PEOPLE
Tom loves life, organising Burghley concerts and Truckfest shows Tom Siddall rubs shoulders with celebrities and has the responsibility of playing a leading role in organising some of the biggest events in the country. He took time out of his busy schedule to tell Nick Rennie about his stressful but exciting life running music concerts at Burghley House and Truckfest shows at Peterborough
T
HE next time you are sitting enjoying a picnic at Burghley while watching a famous rock star strutting his stuff on stage, spare a thought for the people behind the scenes. Everything may appear to be running smoothly but there are countless logistical issues which need to be addressed before, during and after the big event. One person who knows all about the challenges is Tom Siddall, events director at Live Promotions, the company which built its reputation on the hugely popular Truckfest brand. The business has since diversified into other areas and is preparing to put on a concert by legendary former Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry on a stage in front of Burghley House on June 11. Tom loves being involved at the sharp end: “People think I have a glamorous job but it can be stressful too. It’s a lifestyle. You have to react very quickly to what is happening in the run-up to an event and during it and your phone is on 24 hours a day in case there is a problem.” One of the biggest issues Tom has faced at an event involved the pop band UB40 when they turned up to play at Burghley, only to find they had left their keyboards at a previous gig in Norway. He desperately rang around the big musical instrument suppliers in the area but none of them could provide keyboards in time. “As a last resort I went into town with the tour manager and the UB40 band members and we called at the tiny Stamford Music Shop,” recalled Tom, who lives at Empingham. “We asked them if we could try out the keyboards they had in the shop. “In the end they said we could take them for the concert as long as we brought them back to the shop afterwards.” Live Promotions was founded in 1972 by Colin Ward, who remains the company’s managing director. The business organised low key events until Colin came up with the idea of Truckfest
in 1983 – a show which brought together trucker enthusiasts. Tom, who wasn’t with the company at that stage, said: “The first Truckfest was at Newark. “There were only a handful of trucks on show and no celebrities. Colin used a very early form of viral social marketing to grow the event. He would stand on the side of the A1 with a CB radio talking to truckers as they drove past. He told them about Truckfest and they told their mates.” The franchise brand is now huge with eight shows across the UK. The latest one at the East of England Showground in Peterborough over the early May bank holiday saw 80,000 people attend to see attractions such as US television trucking stars from the Lizard Lick Towing crew and Ice Road Truckers. “Truckfest is now a Mecca for the trucking industry,” said Tom, who joined the company 11 years ago after working on consumer magazines at Bauer. “We now get more than 2,500 trucks entered in competitions. On the back of the event’s success we have been able to go into other event areas such as the music concerts.” Some of the nation’s biggest recording artists have featured in shows the company has organised, including Jools Holland, Take That and Status Quo, as well sports stars like Frank Bruno, Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards and Damon Hill. But the event Tom is most proud of was the 2012 appearance by the Queen at Burghley House as part of the celebrations for her Diamond Jubilee. “There were so many meetings when we planned it all and it was incredibly intense but
“People think I have a glamorous job but it can be stressful too. It’s a lifestyle. You have to react very quickly to what is happening in the run-up to an event and during it and your phone is on 24 hours a day in case there is a problem.” we came away from it with such pride that we had helped bring the Queen to Stamford,” said Tom. Away from work, Tom is married to Natalie, a wedding planner who runs Cupids Wedding Shows in the region. The couple’s nine-year-old daughter Gracie and son Teddy (6) love accompanying their dad to his shows. Does Tom ever get the chance to enjoy the events he organises? “Once all the planning has been done at somewhere like Burghley and you are on site and watching Spitfires flying past, for example, there is a moment when you can step back and say ‘this is brilliant’.” • To find out more about events organised by Live Promotions, go online at www. livepromotions.co.uk or telephone 01775 768661. Email info@livepromotions.co.uk to join the mailing list for upcoming events. STAMFORD LIVING JUNE 2016
43 PROFILE.indd 1
43
19/05/2016 00:19