boroughs, Tower Hamlets also plays an active role in events forming part of the Cultural Olympiad. One of these is Paradise Gardens, which showcases music and art both from the East London area and
‘A seamlessly co-ordinated operation’ MANY of London’s most colourful events take place in the Borough of Tower Hamlets and crowd management specialist A.P. Security is proud to have worked on a wide variety of them. These include the Baishakhi Mela, Guy Fawkes night celebrations and many of the festivals held in Victoria Park each year, such as Lovebox, Underage Festival and Paradise Gardens. A.P.’s head of security at the Baishakhi Mela Adam Scott said: “We have a good working history with both the Metropolitan Police and the
borough, so we understand what they need and vice versa. “The council, police and A.P. all support each other, making for a seamlessly co-ordinated operation.” The Mela covers a couple of square miles of Tower Hamlets public highways and attracts crowds of up to 100,000, while Victoria Park’s Great Balls Of Fire event has a reputation as one of the best fireworks displays in London, with over 70,000 people attending. With these events, as with many others, A.P.’s role
includes managing phased road closures, crowd management, keeping local residents happy and dealing with the occasional bit of friction between different groups of the youth element. In all cases the company’s policy of comprehensive advance preparation is key. National sales manager John Phillips added: “We know the area extremely well. “Our long-term relationships and our policy of longterm planning and preparation ensure that all the events we handle there run as smoothly as possible.”
internationally. It is the council’s main contribution to the Create Festival – a programme of culture and arts linking together everything happening in the five host boroughs.
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Contractors’ list Baishakhi Mela 2009 Event producer – Tower Hamlets Council Arts and Events Production infrastructure and safety management – Bliss Events PA and lighting – Ethix Management Security – A P Security Marquees – Sunset Marquees Big Tops – Roustabout Staging – Star Events Group Waste management – Veolia / DC Site services Trackway – Eve Trackway Stage barriers – Mojo Barriers UK Toilets – Simply Loos Traffic management – Sola Consulting Power – Ethix Management Fireworks 2009 – Great Balls of Fire Event producer – Tower Hamlets Council Arts and Events Production infrastructure management – TEU London Fireworks – Walk the Plank Pyrotechnics PA – GPA Hire Security – A P Security Marquees – WAAP Waste management – Veolia / DC Site Services Cabins – M&J Engineers Trackway – Lion Trackway Barriers and fencing – Eve Trackway Toilets – A1 Loo Hire Traffic management – Sola Consulting Power – AB Powerhouse
Great Balls of Fire draws extra 20,000 THE council’s Bonfire Night event – Great Balls of Fire – is a great example of how commercial events in the park benefit the community. The fireworks display is free to attend as it is paid for by the money generated from events in Victoria Park such as Lovebox. About 60,000 people came to the 2009 display – proving what a successful event it is but also presenting a headache for the team who had to cope with an ever-increasing capacity. The display had grown quite steadily up to 40,000 and Pam admits she thought it had reached a plateau.
But last year, an additional 20,000 people turned up, which means the council may have to reassess the event for this year.
Paradise Gardens 2009 Event producer – Tower Hamlets Council Arts and Events and Remarkable Productions Programme partners – Barbican, Continental Drifts and Remarkable Productions Production infrastructure management – TEU London PA's – GPA Hire and Pyramid Audio Security – AP Security Marquees – WAAP Big tops and main stage saddlespan – Roustabout Staging – Steeldeck Rentals Waste management – Veolia / DC Site Services Cabins – M&J Engineers Site barriers, fencing and trackway – Eve Trackway Stage barriers – Mojo Barriers UK Toilets – A1 Loo Hire Power – Pure Power
She added: “We are now in position where we need to look again at the event and the planning as there is potential for the same scale of audience to come back.” Pam said she thought one of the reasons why the event was so successful last year was because it was moved to a Saturday night rather than a Sunday. Also the night before had been very wet, perhaps encouraging people to wait until the Saturday night to attend a display.
Pictures: Paul Brocklehurst
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TEMPORARY STRUCTURES
Festival and concert market holds up for Amazing team ALTHOUGH the corporate market suffered in 2009, festivals and concerts performed well for the team at the Amazing Tent Company ... Like many event suppliers the company saw an understandable shift in corporate contracts, with product
launches and parties rescheduled for 2010. But the festival and concert market was strong with the Amazing team supplying structures to over 13 different organisers for a total of 24 gigs – proving that success is possible in this broad industry even during an
Affordable way to use iconic furniture for events THE Hiring Company provides loan furniture that is a sustainable and affordable way to hire iconic furniture. The furniture forms a co-ordinated range to create a cohesive look with a large stock of classic and contemporary furniture for corporate events, exhibitions, conferences and semi-
economic downturn. 2009 also saw an expansion into the education sector, with Amazing providing the largest Saddlespan venue ever installed, with the capacity for 6,000 people. International events were also on
the calendar and in October, three Saddlespans along with an installation crew went to the Tribeca Film Festival in Doha, where the structures were used as screening venues and workshops for a large national corporation.
Tented village created for Ryder Cup nars. The use of classic items of furniture adds a quality and timeless style to any proceedings and all our furniture is to the original designs from the authentic manufacturers. All furniture for immediate hire is detailed on our website www.theHiringCo.co.uk For more information contact: info@TheHiringco.co.uk Tel: 01708 556411
A SPECIALLY-created tented village will be among the projects created by De Boer at this year’s Ryder Cup in Wales. The company will provide facilities across the village, which will include: Public catering areas Merchandising facilities Exhibition space An information centre Ryder Cup Bar Champagne and seafood bar De Boer’s sales director – events
John Cochrane said: “The Ryder Cup remains one of the iconic fixtures on the sporting calendar, attracting huge interest not just from Europe and the US, but from across the globe. “De Boer has established an excellent working relationship with the event’s organisers and we feel honoured to have been again appointed as structure supplier. “The last three occasions we have provided accommodation have coincided with victory for the European team, so we hope the happy tradition continues.”
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Marquee company with a personal touch THE marquee and structure rental industry in the UK is very often perceived by its customers as being distinctly divided between the large national, or even international, contractors, and “the rest.” The rest comprising an unregulated collection of companies ranging from one man bands upwards. But there are companies who inhabit the “middle ground” and do provide a level of service, professionalism and technical ability that is increasingly necessary in today’s market. Maybe on a smaller scale, but possibly with a more personal touch. Elan Marquees and Structures, headed by managing director Adrian Thickens, is just such a company. Adrian, who spent 15 years as an engineer and manager in the civil engineering industry before deciding to put these skills to work in the marquee industry 15 years ago, has built the company up from a small domestic customer base to the point where supplying fully fitted out structures for a corporate dinner for 600 is a regular occurrence. He said: “I have always wanted to ensure that everything we did was on a proper footing and we could say to clients, yes we do have trained staff, yes we do have a health and safety policy, yes we do have calculations for the structures and yes we are members of
Challenges and new opportunities
Muta Marq.” Elan can supply the structures, flooring, interiors, furniture, toilets, generators, lighting and heating either individually or as a package. All the structures and much of the rest, depending on the exact specification, is supplied from our own stocks.
PIGGOTTS is looking forward to a busy year having finished 2009 as strongly as they started it – with events for The Admirable Crichton, The NFL tailgate party at Wembley Stadium and The Kensington Roof Gardens to name but a few. The company recently signed a long term agreement to provide structures for the prestigious Leander Club at The Henley Regatta. Managing director Nick McLaren said: “It is clear the year ahead will be challenging. But with these challenges comes new opportunities. We are delighted to have already secured a number of new and existing contracts and we are investing both in additional staff and structures to meet these growing demands.” Other events that Piggotts will also be involved with in 2010 will include
The Duke of Essex Polo Cup at Gaynes Park in Essex, The Suffolk Show and a series of summer events for Lambeth Palace. The season will start in earnest with the installation of a larger facility than previous years for Greene King at Twickenham which will run for the duration of the Six Nations Tournament. Business development manager Richard Treml added: “Once again we are extremely proud to be associated with such high profile events and clients such as Greene King and The Duke of Essex Polo Cup organisers Media 10. We are also looking at continued investment in our stock of structures, flooring systems and internal lining and branding solutions that we can offer the ever evolving events industry.”
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WAREHOUSE PROJECT
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For three months every year, the underground car park at Manchester’s Piccadilly train station is turned into a ‘pop-up’ nightclub. And for events agency Ear To The Ground, they face a weekly challenge to transform the venue in just a few hours. Mary Ferguson was there to witness a Friday night build for The Warehouse Project.
Weekly challenge of creating a ‘pop-up’ nightclub ... THE Warehouse Project is the UK’s largest and most successful temporary clubbing and live music phenomenon and for the fifth year running, all lighting, sound and live production has been supplied, built and managed by Ear To The Ground. Over a three-month winter period, which ended last month, almost 300 acts and DJ’s perform at the 1900 sqm venue and artists this year have included Fatboy Slim, Pete Tong, Aphex Twin, Groove Armada, La Roux, Little Boots and Jack Penate. The season ended with a big party on New Year’s Day. Located in the industrial arches deep beneath Manchester’s Picaddilly train station the whole club must be built and dismantled every week, so the space can be used for parking Monday to Friday. Tom Sabin, production manager for Ear To The Ground said: “We can only access the area from 6pm on the Friday but we have all day on a Saturday, so we tend to keep the more complicated acts for the Saturday. “The location is great, because it’s out of the way enough so as not to
make a nuisance of itself and the walls are very thick. We also put heavy drapes up to keep the noise in. “We know the promoters from working on previous projects together and we all have great relationships with Greater Manchester Police so when it comes to putting together something like this we can pull it off without problems.” The Warehouse Project is the only club in Manchester that has professional paramedics on site and Tom said they treat the event just as they would an outdoor music show. “Week to week it’s fairly straightforward but the week before the first show we had to do four overnight shifts to do the initial build – including putting up the stage, installing the PA and lighting and the various bits of aerial rigging.” ‘Store rooms’ have been built in every available crevice and there is some hard power in the venue but most of it comes from generators. The car park already has a huge air extraction system, which is used to extract the exhaust fumes from the generators. And because there is no permanent plumbing, portaloos are
brought in for clubbers. Set designs change each week to keep things fresh and on the Friday The Main Event visited, LED video screens were being put in for a set by Cocoon. But often, artists will bring their own gear for their shows. “It means things always look fresh but when Groove Armada played we had to take out the whole lighting rig for them to use their own, then put it all back up again, which was really time consuming.” An artist VIP area is created by curtaining off an area backstage and putting in sofas, a fridge and table football. Tom said the acts know what to expect and don’t complain – and they ask to come and play, the promoters never have to approach them. He added: “There are plenty of nice venues in Manchester but we wanted to do something that took the best elements of warehouse raves, but do them legally and safely with really high production values. The capacity of each show is 1,800 and they could sell out twice over they are so popular. Our aim is for artists to leave thinking it was the best show they have ever done.”
Tom Sabin
Strong relationships bring good value for money TOM said that during every Warehouse Project series, they try to make improvements and the recent season has been no exception. “This year we have flown the PA instead of putting it on risers which projects sound better and saves on stage space. We have also put a lot more video projections in place. “The budget has stayed the same as the promoters really appreciate the value of investing in really good production. And we manage to get really good value for money from our suppliers as we have such strong relationships with them.” This year's season of events saw Ear to the Ground increasing their creative involvement in the project including the introduction of Green Hippo visual technology. They also continued the ongoing relationship with visuals and sound with i-Pix and Audial, who brought in a
Funktion One sound system. It was DBN’s fourth year of working on the project and for 2009, the lighting design was created by Simon Barrington, working closely with DBN’’s project manager, Pete Robinson. The car park space covers three arches, with the main room beneath one arch. Approximately 60 points were installed in the roof – which offers about five metres of headroom – to facilitate the hanging of seven trusses of various lengths, shaped to the curves of the arches, plus a series of scaff bars for rigging scenic elements and bar lighting. The lighting fixtures were all chosen for their small sizes and high impact. There are 32 shows in each series and a pool of sound engineers share the nights out between them. An electrician is always on site for the live shows.
Contractors PA – Audile Lighting – I-Pix, DBN Power / Plumbing – Collinge Engineering Local crew – Handball Stage / Barriers – Manchester Light and StageVideo hardware – PS Events VJ’s – Chair TV Ear To The Ground Team: Production manager – Tom Sabin Stage Manager – Alan Green Stage Manager – Fran Martin Lighting / Video Design – Simon Barrington Lighting Operator – Chris Sirey
Hard at work ... During the build
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TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT
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Pinnacle offers safety passport scheme CREWING specialists Pinnacle Crew has become one of the latest companies to offer the safety passport scheme. Working with the Safety Pass Alliance, Pinnacle will now be offering the oneday course specifically designed for the general workforce in the events industry. And as well as offering the course throughout the industry, the company will be delivering it as standard to all its own crew. Managing director Heath Freeman said: “This is an important development in the live events industry. By introducing an industry-wide safety scheme we can raise awareness of our serious approach to health and safety. “The Safety Passport concept is simple. It helps establish a safety culture by providing a nationally recognised standard of health and safety training and assessment that is cost-effective, easily accessible, tests knowledge and caters for a specific industry sector. “It is a very easy way for people who move from one contract or company to another to prove to employers that they have received basic training, and therefore saves time and money in unnecessary induction training.” The course covers six modules and looks at areas including workplace safety, risk assessment and emergency procedures.
Cardiff Bay
Course aims to improve skills of events workers A COLLEGE in Cardiff has developed a new course which allows workers in the events industry to improve their skills. The Royal Welsh College has launched the MA in Event Production – a two year programme designed for individuals with experience of working on events and who want to move into a more senior role. Throughout the year, the college stages over 300 public performance events including live events, orchestral concerts, dramas, opera and
musical theatre. Students will work on at least three of these in their first year, including a trade show and a fashion show. Within this year they will also undertake a six-week industry placement. The second year is completed almost entirely within industry, with both placements tailored to suit career aspirations. Practical and academic support and mentoring is provided either onsite or through distance learning.
Audio Visual provider Piranha AV has welcomed a new starter to its team. Adam Lewis has joined the company’s technical team as installation specialist and will work with the Piranha team to supply audio-visual installation, hire and training services to companies and organisations across the UK. Adam said: “I have always enjoyed working in AV and was drawn to the position at Piranha AV because of their work ethic and friendly team – it’s been great so far and I am really looking forward to developing and growing within the team. “
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NOEA CONVENTION
New look for NOEA annual convention THE industry is getting ready for the next big show in the events calendar – NOEA’s annual convention and tribute celebration evening. The new-look event will include three days of networking opportunities, speakers and breakout sessions, designed to bring together the best names in the industry and celebrate their contributions to events held all over the UK. The theme of the event is 20:20 vision and how organisers can look ahead and plan for the future.
Award winning futurologist Rohit Talwar will be among the keynote speakers – sharing his predictions for the future of the events industry with delegates at the convention. The Main Event – the official publication of the National Outdoor Event Association – will also be hosting one of the breakout sessions and details of confirmed speakers will be revealed shortly. The event takes place on February 24 to 26 at Derby Conference Centre.
Convention farewell for John THE NOEA Convention will also provide the opportunity to say farewell to general secretary John Barton, who is retiring from the association after almost 20 years’ service. This opportunity may never have arisen if it wasn’t for a successful relaunch meeting of NOEA at the House of Commons in April 1991, organised by John after rumours were rife about the imminent demise of the association. The meeting was hosted by Tony Speller, MP for North Devon who was subsequently appointed the association’s honorary president in recognition of his tremendous support. John is stepping down at the end of February and a new general secretary will step in to the role in March.
John Barton
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NOEA CONVENTION
NOEA president Richard Limb will oversee proceedings at the awards.
Awards shortlist set to be announced ONE of the most popular parts of the event is the annual tribute celebration evening, which includes the presentation of the NOEA tribute awards. The industry has been nominating who they would like to see pick up an award in categories including
event organiser of the year, venue of the year and best practice. Nominations have now closed for the awards and the shortlist will be announced on the event’s dedicated website www.outdooreventawards.com
Keep up to date with the latest convention news by following NOEA on Twitter. Visit www.twitter.com/NOEA1 for more ...
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Audio Visual SRD Group Limited The Studio Shipbourne Road Tonbridge TN10 3DJ T: 01732 373920 info@srdgroup.co.uk www.srdgroup.co.uk 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 neil.m@arcstreamav.com www.arcstreamav.com
Bars Peppermint Bars 7 College Fields Business Centre 19 Prince George’s Road London, SW19 2PT T: 0845 226 7845 info-me@peppermintbars.co.uk www.peppermintbars.co.uk
Backline & PA Hire Sensible Music Group 90-96 Brewery Road London N7 9NT T: 020 7700 9900 F: 020 7700 4802 Studio@sensible-music.co.uk www.sensible-music.co.uk
Communications Midland Radio Links Unit 4, 181-187 Moseley Street Birmingham B12 0RT T: 0121 7667661 paul@midlandradiolinks.com www.midlandradiolinks.com Murphy Comhire Ltd Communications House Sheffield S9 1LD T: 0114 243 4567 mandy@murphy-com-hire.com www.murphy-com-hire.com
Crowd Management A.P. Security (North) Ltd. 33 Metro Centre Dwight Road Watford Herts WD189SB T: 0870 412 2232 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 info@eventsecuritysolutions.co.uk www.eventsecuritysolutions.co.uk G4S Events Sutton Park House 15 Carshalton Road Sutton Surrey SM1 4LD T: 0800 085 9899 sales@uk.g4s.com www.g4s.com/uk-events
365 - SUPPLIER DIRECTORY Crowd Managment cont. Specialized Security 4 Fairways Business Park Deer Park Livingston EH54 8AF tel: 01506 442255 tom@specializedsecurity.co.uk www.specializedsecurity.co.uk
Marquees
Screen Hire
Piggotts Marquees 43 London Road Stanford Rivers Ongar Essex CM5 9PJ T: 01277 363262 richard.treml@piggotts.co.uk www.piggotts.co.uk
XL Video 2 Eastman Way Hemel Hempstead Herts HP27DU T: 01442 849400 info@xlvideo.tv www.xlvideo.com
Staging Emergency Heating & Cooling Marquee Stakes and Accessories Carrier Rental Systems Wigan Road Leyland Preston PR25 5XW T: 0800 026 4717 Info@CarrierRentalSystems.co.uk
Event Branding Piggotts Branding 43 London Road Stanford Rivers Ongar Essex CM5 9PJ T: 01277 363262 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 power@brm-productions.co.uk
Event Production Sledge The Mill House Millers Way London W6 7NH T: 020 8743 3232 ian.irving@sledge.co.uk www.sledge.co.uk
Health & Safety Event Safety 12 Vale Avenue Bury BL9 9LW M: 07812 159 339 T: 0161 763 7020 kevin@event-safety.org www.event-safety.org
Insurance Services Event Insurance Services Limited Event House 20A Headlands Business Park Ringwood BH24 3PB T: 01425 470360 info@events-insurance.co.uk www.events-insurance.co.uk Towergate Coverex 2 County Gate Staceys Street Maidstone Kent ME14 1ST Tel 0844 8921619 Fax 0844 8921624 Email eventorganisers@towergate.co.uk Web www.towergatecoverex.co.uk Robertson Taylor 33 Harbour Exchange Square London E14 9GG T: 020 7510 1234
enquiries@rtib.co.uk www.Robertonson-taylor.com
Ansell Hand Tools 72 Catley Road Darnall Sheffield S9 5JF T: 0114 244 8098 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 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 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 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 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 rental@movetechuk.com www.movetechuk.com/rental
Centre Stage Events Unit 108a Leyland Trading Estate Irthlingborough Road Wellingborough T: 01234 783234 info@centrestageevents.com www.centrestageevents.com Steeldeck Rentals Ltd Unit 58 T.Marchant Estate 42-72 Verney Road London SE16 3DH T: 020 7833 2031 richard@steeldeck.co.uk www.steeldeck.co.uk
Temporary Fencing
Beaver 84 Ellencroft House, Harvey Road, Basildon, Essex SS13 1EP T: 01268727112 F: 01268727184 E: bryan.coombs@beaver84.co.uk
Ticketing Performance Ticket Printers Ltd The Smithy Brownlow Heath Congleton CW12 4TJ T: 01260 276164 austin@ticketprinters.co.uk www. ticketprinters.co.uk Tungate Group Brookhouse Way Cheadle Staffordshire ST10 1SR T: 01538 755755 F: 01538 756062 info@tungategroup.co.uk www.tungategroup.co.uk
Venues Fabric London Level 2 Greenhill House Cowcross Street London EC1M 6B T: 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 T: 01691 680373 info@morrisholdings.co.uk www.morrisholdings.co.uk
Water supplies Water Direct Ltd B-26 Earls Colne Business Park Earls Colne Colchester Essex CO6 2NS T: 0845 345 1725 F: 01787 223354 enquiries@water-direct.co.uk www.water-direct.co.uk
To advertise here call 01226 734 456
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CLASSIFIED
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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
FIREWORKS
RADIO HIRE
RECYCLING
HEATING & COOLING
EVENT BRANDING
LARGE SCREEN HIRE
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