10 minute read
FEELING FESTIVE
BOURNEMOUTH CHRISTMAS MARKET
Entering the festive spirit
Kilimanjaro Live and Seventa Events discuss the events marketplace and plans for their upcoming Christmas events
In 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 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.
CHRISTMAS AT TRENTHAM
Simon Brooks, director of Seventa Events, concurred with Levitt. As organiser of Bournemouth Christmas Market, which is comprised of retail chalets and a two-storey Alpine Lodge, Brooks thinks that festive events will come back with a bang in 2022. He explained: “Having a ‘year off’, for want of a better phrase, in 2020, had a good impact on 2021, as I truly believe people started to appreciate things in life that they may have taken for granted before.
“Events are hard work, and organisers put their all into these projects and experiences, and the public missed them. I think that remains true for 2022. Whilst the market has certainly opened back up, I believe the public demand for events is higher than ever. We do have to be mindful that the cost of living has increased, and people may be going abroad this year, but if you are sensible with your pricing and create an experience that the public want, I think 2022 will be an incredibly successful year.”
IN SAFE HANDS
Bournemouth Christmas Market was launched in 2017. Like many events, the market did not take place in 2020 but was brought back safely in 2021. Brooks and his team added additional experiences to the event, including Bournemouth Snow Domes, an area within the town’s Christmas Tree Wonderland activation.
“Bournemouth Christmas Market is a long-standing event for us, having developed it since 2017 into what it has become today; a destination for winter tourism,” Brooks continued. “We continually expand our offering on this event, adding new areas, new traders, and working with Christmas Tree Wonderland and the event partners (BCP Council and the local business improvement districts) to shake up the offering each year.”
Brooks delivers the event alongside Rosie Mooney, head of events, Will Morris, operations director, and Hettie Fairhall, who joined the organising team last year. Even Seventa’s finance director, Emma East, can be found on site most days. However, Brooks believes her presence has something to do with mulled wine!
PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATION
According to Brooks, the current event marketplace and supply chain is “tough”. A lack of equipment and skilled professionals that left the industry during the pandemic has left its mark. To overcome such challenges, Brooks said that collaborative working is key. He continued: “We have a lot of events with major partners, each playing to their own strengths, and each bringing their skills sets to the table.
“Event companies always used to ‘white label’ everything, and I never thought that was right. You can’t be amazing at everything – bringing in specialised partners, experienced people, into the mix is what makes you successful. Personally, we celebrate our partnerships with external suppliers, and skilled freelancers.”
Brooks described the market’s operational partners as “fantastic”. They include CES Generators, WH Silverbacks, and Innovative Hire. He said: “Keeping those relationships with suppliers and putting key partners into the event has really helped us continually develop the project, knowing that each area of speciality is covered and in safe hands.
“We are lucky that Bournemouth Christmas Market is an established event, so we already had these key partnerships in place and our suppliers are all signed up for this year. Had it not been, we would certainly be facing external pressure now, as the supply chain is so very different from two years ago. However, I’m not sure that’s an entirely bad thing because the event industry has notoriously always under charged for skilled people, and companies have always faced extreme demands from clients. I think people have changed their mindsets and are simply saying ‘no’ to things that they may have said yes to before or they are charging appropriately. We are certainly being more select on who we work with, and which projects we take on. Maybe this is a welcome change,” he concluded.
ALPINE LODGE
CHRISTMAS AT WOLLATON
Driving force
Event organisers should look at their traffic management plans with fresh eyes and communicate with stakeholders sooner. Traffic management experts discuss the current event landscape
Mojo Concerts, promoter of Lowlands Festival, recently opened a solar carport for 15,000 cars. It’s reported to be the largest solar carport in the world and with the help of 90,000 solar panels, aims to provide 10,000 households with green energy. It’s a great example of innovation and shows how event organisers are continuing to think out of the box and deliver imaginative traffic management solutions at festival and live event sites across the globe.
The sustainable car park is just one example of what organisers are doing to deliver safe, sustainable, and seamless events. According to Carl Taylor, the newly-appointed managing director of Stadium, the traffic management and stewarding specialist, it’s a growing thread, as more and more organisers are looking to combine services and appoint one supplier, making event planning simpler. He explains: “Rather than having a security provider, traffic management provider, and a Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) supplier, organisers are looking for one point of contact to operate seamlessly across the event.”
Taylor says that having one supplier makes planning easier and drives costs down through efficiencies on site. Gerry Kilsby, chairman of Exhibition Traffic Management Services (ETMS), concurs.
Festival Republic has called on ETMS for expertise. The organiser requires traffic management services, both on-site and on public highways, for Wireless at Finsbury Park and Crystal Palace. But it wants more than simple traffic management, like Taylor suggests. Festival Republic has asked for assistance with road closures, diversions, temporary traffic lights, HVM, CSAS controls, and on-site marshalling staff over five concert days.
BUSY SUMMER
ETMS has recently won a new three-year contract with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and will be supplying services to Chelsea, Hampton Court, and Tatton Park Flower Shows. Stadium is confirmed to work at Cinch Championships at Queen’s Tennis Club, Ed Sheeran concerts at Wembley Stadium, and at various major concerts when they take place at Anfield, home of Liverpool Football Club, later this summer.
Taylor continues: “It’s certainly going to be a busy summer as the nation is ready to get out and about after two years with so many events postponed. We are seeing this much more with latest consumer spending figures pointing towards people wanting more experiences and live entertainment to make up for what they missed out on during the pandemic.
“We will be continuing to roll out our integrated HVM systems this year too. This not only involves us providing the physical equipment but staffing them as well which is becoming rare in our industry.
“Our HVM and traffic management teams are fully trained to help direct event attendees and manage every element of their arrival and departure by car, while ensuring they are safe. From protecting pedestrian-filled streets and venues, to keeping traffic flowing and ensuring car parks and event sites are secure, our professionals are efficient, effective, and approachable.”
LOWLANDS SOLAR CARPORT
ETMS IN ACTION
ETMS
STADIUM IN ACTION
GOING BACK TO BASICS
Kilsby agrees with Taylor’s overview of the current live events landscape. Kilsby describes the market as buoyant, with events rescheduled from 2021 back in their normal calendar slots, and new events entering the marketplace.
Kilsby continues: “We have added to our management team, who are looking at all our operations with fresh eyes. This is enabling us to provide customers with dedicated supervisors and contract managers, staffing ‘dot plans’, and more statistics for their events. Encouraging organisers to share plans and information more than ever, means we are now a more ‘complete team’, with collective knowledge and aims for each event.”
Tony Hawkins, senior operations manager at ETMS, says that organisers should use their time to really look at their events and repair, not patch up, things that have gone amiss before. He says: “We have found that a ‘back to basics’ approach with clients, creates a better understanding of what we do, and what is required of us. It can save them money, whilst enabling us to work closer with them and deliver a more customer focused service.”
COMMUNICATION IS KEY
According to Hawkins, most organisers have welcomed the back to basics approach and are relishing the opportunity to look at their events with fresh eyes. Now is the time to reassess all event management plans, collaborate, and communicate sooner.
Taylor agrees: “We have found since the pandemic that local residents are wanting more information, and sooner.
“Traditionally, advanced warning signs are erected two weeks before an event, but these are increasingly becoming saturated by lots of other signage on the streets, which can lead to confusion when the day of the event comes.
“We, therefore, need staff who are good at helping to provide assistance with positive customer service skills. We also believe a traffic management provider should work to create a communications plan that involves faceto-face meetings with residents, and this is hugely important to how we operate. This way we can positively enhance the local communities that we serve and ensure they are kept informed of changes to their area,” Taylor concludes.
