Check out the latest event tenders and news of contract wins
12 LONDON’S CALLING
SXSW London took over Shoreditch from June 2-7. SXSW London’s Max Alexander and Clare Morris reflect on the inaugural event
15 THE RIGHT FORMULA
An army of event professionals played a key role in ensuring Silverstone hosted the best British Grand Prix yet…
19 EPN: BEHIND THE SCENES
The Event Production Network enjoyed an exclusive behind the scenes tour of the Formula One Qatar Airways British Grand Prix 2025, thanks to GL events UK and Silverstone Circuits
24 MATCH PERFECT
The LTA’s Jen Motet reveals the preparations needed to host the first women’s tennis tournament at Queen’s in more than 50 years
39 BRIGHT SPARKS
AI-generated load calculations, hydrogen power, and battery systems that “don’t skip a beat”. Event professionals discuss temporary event power plans for 2025
46 GOOD MOVES
Katie Caines, Goodwood Festival of Speed’s new operations manager, walks StandOut through the big changes at this year’s motorsport event...
49 BUTE-IFUL TIME
Cuffe and Taylor’s Daniel Cuffe on Blackweir, a new 35,000-capacity show at Cardiff’s Bute Park
60 MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE
Katie Hester, an event accessibility specialist, recently decided to go freelance. She explains why she is helping organisers reshape events to include everyone
12 LONDON’S CALLING
49 BUTE-IFUL TIME
SUMMER 2025
ersonally, the last few weeks have been a bit tricky for me. I’ve had to navigate an onslaught of curveballs and variables, which have meant I’ve had to get more comfortable with not knowing all the answers. Flexibility has definitely been the name of the game and it’s been important to communicate that with those closest around me.
But this is nothing new to you. As event professionals, you know too well that you can only plan so much. How you deal with issues that crop up unexpectedly can be career-defining but when it’s personal, I’m not sure whether you should class it as character building or resilience training!
What I have been grateful for is the organisers that have kindly let me change site visits, especially when events season is already so relentless. It’s lovely to feel that the industry has your back and genuinely cares when things aren’t going to plan and your brain is mush.
So, what can you expect to read in this bumper edition of StandOut?
Well, we’ve been to Cardiff to check out Blackweir with Cuffe and Taylor’s Daniel Cuffe, we visited Katie Caines at Goodwood Festival of Speed, and we also got the lowdown on SXSW London. But it’s fair to say that sport has been a huge focus for us this month. We’ve loved being on-site with the incredible teams behind HSBC Championships at Queen’s, Boodles Tennis at Stoke Park, and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Plus, we’ve enjoyed catching up with Helen Helliwell, CEO of Invictus Games Birmingham 2027, and ReesLeisure’s Chris Rees on developments at ABP Southampton Marathon Festival.
Whilst there are still rumbles within the festival market, sport is strong. Mass participation events continue to grow, the Government has pledged £500 million to support the delivery of future major sporting events hosted in the UK, and there’s considerable growth within women’s sport which will undoubtedly have a big impact on sporting schedules.
With all eyes on the UK as we prepare to host the upcoming Women’s Rugby World Cup, excitement will only continue to build so are you ready to embrace a growing sporting events market or are your eyes set on a different goal? Answers on a postcard, please.
Helen is CEO of Invictus Games 2027 and was appointed by the Government to lead the bid and now the Games’ delivery. Before being appointed CEO, Helen enjoyed a career in the civil service, spanning more than 20 years, predominantly in the Ministry of Defence but also with secondments across Government. She has held roles such as Director Armed Forces People Policy in the Ministry of Defence where she led a 200-strong team responsible for more than £7 billion of public sector spend and she was the Defence Armed Forces Mental Health and Wellbeing Champion for five years.
MAX ALEXANDER
Max is CEO of SXSW London and has more than 25 years’ experience leading organisations in the technology, media, and telecommunications sector, spanning startups to multi-billion-pound public companies. Over the past decade, Max has focused on live entertainment, serving as managing director of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group and most recently as CEO of Secret Cinema.
JEN MOTET
Jen started her events journey working for Bournemouth Council leading its operational delivery of the Bournemouth Air Festival from 2008 – 2010. She then moved to London to work on London 2012 before moving on to the Rugby World Cup 2015, taking on the management of city operations for several venues. Jen freelanced for a couple of years and during this time, she led on venue planning for Six Day Cycling at the London Velodrome, the World 10’s Rugby Tournament in Mauritius, and the America’s Cup 2017 in Bermuda. After returning to the UK, Jen became head of operations at Harlequins Rugby Club from 2017 – 2020 before moving to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to take on the role of head of event operations where she leads on the planning and delivery for the HSBC Championships at the Queen’s Club.
Game-Changing Event Infrastructure
Whatever the sporting occasion, our high-quality temporary structures and seating elevate the event experience for organisers and attendees. Superior structures. Seamless service. Winning results.
Millie Devereux has been promoted to senior production director at The Fair
Josh Chadwick is production director at Seen Presents
Mark Honeybunn has is now an adviser to Glasgow 2026’s operational committee.
Kayleigh Griffith is events and activations manager at HS2
Oak View Group has appointed Simon Hanna as SVP of operations.
Penny Banks is creative director at GES UK and Europe
Paz Brennan is managing director of Spartan Crew
Nick Hibbert is managing director of Atlas Ground Protection
Paul Russell is the new chair of Yorkshire Agricultural Society
Make Events has appointed Adele Woods as its new managing director.
Ever find a contrast between an office team and the team you get on the ground from the same company? I was discussing this with some colleagues of mine recently, and we had all separately, simultaneously moved away from the same contractor for this reason.
The team they had out on the ground: Dedicated – they genuinely cared about doing a great job. Professional – friendly, on time, looked the part and worked well with other contractors. Team players – they would get stuck in and help out anywhere.
The office team: Rude – like us giving them our business was a real headache for them. Difficult – they would dance around a question rather than giving a straight answer and provide documents which could not be understood. Poor timing – for years, they would be last-minute with everything, and have to be consistently chased on email for every detail.
It can also go the other way. You can have cracking meetings with senior management and the office team, but what you get on the ground is an entirely different set of individuals with an opposing work ethic!
Has anyone else experienced this? Is this something we are seeing more of post-pandemic?
A free Show Stop briefing tool has been launched by Matthew Williams at Live Safety. It is available as an app and in a PDF format.
onboard:earth has published an updated version of the Green Travel and Transport Guide
Global Crowd Management Alliance has published Words Matter: The Language of Crowds, a new guide designed to improve how professionals
Supplying the event industry with
An image of a lighting engineer at MDLBeast’s Soundstorm was declared the overall winner of the eleventh annual Event Photography Awards 2025. Entitled Singularity, the photo –taken by Luke Dyson – highlights the hard work and commitment that goes on behind the scenes to produce impactful events.
Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 has appointed The Bulb as sustainability consultancy.
Make it York has issued an expression of interest, inviting organisers to deliver a large-scale event or festival at Knavesmire, York, in September 2026 and 2027. The deadline is July 14. Email events@makeityork.com
Adlib has been awarded the service and support contract for the Barbican’s theatrical lighting system infrastructure.
Sunderland City Council has appointed AH Events Group to provide event management, health and safety support, and all associated event infrastructure for the city’s Women’s Rugby World Cup fan village.
Events.com has won a contract to power the ticketing and fan engagement technology across all three of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports’ owned and promoted global competitions: the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, the FIM Endurance World Championship, and the FIM Speedway Grand Prix
Roundhouse Camden has appointed Delta Live as its exclusive audio solutions supplier.
The Traffic Management Company has been awarded a multi-year contract with Belfast City Council to deliver traffic management services to major events.
Renfrewshire Council has issued a prior information notice as it seeks an established company to deliver and install hostile vehicle mitigation for five events. Email louise.bishop@renfrewshire.gov.uk
The University of Sheffield has issued a tender for a two-way radio system. The deadline for this tender is 12pm on July 23. Email Samantha Walker – procurement@sheffield.ac.uk
South Ayrshire Council has appointed Securigroup and Baillies Marquees to provide security services and marquees, respectively, to the International Ayr Show - Festival of Flight 2025
Piper Music Management will deliver the Blackpool Illuminations Switch-On event.
SXSW London took over Shoreditch from June 2-7. Read on as SXSW London’s Max Alexander and Clare Morris reflect on the inaugural event
very March, thousands of visitors flock to Austin, Texas, to hear what the most forward-thinking minds from the worlds of music, film, tech, and media have to say at South by Southwest (SXSW). Over the years, many events have tried to emulate SXSW’s format, famed for its heady blend of film premieres, music performances,and diverse debate. And whilst there have been several spin-offs, the brand’s recent foray into London this June was one of the most eagerly anticipated.
Max Alexander is CEO of SXSW London. It’s just four days since SXSW London closed its doors when he sits to chat with StandOut and discuss how it went.
“It was the first year of SXSW London,” he explained. “The event has a very mature DNA, but it could not have been more different from Austin.
“While we plan really hard and work really hard, I think it was Mike Tyson who once said that everyone’s got a plan until they’re punched in the face. So until you know the first delegate’s arrived, the first speaker’s spoke, and the first band has started tuning up, we could say we’d done our best, but we couldn’t tell whether or not it was good enough.”
CONNECTED
Alexander, the former CEO of Secret Cinema, is joined by Clare Morris, marketing director of SXSW London. Together, they are buoyed by the response to the six-day event.
Whilst there have been some grumbles around accreditation, queues, and session availability, for year one, the pair could not be more pleased with how the event went.
“By halfway through Monday, we knew that we had something that was really quite special,” Alexander continued. “But there were two things that really struck me…
“People do come to SXSW to be inspired not just by speakers in the things that they’re familiar with but by people who are completely different from their ‘norm’.
“The second thing, which kind of crept up on me, was we have this business conference and a cultural festival and on the face of it, they look like they don’t quite come together. But half the people who were at the gigs were wearing platinum delegate
passes. People stayed around after the conference, they didn’t go home, so it felt that people were not only really interested in the ideas that we wanted to share but that the culture and the business pieces worked so well together.”
FRIENDLY
Morris concurred. From the outset, she admitted that SXSW London’s ambition was “pretty vast”. The event comprised a broad programme of content, which was being hosted within 34 venues, running simultaneously over the course of six days.
The multi-site operations and audience flow worked well, Morris said, but she was not prepared for how “friendly” the SXSW community was. This is because “friendly” is not a word that is ordinarily used to describe a London-based audience but as SXSW London attracted visitors from 77 countries, it demonstrated that it was indeed a “real melting pot of cultures and languages”.
SCARED
SXSW London welcomed 20,505 passholders to the capital and was comprised of 800 sessions with production managed by Tait. In terms of ticket sales, Alexander stated that there was a lot of movement towards the end of the selling period and admitted to being a “little bit scared” with six weeks to go. Many sales came in the last month. Therefore, with the inaugural event done and dusted, is Morris thinking about changing the comms and marketing strategy for 2026?
Morris explained: “I wouldn’t say changing it. I think, you know, fundamentally, we’re
a business to business (B2B) conference, and B2B has a 12-month business cycle. Ordinarily, that starts in September, and budgets get signed off in November. We want to be part of that budget planning process and so that was much harder last year because we hadn’t delivered our first festival.
“This time, the world and his wife understands what SXSW London is now so we’ll be going to market in Q4 and opening our doors.”
FINE TUNING
Given the event’s popularity, it could easily sell more tickets but the organising team has no desire to move the event away from the “real fabric” of the city and into a convention centre. That said, it might look at some slightly larger venues but that is just one learning that the team has taken away so far.
Alexander continued: “We programmed a festival that had everything from longevity to justice to Formula One. One of the things that I want to have a debate about with my team and with the board is whether or not, while still retaining some of that breadth of content, we might have more weight in particular areas. I mean, I don’t think there’s anything that I want to leave behind from this year. I don’t not want to have a broad range of speakers, but I think I want to fine tune it.”
So far, dates for SXSW London 2026 have not been confirmed but the team is busy with long debriefs and discussions about what the next iteration will look like. Alexander concluded: “We set out to build a unique addition to the UK’s already incredibly rich cultural endowment, to write a ‘Love Letter to London’. Our ambition over the coming years is for SXSW London to establish itself as a critical part of the economic, intellectual and artistic capital of this great city. We’re delighted with the first steps towards that.”
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The right Formula
ore than 1,600 individual items of signage and branding, 294 concession units, and 49.8 kilometres of power cable. These are just some of the crazy statistics that comprised the Formula 1 Qatar Airways British Grand Prix 2025, which saw Lando Norris take victory in front of a 165,000-strong crowd at Silverstone.
In fact, according to The Technical Department, which is contracted to supply power distribution and generation to the circuit for the event, if laid end to end, the cable would cover 25 per cent of the M25.
These facts show the size, scale, and infrastructure needed to create the 2025 edition of the sporting spectacle. However, without an army of experienced event professionals drawing on their expertise –including ADI, Igloos, Thorns, and Serious Stages – visitors could not have enjoyed the elevated fan experiences that were present at this year’s motorsport event.
EFFICIENCIES
One of the biggest changes for 2025 was
Silverstone’s takeover of official hospitality. Match’s contract to provide official hospitality services ended in 2024. For 2025, it was managed in-house with Danielle Worker, head of hospitality at Silverstone Circuits, leading the project.
She said: “We’ve worked a lot closer with all our suppliers to find efficiencies and find creative ways to find those efficiencies, to help with costs, but also to help with improving the delivery.”
Silverstone contracted Ops People to look at schedule management. The company created a master document that ensured all contractors delivering the hospitality enclosures knew what everyone was doing, and when. Then, Ops People site managed the delivery of those enclosures, reporting to Worker and her team.
REFRESH
GL events UK delivered the temporary structures that housed Silverstone’s various hospitality offers, such as Fusion, Octane Terrace, and Ignition. It was important for
Silverstone to give the facilities a bit of a facelift, keeping them “fresh” for returning customers, without drastically changing the offer. They featured new centrepieces and features delivered by freelancer James Crute, responsible for technical event production.
Crute said: “It’s not about trying to reinvent the wheel, but we wanted to look at what we could do to deliver even more. From my side, tech is ever changing and so I looked at how we can be more sustainable, more efficient, and what we could use to create a more immersive experience for the customer.”
Worker concurred. She continued: “It’s about how we can enhance the product, refresh it, and change it, but not change it too much, because people buy into the brand and they do enjoy the products that they’ve previously experienced.”
SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability was a key consideration across the site. For instance, The Technical Department’s Jerry Singleton, founder, and Phil King, project manager, worked hard to help Silverstone reduce power consumption and save fuel. It’s all part of a huge drive to help Silverstone “shift to zero” and reduce its environmental impact.
By monitoring power requirements in 2024, The Technical Department was able to reduce generator sets from 184 to 156 this year, subsequently reducing the number of vehicle movements. Plus, the number of batteries used on-site – powering welfare areas, some toilets, and accreditation – increased from five in 2024 to 12 in 2025.
PREMIUM EVENT
According to King, team work and open communication between all contractors helped to increase on-site efficiencies. This
Event professionals played a key role in ensuring Silverstone hosted the best F1 British GP yet…
LUKE BUCKLE (he/him), JUSTINE TOMMEY (she/her), AND FELIX DENTON (he/him)
JAMES ANDERSON (he/him)
is paramount as Silverstone endeavours to deliver a world-class motorsport event that rivals other high-profile occasions.
But sustainable measures and refreshed hospitality facilities were not the only new measures implemented.
From enhanced food and beverage options, such as Freemans Event Partners’ new street food brand called Cargo, to new shuttle bus services and the promotion of accessible routes thanks to Massive, the branding specialist, the Formula 1 Qatar Airways British Grand Prix 2025 featured a raft of new developments.
For example, Freemans Event Partners created a Lando Norris food area, situated next to the Landostand, the official Lando Norris grandstand, with themed food and drink outlets, and Technical Overlay, a division of Visions Group, and Air Charter Service Helipad worked in partnership to deliver an enhanced on-site heliport operation.
James Anderson, commercial director of Technical Overlay by Visions, worked alongside Air Charter Service Helipad to create the bespoke helicopter terminal, which saw 900 helicopters land and take off during the event. That’s one helicopter taking off and landing every seven seconds compared to Heathrow where one plane lands every 45 seconds. This meant, during race weekend, Silverstone was the busiest airport in Europe.
Anderson explained: “We created the terminal using our Visions Icon, an angled leg structure with four metre legs on one side, six metre legs on the other, and five metre legs on the outside. It’s a technical structure, not a big white tent. It’s fully glassed with a curved roof and a cantilever on the non-air side of the building, and the cantilever was used as a pick up and drop off point.”
INDULGE AND EXPERIENCE
Over the course of the weekend, 5,000 visitors used the helicopter service. Then, London taxis picked up and dropped off the VIPs at various locations across the site. It’s another example of the level of detail that Silverstone is aspiring to, to ensure the Formula One British Grand Prix remains one of the hottest tickets in the events world.
Justine Tommey, marketing director at Freemans Event Partners – assisted on-site by Felix Denton, street food brand manager and Luke Buckle, head of food and innovation –
explained further: “This year, we created Cargo, an area with premium street food. It doesn’t have your traditional high volume outlets, which feature at big events, it’s a new concept that is full of local operators and concessionaires, which prepare globallyinspired street food. It gave fans a place where they could indulge and because we added more seating, it helped to increase dwell time and create more of an experience.”
FIND YOUR WAY
Freemans Event Partners has worked with Silverstone for many years to improve the F&B offering. For 2025, that included more “grab and go” areas, enabling ticketholders to grab cold drinks and snacks, quickly, family meal deals that offered value for money, and
the Lando Norris themed area. All of these elements combined to give fans a great event experience beyond the on track action. But without a comprehensive wayfinding and signage programme, visitors would not have been able to find all the event had to offer!
Last year, Massive was engaged by Silverstone for the first time and delivered the event’s signage programme in eight weeks. With a whole year to plan the signage and wayfinding required, Massive was able to increase the scope, reduce last-minute changes, and ensure directional signage and sponsor signage was integrated into wider operational and visitor experience plans. For instance, a huge amount of work went into subtle colour coding on ingress and egress routes, special signage to delineate site routes for access customers, and idents were created to help people identify things – like campsites – with ease.
Lea Blake, project lead at Massive, and Becki Lomax, project manager at Massive, coordinated a team of 20, who were responsible for the signage programme. But what was Blake’s favourite thing about working at Silverstone? Blake said. “For me, genuinely, it’s about making sure people are having the best experience possible – and making sure that they’re finding their way around the site.”
The British Grand Prix 2026 will take place from July 2-5.
BECKI LOMAX (she/her) AND LEA BLAKE (she/her)
PHIL KING (he/him)
JERRY SINGLETON (he/him)
JAMES CRUTE (he/him)
enue
We specialise in webinars, live streaming, and corporate events. Whatever your needs, we ensure flawless execution from start to finish.
Our team uses cutting-edge technology to deliver seamless, impactful events with precision and ease.
From premium hotel venues to office spaces, we provide seamless sound, lighting, and visuals for a impeccable experience.
EPN: Behind the scenes
GL events UK and Silverstone Circuits hosted the Event Production Network at the famous race circuit to give events professionals a behind the scenes tour of preparations ahead of the Formula 1 Qatar Airways British Grand Prix 2025. Who can you spot in our gallery?
PROJECT 30’S PAUL ASHURST (he/him), THE JOCKEY CLUB’S ROWAN KITCHING (she/her), AND LS EVENTS’ STEVE REYNOLDS (he/him)
CONVERSATION: METHOD
LIVE NATION’S
IN
EVENTS’ JAMES DUTTON (he/ him), EPN’S NEIL FAGG (he/him), PROJECT 30’S CRAIG MATHIE (he/him), AND REM EVENTS’ BEN HARDY (he/him)
RUSSELL PARKER (he/him), CONSULTANT GABE CLARK (he/him), GL EVENTS UK’S WILL JANES (he/him), AND RYDER CUP’S GREGOR LUMSDEN (he/him)
GL EVENTS UK’S TOM ALLDREAD (he/him), SILVERSTONE CIRCUITS’ DANIELLE WORKER (she/her) AND GL EVENTS UK’S SCOTT JAMESON (he/him)
STEVE REYNOLDS (he/him), JAMES DUTTON (he/ him), CRAIG MATHIE (he/him) AND JUDGEDAY’S BECKIE PARSONS (she/her)
PROJECT 30’S PAUL ASHURST
the place to do business
Redefining live events
Technical Overlay – a division of Visions Group – is engineering the future of temporary architecture to elevate the customer and client experience
echnical Overlay, a dedicated division of Visions Group, is redefining the standard for temporary and semi-permanent architecture across the UK’s live events landscape. Known for delivering robust, high-impact structures, the division brings large-scale environments to life for a wide range of applications.
What distinguishes Technical Overlay is its refusal to settle for conventional solutions. Rather than constructing standard white tents, the team designs and delivers architecturally striking, environmentally integrated structures that enhance their surroundings. Each project is the result of a seamless fusion of creative design intelligence and technical precision, producing spaces that are both visually compelling and functionally resilient.
With more than 40 years of combined experience, the Technical Overlay team brings a deep, interdisciplinary understanding of design, engineering, and operations to every project. Each solution is tailored to align with the client’s objectives, site-specific conditions, and logistical requirements. The final result – bespoke structures that elevate both the customer
and client experience while meeting the most stringent criteria.
The division’s portfolio spans a diverse array of temporary structures, including single and double-level builds, premium marquees and the standout Icon and Avantgarde structure. Every installation is equipped with high-spec interior fit-outs, integrated HVAC systems and efficient power distribution. Ensuring seamless performance and comfort.
A core strength of Technical Overlay lies in its ability to rapidly deploy high-performance solutions under time-sensitive, high-traffic conditions. One of the division’s most notable partnerships is with Helipad, a leading UK helicopter service provider. Together, they have delivered bespoke heliport environments for prestigious events including The Jockey Club’s Cheltenham Festival and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, enabling the secure and efficient movement of VIP passengers and aircraft. These installations reflect Technical Overlay’s rare ability to combine architectural innovation with precise logistical execution.
What truly sets Technical Overlay apart is its capacity to bridge ambition with engineering
discipline. Each project is meticulously planned and executed with a focus on structural integrity, visual impact, and operational reliability. From concept to completion, every detail is addressed to ensure compliance with the highest industry standards.
This commitment to excellence is deeply embedded in the culture of Visions Group. Chris Norman, CEO of Visions Group, explains: “From day one, our mission has been clear: to be more than a supplier. We strive to be a long-term partner, delivering bold, innovative solutions that evolve with the pace and complexity of our industry.”
As part of Visions Group, a leader in UK event production for more than two decades, Technical Overlay is at the forefront of innovation in temporary architecture. With ongoing investment in talent, technology, and design, the division continues to set new industry benchmarks, delivering bold, highperformance environments that redefine what temporary structures can achieve.
Visit www.technicaloverlay.co.uk, email Louise Milner on lmilner@visionsgroup.co.uk or call 07468 468038.
TECHNICAL OVERLAY’S AVANTGARDE AND ICON STRUCTURES AT SILVERSTONE
Match perfect
For the first time in more than 50 years, Queen’s hosted a women’s tennis tournament. Here, the LTA’s Jen Motet reveals the preparations needed to host the WTA 500 event
HSBC CHAMPIONSHIPS
atjana Maria etched her name into the history books last month and became the first woman to be crowned champion at The Queen’s Club since 1973.
Maria needed an hour and 24 minutes to beat American Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 6-4 and become the first woman’s champion at the HSBC Championships in more than five decades.
In May 2024, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) revealed that a women’s tour level event – a high-profile WTA 500 event – would take place at Queen’s for the first time in 50 years. This meant a number of things. A women’s event at Queen’s not only extended the club’s association with world-class tennis, but it also raised the profile of women’s sport. However, on an operational level, it also meant that the small London tennis club had to accommodate a fortnight of championship tennis. This had operational consequences and required a lot of forward planning.
Jen Motet, head of event operations at the LTA, explained: “We knew before the tournament last year that the WTA event was coming so we’ve been planning the changes for a while. It meant, you know, your traditional time post-tournament,
where you can down tools and relax a bit, we just didn’t have it.
“We’ve done a huge amount of work in the year we’ve had to make the changes, use the space correctly, and work with both tours [the men’s professional ATP World Tour and the women’s professional WTA World Tour] to make sure that they were comfortable with what we were doing.”
Motet continued: “I was talking with our CEO, Chris Pollard, the other day and he highlighted that it’s the biggest change the tournament has seen in a huge amount of time. Not least the addition of the WTA 500 event but pretty much changing at least two of the four temporary structures we have on-site, quite substantially. The build. Space available. Everything.”
LITTLE THINGS
If you are a tennis fan, or just an event geek, and have ever had the pleasure of attending Queen’s, you will know that the site is tight. How the site runs, and the management of the boneyard, falls down to two Queen’s stalwarts – John Hester, site manager, and Gordon Maitland, who looks after the site’s back compound. Together, they manage 35
contractors, each with equipment and their own demands. Motet describes them as two of the most useful people to have around; the people who know “everything there is to know” and all those “little things” that are instrumental in delivering the infrastructure for a successful tournament.
“We made some changes to accommodate the new build schedule,” Motet commented. “We were building more from the back. So we have the front entrance, via Barons Court and you have the back entrance, which is our back compound and Greyhound Road. Previously, we have started to build from both sides so Arena Seating would have come in from both sides. This year, we actually made sure that our back compound was set up first, and then we tracked out from there, which then meant that Arena could be building from the back for a longer period of time, and what that meant is that the club members were less impacted.
“The challenge there is not only are Arena coming in the back but there’s the location of the South Pavilion, which is built by Neptunus. Therefore, we had to work closely with both Arena and Neptunus so that they could build simultaneously, and each had enough space in order to do their builds.”
Hester and Maitland led the event’s morning site briefings so that all contractors could hit their groove. The meetings were paramount as it gave each contractor an opportunity to detail their plans for the next day, delivery schedules, and raise concerns. That daily opportunity ensured both Arena and Neptunus could work collaboratively, especially as both the South Pavilion and the centre court seating bowl – the newly named Andy Murray Arena –featured changes.
Ross Robertson, managing director, UK and Europe, of Arena, takes up the story. He said: “We were coming to the end of our contract with Queen’s and had just signed a new contract on structures.
“Seating runs on a different contract and so I had conversations with Jen and Chris during the tournament last year. I said that we were keen to look at using our Clearview system for the whole seating bowl.
“At the time, we were using two different systems but by using all Clearview, we could give the customers a better experience, better sight lines. The compromise was that the capacity would be reduced [by roughly 300 seats].”
Robertson explained further: “We know that the Queen’s Club members don’t want to lose any footprint, and we knew we needed to shave some time off the build so we had a lot of robust internal discussions and I went to them [ the LTA] and said, Clearview’s a more expensive product because it’s a better product, so it’s going to be a bit more expensive. But they were looking at a long-term deal.”
Robertson went away and looked at project delivery as a whole. “Forget breaking
it down into structures and seating,” added Robertson. “We’re not Arena Seating. We’re not Arena Structures. We’re not Arena Fencing and Barriers. We are Arena Group. Yes, we’re delivering different commodities, but we adopted a collaborative approach, put together a couple of scenarios, and had many calls with their procurement team. We came out with a ten-year deal that includes innovation, which will help the LTA to grow the tournament. It is a partnership.”
GORDON MAITLAND (he/him)
JOHN HESTER (he/him)
ENHANCED FACILITIES
Essentially, Arena has built the same seating bowl in a week’s less time to give the LTA a temporary arena that can be used for two weeks and not one. The new-look Andy Murray Arena now incorporates a bar so that hospitality guests can access enhanced F&B facilities without having to travel far from their seats. Also, how the seating bowl links to the South Pavilion has been reengineered thanks to some head scratching and some honest and open conversations between Arena and Neptunus.
CLOSE TO THE ACTION
The structures have been thought out with care. They’re “tastefully” executed and not “dumped” somewhere and the facilities bring guests “closer to the action”, giving them the opportunity to smell the grass and be closer to the players, Robertson said. Furthermore, the tournament’s main hospitality – the South Pavilion – is in an ever so slightly different location. It’s still close to the action, near the practice courts, but it has moved to run parallel to them rather than at a bespoke angle. The pavilion is also a little smaller in size and has been changed a little bit to make it easier to build. It’s comprised of one large structure with a smaller structure bolted on the side. This is linked. The beauty
of Neptunus’ Evolution structure is that the company can configure it to make it work for the space available.
Ben Keast, managing director of Neptunus, and his team – Jarrath Neame, supervisor, Daniel Perry, project manager, and Nick Wright, site manager – have worked closely with Motet to ensure hospitality guests get a fresh and exciting hospitality experience.
“The build this year has gone very well,” explained Keast. “We’ve recently modified the Evolution structure. We’ve made new skins to ensure the longevity of the product, and we’ve modified how the panel system works to make sure there’s better entry points for services. All of these things make the event run more smoothly so the build has gone very well because we’ve factored in all those elements to make sure all the other contractors can get into our structure easily.”
PULLING TOGETHER
So how have these new moves been received? When StandOut chats with Motet, the tournament is almost over. Lessons have already been learned and planning is underway for 2026.
“One of the key things we’ve learned is around crowd movement,” Motet commented. “We made some changes to the stadium bowl. That’s impacted on the tunnels that exist
underneath the seating bowl, and they’re the key to the way people move around the site. Those are a little bit tighter than perhaps they’ve been in previous years so we’ve had to look to implement crowd management measures and manage that on the ground. I think the learning for us next year is to be mindful of that and make sure that we’re maximising that space underneath the centre court and the tunnels as much as possible.”
Motet added: “Everyone has worked so well together. For me, this event, it’s not about a specific moment. Seeing everybody working so hard to deliver the tournament, the stewards still working hard on day 14 when the weather’s been so hot. That’s what’s stood out for me.
“We joked last Sunday, when that would normally be our last day, that we were facing another seven days. So, we did quite a lot of work to motivate the troops because you know, we now have two groups of people to satisfy – the ATP and the WTA – and they were keen to see how we address that. Therefore, it’s been important to give 100 per cent but for that to happen, you have to make sure that your team are getting the rest they need,” Motet concluded. “When there are challenging situations, everyone has to pull together in the same direction and seeing that happen and knowing it’s happened has been the best thing.”
SUPPLIERS LIST –
Temporary structures and grandstand seating – Arena Group and Neptunus Security – SES
Trackway – Sunbelt Rentals
Cleaning – CleanEvent
Radios – Radio Links
Medical – Enhanced Care Services
Wi-Fi – Max WiFi
Event safety – The Event Safety Shop
Branding – Wasserman
Furniture – Event Hire
JARRATH NEAME (he/him), DANIEL PERRY (he/him), AND NICK WRIGHT (he/him)
ANDY MURRAY ARENA
Good sport
From considerable growth in women’s sport to organisers that are bringing people together for a shared purpose, StandOut looks at what’s happening in the sporting events market
As StandOut writes, the UK is gripped by sport fever. From The Championships at Wimbledon to the Formula 1 Qatar Airways British Grand Prix 2025 at Silverstone, worldclass sport is responsible for generating millions of revenue for the UK economy. Therefore, it would be remiss of the UK Government to not support a sector that is unrivalled in both its diversity and legacy.
Thankfully, the Government has promised to commit more than £500 million to support the delivery of a host of world-class sporting events being held in the UK over the coming years, including the European Athletics Championships 2026 in Birmingham, the men’s and women’s Tour de France Grand Départs in 2027, and the Men’s UEFA EURO 2028 (alongside Ireland).
These events are expected to deliver significant economic benefits, with EURO 2028 alone projected to generate up to £2.4 billion in socio-economic value across the UK.
INSPIRE AND UNITE
The pipeline of major events already secured includes the upcoming Women’s Rugby World Cup (August 22 – September 27), Glasgow 2026, the ICC T20 Cricket women’s and men’s World Cups (in 2026 and 2030),
and the Invictus Games in Birmingham in 2027. These large-scale events will be organised by an army of events professionals who are focused on delivering sporting events that have the ability to entertain, inspire, and unite both hardcore fans and casual spectators. But how can this best be done, what’s new in the world of sporting events, what opportunities are there for event suppliers to get involved, and how is the sporting events market expected to develop?
GROWTH IN WOMEN’S SPORT
One of the more noticeable developments in sporting events is the growth in women’s sport. The industry is expanding to accommodate new events and even TV execs are having to think about giving women’s sport more air time. There is demand for world-class women’s sport to be more visible and have more equity.
For example, this summer, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) organised an activation to celebrate the return of women’s tennis to the Queens Club for the first time in 50 years. Produced by Heart Productions, the activation – a pop-up tennis court in London’s Trafalgar Square – also unveiled the new HSBC Women’s Championships trophy.
Plus, it marked the launch of a partnership between the Mayor of London and the LTA to promote women’s tennis and women’s sport across the capital.
Following a competitive pitch process, Heart was appointed as the lead events agency to design, deliver and produce the activation. The event specialist designed and built a fully functional, bespoke tennis court positioned in Trafalgar Square where it was the scene for live tennis demonstrations and interactive experiences throughout the day.
Chris Pollard, LTA managing director –commercial and operations, said that the pop-up court raised awareness of the HSBC Championships and drove ticket sales, but more importantly, it delivered on several community objectives whilst generating excitement for the tournament.
WINNING BID
Continuing on the theme of women’s sport, FIFA has confirmed that a joint bid by the football associations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is the sole bidder to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035.
UK Sport’s Bev Ward has been revealed as the host city lead for the Women’s World Cup. Plus, she has also been appointed as
INVICTUS GAMES
chief operating officer of UK Events, the company that UK Sport has championed to serve the sector and be a host body for international sports events. However, Ward is not the only experienced events professional to undertake a new sporting role recently. Nicola Moloney, former head of major events at Rugby Football League, has joined the World Snooker Tour (WST) board as operations director where her experience will be crucial in delivering world-class events on a global circuit.
Simon Brownell, CEO of WST, says that the ambition is to grow the tour –including viewing figures and attendance numbers – and hopes to do that by taking the sport to as many different corners of the globe as possible.
BENCHMARK
Since its debut in Prague in 2017, the Laver Cup has travelled the world. The tennis tournament has been staged in Chicago, Geneva, Boston, London, Vancouver, Berlin, and this year, it will be held in San Francisco from September 19-21. Now, London has been confirmed as the host city for the ninth edition of the Laver Cup, with the event set to return to The O2 from September 25-27, 2026.
The O2 – which hosted the ATP World Tour Finals from 2009 to 2020 – previously hosted the Laver Cup, with its infamous black court, in 2022. Tony Godsick, chairman of Laver Cup, explained: “We are thrilled to be bringing the Laver Cup back to London, one of the world’s great sporting cities. London set a new benchmark in 2022, delivering one of the most successful and emotional editions of the event to date.
“While we’ve traditionally taken the Laver Cup to new cities around the world each year, the response from London –from fans, partners and players – was truly overwhelming. The appetite to see Laver Cup return was impossible to ignore.”
MUST-DO EVENT
Ask any organiser and all they wish to do is give customers, participants, spectators, and fans an exciting experience that not only brings enjoyment but is also valued.
Chris Rees, founder of ReesLeisure, is the race director of the recently rebranded Southampton Marathon Festival. ReesLeisure recently renewed a five-year sponsorship agreement with Associated British Ports (ABP) and announced a raft of changes to the mass participation event, including a new name, new date, revised routes, and a new start line at Southampton’s Historic Dock Gate 8.
Rees explained: “We want to make the event feel bigger and take it from being a large regional event to a national event, a ‘must-do’ event in people’s calendars.”
Rees and his team are looking at how they can do that. He continued: “We’ve been looking at football fans and how far they are prepared to travel for a match. They’ll sit on a coach for hours for 90 minutes of entertainment and then go home again.
“Someone pointed out that runners will travel an hour or two hours for a race, depending what distances they’re doing. So we thought, ‘Actually, would people travel?’ Could we help run clubs to organise stuff? And if we had coaches, they could access the port, step off the coach and be at the start.
“So, we want people to be able to come from cities, about an hour and a half, two hours away, and we’re aiming to create a package that would see someone arrive by coach, you’d get your race number on the coach, and you could leave your bag on the coach. Then after the race, you’d go to a local university, have a shower postevent, just across from the finish line, have lunch in the city, and get on board the coach and go home.
“Even if you’re not part of a run club, it’s an opportunity to meet other people from your city and it’s almost like bringing people together for a purpose.”
Currently, Rees is looking at logistics, talking to coach companies, and thinking of a name to call the package but ultimately, it’s all because he wants to make Southampton Marathon Festival the most welcoming marathon that a runner can take part in. Furthermore, having four different distances that people can enter means that people can build up their distances and have something to aim for.
ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE
That idea of a goal is something that resonates with Helen Helliwell, CEO of Invictus Games 2027, a multi-sport event for wounded, injured and sick (WIS) armed forces personnel, both serving and veteran. She is leading the delivery of the Games when it takes place in Birmingham in July 2027, an event that will see serving and veteran armed forces personnel reach their own personal goals.
Helliwell explained: “Countries start to select their
teams from about a year out, other teams will leave it until much sooner but Invictus Games is unique because you’re not chosen because you’re the fastest, the fittest, or the strongest person. You’re chosen because the Games will help in your recovery process. So some people get chosen much sooner because they’re much closer to their point of injury. Others might be that they’re only chosen six months before the Games start, because they’ve only recently been injured.”
The Invictus Games puts participants, their friends and families, at the heart of the decisions made. It’s important for their needs to be met and their stories and narratives to be told. That’s why Helliwell and her team of seven are currently making decisions around the event, making sure that everything, the sport, the schedule, the fun elements, are accessible and inclusive.
HEART PRODUCTIONS IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE
HELEN HELLIWELL (she/her)
SPORTING EVENTS
GET INVOLVED
Invictus Games 2027 will take place at the NEC, Birmingham (except the swimming) and will run from July 10-17, 2027, with the formal opening ceremony on Saturday, July 10.
Helliwell continued: “We’ve been busy looking at our sport schedule and what we want to do, where and how we’re going to use the space and the halls. We want to bring a real festival feel to that week.
“It’s still very much work in progress. We are working through details with the NEC, looking at what they will deliver versus what I will deliver on site, what services they produce versus what services I need to contract and procure.”
Helliwell – who helped shape the Invictus Games 2027 bid and who has a long and respected association with the Ministry of Defence – explained that Invictus Games 2027 received 12 bids from companies that
wished to produce the event’s opening and closing ceremonies. The winning tender will be announced shortly. Furthermore, the event’s operations director will soon start. Hence, expressions of interest and tenders will soon be published on the Invictus Games 2027 website.
Currently, Helliwell is looking at CAD drawings and is working with ISG Live on “commercials”. She would like to create a robust supporters programme with more SME involvement. Having commercial involvement brings a richness to an event, she said, and getting their workforces involved multiples the Games’ key messages.
“I can’t wait to for the rest of the UK to come and experience the Invictus magic,” she continued. “I think it will inspire generations and inspire service providers to make sure that their office space, their leisure spaces, are really fully accessible, and they’re attracting people that have different physical and mental needs. It’s really important, so everybody gets to play a part.”
She concluded: “I’m super excited, and I’m just super grateful for everybody’s support. I really want to get the commercial programme going now, because the more money we make, the more we can do to enhance things during the week of the Games.
“I just want everyone to get behind it. Even if everybody could advocate for it. It doesn’t cost anybody anything to share positive messages and get involved.”
TEAM UK AT INVICTUS GAMES
LTA – INSPIRING CHILDREN TO PLAY SPORT
Acing it!
ACE Group International’s Bettina Bokaemper on making The Boodles Tennis more than a tennis event
t’s a searingly hot summer’s day when StandOut jumps on-site at Stoke Park. The former hotel and now private estate of Mukesh Ambani, owner of Reliance Industries and Asia’s richest man, is home to The Boodles Tennis, the five-day tennis exhibition tournament where players can practice before a Grand Slam without the pressure of points, prize money, or press.
Security is tight when StandOut visits. The family is in residence and there are just a few days to go until 2,000 tennis fans arrive to see world-class athletes play matches that for some will serve as a pre-Wimbledon warm-up.
Some events professionals are busy putting the finishing touches to marquee linings and
decking, whilst others are unloading furniture and centre pieces that will comprise the exclusive garden party vibe that is desired.
“The Boodles Tennis is more than a tennis event, it’s a lifestyle event,” explained Bettina Bokaemper, manager of ACE Group International, the organiser behind the exclusive sporting spectacle.
For 21 years, Bokaemper has delivered The Boodles Tennis, which this year saw film star Jason Isaacs and reality star Kelly Osbourne join socialites and tennis’ elite.
“I think the death of any event is if you copy, paste, and repeat,” Bokaemper continued.
“Therefore, we’re always trying to make The Boodles evolve.”
RUPERT LEWIS (he/him)
CREATE AN EXPERIENCE
Rest assured, The Boodles Tennis is evolving. To begin, the event’s structures have been moved to help create the right flow and Bokaemper and her team have worked hard to develop an intimate offer.
“We work with Stoke Park to bring our visions to life,” said Bokaemper. “For the last three years, we have moved our temporary
structures, which means they have to be looked at in different ways and whilst the site looks pretty flat, it’s not. That’s one of our big challenges and adds a huge amount of cost to whatever we build but it’s important that we maintain the flow, intimacy, and look of Boodles. It would be the death of the event if we didn’t create a hub so we’ve worked hard to create an experience.”
CAREFUL PLANNING
TT Tents, Energy Management Solutions, Hemisphere Events, Trane, Furniture4Events, CSP, Sunbelt Rentals, and Jones Hire are just some of the event suppliers contracted to provide services and equipment to The Boodles Tennis.
Rupert Lewis, managing director of TT Tents, is responsible for delivering more than 1,700 square metres of temporary structures whilst GL events UK has built the grandstand seating around the tennis court.
Lewis has a team on-site for three weeks because of the sub-structures that are required [at some points, there’s a 1.8 metre drop]. Plus, the nature of the site means that it can get congested. Why? Because there’s a single access route that only small vans are allowed to use. It’s meant that Lewis’ team has had to bring in equipment on a lorry and then transfer it to a smaller truck.
“This event requires a lot of careful planning,” Lewis explained. “ I was in the Army for more than 20 years and planning was always something we did lots of. You’ve always got to have contingency plans, you’ve got to have flexibility, you’ve got to have a sense of humour, and you’ve got to help others. So if there’s a supplier who comes into your marquee to drop in something and it’s not particularly convenient but it’s the only time he can do it well, you’ve got to adapt, communicate with people, and work out a way of making it convenient.”
MET GALA OF TENNIS
Most of the structures are on scaffolding, including the Players Enclosure. In the blazing heat, it’s not been an easy load-in. But thankfully, there are no future plans to make the event bigger, or more difficult to build. Just better.
“We don’t ever want to grow beyond the size we are,” commented Bokaemper. “We want to keep the intimacy of the event, the proximity of the guests to the players and the accessibility to the players.
“Last year, we introduced a DJ to the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, creating more of a whole day event. This year, it was our second year of doing that and we want to make it bigger.”
Bokaemper added: “I am already thinking about 2026. I think there’ll be a tweak in some structures in terms of their internal layout for servicing but I’m not at the stage yet where I’ve got the huge, big picture, just the top line.”
But what stood out for Bokaemper this year? She concluded: “We’ve always had very, very top players,” she explained. “This year, we had some, but not in the quantity that we usually do. It really worried me. But actually, it’s about the occasion, it’s the whole lifestyle and that’s the part of the event that we want to bring to life a lot more.
“The long-term goal is to turn The Boodles into the Met Gala of the tennis world.”
The Boodles Tennis will take place at Stoke Park from June 23-27, 2026.
The Wise approach to parking
Wise Parking discusses its new technology-led event parking model that not only drives efficiencies but gives organisers and venues peace of mind
anaging vehicle flow at large-scale events presents a unique operational challenge. From unpredictable arrival patterns and overflow areas to unplanned site changes, venues must offer a seamless, secure parking experience while maintaining complete control and minimising disruption.
Partnering with expert traffic management providers such as Tracsis, Wise Parking has developed a flexible, technology-led event parking model, successfully deployed at Silverstone Circuit, home of the British Grand Prix and other major events.
RETHINKING EVENT PARKING
Traditional event parking models are often outdated, relying on stewards manually collecting payments, paper-based vehicle lists, limited enforcement, and inconsistent data capture. These systems struggle to scale, often leading to errors, customer frustration, and logistical issues long after the gates have closed.
Wise Parking offers a better way: A fully integrated, digital-first solution that combines pre-booking tools, mobile ANPR technology, and real-time enforcement capabilities. Its model reduces infrastructure requirements, allows for smarter pricing strategies, and gives organisers full visibility over parking operations, even in remote or temporary locations.
SMART REVENUE MANAGEMENT
Wise Parking is among a select group of UK operators that has secured formal permissions to enforce higher event-specific tariffs, working closely with Government bodies and industry regulators. This means event organisers can set pricing structures that reflect the true value of on-site parking, while encouraging advance bookings and improving financial predictability.
Critically, this approach also reduces cash handling, discourages unauthorised parking, and strengthens compliance, all without increasing operational complexity.
BUILT FOR ANY VENUE
Whether you’re hosting an event in a stadium, a field, or a city centre venue, Wise Parking’s mobile ANPR technology can be deployed quickly and efficiently on any surface, turning even the most challenging environments into professionally managed parking zones.
For customers who haven’t pre-booked, Wise Parking offers seamless “Pay on the Day” functionality. Integrated with its enforcement platforms, this ensures that every transaction is traceable, and every space is accounted for, providing peace of mind for both organiser and attendee.
CUSTOMER-CENTRIC
Wise Parking’s platform connects directly
with major ticketing systems, offering a fully branded, intuitive journey for customers. Attendees are prompted to enter their vehicle registration at point of purchase and can modify details up to the day of the event. No paper permits. No confusion. Just simple, smart parking.
Behind the scenes, Wise Parking’s 24/7 support team ensures system uptime and rapid incident resolution, with service-level agreements tailored to each client’s needs.
TRUSTED PROVIDER
From international motorsport to music festivals and exhibitions, Wise Parking’s innovative model is being adopted by forward-thinking venues across the UK – delivering better control, streamlined operations, and a vastly improved customer journey for every event.
Matthew Holland, Silverstone Circuit’s traffic and transport planning strategy manager, said of Wise Parking: “Wise Parking has proven to be a responsive, flexible, and dependable partner. Their integrated solutions have significantly improved our ability to manage parking and enhance the customer experience.”
For more information, call 0330 133 4522, visit www.wiseparking.co.uk or email info@wiseparking.co.uk
The Technical Department is a specialist electrical contractor, providing generators, switchgear, distribution, cabling, and lighting for events worldwide.
Our strengths lie in delivering custom power solutions through our bespoke distribution systems designed to meet each client’s specific requirements. This cost-effective approach ensures a high level of flexibility in both power supply and equipment for every project.
Beyond supporting short-term temporary events, we also have the expertise to design and install complex power solutions for long-term and permanent installations.
SUSTAINABILITY EVERY TIME
At TTD, sustainability is integral to our operations, we continuously explore innovative solutions that assist our clients in adopting practices that reduce their carbon emissions.
No matter where you are in the world or the nature of your event, no matter how small, or how complex your event, our dedicated, professional, and yes, amazing team
Bright sparks
AI-generated load calculations, hydrogen power, and battery systems that “don’t skip a beat”. StandOut chats to event professionals about temporary power, market trends, and sustainable energy
Arcadia’s newest, “mind-blowing” installation that debuted at Glastonbury in 2024 returned to the festival this year. The Dragonfly, repurposed from a Royal Navy helicopter, came to life at Worthy Farm thanks to a blend of music, art, engineering and cutting-edge technology. But to ensure festivalgoers could truly experience all of the above, it took a big battery system to bring all of that to life.
Jeb Hawkins, a freelance event specialist, is chief electrician for Arcadia Spectacular. He maintains the electrical infrastructure needed for Arcadia’s cutting edge shows. In 2024, that included working with Grid Faeries to ensure the Dragonfly ran seamlessly off big batteries and for 2025, he worked with Grid Faeries once more.
According to Hawkins, last year’s outing was a litmus test and “reassurance” that there was a “reliable” battery system that could handle all of the Dragonfly’s production elements. Hawkins explained: “Grid Faeries has developed a battery system that has its own dual redundancy and inherent fail-safe systems, whereas a lot of the products that were around and being used beforehand were still very much in their infancy. The battery technology that Grid Fairies has let us use is almost like NASA-scale tech. It comes
on two arctics so it’s the footprint of a small, rigid truck and it’s made up of two inverter units and four battery units. It’s similar size footprint if you had a couple of generators and a couple of fuel tanks. So in terms of space, it’s very similar, just heavier.”
When StandOut chats with Hawkins preGlasto, he is in the process of requesting that Dragonfly does not have two backup generators on-site. Why? Because when Arcadia used Grid Faeries’ system last year (but they weren’t able to shout about it back then), the system “did not skip a beat”.
Hawkins continued: “More consistent, reliable power was coming from the battery. A generator when it’s coping with the peaks and the troughs of the power draw – when the sound system’s pumping and the lights are flashing – sometimes struggles. Sometimes you get fluctuations, whereas with an inverter, if it needs more power, it just puts it out.”
MAJOR MILESTONE
This year, Hawkins and the Arcadia team were hoping to run Dragonfly, including its build and break phases, off a grid connection but timescales, permissions and resources did not enable that to happen. Instead, it used one generator for the build and break phases because not enough
energy can be stored within the battery but he hopes that in the subsequent years of Glastonbury, the Arcadia team will have the ability to run from mains and use a battery to top up, as and when it’s needed.
With Glastonbury taking a fallow year in 2026, Hawkins hopes that a grid connection can be achieved in 2027. In the meantime, he would love to see an entire events industry push forward and move away from “exhaust burning”.
This is a common thread. Currently, many organisers are trying to step away from traditional diesel generators and even Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO). Instead, they are opting to power their events and festivals with more sustainable energy sources and “clean electricity”.
For example, Extreme H, the world’s first hydrogen racing championship, marked its latest major technical milestone recently, with the successful first test of its new hydrogen power solution.
The test centred around a next-generation Hydrogen Power Unit (HPU2). Andy Welch, Extreme H’s global hydrogen development manager, said: “Extreme H will be famous for its hydrogen fuel cell racing cars, but they are only half of the story as we are also trialling hydrogen technologies across the whole
event site in an effort to become the first sport to run entirely on zero emission hydrogen.”
The HPU2 – which used green hydrogen – has a more compact footprint and delivers scalable, quiet, zero-emission power – up to 50 MW when deployed at scale. Each unit generates 500 kW of clean electricity, five times the prime output of HPU1.
Extreme H’s ambition is to set a new benchmark by powering its races, including live broadcast, race control and operations, team garages, catering and more, with fully emission-free power. It hopes to achieve this by working collaboratively with GeoPura, Greener Power Solutions, and Power Logistics, which are working together to deliver the right solution for the race series.
GROWING APPETITE
Indeed, there is a huge drive to use more sustainable power sources. Jade Turner, contracts manager at Flow Power Solutions, concurred. She commented: “The appetite for hybrid, solar and battery technology is growing, and fast. We are exploring battery energy storage systems (BESS) with more clients and we are actively working with a festival to explore installing a BESS this year. We are supporting this by providing a BESS test-bed model to demonstrate what is possible in terms of CO2-saving projections and calculations to demonstrate the value. The BESS system pilot on this event – over a week –will save around 7.26 tonnes of CO2 or enough energy to power nine homes for a full year.”
But this test event is not only event that Flow is working on this summer. It will be providing site wide power, distribution and decorative lighting for DF Concerts’ TRNSMT Festival in Glasgow and Kendal Calling in the Lake District, both new contract wins. Plus, it is back at the sold-out Lost Village Festival in Lincolnshire, building on its successful delivery in 2024.
SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Similarly, Aggreko is working with The R&A to provide sustainable energy solutions to the AIG Women’s Open (July 30-August 3) at the Royal Porthcawl Golf Course in Wales. As the sporting event works to reduce its environmental footprint, Aggreko
will introduce a collection of its greener upgrades that incorporate newer sustainable technologies and techniques on-site.
The advanced solutions include BESS, a plug-and-play system allowing even the most difficult to reach areas of the course to be sustainably powered. The entire championship will run on HVO and feature a solar array to generate clean energy. Stage V generators will also be in use to maximise performance and reduce emissions.
This supports The R&A’s commitment to staging more sustainable championships and reducing the environmental impact of golf. Daniel Lightfoot, director – sustainable golf at The R&A, said: “The R&A is dedicated to ensuring a thriving, sustainable future both for golf and the planet so it is essential that we are delivering sustainable championships. Aggreko has played an important role at our championships over the years, supporting our transition to low carbon energy sources and we are pleased that their support will now extend to the AIG Women’s Open.”
COSTS
Last year, Pearce Hire worked alongside GeoPura to power Big Church Day Out’s main stage and surrounding services – including the bar area – entirely from hydrogen.
Shaun Pearce, managing director of Pearce Hire, said: “We are in the planning stages of some significant improvements to Big Church Day Out, building on the success of the
hydrogen generator we used last year, which was an industry first.”
Pearce continued: “We are finding some clients now want to go further with the use of battery technology, more use of hydrogen, HVO and fuel reduction ideas.
“Ultimately, when people look at their power plans, it comes down to cost and what the ticket purchaser can withstand. In an ideal world, we would want every event to be fully sustainable but sustainability comes with a cost.
“However, like everything else, the costs are slowly (very slowly) coming down thus making sustainability more attractive to organisers and promoters.”
INVOLVED FROM THE OUTSET
But what questions should an organiser be asking of their power provider? Pearce advised: “How can we make this event more sustainable from a power perspective with a reasonable budget? Not plan the whole event, confirm the layout with the client and production then ask us to provide sustainable power solutions. For us to provide cost effective sustainable solutions, we need to be involved from the outset and the design stages of the project, not when the site plan and intention has gone public.”
Furthermore, Pearce says that there are a lot of companies out there who say they can provide reliable sustainable solutions when in reality there’s not that many who actually
do! For example, use of new technology requires heavy investment, lots of previous experience, the understanding of how the new technology works, the gathering of data and most importantly the people behind it all.
AI
Tech and its role in power usage and deployment is an interesting one and certainly topical. Turner commented that there has been lots of talk about artificial intelligence (AI) and if it can help plan your power requirements.
She explained further: “It’s brilliant to see AI being adopted by the industry and one real use case we are seeing is for AIgenerated load calculations from clients. In our experience, AI can certainly help to give you a baseline KWh projection for things like laptops, printers and televisions for event control CCTV. However, if it’s being used for more complex calculations such as heating and cooling elements, it’s not currently a reliable baseline and it can cause issues and in some cases, over or under calculated power provision.”
Turner concluded: “Our advice would be to test AI to interrogate what are you actually powering within your structure, for example, being as specific as possible to give you a baseline power demand and engage with your power provider early to develop ways to reduce load, not just meet it.”
FLOW POWER SOLUTIONS
On a mission to reduce emissions S
Sunbelt Rentals’ first depot decarbonisation is now complete
unbelt Rentals has reached a major milestone in its sustainability journey with the successful completion of its first fully decarbonised depot, located in the heart of Liverpool.
As part of the company’s Our Planet sustainability strategy, the Liverpool depot has undergone a comprehensive transformation to significantly reduce its environmental impact. The site has been renovated to operate as a self-sufficient, low-carbon energy site powered by a combination of renewable energy and intelligent energy systems.
At the core of the update is the installation of a 92kW solar panel array, paired with a 98kW battery storage system. This has allowed the depot to generate and store its own renewable electricity, drastically reducing emissions and the reliance on the grid, offering greater energy resilience. The energy model adopted here not only minimises emissions but also enhances the site's ability to maintain consistent operations during periods of grid fluctuation or high demand.
Complementing this green switch is the replacement of the depot’s former gas-powered heating system with a new 213kW air-to-air heating and cooling pump. This solution is more efficient, supporting year-round climate control without the carbon footprint of traditional systems. Additionally, the deployment of advanced metering systems allows for real-time monitoring and intelligent energy management.
Initial figures show that the depot is expected to save more than 15,000kg of carbon emissions each year, a clear indication of the impact this investment will have in supporting wider environmental targets. Alongside carbon savings, the site is forecasted to benefit from reductions in energy costs, reinforcing the value of sustainable infrastructure.
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Sunbelt Rentals plans to build on this success with further projects already in the pipeline. Two more depots have been earmarked for similar upgrades, demonstrating the scalability of this approach. Meanwhile, across its wider network, all owned depots are using 100 per cent REGO-certified green electricity where the supply is managed by the company, a further step in reducing its overall carbon footprint. This Liverpool pilot stands as a powerful example of what can be achieved when environmental innovation is matched with operational ambition.
Strength in numbers
EBL reveals exciting new development to solidify the event as The Place to do Business
The organising team behind Event Buyers Live (EBL) has revealed an exciting development that will drive the event objectives to remain as the leading annual hosted buyer summit.
For 2025, EBL has appointed three wellknown, respected, and long-serving industry professionals to form a Vetting Council and act as an extension of the organising team.
The Vetting Council is comprised of Liz Madden, co-chair of the Production Services Association (PSA) and director of NoNonsense Group, Chrissie Gilbert, site, operations and senior event control room manager at Site Dog and operations manager at Chronosoft, and Thomas Taylor, global head of sales and sports presentation at ADI Live. All three events professionals have vast experience of EBL and are committed to helping the EBL team ensure that the right people are present at the event.
Madden, Gilbert and Taylor will assist in the selection and vetting of hosted buyer applications. This is paramount to ensure everyone’s time at EBL is productive and valuable to all.
Neil Fagg, co-founder of EBL, explained: “Following ten successful years of EBL, we want to ensure our event continues to serve the live events industry the best way it can.
“EBL has often been called The Place to do Business and the Rolls Royce of the events industry. It’s no exaggeration. It really is a hot-bed of procurement meetings and networking with genuine, honest conversations being held over the course of
three days. Therefore, to ensure EBL remains the event for the events industry, we want to actively work with – and listen to – more people who deliver events, from production to suppliers so we remain the best place to do business for eventprofs.”
ADI has been involved in EBL for many years and sees the event as an “excellent opportunity” to network and build relationships across the live events sector.
Taylor commented: “As a leading provider to the market and long-time attendee, we understand that the quality of buyers is pivotal to the event’s success, so we’re pleased to be involved in the new Vetting Council.”
EBL will take place from November 10-12 at Carden Park, the luxury country estate near Chester. It will welcome only 100 hosted buyers – the live event industry’s most respected organisers – who will take part in pre- arranged face-to-face meetings with event suppliers.
Like Taylor, Gilbert has attended EBL for many years. She said: “Attending EBL with Chronosoft each year has become a staple of my winter calendar. I joke it’s summer camp for eventprofs. Getting together with suppliers and eventprofs alike in a relaxed and collaborative space, the opportunity to discuss the season just finishing and thoughts and ideas for the next season, and have a night or two in a great atmosphere is a welcome experience. So to be asked to join the Vetting
Council, knowing my honest opinion is not only valid but valued is incredibly exciting.”
Janine Walmsley, EBL’s delegate manager, concluded: “Every year, our event feedback survey shows us that our hard work and attention to detail is making a difference to our guests’ experience. It’s all about the little things that take the event further and that’s what the Vetting Council is all about – Liz, Chrissie and Tom are an extension of our team, guiding us. We have always listened to feedback and the industry but this development really shows just how much we are prepared to listen. EBL is not just our event, it’s very much the industry’s event now so it’s great to have Liz, Chrissie and Tom on board.”
Katie Caines, the new operations manager at Goodwood Festival of Speed, talks StandOut through the changes at this year’s motorsport event...
hen you join a team of event professionals who know an event inside-out, it can be tricky being new. You don’t want to ruffle any feathers or shake things up, but undoubtedly you will bring a fresh energy. This is the exact scenario that Katie Caines found herself in. She joined the Goodwood Festival of Speed (FOS) team in January as operations manager and knew that the organising team was already working on an in-depth event plan that everyone was onboard with.
“My approach was very much, I’m here, what can I do? Caines explains. “I said, I’m excited to be here, tell me what we need to achieve, and I’ll support you in that. That was kind of the approach really up till now…”
Now? When StandOut meets Caines, it’s a hot day and she is half-way through the build. In two days’ time, Caines will not only have responsibility for ops, but she will also be
general manager until fellow team members return from maternity leave. If anyone can navigate this change, Caines can.
PROJECTS
A seasoned events professional having enjoyed previous operational roles at Pub in the Park, Hampton Court Palace Music Festival, and The Big Feastival, Caines is well-placed to ensure the FOS team delivers the “quality that people expect from a Goodwood event”.
Indeed, FOS is a much-loved event. But even if you’re not interested in the roaring engine of a supercar or looking at next generation vehicles, the four-day automotive event is true family day out.
Attracting more than 200,000 visitors annually, FOS does not sit still. A heady mix of cars and motorsport royalty entertain the crowds, but it’s not just the vehicles that are
full throttle. The event’s operations team is working hard behind the scenes, which is why Caines has invited StandOut to the Goodwood Estate.
“There’s a lot going on,” she explains, as we take shade from the mid-morning sun.
“I’ve inherited some of projects, and we’ve started some.”
FOCUS ON WASTE
As you drive in through Gate 2, there’s a big giveaway on the left hand side – a huge waste transfer station, which wasn’t there in 2024.
“We’re very excited about it,” says Caines. “Previously, we had satellite skips, all over the site, which worked at the time. But when there’s bad weather, you suddenly have what I would call a messy site.”
The station has been modelled on a local tip. Contractors and standbuilders can approach the area in a telehandler, in
KATIE CAINES (she/her)
a buggy or there are steps to access the skips but what it means is that waste is being sorted properly, waste streams are being managed, segregated and compacted, and as a result, the estate can reduce waste and environmental impact.
Caines has worked on the project with Adam Long, who has had to create a onepage document, explaining how the new system works, to ensure contractors get onboard with the new process.
“We were really nervous with how people would engage with it but people are engaging with it really well,” Caines explains. “But I think it’s also showing that we really care.”
BIG CHANGES
The waste transfer station is not the only operational tweak for 2025. Caines and her team have implemented a one-way system, which she describes as a big piece of work.
“Again, I very much inherited that project, but we’ve had to do some tweaks on site and react to things. FOS has always had a one-way system in the last week of build but we wanted to have a good flow of traffic around the site throughout. Therefore, it was important to engage our contractors from day
one so by week six, using the one-way system standard practice.
“We had a bit of a battle trying to enforce it early on, when there was not many people on-site so we listened and instead of it just being on the final Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of build, we have brought it forward to encourage people to move around the site safely.”
The operations team implemented this change and also introduced a new service vehicle pass to try and reduce the number of vehicles coming on site. But one of Caines’ favourite projects has been at the Rally Stage and paddocks.
“The Rally Stage is somewhat segregated from the rest of the site,” she continues. “We knew people maybe didn’t know about it so we wanted to bring it closer without physically moving it. We’ve added a load of shuttles, we’ve got some exciting new partners, we’ve got a new start ramp for the Rally area, a stage, and in the forest, on the way to Rally, we’ve got something called the Forest Hideaway where you can go, get close to the action, see all the different turns and loops, and get something to eat.”
The idea is to encourage families to visit different parts of the site. Made easier by new family rooms [trialled in 2024] which are now dotted across the estate. Plus, there are more accessible facilities.
Making FOS more accessible has been a big focus for the ops team. It’s something the FOS team has always done but perhaps hasn’t been so brilliant at talking about it.
“We’ve created one page documents for our accessible and family visitors. Basically a cheat sheet on how to get around Goodwood, what to expect, to help people out with their day. So things like recommended car parks, the best routes for them to get on site, shuttle bus info. And we’re also using Speaksee, which is live captioning software that will enable people to follow the Hill Climb commentary.”
LOVELY FEELING
But that’s not all. There are even more tweaks to operations and infrastructure. Goodwood has invested in more hard core roads. They went down in the winter and the team is now reaping the rewards. Plus, the team has purchased hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) units that can be rapidly deployed. And this is all on top of some tweaks to the site layout, new content, expanding features, and a special celebration to mark the 75th anniversary of F1.
But what is Caines looking forward to the most at her first FOS? Caines concludes: “I’m looking forward to seeing the Hill Climb operate and to just see everyone on-site and those moving parts coming together.
“We are sold out on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and we’re about to sell out on Thursday so to know that every single day is going to be sold out when we open is a lovely feeling. But what’s also lovely about the event industry, and I’ve worked on craft events, music festivals, car shows, all sorts, is that you don’t need to love the subject, you just need to love building the space for it and I think that’s what I enjoy most.”
SUPPLIERS LIST –
Temporary structures – Losberger
DeBoer, Markey Group, Chichester
Canvas, TT Tents, and The Stretch Tent Company
Fit-out – Lock 5 and Hemisphere Events
Stage – SWG
Trackway and fencing – Sunbelt Rentals
Stewarding and security – Vespasian and The Event and Exhibition Partnership
Traffic management – Tracsis
Water – Wicked Water
Big screens – ADI
Pedestrian bridges – Mitchell Bridges
Carpentry – Falcon
Waste management – Veolia
WASTE TRANSFER STATION
Bute-iful time
y favourite thing has already happened today,” says a calm Daniel Cuffe, co-founder of Cuffe and Taylor, the live events promoter.
“What’s that?” StandOut asks.
“I’m an audio boy at heart,” Cuffe continues. “Hearing the PA for the first time on a show day sends a shiver down my spine every time. It did when we started the company and it still does. It’s still the highlight of the day, because you’ve not got your radio set up properly to be in show mode, it’s just those five minutes when you can have a little walk around, and it’s definitely my highlight.”
Cuffe is talking with StandOut in crew catering at Blackweir, a new series of live gigs from Cuffe and Taylor and promoter DEPOT. Things are hotting up. Not because it’s a scorching hot day, temperature-wise, but tonight, 35,000 ticketholders will pile into Cardiff’s Bute Park to watch Noah Kahan, the first of four acts to perform under the Blackweir banner.
Cuffe will usually shy away from the spotlight but when you want to discuss the nuts and bolts of production and delivery, he’s in his element.
“Delivering Blackweir and working in this park has not been without its
challenges,” he explains. “We’ve got the main arterial route into Cardiff city centre running parallel to the park, we’ve had to build bridges over various waterways, protect hundreds of trees, and look at mushrooms. We’ve had full-time ecologists working on this site and people making sure that we’re doing everything in our power to make sure we don’t disrupt naturally what occurs in this area.”
PRESTIGIOUS ASSET
In October, Cuffe and Taylor and DEPOT unveiled Blackweir. However, it’s not the first time the promoters have worked together. Already, they promote TK Maxx presents Cardiff Castle. Blackweir cements their relationship even further and attracts yet more people to enjoy the city.
He continues: “For me, from an audience point of view, they’ve got the ability to stay in nice hotels, go to great restaurants and bars, and then they walk to the end of the High
Cuffe and Taylor’s Daniel Cuffe on Blackweir, the new 35,000-cap live music series in Cardiff
BLACKWEIR AT BUTE PARK
DANIEL CUFFE (he/him)
Street, through a beautiful park and there is a festival. From an audience perspective, it really helps, because you’ve got all of these luxuries, and then you see a big outdoor show at the end of the night.”
However, Blackweir’s takeover of Bute Park has not been without criticism. Residents have taken to social media to disapprove of the build, especially the perimeter fence.
“With anything of this scale, you’re always going to get people who like it more than others,” Cuffe comments. “I think with this park being such a prestigious asset to the people of Cardiff, there are some people who are a bit nervous about what we’re doing, but hopefully, as we’ve found with some of our other sites across the country, the longer you’re on them, the more residents, local businesses, local authorities, the more that they get used to how you work as an organisation.”
Cuffe has spent a lot of time walking around Bute Park with Peter Taylor, Cuffe and Taylor’s other co-founder, Nick Saunders, founder of DEPOT, and Rebecca Woodhead, the show’s event manager. Two summers, in fact. It’s a series that has been long in the planning.
“We’re still working stuff out,” Cuffe admits. “You can spend all the time you want on Vectorworks, drawing sites, but until you put pins in the ground and bits of trackway down, you never know how it’s really going to work.
“Everybody – the local authority, the Safety Advisory Group (SAG), the Police – has had a can-do approach to it, but we have gone through various lengths of planning to get it to where it is now.
“That said, you can sit in a meeting and you can say you’re going to do this and that but until they’ve seen you do it, they don’t know.”
TRUST
Blackweir is significant in size. It’s the biggest show that Cuffe and Taylor (not including individual artist tours) has produced. It’s a big difference compared to Live at The Piece Hall, Halifax, which welcomes 5,500 people each night. So is Cuffe fazed by the size?
“No, no it doesn’t faze me,” he comments. “It comes back to that mentality of trust your paperwork, trust your briefings, and trust your planning. It’s something I always say to the team. We’ve all sat in a quiet room and written the paperwork. We’ve been through all of it, so in the heat of the moment, trust it.
“That’s the biggest thing that I’ve learned over the last few years. There’s a reason we do
it that way. You know, if the number says it’s the number, you’re fine until that number. It’s all of that kind of stuff. So, yeah, it doesn’t feel like a major stretch.”
LEADERSHIP
Tonight, when the gates open, Cuffe will be there when the team is ready to go for doors. He likes to see how people use Cuffe and Taylor’s processes of working. Once he sees them all turning properly and everything spinning upright, it’s a great feeling, he says. Then, he’ll head back to the office.
“We’ve got seven shows on tonight in other locations but on top of those shows, we have another four sites either being installed or taken out. When the gates have opened, I’ll walk back to the office and I’ll start ringing around every other person we’ve got working for us and check that everything’s all in order.”
BLACKWEIR
DANIEL CUFFE (he/him) AND NICK SAUNDERS (he/him)
BRADSHAW EVENT VEHICLES
BLACKWEIR
He adds: “I have always made a massive effort to be at the first of everything; the mark out, the first day of site build, the first show at every site. The reason I do that is because if somebody phones you up about a problem, if you can visualise the site, you can help and be strategic about how that problem is dealt with.
“This year is a little bit different because we’ve got some new shows. I’ve been across the new stuff but when it’s come to dealing with on the show or on the night problems, I’ve been able to do that pretty much from anywhere I’ve got an Internet connection. That’s quite unsettling at times and a very unnatural feeling for me but I also think that is progress. That is the scale that we’ve now got the company.”
Cuffe is reflective. He continues: “If I think back to our first couple years in business, I was driving a telehandler with the Steelshield on the front of it because it was easier for us to install it. We did what we had to do. To not short change anybody, we would take more on ourselves if it meant that catering was a little bit better because we’d done the fences. That was the decision we took. Fast forward to where we are now. It’s crazy, so if I started getting involved in that level of detail, it’s just not right. It goes back to what I was saying about trusting your plans and your briefings. I guess my role has massively changed. It’s about leadership, and it’s about managing people and making sure that they do things in the spirit of how we started the business.”
ASTRONOMICAL SPEND
To deliver Blackweir, Cuffe and his team are working with an army of event suppliers, including many local contractors. A2H Live,
2Can, Project Power, Streamline Leisure, A1, Hopkins Machinery, Rubicon Wales, Mojo Entertee, Mint Command, JR Event Services, Eat to the Beat, 22 Live, Lumen Productions, Algeco, and Acorn are just some of the event companies contracted to supply infrastructure and services to the new event.
Cuffe describes the levels of expenditure on site as “astronomical” but he also believes Cuffe and Taylor’s success is down to its ability to engage every stakeholder and partner, to get them to sit around a table, listen and work together.
“When we first started, we started in our hometown and organised Lytham Proms [now Lytham Festival]. Everywhere else, the primary markets, or the city markets, or whatever you want to call it, the normal‘ route map’ of outdoor shows was already being done. If we wanted to grow the company, we had to be creative. And, you know, I still stand by this that if you are putting on a show, an outdoor show in the summer, and it’s got that local attraction, you will grow that audience for whatever performer is playing that show. But the next time they come back around to play arenas or stadiums, whatever, I think going into the provincial markets grows an artist’s market. I’ve seen the data, so we’re constantly saying that to agents, because we need the product, we need the talent, we need the artists, we need the teams to come in and do the shows.”
Alanis Morissette, who is playing Blackweir in a few days’ time, is being supported by Cardiff’s Gwenno and Anglesey’s Megan Wyn. Originally, Morissette was due to play TK Maxx presents Cardiff Castle but unprecedented demand saw her show upgraded to Blackweir with all original tickets remaining valid.
“I know me and Peter are still determined to do more,” Cuffe explains. “I always think about it, and I don’t know if I have thought about
this stuff the same throughout my career, but I always feel like we’re just getting started, and I think it’s because everything’s still new, like coming here [Bute Park] for the first time. We’re constantly evolving.
“If we weren’t getting results, we probably wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing. And it’s good to keep doing new things and challenging yourself.”
HUNGRY
Blackweir and DEPOT have no long-term, multi-year arrangement. For Blackweir, it’s a case of seeing how year one goes before definite plans are made. However, Cuffe and Taylor are deep in discussions around artist availability for 2026 and beyond and Cuffe says the future is looking hugely positive. For all its shows. Including Blenheim Palace Festival, Cuffe and Taylor’s new partnership with IMG. Cuffe concludes: “We’re always hungry for new opportunities. But scale comes in different shapes and sizes. We never, ever, ever anticipated doing 36 shows at The Piece Hall in Halifax, but we were able to navigate that because of our ability to engage with stakeholders. We are supportive of them [the venue], we’re sympathetic of what they have to do as a business, and we generate more income for them. Without blowing our own trumpet, that engagement with stakeholders that I think we do really, really well, is why the relationships last as long as they do.
“Now, we’re at Blackweir, and I think the artists we’ve got playing these sites is just incredible. Noah’s show will be really good, it’s his first show on this stretch, it’s our first show on this site. A lot of firsts, so that will be the standout moment.”
On the pulse
A number of developments relating to event medical provision will improve industry standards, say event professionals
f you are responsible for procuring event medical cover for your event, it’s fair to say that the last two years may have caused you to scratch your head. You might have questioned whether you need to choose an event medical provider registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), or you might have poured over The Purple Guide’s updated medical chapter and wondered what to do next. Now with the introduction of Martyn’s Law, you might be wondering what impact it will have on the event medical cover you need to procure in order to keep eventgoers safe. And rightly so… public safety should be prioritised and organisers must implement the right measures going forward.
GUIDANCE AND CHANGES
Last June, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) commenced a piece of work to look at the development of an evidence-based Event Healthcare Standard (non-statutory guidance) that pulls all of the current guidance together (Purple Guide, Green Guide, etc) to create one document that focuses on healthcare provision at events. This would be a document that CQC could work to.
That piece of work was separate from a DHSC consultation which asked for views on the removal of exemptions from current medical regulations. That consultation ended in June 2024, and at the time, industry assumed that the exemptions would be lifted, meaning that certain medical services provided at temporary cultural and sporting events were exempt and would not be required to register with the CQC. However, following the Manchester Arena Inquiry, the DHSC proposed changing that and it was believed that any medical provider, except
those only providing basic first aid, would need to be CQC registered and meet the standards set out in the Health and Social Care Act.
The events industry expected such changes to initially take effect in March 2025 but now this date has moved and developments are expected in late 2025/early 2026, explained Dave Hawkins, CEO of MET Medical.
CHANGING RISK LANDSCAPE
Hawkins said that the change aims to standardise the quality of medical care across events and reduce risks associated with unregulated providers and whilst not yet a specific rule, Hawkins argued that it would be wise for organisers to consider engaging CQC-regulated providers now to ensure compliance with forthcoming regulations and avoid operational issues.
Like Hawkins, Robert Shelswell, an emergency nurse practitioner and founder of the National Event Medicine Observatory (NEMO), says that little information has come from the CQC as to any proposed changes to regulation. But he believes there are three main developments – Martyn’s Law, the Event Healthcare Standard and the CQC’s proposed expansion of regulatory oversight – that appear to be interdependent on one another’s timelines.
“All of these things would positively influence improved standards of event medical cover, but it is their implementation by event organisers that is essential to the future safety standards of event attendees and spectators,” said Shelswell.
Guy Crofts, clinical lead and director of First Aid Cover, which recently provided event medical cover to the Tottenham Hotspur Victory Parade, concurred that there is a
changing risk landscape. He said: “Since Martyn’s Law received Royal Assent in April 2025, we’ve noticed a clear shift in client expectations. Many are now requesting increased levels of medical cover alongside specialist equipment, including clinical major incident kits, major incident management packs, and catastrophic haemorrhage kits. This reflects a wider awareness of evolving threats and a commitment to keeping both staff and attendees safe in today’s unpredictable environment.”
PRICED OUT BY POLICY
Proper event medical provision requires detailed pre-planning and co-ordination. And it’s not about finding the cheapest provider — especially when you’re booking a high-calibre team, says Sarah Spurgeon, freelance festival production and event operations manager.
“You don’t want a supplier who undercuts the competition or, worse, reduces cover to get the bid,” Spurgeon commented. “I’m seeing it a lot at the moment. It’s sad, but it also really worries me — because we risk being under-resourced when it matters most.
“I’m not totally sure yet how any upcoming changes will affect events, but I think a few cowboy providers will be weeded out. Some operators just aren’t up to scratch –and if you ask the right questions and do your due diligence, you’d see it. Some are offering ‘emergency response’ without even being verified.
“Raising standards can only be a good thing. I just hope the costs associated with it don’t exclude any legitimate, smaller operators. There are great providers doing brilliant work at smaller scale, and they shouldn’t be priced out by policy.”
EMBEDDED CARE
According to Spurgeon, good event medical providers should be embedded in an event –addressing situations practically, signposting to welfare, being a reassuring, clearly identifiable presence, and always with a smile on their face.
For years, Spurgeon has worked with specialist providers such as Psycare UK and Hardcore Medical on a variety of events, including Noisily Festival, Secret Garden Party, and Balter Festival. She is a fan of how they adapt their approach depending on who they’re supporting. This is paramount when there’s often a lot of intoxicationrelated cases at events and also a lot of vulnerability and hidden disabilities at festivals, too.
“Some teams can be dismissive of smaller complaints,” Spurgeon explained. “You want one who gets it – who understands why someone might show up at the tent for something that looks small, but actually means a lot to them. You don’t want people being turned away. If they lose trust, they don’t come back – and that puts them at risk.”
THE RIGHT SKILL SETS
Vantage Event Medicine (VEM) recently delivered its emergency medicine and ITU consultant-led medical centre for Bludfest. It was the first time that VEM worked on the festival and supplied a multidisciplinary team that included paramedics, paramedic practitioners, doctors, physiotherapists, responders, and a consultant psychiatrist. VEM – led by CEO Andy Callahan – received event intelligence from Bludfest 2024 where two patients were detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act. Therefore, it
was decided that this year’s event medical provision should include a psychiatrist. It was felt that the likelihood of presentations resulting from poor mental health or mental health crisis were increased. Similarly, at Forever Now, VEM’s medical provision including a physiotherapist because it worked with the organiser to understand audience profiles and the risks that come with each.
It’s not that common to have a psychiatrist as part of an event medical team but according to Shelswell, when you’re booking
event medical cover, even if finances are tight, the important thing to consider is quality and whether your chosen provider has the clinical skill set to cover your event.
Spurgeon concluded: “To me, medical cover isn’t just about ticking a box. It’s about creating a trusted, visible, responsive service that people actually feel safe using. One that understands how to work with the rest of your site — with providers like Psycare UK, with up-to-date info, and with kindness. That’s what makes an event safer.”
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Delivering the vision
From site signage and merchandise to flags and giant letters, event branding comes in all forms. But despite its differences, it’s all designed to improve the customer experience, increase awareness, and enhance the look and feel of an event
In 2026, Boston will host seven matches of the FIFA World Cup, and official celebratory events, over a 39-day period. The footballing spectacle will take over the city. Therefore, Boston 26, the host city organising committee, has a huge desire to deliver an event that guests will remember for all the right reasons.
In 2022, the FIFA World Cup in Qatar attracted more than 3.4 million spectators. How visitors navigated each venue and location had a huge impact on their overall event experience. Hence, Boston is keen to ensure those visiting the city can move around with ease and positively associate Boston with the major sporting event.
Branding will play a big role in shaping the visitor experience so last month, Boston 26 published a job vacancy: wayfinding and signage director. It’s a role the committee describes as “critical”, placing pressure on the talent acquisition team to make the right hire.
UNDERESTIMATED
“I think signage and branding are something that’s underestimated,” said Lisa Knipe, operations director at CarFest. “From delivery to its project management, and with the latter, I have a prime example of what I mean…
“We have a lot of sponsors at CarFest, about 15, and every one of them has a unique contract that offers them some kind of level of branding. It could be on the stage, in a field, or included on the wayfinding; it
could be anything so we have a really big job to pull all that information together, make it logical and make it operational.”
Knipe continued: “It’s quite difficult when tendering because you don’t know what the final scope will be. For example, we have just signed a new sponsor so it can be tricky.
“Therefore, I think both for the supplier and for us as an organiser, it’s important that we work closely. You can’t say, ‘Here you go, run with it’, because CarFest is a huge site. We care so much about that end goal and the end product.”
BUILD SCHEDULE
Wasserman has been appointed to manage signage and wayfinding at CarFest. It’s a new contractor appointment. Wasserman visited CarFest in 2024, and since October, both parties have gone back and forth, discussing new items, and quotes for new options.
Knipe added: “There’s just so much signage. The schedule now versus where it was and decided in October has doubled and there are still things dripping in now, so it’s really difficult to put a hard deadline on it but we know a supplier will allows want to finalise a build schedule.”
BEST OUTCOME
Knipe joined the CarFest team in 2023. Whilst the festival’s internal crew were doing a brilliant job at installing the signage, she soon realised that the task was putting too
much stress on the team. She knew that the event’s wayfinding programme needed to step up a gear. She contracted a specialist team, which is paramount if you’re an organiser looking for cohesion and want to ensure what is delivered supports both functional need and the overall look and feel of an event.
Katie Heaton, general manager of Massive, which specialises in branding and wayfinding, concurred. Massive works with several organisers to deliver site-wide wayfinding and event dressing solutions, covering everything from directional elements and stage dressing to sponsor visibility and high-visibility crowd flow infrastructure.
“Our aim isn’t simply to install, but to integrate our work into wider operational and visitor experience plans,” Heaton says. “We’re lucky to work with some of the most well-known events in the world – Formula 1, Pride in London, London Marathon, SXSW, and more – but we’re not just here for the big jobs. We enjoy working on projects of all sizes and take pride in slotting into existing delivery teams to help create the best outcome for the event.”
STRONGER CONNECTION
In 2024, Massive worked with LS Events for the first time, helping the event production company to deliver site-wide wayfinding solutions at Pride in London. Massive’s
EVENT BRANDING
Becca Dudgeon led on the project, working with Ross Slaughter, production lead, and reported into LS Events’ Beth Smith, senior projects manager, and Robyn Templeman, projects coordinator.
Heaton continues: “2024 was our first year working with LS Events. Now that we better understand the event’s scale, pace and moving parts, this year, we’re building stronger links with operational teams to deliver a more joined-up solution. We also better understand the audience and what’s important to them. Pride is an event like no-other, with a passionate community, and its essential that all elements of the event incorporate that community at its heart.”
FRESH IDEAS
For 2025, Massive is working more closely with Pride in London’s stewarding and security teams, providing visual and directional solutions that support their operational needs and help shape a smooth, safe experience for everyone attending.
Heaton said that the event calls for a deep understanding of city-wide crowd movement, safety priorities, and inclusive messaging. And these considerations are exactly the
same for Emily Busby, marketing manager at ReesLeisure, organiser of the newly rebranded Southampton Marathon Festival.
At the end of May, Associated British Ports (ABP) and ReesLeisure – founded by Chris Rees – renewed a five-year sponsorship agreement marking a decade-long partnership that will now extend through 2030.
The 2026 edition of the event marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter – featuring a new name, new date, revised routes, and for the first time, a start line at Southampton’s Dock Gate 8, offering participants a distinctive and symbolic start at the heart of the port. For Busby, this means new logos, a new wayfinding and signage programme, and the opportunity to deliver some fresh branding ideas.
Busby explained: “We’ve been working with a graphic designer on logo designs. We thought, well, we could do something cool, around running, but actually, we decided to keep it pretty simple and have incorporated our running man [which has been used on branding over the last ten years]. Our new logo gives us the flexibility to add different layers and by using orange, which symbolises movement, we will stand out.”
INCLUSIVE
In 2024, ReesLeisure partnered with Music in the City, a Southampton-based organisation which supports local music acts. Together, they came up with the idea for Music in the Marathon, which saw different local acts performing along the route. This kept runners motivated. It made Rees think about the future of the event and becoming more of a festival, with live acts. Busby continued: “We’ve become more than a race, we’re a city-wide celebration and with the rebrand, it gives us the flexibility to grow and welcome even more people into the experience.”
NEW PRODUCTS
Currently, Busby and the wider ReesLeisure team are working on CAD plans. They are trying to assess how many barriers are needed, where they will go, and how many can be branded. It’s a big focus for the team, who will be thinking about sustainable solutions. Just like Heaton.
Heaton concluded: “Sustainability is a big focus for us right now. We’re always on the lookout for smarter, lower-impact materials that still deliver on quality and performance. We’re currently working with one of our suppliers on a biodegradable polyester fabric, and we’re really excited about it. It’s designed for use on things like Heras fence covers, barrier jackets, and flags. It performs just like standard polyester – durable, weather-resistant, and recyclable – but if it ends up in landfill, soil or seawater, it breaks down much faster. It’s a great fallback for situations where recycling isn’t possible.
“We’re also starting to explore ReactivAir, a technology that actively improves air quality by neutralising pollutants through a coating applied to printed materials. It’s early days for us, but the idea of using print to deliver environmental benefit in real-time – rather than just being low impact – is something we’re really keen to trial.”
MASSIVE AT BRITISH GP
PRIDE IN LONDON
Making the right choice…
Katie Hester, an event accessibility specialist, recently decided to go freelance. Here, she explains why she is helping organisers to reshape large-scale events to include everyone
never meant to work in events. I just wanted to go to as many festivals as I could. However, my love of music and the magic and chaos of the field became the unlikely start of what has now become a career in accessibility.
After years of working on the festival circuit, bouncing between bar work in the summer and care work in the winter –supporting elderly people and individuals with disabilities – a chance job offer in 2018 changed my life. Festival Republic asked me to interview for a role on their access team. I didn’t even know jobs like that existed! But it combined my two favourite jobs: the buzz of festivals and working with people who need extra support.
That job lit the fuse, and a six-month contract turned into a full-on career. Growing a reputation as a passionate and effective advocate for better access.
GOING SOLO
I have worked at IMG on Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and during lockdown, I took on the role of head of accessibility at Pride in London. I helped to steer the team through
one of the hardest chapters in the history of events, but after a decade of being in the thick of it, I took a year-long career break. I opted to travel and upon my return, in February 2025, I made another big decision. I decided to go freelance. It wasn’t an easy leap but it was the right choice.
I needed flexibility, not just for balance, but to make space for commitments that matter to me, like my involvement at St Leonard’s Church in Streatham. They’ve given me so many opportunities to grow, and I wanted to give back. Freelancing gives me that adaptability to allow that to happen. As a result, I’ve never felt more in control of my career. It’s like I finally spread my wings – and I’m bringing my whole network of amazing people with me.
ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL
I specialise in accessibility and it’s an area I love working in. The workload is misunderstood, expectations aren’t always clear, and there’s often a lot of emotional labour so you have to be confident in your skills and what you’re offering.
Every day, there’s the pre-show stuff – a blur of emails, managing a team,
collaboration meetings, reviewing applications, processing access documents one-by-one. Every access request is personal – one-size does not fit all. Each request is unique, each one important. You can’t copy-paste accessibility. Every individual has different needs, and it’s my job and that of the access team to make sure customers are not just accommodated but welcomed.
GAME-CHANGER
The work is relentless. But it’s also magic. You see people who wouldn’t normally be able to attend an event, fully enjoy themselves, living completely in the moment. That joy makes every stressful moment worth it and it’s why I love collaborating with organisations like Deaf Rave, Bridge Creative, and Different Breed, where I also sit on the board of advisors.
Different Breed is a software platform that’s revolutionising access. It takes traditional access guides and turns them into a sleek, interactive platform that users can personalise based on their needs – all while giving organisers real-time data on the types of access requirements showing up at their events. Personally, I think it’s the most exciting
development I’ve seen in accessibility in years. It’s a complete game-changer and I’m buzzing to see where it goes.
NEXT BIG THING
But my latest project is bold and badly needed. I have launched Access Done Right Security, a new company providing security staff and stewards trained not just in the basics, but in accessibility.
Security is often the first point of contact –and unfortunately, one of the biggest sources of complaints. Not always out of malice, but because security and stewarding teams are unprepared. The current system doesn’t set them up for success.
It’s my vision to fill that gap. To train staff properly in access, in language, and in empathy. It’s early days, but it’s needed and it’s my goal to create a team of specially trained security personnel who can be deployed where they’re most needed: Accessible entrances, access campsites, and viewing platforms.
WHY IT MATTERS
When people feel understood at the gate or by people serving them, it changes
everything. It sets the tone for the whole event. But for me, accessibility isn’t a job or a buzzword. It’s personal.
I am an access customer myself, and with family members across the neurodiverse and disabled spectrum, lived experience shapes everything I do.
You’re not just helping someone get to an event. You’re helping them make a memory that might last a lifetime – or, in some heartbreaking cases, might be one of their last. When you look at it like this, you realise just how important accessibility is but it’s that depth of meaning that drives me.
REAL TALK
However, freelancing hasn’t been all glitter and inclusivity. There’s a lot more admin, a lot more chasing invoices, and a lot more pressure to back yourself. But I know what I bring to the table. And I’ve learned that if something doesn’t meet my worth, I can walk away – because something else always comes along.
Accessibility is a small, powerful part of the event and festival industry – yet it needs more passionate people to work alongside people like me, who are prepared to graft
and be flexible. Therefore, when I started my freelance journey, I knew how important it was to build a solid network – not for what they can give you, but for the strength and sanity they bring when things get tough.
Just don’t forget you’re not throwing a party in a field. You’re creating life-affirming experiences that might mean the world of difference to someone.
WHAT’S NEXT?
I’m all in on Access Done Right. It’s still in the early days, but I can already see the shift happening.
I am also deep into consultancy, helping multiple festivals shape access from the planning stage to execution. This summer, I have already worked on shows such as Brockwell Live and I am supporting Bridge Creative’s London branch as it helps neurodiverse individuals gain real roles on-site. Along with my consultancy and security work, I will be on the ground at several exciting events, ensuring inclusivity and helping customers to have a memorable festival experience.
Honestly, I’ve never felt more energised and driven. There’s so much to do – and I’m just getting started.
KATIE HESTER (she/her)
ACCESSIBILITY & INCLUSION
Eventwell
T: 0800 470 0958
E: bookings@eventwell.org
W: EventWell.org
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GOAllAreas
E: goallareas@gingerowl.co.uk
W: www.gingerowl.co.uk
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T: 01379 788673
E: info@muta.org.uk
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