CHRISTMAS EVENTS
BOURNEMOUTH CHRISTMAS MARKET
Entering the festive spirit Kilimanjaro Live and Seventa Events discuss the events marketplace and plans for their upcoming Christmas events
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n 2020, Kilimanjaro Live entered the festive events market for the first time and launched Christmas at Wollaton, a 1.2-kilometre light trail that took over Nottingham’s Wollaton Hall estate. The promoter sold 100,000 tickets for the event. It was such a success that Kilimanjaro saw an opportunity to enter the festive marketplace and grow its event portfolio. In 2021, and following an extremely successful debut at Wollaton Hall, Kilimanjaro Live launched Christmas at Kenwood and Christmas at Trentham. All three events will return in 2022, with tickets now on sale for all three productions. “We had a hugely successful launch year at Wollaton, due to the strength of the location and due to the enthusiasm for outdoor events at the end of 2020,” explained Lucy Levitt, head of business development at Kilimanjaro Live. “We were sure that the public appetite would continue and thankfully, we weren’t wrong. We learnt a lot about how to deliver real value to the customer. Visitors like to be able to plan in advance for this sort of outing, especially
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with it being around Christmas, so being on sale nice and early is key.” Levitt works closely alongside Mark Grainger, event project manager, who oversees delivery of all three light trails. He said: “The new trail routes for 2022 are being designed as we speak. We anticipate that the length will be no longer than two kilometres and they will take about an hour to complete, accommodating between 4,000 and 6,500 guests an evening.” All three sites will run trails from December 2 through to January 1, 2023, and Levitt hopes that fewer COVID restrictions will enable the team to develop the food and beverage options available at each location. Grainger continued: “Each trail will have unique installations, creating Instagramable moments and a warmth around the winter sky, which brings Christmas to life. Accompanied by specifically composed music to give the experience a third dimension, visitors will also be able to dine in an igloo at Trentham, have fun on the fairground rides
at Wollaton, or take in the wonderful bar area at Kenwood.”
APPETITE FOR EVENTS
With six months until the trails open their doors to visitors, StandOut asks Grainger about the supply chain and sourcing contractors. He confirmed that having the event at the end of the year helps. However, with a jam-packed summer season taking place prior to the trails opening, he must be extremely prepared. He explained: “The hardest part is when everyone disappears for the summer. You have to make sure you have the nuts and bolts in place before then. Having a sole focus on Christmas, and no summer shows myself, allows me to look ahead and plan around, so we are at the early stages, but all is in hand.” Despite the current and well-documented challenges being faced by the live events industry, Levitt believes there is strong appetite for quality experiences. Therefore, she wishes to establish the events and make attending one a family and festive tradition.
