StandOut Summer Issue 2026

Summer 2026

Good sports

From fan zones to premiumisation: The key to delivering world-class sporting events

STATE FAYRE

FARNBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW

LYTHAM FESTIVAL

POWER

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CONTENTS

15 GOOD SPORTS

27 FULLY CHARGED

43 PARTY AT THE PALACE

35 GRAIN EXPECTATIONS

54 HAY NOW!

10 TIME TO TENDER

38 PREPARING FOR TAKE OFF

Discover news of contract wins and details of event tenders up for grabs

12 FAYRE PLAY

State Fayre’s Anna-Sophie Mertens and Alex Simmonds discuss year one of the latest festival to hit the UK events calendar

15 GOOD SPORTS

Industry professionals discuss the sporting events market and the key to delivering successful events, fan zones, and premium experiences

27 FULLY CHARGED

From power pilots and smart power guides to fuel surcharges and energy monitoring. StandOut shines a light on temporary event power

35 GRAIN EXPECTATIONS

Cereals’ Alli McEntyre-Gaharan and Natasja O’Connor on the planning that comes with a new event location

Farnborough International Airshow’s Ben Gleeson walks StandOut through this year’s event developments, including mapping exercises, waste managers, and procurement

43 PARTY AT THE PALACE

Blenheim Palace hosted a new five-day music and arts festival, a new collaboration between MARI Group and Cuffe and Taylor

50 TREE-MENDOUS

Forestry England’s Rhodri Jones explains why a partnership approach is making a world of difference to Forest Live – the live music series celebrating 25 years

54 HAY NOW!

Hay Festival’s Georgie Cooke and Fred Wright reveal operational developments and why the festival’s contractors have learned to go with the flow

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EDITOR’S LETTER

SUMMER 2026 talked with Gemma Bechervaise, Enable’s creative events director, who told I recently me that customers don’t see departments or organisational charts; they just experience

an event as a whole. That’s why you should never ignore an issue. Either deal with it if you can or find the person that can and will. That’s her bugbear – team members who think the issue belongs to someone else, when they should be asking, “Would I be happy with this?” and if the answer is, “No”, fix it.

Thankfully, most event professionals don’t have that attitude. Which is why we’ve been able to get through some intense periods of heat, and some monumental downpours lately.

I’ve been on-site in rain – you know the fine rain that soaks you through – and in scorchio temperatures and it’s been great to see organisers, venues, and suppliers communicating to find solutions when Mother Nature goes all menopausal.

I’ve seen crew wearing two pairs of gloves to pick up scaffolding and crew being handed electrolytes to replace essential minerals because they are sweating their &*T@ off. Plus, venues have flexed the working hours to allow suppliers to down tools during the hottest hours of the day and work into the cooler evenings.

Teamwork really is the answer to all this because extreme weather events are not going away.

It’s certainly been a topic of conversation as me and the team have hit event and festival sites across the country in recent weeks.

In this issue, you’ll find the most amazing chats with the teams behind State Fayre, Blenheim Palace Festival, Glasgow 2026, Forest Live, Cereals, Farnborough International Airshow, WOMAD, and the British Grand Prix. There’s a really cool underlying thread that puts customer experience and engagement front and centre. Plus, we’ve delved deep into the world of power. Turn to page 27 where you’ll find details of a potentially game-changing power pilot and more on the possible creation of an Energy Task Force. With all this intense sun, there’s never been a greater case for solar solutions, renewables, and a serious look at climate impacts.

Happy reading and don’t forget to wear sunscreen, Caroline PS: During the summer, check on your ginger teammates – we’re not OK.

Cover image: © Freemans Event Partners

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CONTRIBUTORS

This month’s

CONTRIBUTORS:

RHODRI JONES

Rhodri is the national events programme manager at Forestry England where he oversees the programme of commercial events across the nation’s forests, including the concert series: Forest Live.

Prior to working at Forestry England, he worked at London’s Southbank Centre where he was the senior producer for music and sitewide events and the organisational lead for major events including Meltdown Festival.

Rhodri also worked at Hay Festival where he looked after all artist arrangements for the flagship festival in Wales, as well as presentations in India, Bangladesh, Kenya, the Maldives and Columbia. He also created and directed a standalone greenfield music festival in Merthyr Tydfil called Merthyr Rock that ran from 2011-2013.

JACALYN “JAX” MORGAN

Jax is head of British Grand Prix operations at Silverstone, overseeing the planning and delivery of one of the UK’s largest and most complex sporting events. She has spent more than two decades working across major live events and venues, including Silverstone, the NEC, and London 2012. In her current role, she leads the operational delivery of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, spanning site planning, logistics, security, stewarding, traffic management, supplier relationships, and the overall fan experience.

With deep expertise in large-scale event operations, Jax plays a central role in bringing the British Grand Prix to life each year at the home of British motorsport.

BEN GLEESON

Ben is director of operations at Farnborough International and a recognised leader in airshow operations, event delivery, and venue management. With more than 20 years of experience across the UK, Europe and the Middle East, he specialises in airshow delivery, flight operations, infrastructure, temporary structures, contingency planning, and risk management.

As a board member and executive director, Ben leads the team responsible for delivering the world-renowned Farnborough International Airshow and overseeing operations across Farnborough International’s full event site and venue.

Previously, he spent 12 years with Reed Exhibitions, managing major international events including Offshore Europe. He holds a BEng in Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Birmingham.

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INDUSTRY UPDATES APPOINTMENTS OF THE MONTH

PIC OF THE MONTH

Joe Lane has joined Silverstone as event project manager.

Liberty Taylor is now senior production manager at The Fair.

Superstruct has appointed Jacqui Harris as MD of Superstruct Entertainment UK. Holly Philo has been promoted to operations and marketing manager at Freedom Festival Arts Trust.

Ash Fisher is production manager – global running events at London Marathon Events.

Nicola Gillman is head of event operations at Faversham House.

Image: © Jordan Munns

Parklife featured a new 80-metre-wide Panorama Stage last month. Built using components from Star Live’s VerTech and Ultra ranges, the structure featured multi-tiered general admission dance platforms, which surrounded the central DJ position. Panorama supported an 83.5m x 8m curved video screen, weighing more than 30 tonnes, alongside audio, lighting, and a suspended Kinesys-controlled roof over the DJ area – all with no columns obstructing the audience view. Parklife Festival will return on July 10-11, 2027, moving the festival further into the summer months for the first time since its inception in 2010.

LINKEDIN POST OF THE MONTH

Sleek Events has appointed Steve Wilson as chief operating officer, Tracy Reis as head of people and culture, and Layla Lemahieu Agha as head of client experience.

Krono Sports has appointed Tristan Zoetmulder as head of events portfolio and partnerships.

Olympia Events has appointed Carlo Zoccali as event operations director.

Amy Haken is senior manager, fan festivals – EURO 2028 at Greater London Authority.

Charlotte Turley has joined RunThrough as an operations assistant.

Lauren Palmer is now asistant event organiser at Santa Pod Raceway.

NEWS IN BRIEF In September, the UK Resilience Academy is expected to publish a National Framework for Safety Advisory Groups.

Keigh Gumbs, director of sales, AllStar Exhibits The people who have worked a 2am dismantle, managed crews on a bad floorplan, or saved a show nobody else could see a way out of.

Those are the ones who become irreplaceable.

That’s not my opinion. It’s what the industry is telling us right now. We have a planning surplus and an execution deficit.

The people who can actually execute a show are becoming rare. And rare things become valuable. I’ve watched coordinators freeze when the freight elevator goes down an hour before move in. I’ve seen booths arrive at the wrong hall with 90 minutes on the clock. I’ve been on floors where the labour walked and someone had to figure it out. Fast.

Those people didn’t learn it in a seminar. They learned it by being there.

Operational fluency is what separates the people who can describe an event from the people who can rescue one. The next generation of leaders won’t have the best AI prompts. They’ll be the ones who showed up, got their hands dirty, and found a way through when nothing went to plan. That’s who clients trust. That’s who the industry gets built on. Anyone can write the run of show.

Not everyone can run the show.

BECTU is running a Better Festivals Campaign this summer and will be providing festival staff and crew with best practice advice, designed to improve working conditions.

DTN has published a report called Weather Risk in Event Operations: The Gap Between Forecasts, Decisions, and Outcomes.

Meet Cambridge and ABPCO has launched the 2026 Neuroinclusive Networking Guide, a practical framework designed to help organisers create more inclusive networking experiences.

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has a team of user researchers who are currently speaking with organisations who may be affected by Martyn’s Law, expected to come into force in spring 2027. As part of this work, it is inviting a small number of people to take part in research to help it design a digital service that is clear and practical, and works for real-world users.

If you would like to be part of this valuable research and have a query, email user-research@sia.gov.uk

www.olympuscrew.co.uk n 09

EVENT TENDERS AND CONTRACT WINS

PORT LYMPNE ILLUMINATED

Time to tender

View tenders

Looking for new business opportunities? Discover news of contract wins and details of event tenders up for grabs UK Entertainment Group will support Royal Windsor Racecourse – part of Arena Racing Company – on selected race days with new entertainment concepts.

LCI Productions has secured a three-year contract to deliver Port Lympne Safari Park’s annual seasonal light trail, Port Lympne Illuminated. LCI will design and deliver an expanded trail for 2026.

The organiser of Thor’s Tipi has won the contract to deliver Leeds’ Christmas market on City Square. Leeds City Council has appointed Thor’s Tipi, which will replace the previous experience with a Yorkshire-inspired retail, craft, and food market.

Formula 1 has appointed Fever as an official supplier for races in 2027 and beyond. As part of the new five-year agreement, Fever will provide a new ticketing platform for fans on F1.com.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is expected to publish a tender (around September 8) because it

wants to create an event management framework. This tender will be divided into lots. Including stewarding, crowd management and event operations, security and accreditation, temporary structures and event infrastructure, power, sanitation, and AV services. The contract is expected to run until March 2033.

Eventflow, the event operations platform, has added London International Motor Show and Motorsport Technology Expo UK to its client base.

British Council is seeking event management services for the British Pavilion at Venice Biennale. The deadline is 2pm on September 9. Email Brian.D’Mello@britishcouncil.org Provision Events will deliver the fan experience village at Genesis Scottish Open through to 2028.

National Merchandise has extended its agreement as the official merchandise partner of Co-op Live through to 2031.

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STATE FAYRE

STATE FAYRE

Images: © J Crispin/Nicholas O’Donnell

Fayre play More than 50,000 fans headed to Hylands Park for State Fayre, Live Nation’s latest festival to make its mark on the UK events calendar. Read on as festival directors Anna-Sophie Mertens and Alex Simmonds discuss year one… wanted to create a festival that W edelivered good music, good food

and good times,” says Anna-Sophie Mertens, smiling. She is one of the power houses behind State Fayre, the new festival for country music fans and Americana lovers.

Wearing a high-viz vest and trying her hardest not to melt under the scorching afternoon temperatures, Mertens takes welcome refuge in one of the festival’s shaded VIP guest areas.

“I’m not normally one of those people but I just need someone to grab me a drink,” she politely asks, dying for some water.

It’s hot. In fact, it’s bloody boiling. The temperature is rising and so is the excitement as Mertens and fellow festival organiser Alex Simmonds prepare to welcome 50,000 music fans across three days.

Taking place at the renowned Essex estate – once home to V festival – State Fayre is inspired by American state fairs, long summer nights, and tailgate parties. And like V once did, it hopes to establish itself on the UK festival scene with performances from Alanis Morissette, Kings of Leon, and The Lumineers.

“We started talking about State Fayre in

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October 24,” Mertens explains, looking towards Simmonds for confirmation. “I think that’s when we were looking at the first names and artwork designs. We’ve always both had ambitions to create something outdoors and I suppose we weren’t quite ready to press the button. But now felt like the right time to do it.”

GOOD MENTORS

According to the Country Music Association (CMA), the country music scene in the UK has had a surge in popularity. In particular, the growth of country music consumption in the UK is the fastest of anywhere in the world at more than ten per cent.

“It’s always been a dream to create something that is a more dedicated home for country, marrying that up with the lifestyle, and the food,” Mertens continues. “We started putting offers out in early 2025 and when we got that first headliner locked in then things got real.”

Mertens and Simmonds are promoters within Live Nation. Moreover, Mertens is SVP of touring at Live Nation and Simmonds is VP of touring at the organisation, too. The duo has vast experience of the touring market

but the ability to lean on Festival Republic’s expertise for production and delivery has been welcomed.

“We’ve had really good mentors that have shown us the way,” says Simmonds, who admits to being more comfortable handling marketing budgets and major artists then having a microphone in front of his face.

But he has the support of Mertens and David Hetherington, Live Nation’s customer experience director, UK and Ireland.

“David and his team have been fantastic,” he continues. “They have worked with us to pull out our ideas and get what we need so that the customer experience is the best it can be.”

ATTENTION TO DETAIL

Mertens concurs. She is sitting next to Hetherington, who has also chosen to take a welcome break from the hot mid-afternoon sun.

“State Fayre is more than we envisaged,” Mertens adds. “The extra touches that David and his team have brought to the table are soooo good.”

Hetherington is sandwiched between Simmonds and Mertens. Every now and then, there’s the noise of kit being installed but in

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STATE FAYRE

ANNA-SOPHIE MERTENS (she/her) AND ALEX SIMMONDS (he/him) terms of finishing touches and site décor, the job is almost done and it’s clear that someone has paid attention to detail.

“We’ve all made a conscious effort for all the content to feel really relevant to the show,” Hetherington comments. “We’ve got axe throwing and a custom cowboy hat store, and a blacksmith and an arcade bar, with 30 curated vintage arcade games; we want people to have an amazing time before they even see something on stage.”

TRIED AND TESTED ELEMENTS

Hetherington is a busy man. Two weeks ago, he was on-site at Download and he has just stepped off a ferry from the Isle of Wight.

“You’ve got a lot of experience with a lot of different events, so how do you know that you’ve got the right bits for this particular show?” StandOut asks him.

Hetherington explains: “A lot of it is really understanding what the customer wants.

Alex and Anna-Sophie really get this genre, and so we’ve tapped into that hive mind of what people like in the field. We have some tried and tested elements that we know will work and are a natural fit but with this show,

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we’ve also had the opportunity to bring in new partners.

“I always like to approach it in the same way as we do with talent that’s on stage, having that same kind of pipeline from grassroots to headliners. But having what you think people want and think people will love, until you open the doors, you just don’t know, and that’s the exciting part.”

JUST THE BEGINNING

Watching customers walk onto the site is the bit that Simmonds is looking forward to the most. Mertens is too, confirming that State Fayre has a longer-term plan.

“There’s room to grow and we’ve got the site to do that,” says Mertens, who also sits on the CMA board.

Hertherington nods in agreement. He and his team are currently supporting a number of promoters. He describes Live Nation as the “engine” that can drive a whole heap of “stuff” behind-the-scenes, so promoters can focus on curating amazing events for all to see.

“We want our customers to have a great experience and so it’s my job to reduce the amount of friction, the amount of pain, that

stops people having a great time in the field.

We want to make it as easy as possible to come to one of our events and we’re here to allow customers to connect with the artist on stage, and everything we do is in service of that.”

Simmonds concludes: “We just can’t wait to see customers arrive and see what they take away from State Fayre. This is just the beginning, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back when State Fayre opens its doors once more in 2027.”

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SPORTING EVENTS

Good sports

FANS IN THE LANDOSTAND

Images: © Craig Watson/Candid Photos/Paul Stallard

From fan zones and premiumisation to knowing your audience and operational developments. Industry professionals discuss the sporting events market and the key to delivering successful events Batty, CEO of Glasgow 2026, is P hila busy man. The last time StandOut

caught up with him, there was less than a year to go before the Commonwealth Games arrived in the city. Now, the team is on the final stretch and there are just days until Glasgow welcomes 74 competing nations and territories alongside thousands of sports fans.

“There’s been about three years’ worth of activity since that conversation,” Batty says.

“The mood is good. We are in that moment, where everyone’s doing the final bits of preparation, but actually everyone’s eager to now start delivering.”

appointing Trivandi as event delivery partner.

A year ago, Batty described the model as an opportunity to partner with the supply chain.

One year on, he believes it has delivered.

“Being industry-led has meant that we’ve been able to tap into a level of expertise, knowledge, and resource that has enabled us to not only move at pace but develop quite complex plans,” he explains. “There is a network of people that have worked on every one of Glasgow’s major events in the last 15 years... so Glasgow has this amazing track record of large-scale events and a fabulous network of people who love working on them.”

TRACK RECORD

FIT FOR THE FUTURE

For the 2026 event, the organising committee has adopted a “one team” approach,

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According to Batty, Glasgow 2026 is on time and on budget. From July 23 until August 2,

the world will watch ten sports across 11 days in four iconic venues. He describes Glasgow as being “muscle fit”. Having learned lessons from hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

The city is ready to celebrate sporting history.

Batty continues: “We are delivering the games for £160 million, and we’re very confident in our ability to do that, partly because we’ve really lent into the knowledge of the supply chain to drive that forward, but also, we’ve designed a games that sits within the groove of the city. We’re using resources in a much more financially responsible way.

So, I think it will be a great example for the UK events industry of how you can reformat an event that’s been around for nearly 100 years, but retain its traditions, focus on its strengths, and reformat it for the future.”

www.glevents.co.uk n 15

SPORTING EVENTS

NEPTUNUS AT ROYAL ASCOT MAKING IT COUNT

The challenge, says Batty, has always been delivering the Games within a compressed timeframe. Originally due to be staged in Victoria, Australia, the event was reassigned after the state withdrew citing rising costs.

When Glasgow received the green light in September 2024, the plans did not include a live site.

That changed in June, when the organising team announced details of the Game On Live Site at Kelvingrove Park. ADI and JA Productions will work on the live site that will give families and fans the chance to watch the sporting action on giant screens and take part in sporting activities.

“I think the challenge – when we first got given the games – was that people thought delivering just the games in two years, for the resources we had, was a near impossible challenge in itself,” explains Batty.

“But we felt passionately about a live site.

It’s really important that when you have major sporting events, there are free, open spaces for everybody, whether you’ve got a ticket or not, to access the event.

“It will be part of our Summer of Sport and will feature low-cost sports activities, fun, and an entertainment programme. To go from a model that was just focused on four competition venues to now being a proper city takeover with live programming feels like a major evolution.

“I guess that’s been the challenge for me over the life of the project; getting the games done was the brief, now it’s making the games count, and creating more opportunities to experience sport,” Batty says.

BEYOND THE STADIUM

Andrew Sharp, CEO of Event Planning Group, an Identity Company, has vast experience of delivering large-scale sporting events, including the Olympics and FIFA World Cups.

16 n www.glevents.co.uk

GETTING READY FOR GLASGOW 2026 Like Batty, he agrees that fan zones and activations – such as trophy tours – have the ability to engage non-core participants and provide an alternative avenue for sponsors and partners that wish to connect with entirely new audiences.

As a result, he believes the market is investing in experience design and sporting events are now seen as more than event infrastructure. Organisers are required to keep guests connected to the energy of an event and the roar of a mass crowd.

Furthermore, Sharp says that sport has changed, particularly around experience, and believes that fans are engaging with live sport more, especially beyond traditional stadium footprints.

BALANCE

Steve Reynolds, co-CEO of LS Events, concurs. The event production specialist recently supported the Soccer Air Productions team and created the Soccer Aid for UNICEF fan zone at London Stadium: a four-hour mini football festival with live DJs and a carnival atmosphere thanks to the Chery Happy Arena – delivered by agency Energy.

The brief was to create an entertainment destination with football at its core. Similar to Batty and the Glasgow 2026 team, Reynolds is passionate about the power of live sites and fan zones and their ability to connect audiences.

“LS Events has more than 20 years of experience in bringing joy to fans through our work in delivering live entertainment

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SPORTING EVENTS and festivals right through to sport specific projects such as Formula E, SailGP, UEFA Champions Festival, and the fan zones at Soccer Aid for UNICEF,” Reynolds explains.

“It’s taught us one fundamental truth: the audience is never one person. You’re always designing for multiple fan personas simultaneously; the child who wants to be amazed, the parent who wants to feel connected, the diehard fan, and in the case of open-access fan zones, the passer by who might be engaging with the sport for the first time. We are continually exploring ways to get that balance of entertainment, experience and music right so that we’re not just running a fan zone, we’re engineering a shared memory.”

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Fan zones have become an integral part of many sporting events, increasing dwell time and driving data capture. Yet the “secret sauce” to delivering a successful fan zone is deceptively simple, says Reynolds. It’s to give people a moment that feels personal, participatory, and impossible to walk past.

“Today’s fan zone has to be a ‘content engine’, physical spaces packed with tools and activations that let attendees generate and share premium assets on the spot,” he comments. “Not because brands need the impressions, but

because creating something shareable is the participatory moment. Put simply, you can’t manufacture ‘belonging’. The ‘I was there’ moment underpins the best fan zone experiences.

“The non-negotiables are less glamorous but just as critical,” he adds. “Know your audience obsessively and then remove every obstacle between them and a good time.

That means intelligent crowd flow, amenities positioned where people actually go rather than where they’re convenient to operate, and food and drink that reflects the crowd you’re hosting.”

FAN EXPERIENCE

Tara Warren, the new CEO of Freemans Event Partners, the event catering and concessions specialist, agrees. “Food and beverage have become a much bigger part of the overall event experience, so our role is increasingly focused on helping organisers create offers that are relevant to their audience while remaining commercially successful.”

Key events in Freemans Event Partners’ portfolio include the Formula 1 Pirelli British Grand Prix, Royal Ascot, Lord’s Cricket Ground, Badminton Horse Trials, and the BMW PGA Championship. Each event presents opportunities to create tailored food and beverage experiences that enhance the guest journey.

For example, at Lord’s Cricket Ground Food Village, Freemans has introduced self-checkout

technology, while self-serve bar concepts are being rolled out across several venues.

These formats reduce queue times, increase transaction throughput and improve spend per head.

Warren continues: “Ultimately, the most successful events recognise that food and beverage is no longer simply an operational necessity. It’s a key part of the overall fan experience, a driver of dwell time and spend, and an increasingly important contributor to how visitors remember an event.”

CREATING A DESTINATION

Silverstone is a great example of how event organisers are evolving their food and beverage offer.

This year, Freemans Event Partners expanded the popular Landostand activation with bespoke menus, immersive branding, interactive photo opportunities, and a curated F&B offer. “From our experience, many organisers are becoming increasingly collaborative around food and beverage strategy,” says Warren. “Rather than viewing food and drink as purely operational, they’re recognising it as an important part of the overall event experience, customer satisfaction and brand perception.”

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SPORTING EVENTS

SOCCER AID FOR UNICEF FAN ZONE GP for a second year. CARGO combines distinctive food concepts with a festival-style atmosphere. This year, the space featured live DJs, live music, a soft play area, and a diverse food and drink offer, creating a destination beyond traditional event catering.

Warren adds: “We’re increasingly working with organisers to build day-long food and beverage journeys rather than standalone offers. By aligning products, service formats, and outlet locations to customer behaviour throughout the day, organisers can increase spend, improve guest satisfaction, and encourage visitors to remain on-site for longer.”

SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT

Silverstone introduced the Landostand in 2025, a dedicated Lando Norris fan zone that proved so popular last year, it returned in 2026 as a new purpose-built grandstand and viewing area.

“We learned a lot last year,” says Daniel Huson, head of fan experience and creative at Formula 1 British Grand Prix. “We needed a bit more space for Lando fans to hang out as a community, and before the 2025 event even took place, we were already talking about expanding, or doubling, the stand size.

20 n www.glevents.co.uk

“We also had the confidence to commit to building the new grandstand because we know that 50 per cent of our under 35 attendees are Lando fans.”

The new Landostand was built to replace four existing grandstands in the same area of the circuit and double spectator capacity.

Its development was made possible through close collaboration with Silverstone and the Lando Norris team, whose vision has been brought to life by GL events UK. Chris Mansell, MD of Seating and Stadia at GL events has overseen the project – the biggest single grandstand that GL has ever built with more than 16,300 seats. It measures a quarter of a mile long, wraps around the curvature of Stowe Corner, and avid racing fans now benefit from more leg room and a wider seat to sit on.

“Everyone has commented on how amazing the Landostand looks,” Huson continues. “We’ve invested a lot of money in the project, the branding, and the detail.”

ON POLE POSITION

The all-new Landostand is not the only development at the British Grand Prix this year. The event site is open for 19 hours each

day, so Huson and his team have invested in evening entertainment, on-site facilities, shuttle bus services, and premium hospitality experiences to ensure more than 172,000 people have a memorable time on race day.

It’s the job of Jacalyn “Jax” Morgan, head of British Grand Prix operations at Silverstone, to lead on some of those event developments.

“Fans first is one of our core values,” Morgan explains. “There is a lot of work that goes into curating the experience for all of those fans that come through the doors.”

When we chat, Morgan is busy building the site ahead of race weekend. She is taking a quick 30-minute break to talk with StandOut. She continues: “This year, we’re working really closely with Freemans to develop our food court areas to create better dwell zones, we’ve got alternative entertainment areas, we’ve developed our Made at Vale stage, and we’ve changed our Landostand.

“But a fundamental change last year – and one we are building on this year – is the way people travel to the event. Last year, we brought 125,000 people to Silverstone through our bus operation over the four days, which was around 50,000 on the Sunday alone. In 2024, we brought in 63,229 people

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SPORTING EVENTS over four days and 27,000 people on the Sunday so to double it in one year was a huge operation and achievement. This year, we’re increasing the number of people coming to Silverstone by bus, and we’re looking to bring 60,000 in on the Sunday and 180,000 over the four days.”

PREMIUMISATION

Lulu Beasley, head of design and experiences at Lock 5, says that the Landostand is the perfect example of how a sport is able to connect with its audience. Yes, sport has to create revenue, but premium fan experiences should not be a debate between money and atmosphere. Moreover, it’s a design challenge, says Beasley.

“The strongest sporting properties understand that commercial decisions, sponsorship, hospitality, marketing, and fan engagement are all interconnected,” she explains. “The atmosphere isn’t a byproduct of sport; it’s part of the product itself. The Landostand is probably one of the best examples of this. That’s why every premiumisation decision should be evaluated not only by the revenue it generates, but by its impact on engagement, belonging, and atmosphere.

“Premiumisation is not only about creating premium spaces; it is about creating premium pathways into the sport itself.

“Once you understand how to communicate with your tribe through marketing, you are able to engage them in the right way off-site, consistently and authentically. That means when they arrive on-site, they already feel connected, informed, and placed in the right environment for them.”

She continues: “One of the points I feel most strongly about is that premiumisation is often viewed through the lens of VIP bars, hospitality suites, or premium ticket products.

“Sport, for me, is fundamentally about identifying and engaging tribes. Every venue has them – the groups that visit the same bar every match, book the same table, sit in the same section, and follow the same rituals every time they attend.

“These behaviours tell us something important: fans are not simply

purchasing access to sport. They are buying identity, familiarity, and belonging. The most successful experiences understand those tribes and build authentically around them.

“The best premium experiences don’t compete with the sporting product; they enhance it. They help people feel more connected to the atmosphere, the occasion, and ultimately the tribe they are part of, whether general admission or high-end VIP.”

UNDERSTAND YOUR CUSTOMER

Racegoers at Royal Ascot enjoyed a spectacular new look to the hospitality village in the centre of the racecourse this year with the introduction of an eye-catching circular covered viewing area created

by Neptunus.

The Salacia, a fully rounded structure allowing 360-degree views of the venue, was originally created as an iconic building that became the centrepiece of Tomorrowland, the EDM festival in Belgium. The introduction of the Salacia at Royal Ascot was an exciting new addition for 2026. Not only providing shelter for racegoers but also creating a new look and feel for the 10,000 racegoers in the Village Enclosure.

Beasley argues that just like festivals, in the world of sport, it’s about knowing your tribe and giving every single person the best possible experience they can have, because that’s how you build a long-term following.

“Whether that’s general admission or whether that’s VIP hospitality, that doesn’t matter. If you come in as an

entry-level sports fan, and just love the sport, you’ll kind of go, ‘I love the sport, I want something else’, They’ll be more willing to spend their hard-earned money. Before you know it, they’re having a lovely hospitality day, because they’ve aspired for it, but where I think that people go a little bit awry at the moment is kind of understanding what that is and how that translates and also how you market that.

“There’s no point adding a brand to an event that doesn’t fit well with a tribe, because you lose them,” concludes Beasley.

“When I worked at Ascot as a senior event designer and in-venue experience manager, I used to see it all the time. You would see the same guys at the same bar every single race day, because that was their vibe; they bought into that one bar, and it wasn’t anything to do with the product they were serving or the location of it. It’s that ritualistic part of sport, and I think that when it’s done well, it doesn’t offend anyone because it’s offering something that they didn’t have before, but when it’s sort of just landed on them without any kind of prior knowledge it can annoy people. That’s why you need an amazing relationship with your marketing department, and you need to understand your customer.”

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Vicki Neilson, Sunbelt Rentals’ head of sales for events, on the invisible infrastructure behind Britain's biggest sporting moments football celebrations and international tournaments to fan F rom zones and stadium screenings, the UK and Ireland's sporting

calendar places significant demands on organisers, venues, local authorities, and delivery partners. Supporters expect sporting events to feel smooth from arrival to departure, while organisers must balance atmosphere, safety, and operations.

Behind every successful sporting event is a network of infrastructure that 12/05/2025 16:57most spectators will never see. Barriers, fencing, lighting, trackway, welfare facilities, access solutions, traffic management, and site logistics. They all play a critical role in how an event functions.

When these elements are planned and delivered effectively, they support crowd movement, protect public spaces, and help create environments where fans can focus on enjoying the event itself.

Recent events across the UK have demonstrated the scale of planning required. Following Arsenal Football Club's title-winning season, Sunbelt Rentals supported both the Emirates Stadium screening event and the open-top bus parade across North London.

The operation required extensive infrastructure to maintain safe environments throughout the celebrations.

But whilst more than 37,000 supporters attended the stadium screening, our team worked through the night installing barriers and preparing the parade route ahead of the city's celebrations.

Whether supporting a stadium screening, city-centre parade, or fan zone, infrastructure needs to be installed efficiently, adapted where necessary, and removed quickly once the event has concluded.

With so many operational elements to coordinate, taking a joined-up approach to infrastructure planning can make a significant difference.

Considering all elements of the event as one overall delivery plan helps reduce pressure on event teams and supports smoother delivery from build through to derig.

For infrastructure providers, the role extends beyond supplying equipment. At Sunbelt Rentals, we work alongside organisers throughout the planning and delivery process, providing practical advice and operational support to help create safe, well-managed environments for spectators, teammates and delivery partners alike.

Sporting events are about bringing people together. Whether it is a football parade, an international championship, or a mass participation race, a smooth experience depends on the infrastructure behind the scenes. When planning, expertise and operational delivery come together, organisers can create memorable sporting occasions that are safe, efficient, and enjoyable for everyone in attendance.

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EVENT POWER GRID FAERIES AT WOMAD

Images: © Leora Bermeister/Farelight Productions/ Mark Roe/Red Bull Content Pool

Fully charged From power pilots and smart power guides to fuel surcharges and energy monitoring. Event professionals discuss power best practice and why industry needs a paradigm shift towards event power the gates open and the first B efore act takes to the stage, one of the

biggest challenges facing organisers is already underway: how to power an event sustainably. The good news is that the industry is making significant progress. New data from A Greener Future (AGF), gathered from 24 festivals across 12 countries, reveals a growing shift away from diesel generators, with nearly half of organisers now using 100 per cent HVO fuel, a quarter relying entirely on grid power, and 17 per cent using more than five per cent of their power from on-site renewables or a battery system.

As pressure mounts to reduce emissions without compromising performance, these statistics highlight a shift towards a lowercarbon power supply and a growing number of festivals transitioning towards greener energy.

For example, Boomtown is increasing its use of hydrogen power at this year’s festival following the successful introduction of hydrogen last year and From the Fields, organiser of Northern Lights Leicester and Northern Lights Manchester has committed to using HVO on this year’s light trails.

“We’re absolutely over the moon to be working with GeoPura to bring HYDRO XL to life at this scale,” comments Luke Mitchell, co-founder of Boomtown. “Seeing the smaller HYDRO stage in action last year at Boomtown was incredible. Personally, I spent a lot of time behind the stage as it was fascinating to see. Where you would normally hear diesel generators, there was just silence. It inspired us to take the leap and develop the idea into one of our main stages this year.”

GeoPura – which recently deployed Hydrogen Power Units (HPUs) at Eisteddfod yr Urdd 2026 – strongly believes that events can be powered sustainably. It helped the organisers of one of Europe’s largest youth cultural festivals to reduce its reliance on diesel generators and now it is taking part in a new power pilot being delivered by West of

England Mayoral Combined Authority, Bristol City Council, and the ACT 1.5 project.

Unveiled in November, the pilot partnership is giving events and festivals access to battery power and renewable energy sources from a temporary mobile power hub situated in Bristol.

Already, Love Saves the Day and Forest Live have benefitted from access to the Clean Power Hub at Bristol’s Bottle Yard Studios. The hub is a hugely powerful initiative from Bristol City Council, the regional authority, and power experts – including Power Logistics, GeoPura, Instagrid, Zenobé, and Grid Faeries – who are all collaborating to guarantee select events access to renewably powered mobile energy and charging for the summer months.

More than 20 events are expected to access the power pilot, which hopes to influence

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POWER PILOT

In 2025, Boomtown featured HYDRO – a hydrogen-powered festival stage and now, the organising team has announced plans to work with GeoPura once more for HYDRO XL, a “bigger, bolder and re-engineered” stage with a capacity for 20,000 people compared to 8,000 last year.

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EVENT POWER the creation of an entirely new, viable power model once vital data has been analysed.

A HUGE LEAP

Grid Faeries is just one of the company’s lending its expertise to the pilot. In 2024, Grid Faeries x Ecotricity powered the Arcadia Dragonfly stage at Glastonbury, the Charlie Gillett stage at WOMAD, and Massive Attack’s stage on Clifton Downs, Bristol.

Now, the organisation is returning to WOMAD to power the festival’s main stage with batteries using 100 per cent green energy from the wind and sun. Removing the need for diesel generators altogether.

Rupert Bassadone, WOMAD’s head of operations, explains why the festival has decided to take the huge leap into battery tech.

“If I’m being honest, in 2024, we were really hesitant,” he admits. “We didn’t really know what to expect. It all sounded great, but we’d never used a 100 per cent battery system to run a stage or anything else onsite, at any event. I didn’t really believe that the technology was there yet to do that sort of thing.

“In 2024, we worked with Grid Faeries and agreed to power the Charlie Gillett stage.

We had a generator back up and it was there to take over if something went wrong. But it was fine, nothing went wrong, and the battery used barely any of its available capacity,” Bassadone continues.

“At the same time, we monitored the main stage and we’re now using that data for this year with Grid Faeries powering the main stage for the entire period and we’re hoping that the batteries don’t have to be recharged over the weekend. Plus, we’re hoping that the batteries could also power other things around the main stage, like the media village and some backstage infrastructure.”

NUMBER CRUNCHING

Bassadone, Grid Faeries, and Festival Power – which is also working on WOMAD – are currently crunching the numbers to ensure the festival can reduce power usage across the entire site. The festival is not alone.

XLE Event Services is returning to Wimbledon this year, where for the last three years, it has gradually introduced battery and solar solutions specifically for areas where there isn’t sufficient mains power available.

Oliver Cross, director of XLE Event Services, says there’s a strong desire to move away from generators entirely. However, whilst not every organiser is in a position to move away from more traditional power sources, many still make a conscious effort to find better, more efficient ways of working. Cross explains: “On a practical level, we recently took on a new project with Stable Events, its Dog Fest series, and when we quoted on a like for like basis, we were able to reduce the power setup from four generators to two. That’s a significant saving.”

TIME TO RETHINK POWER

Indeed, the price of fuel and rising energy costs have been front and centre since the conflict in the Middle East began earlier this

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EVENT POWER year. It has pushed fuel prices skywards with some organisers reporting that fuel bills have increased by more than £30,000. So, what can an organiser do when costs cannot be recouped when tickets are already on sale?

Nick Brooks-Ward is operations director of HPower Group, organiser of Royal Windsor Horse Show (RWHS). Tickets for RWHS went on sale in October. The war in Iran began just weeks before H Power was due to go on-site.

Fuel prices rocketed.

“It was exceptionally difficult,” Brooks-Ward explains. “We boxed clever and talked to everyone who wanted early power and said, ‘You’re going to go here, you’re going to live there, and you’re going to stay there’.

“For our trade stands that required power, we charged them a surcharge and normally, our caterers would demand that fridges are up to temperature. We said, ‘No, do not bring your food in. It can sit in your fridges, and you’ll need to change your transport plans’.

“Thankfully, 95 per cent of people said, ‘Yes, no problem, we understand’.”

Brooks-Ward continues: “Now, I am waiting to see what ExCeL do for the London International Horse Show and whether there’ll be a fuel surcharge and so I think everyone will be looking at how they operate and going, ‘Do we need to do it this way? Does our caterer need this?’. There’s got to be a joined-up approach, because if it’s not, then we’re all going to get caught.”

POWER PLANNING

Graham Dames. commercial director at Flow Power Solutions, which is providing temporary power solutions to Tramlines, Bearded Theory, and Terminal V, concurs with Brooks-Ward. The impact of the conflict has focussed an entire industry.

Dames explains: “Due to the escalating price of diesel, interest around more sustainable solutions has increased, with the aim of off-setting these costs. Diesel

prices have increased the costs across the board and already tight budgets are getting squeezed more.

“We are seeing two things in the market, clients that are acting early to lock in pricing and clients that are monitoring the situation in the Middle East with the hope that pricing may come down.

“In Flow’s experience, as diesel has accelerated, the parity between HVO has become tighter as we have seen a greater demand for HVO, the price of HVO has been higher as well. It has certainly created a challenging space for event organisers.”

Shaun Pearce, MD of Pearce Hire, agrees.

Like Dames, he has seen the price of HVO increase in line with diesel prices.

“Lots of people are starting to talk about generator sharing but the trouble is we’ve been creating things like generator farms for years,” Pearce comments, as he explains what organisers can do to save money.

“It’s nothing new to us and that’s why we’ve been able to keep our prices so competitive for the last 20 years. It’s the same with sustainability. There comes a point where people think you can make savings and reductions year in, year out, but if you’re already efficient, then no.

“Sustainability is the one thing I have banged on about from day one, and it all comes down to planning. If you bring your power provider in early enough, we can work with the people designing the site, and we can bring in ideas. But the truth is, people aren’t getting that.

“The old school way of thinking was, ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter if we don’t get information early, we’ll just add another generator’. But when you add a generator and then another one, all of a sudden, you’ve got 20 generators where you could have half a dozen.

“If you plan in time, you can make reductions and you can make significant savings on your fuel,” Pearce states.

ENERGY MONITORING

Spiralling fuel costs are driving organisers to explore more sustainable alternatives.

For example, Dames says that careful load management and data analysis around fuel burn, loading, and run times helps to support cost reduction through the accurate monitoring of equipment. This enables better understanding of peak power demands and low usage times.

Similarly, Tom Brooks, senior project manager at Project Power, concurs. Project Power recently worked with Ops People on Red Bull Soapbox Race to monitor energy use. At this year’s event, held at Alexandra Palace, Brooks and his team used Rayleigh monitors to record and monitor all power usage – including voltage, amp frequencies, and electrical data.

“Monitoring gives you an exact kilowatt hour usage reading,” Brooks explains. “This helps you forecast your power usage.

“The goal with Red Bull is to potentially reduce generator size and usage in the future to make the event as green as possible and we might switch to some hydrogen generators in 2028.”

ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

Figure of Eight Events worked with Hay Festival this year to harvest energy data so that the organising team can make more informed decisions around generator usage going forward. Similarly, the Figure of Eight team monitored power usage at Henley Royal Regatta to see what energy efficiencies can be made. Potentially dropping the need for a small number of diesel generators in future years.

Rich Rayner, director of Figure of Eight Events, argues that organisers still need to fully drill down to understand the correlation between the spec you’re given by your suppliers and the cost to both you and the environment to power that piece of

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EVENT POWER equipment. Rayner says: “Unless clients engage with suppliers to monitor power usage, invariably specs will be collated and submitted as normal resulting in the same generators being used with little to no review or improvement.

“We are fortunate to have a great set of clients that are driven to change and trust us to improve things year on year but sadly outside of that, I still frequently witness pairs and quads of 500kVA generators on other major events that are hugely under utilised. There is often no review, challenge or innovation, and sadly, as a result, the cycle repeats itself year after year resulting in little to no carbon or cost reduction.

“I think it’s important to recognise and champion those that are currently doing great things with regards to energy reduction but we must also be realistic in understanding there is still a lot that can easily be changed if you partner with a trustworthy and experienced provider.

“I also think it’s more important than ever for organisers to understand the correlation between what is being asked for in terms of connection, what is actually needed and how that can affect both cost and carbon reduction. For example, we know a lighting company’s mains distribution unit has 400A powerlock connectors on it but how much are they actually drawing? It sounds obvious but it still sadly goes largely undetected across our industry. Only when we all work closer together and spend more time drilling down into the detail can we reduce carbon and cost year on year.”

Rayner adds: “We find HVO, solar, batteries and hybrid tech hugely effective for our clients in the right application but they aren’t the starting point. Tightening specs and exploring ‘lower hanging fruit options’ such

as proportional load sharing and correct generator sizing still is. Again, this sounds obvious... and it is, but still isn’t explored enough on many events we observe.”

TASK IN HAND

Chris Johnson, chair of Vision for Sustainable Events, agrees. He suggests that more information could help organisers better understand practical efficiency measures.

Particularly when more than 85 per cent of festivals are categorised as small or microscale. Plus, he believes there is a strong case to produce web-based toolkits that are more accessible to organisers lacking significant resources or expertise and who cannot afford to switch to more renewable energy sources.

He points to the third edition of the Show Must Go On Report, launched in February, that compiled data from 87 festivals and introduced a Climate Transition Plan with a target of 50 per cent emissions reductions by 2030. The plan serves as a “North Star” rather than a roadmap, with the industry aiming for a 50 per cent alignment with UK Net Zero targets. Currently, 35 to 37 per cent of this goal is achievable through existing measures, leaving a 12.5 per cent gap that will require policy intervention.

Johnson says that he wants industry to take some steps together, with the best evidence base and the clearest sense of where industry is going. Collaboration will ensure the events industry has got a much better chance of moving from A to B. For example, climate modelling indicates that transitioning to renewables can reduce the industry’s emissions by at least five

per cent. While travel is a larger contributor to the total footprint, energy is highly significant when considering the operational footprint of outdoor events.

So, what can the events industry do to make a difference? Firstly, industry can sign up to Vision for Sustainable Events’ Pledge for Festivals and Events – a practical list of actions that can be realistically implemented by events of all types and sizes.

But this autumn, Vision for Sustainable Events hopes to formally create an Energy Task Force, which could lobby Government on innovation funding for new solutions, educate organisers on sustainable energy and efficiency tactics via a brand new Smart Power Guide, and share best practice across the creative industries.

“What we’ve done is very pragmatic and we’ve looked at what can the industry do within its influence,” Johnson explains. “We’ve always said that we’d only set up a task force if there was a very specific purpose, and it would be a vehicle through which we could tackle quite specific aims.”

Johnson iterates that no task force has been created but a “fantastic” exploratory meeting has taken place.

He concludes: “The world has changed in terms of the tech that’s available to us since the last edition of the Smart Power Guide was published, but actually there’s still a real need for organisers to clearly understand the practical measures they can take and how they can work with suppliers to achieve efficiencies. We need to look at new ways of communicating.”

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CEREALS

CEREALS

Images: © Pro Vision Photography

Grain expectations How many events can say they have a 10-month build period and their own farmer? Cereals’ Alli McEntyre-Gaharan and Natasja O’Connor discuss event developments and the planning that comes with a new event location than 25,000 farmers, agronomists, M ore and farm industry professionals

attended Cereals last month when the technical event for arable farmers took over Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm.

Held over two days, the business event is a meeting place for the farming industry, providing a platform for conversations around productivity and innovation, as well as discussion around the challenges faced by farm businesses, including weather volatility.

Thankfully, the farming community is used to the great outdoors, meaning no exhibitors – nor visitors – were deterred from powering through some seriously inclement weather to enjoy the annual event. In a new location.

Every year, Cereals moves site, so when the organising team – led by event director Alli McEntyre-Gaharan – revealed in October that the show would take place at Diddly Squat, it quickly engaged local residents on the comprehensive event plans needed to minimise local impact during the event’s build and live days.

“The local council was concerned about the volume of traffic,” explained Natasja O’Connor, Cereals’ operations manager. “Our SAG is quite important, and normally, we would have our first SAG meeting in February or March, but we had the first one in September.

“The council has a relationship with Jeremy but as an independent organiser, we also wanted to make sure that they understood the concept of Cereals and what we are not.”

COLLABORATION

Whilst the first SAG and residents’ meetings were held in autumn, work on Cereals began long before that.

NATASJA O’CONNOR (she/her) AND ALLI MCENTYRE-GAHARAN (she/her) Cereals has its very own farmer – Jonathan Backhouse – who ensures ten hectares of demo plots are sown under the conditions set by each exhibitor, such as a fertiliser company or seed producer. This happens in August, which dictates the site layout, meaning that Cereals has one of the longest build periods of any trade show.

“When you are on someone else’s land for a whole year, you have to work in partnership and find out where the most fertile soil is and where to plant the crops,” explained McEntyre-Gaharan. “Plus, we’ve been working closely with the farm, so we don’t disrupt their operations and make sure the public visiting the Diddly Squat Farm Shop are safe, too.”

She continued: “It’s about collaboration.

I guess we took some risk coming here and they took some risk having us and now we’re in it together.”

NEW MEASURES

McEntyre-Gaharan and O’Connor are talking with StandOut from the glamour of an Algeco cabin. We’re chatting during the build. The organiser’s office is a hive of activity as vital contractors battle through mud and rain to prepare the site for visitors.

There’s a definite buzz in the air as everyone anticipates a visit from the stars of Clarkson’s Farm and it’s rumoured that a TV crew will film whilst the event is live.

www.olympuscrew.co.uk n 35

CEREALS

Yet if a new site and TV cameras were not enough pressure, O’Connor and McEntyre-Gaharan have also introduced a raft of operational measures to oversee and implement; all aimed at making the show more streamlined.

For example, car parking passes have been simplified, visitors are now being vetted at registration, glamping is on offer for the first time, timed arrival slots for visitors have been introduced, there are more diverse catering options to choose from, and there is a change to the event’s waste management processes.

O’Connor explained: “We’re trying to make exhibitors responsible for their own waste, so we’re trying to get them to either take their own rubbish away with them or buy a container that they can fill and then we will take it away, sort it, and recycle it, etc.”

According to O’Connor almost 40 per cent of exhibitors have opted to purchase the container and have their waste sorted. It’s a solution that is being managed by KP Waste, a local waste company, and the hope is that take up will grow as exhibitors realise that the Cereals team is making a conscious effort to be slicker and more sustainable.

CLARKSON EFFECT

O’ Connor is a highly experienced event professional with a huge track record in the

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world of exhibitions. But she loves Cereals as it provides an opportunity to step out of an exhibition hall.

“I find it quite therapeutic to work outside,” O’Connor continued. “Cereals is very different – you’re not stuck in an organiser’s office, like Groundhog Day, where after four days you go outside and realise there are people. You’re still in a bubble but instead, you’re in the middle of nowhere, working with some great people and suppliers.

“This year, I think the coordination between the suppliers has been amazing. For me, as an operations person, it’s been really great. They have been flexible and collaborative, and so from my point of view, the show is already feeling really cohesive, and we’ve not opened the gates yet.”

McEntyre-Gaharan concurred. She acknowledged the power of the “Clarkson effect” and how moving the site from the east of the country [historically, the Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire area] more west [to Clarkson’s Farm] has driven intrigue and encouraged more people to register.

“We want to keep Cereals farmer-focused so we’ve introduced a new vetting process so that if someone has registered but you can see that they are not probably interested in our content then we can direct them somewhere else.

“Cereals is very specific but it’s no longer just about arable farming. This year we’ve added livestock, too because if arable farmers need to diversify, livestock is a good option for them,” she concluded. “Reaction so far has been good but whether visitors come to look at machinery, crops, or to meet other farmers, I know farming will be in the spotlight which makes Cereals a hugely important date in the farming calendar.”

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FARNBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW

Preparing for take off

FARNBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW

Farnborough International Airshow will feature a newly added sixth exhibition hall and record-breaking international participation. Here, director of operations Ben Gleeson walks StandOut through new event developments StandOut writes, there are just three A sweeks to go until thousands of visitors

descend on Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre. Every two years, leading innovators from the aerospace, aviation, and defence industries flock to the Hampshire venue for the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA). But this year, thanks to an additional 5,000 square metres of exhibition space, FIA will be the largest it has ever been in more than 15 years.

To date, more than 63 per cent of the 2026 event’s exhibitors are international, 22 per cent of exhibitors are exhibiting at FIA for the first time, and there is also a 20 per cent increase in international pavilions.

However, before all of those exhibitors can get on-site and build their stands, there’s the small matter of a ginormous site-build.

It’s the job of Ben Gleeson, director of operations, to oversee this mammoth task – a mission made trickier by a record-breaking heatwave.

“Is that an ice-cream van I can hear?”

StandOut asks Gleeson just before the van comes into sight.

“Yes,” Gleeson says, smiling.

VALUE AND FAIR PRICING

The ice cream van is a hit. A fact evidenced by the number of contractors walking around with a 99!

It’s just one example of how the organising team is working with its supply chain to ensure the FIA build – comprised of 20,000 square metres of trackway, 19 kilometres of barriers and fencing, 70,000 square metres of temporary structures, and 19,000kVA of

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BEN GLEESON (he/him) AND RICHARD TREML (he/him) power from generators, mains, and solar – stays on track. But first, what lessons did Gleeson learn delivering FIA 2024 and how have those lessons manifested in this year’s show? “The key thing for us is making sure that we are still one of the key players globally within the airshow circuit,” Gleeson explains.

“We’ve got to make sure that we’re staying current so the biggest piece of work that we’ve done is about establishing quality and value with our supply chain for our exhibitors.

“We’ve gone through a lot of in-depth procurement over the past couple of years to

make sure that we’ve got that pricing at the point that is right for the market, making sure what we’re delivering for our customers is the best quality at a fair price.”

Gleeson continues: “I think the big change is the aerospace industry has taken a few years to get back to where it was previously, and we’re now thankfully back at that point.

We sold out of space more than six months before the show, so from an operational perspective, we have been able to make sure that we’ve got the right event infrastructure in place to deliver a great show.”

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FARNBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW COMFORT FACTOR

The organising team has invested in more toilets, more air conditioning, larger exhibition spaces, and more seating around catering areas. It’s about the “comfort” factor and ensuring both exhibitors and visitors are happy with their FIA experience.

“Catering is a big learning from 2024,” Gleeson adds. “Every exhibition I’ve ever been involved with, there’s never enough catering, there’s never enough seats, and it’s always that trade-off between how much of the space needs to be sold versus actually what can we give to make sure the customer experience is right.

“The number of areas that we’ve planned in this time compared to previous years is way more in terms of seating, catering, and resources. We feel we have the right catering in the right locations to avoid queues, and we’ve spent a lot of time mapping that out to make sure we’ve got that right.”

MAPPING EXERCISES

It’s not the only thing that Gleeson and his team have mapped. Huge amounts of time have been spent “mapping” procurement and with new exhibitions halls and changes to the site layout, a new crowd dynamics assessment of the entire site has been undertaken, too.

Plus, Gleeson – who also oversees flight operations – has worked with the flying display director to bring in new tech that maps the airshow’s flying display, enabling the team to monitor in real-time the exact positioning of every single aircraft.

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All of these exercises have been incredibly important as Farnborough looks to make more space on-site, increase safety, and improve efficiencies for future shows.

Again, it’s not the only new idea that the FIA team has had. Chelsea Hoskin, FIA’s head of operations, is heading up a new waste management project.

Gleeson explains: “With such a busy site, we’ve had a lot of challenges with waste management during the build. In recent years, we’ve made really positive steps but this year we’re trialling new waste managers.

We have floor managers that already manage the floor space, but we now have dedicated waste managers, one for each hall, and their sole job is to keep track of whose waste is what, and where.

“We’re using Halo to track all of our operational and incident management.

Charlie [Archer] at Halo has managed to upload all our site plans into the system so rather than just being a Google image, we’ve got our site plan with the exact stand numbers in there so everything can be tracked.”

THE RIGHT PEOPLE AND PARTNERS

Previously at Reed Exhibitions, Gleeson joined the show in 2017. It’s his fourth show, heading up the ops team. “Does it get easier with each event?” StandOut enquires.

“It gets easier with the right supply chain and the right people in your team,” Gleeson says. “It’s all about having the right people in the right place and matching those skill sets to where they fit best, and having the right

suppliers that you can have that 100 per cent trust in.”

For example, Farnborough, for many years, has had unique chalet rows. All those chalet rows have had traditional A-frame marquees on them. Gleeson concludes: “We are working with Losberger De Boer and Richard [Treml] at the moment to look at what else could go into those rows, because space is at a premium and because the demand is there.

We’re looking at how else we can make those structures bigger and offer more floor space to clients, without going much higher or further out. It’s a real challenge but we’ve got a few ideas as we look towards 2028.”

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BLENHEIM PALACE FESTIVAL

Party at the Palace

BLENHEIM PALACE FESTIVAL

StandOut checks out Blenheim Palace Festival, the new event series from Cuffe and Taylor and MARI Group

UK is gripped by a heatwave when T he StandOut visits Blenheim Palace

to check out Blenheim Palace Festival. It’s scorching and it’s uncomfortable, but the crew on-site are doing their best to cope in the heat. “Shall we get an ice lolly?” StandOut asks Mike Leonard and Faye Rockley, MARI Group’s operations director and senior director, global health and safety, respectively.

Together, they are overseeing the build for the festival, a new event series which is a collaboration between MARI Group and Cuffe and Taylor.

We sit in the shade and take a welcome break from the baking sun before Arena UK and Europe’s David Withey approaches, soon apologising for giving StandOut a hot and sweaty hug.

It’s clear that even the most experienced of professionals are struggling in the extreme weather. However, it’s also clear that Rockley has communicated a bunch of safety and welfare measures that will ensure ES Global and Arena – which are installing the stage and 11,037 seats – can take extended breaks and still hit a strict build schedule.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL

Leonard and Rockley are talking with StandOut about the new five-day festival that will see Michael Bublé, Teddy Swims, Katy Perry, and Alanis Morissette adorn the stage.

In June 2025, Cuffe and Taylor announced

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details of Blenheim Palace Festival, a collab between IMG Arts and Entertainment, which was acquired by MARI in November.

MARI is responsible for the show’s operations whilst Cuffe and Taylor has sold tickets, marketed the event, managed customer service, and programmed a line-up that complements the palace and the spectacular Oxfordshire estate.

“Our brief has been to highlight the extraordinary nature of Blenheim Palace and put MARI’s spin on the visitor experience,” Leonard explains. “We obviously deliver lots of shows in amazing locations, but the one thing that we always pride ourselves on is a really great visitor experience and a polished event so that’s where our sights are set.”

He continues: “We’ve worked at Hampton Court Palace for many, many years. We’ve taken the learnings from there and brought them over here. We’ve also worked with Joynes Nash to do a lot more modelling and make sure we’re causing fewer issues for local residents, and we’ve looked at technical production and spun it on its head, working with the palace’s infrastructure and architecture to our best ability.

“We’ve added the MARI look and feel to it,” he adds. “There isn’t a great deal that we are able to do in the Great Court in terms of site layout but there are subtle changes.

We’ve kept sightlines clear so we don’t distract from the palace, we’ve designed

the food and drink areas so there’s always a good view of the estate, we’ve upped the level of artist production to way above and beyond what you would normally expect, and we’ve worked in clever ways and looked at things in a different light. So, for example, our structures have clear roofs and sight lines all the way through. It’s attention to detail.”

Joe Robinson, director of operations at Cuffe and Taylor, calls it a true collaboration, and a balance of responsibility. There’s certainly no “micro-management” going on as that would not be in the “spirit of partnership”. A point echoed by the fact that Robinson is not able to make it to site when StandOut visits.

TREASURE?

As we chat, it soon becomes apparent that historic venues and large estates bring their own challenges. For instance, many, many years ago, people put things in the ground but didn’t think to put them on a plan!

“What have you found? StandOut asks Leonard. “Treasure?”

Twenty minutes ago, Safety Geeks approached Leonard to talk about an “issue”.

“I wish it was treasure,” Leonard says, raising an eyebrow. “But by the looks of things, there’s an electric cable that runs… well, we don’t quite know where that it goes.

“It’s OK, I’ve now got 15 tonnes more ballast coming tomorrow because we don’t want to do any staking.

www.audiolink.co.uk n 43

BLENHEIM PALACE FESTIVAL “These challenges pop up along the way,” Leonard continues. “I’m sure there’ll be a survey for next year now we know that there’s a giant power cable running under the ground.”

SAFETY-FIRST

Cuffe and Taylor is used to taking the operational lead on many projects, so Robinson has found it interesting to see a partner’s approach to ops and event management, to understand MARI’s organisational structure, to work with a company that can pull on its wider hospitality experience, to have a partner that is on the ball, one that understands granular detail, he says.

Thankfully, Leonard, Rockley, and the wider event team – including the supply chain – have been able to create a build schedule with contingencies for the challenges and restrictions that come with working on a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Rockley states you learn that not all historic palaces are the same and you learn from the relationships you build over time that you might need to look after 300-year-old cobbles in one location slightly differently to another. Therefore, the secret to delivering an event of scale – and especially in year one of a new relationship – is flexibility, open comms, and preferably, ops directors with an understanding of health and safety.

Luckily, Leonard has his NEBOSH. “My time in safety on event sites has taught me that I’ve designed this site from a safety-first perspective,” Leonard explains.

“As simple as it sounds, I’m quite proud of our emergency exit signage – when it goes up – because it has been designed from not only a compliant safety aspect but also, we’ve made sure it blends in with the festival rather than having this safety element that is secondary.

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“I’ve been quite chuffed to be able to do that because as an ops person, it’s rare that you’re able to get involved from day one of a show. From my side of things, I’m very passionate about safety so to lead from a safety-first approach and create a show that has that interwoven is great.

“If this show runs the way it looks on paper, and is designed to do, I will be a happy man.”

SCOPE

Robinson is on-site at Lytham Festival when we chat about Blenheim. He is not able to make it to site because he is busy running a 25,000-cap festival in the North West. Plus, he has just become a Dad again.

“You’re busy,” StandOut says, trying not to state the obvious.

“It’s crazy busy but it’s all good,” Robinson says, explaining that year one of Blenheim Palace Festival is very much about settling in.

“This year, at Blenheim, we want to just kind of roll out what people know, what that audience are familiar with, and then it’s what’s the opportunity, what’s the scope for developing it for next year and beyond?

“It’s really important this year to capture all of that information and detail and see what we would tweak moving forward, balancing the fact that it is a palace and there are restrictions on what we can and can’t do.”

WHAT’S NEXT?

Robinson loves Blenheim Palace. He bigs up the site’s beauty and recognises its potential for development. He continues: “For me, Blenheim, the setting is stunning.

We unanimously said that the opportunity really is, how do we get people onto the lawns earlier, and taking in that view? That’s your pre-show – everybody’s got an allocated seat, so they’ve got more time to dwell in the

F&B area. So, how do we make that more comfortable and more attractive for the fans coming earlier?”

Leonard is a big fan of the Blenheim Arms – just one of the new-look F&B experiences on-site. The bar has been developed to give customers a new experience altogether.

Especially those who may have previously visited Nocturne Live, which ran at the palace for ten years.

Robinson is mindful that both customers and artists want a great time so whilst the team is only just delivering year one, he is most definitely looking to the future.

He concludes: “To get the same quality of artists that obviously we got this year, we’ve got to be in sight and in mind. We have got dates secured beyond 2027 so watch this space.”

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LYTHAM FESTIVAL

Bold ambition

LYTHAM FESTIVAL

Cuffe and Taylor’s Peter Taylor on 15 years of Lytham Festival

into quite a thing,” says I t’sPetera grown Taylor, as he eats ice cream from

the comfort of artist catering. Taylor is sitting with StandOut, reflecting on the 15th edition of Lytham Festival, now the biggest concert series in the north of England.

“It’s our 15th festival but our 17th year,” he adds. COVID got in the way for a couple of years. “This event started off as Lytham Proms and then we realised people didn’t like playing the proms because they thought it was a classical music event. In 2015, it became Lytham Festival and it’s now the biggest show in Lancashire.”

APPROACHABLE

Lytham is where it all started for Cuffe and Taylor and Taylor is comfy working in his own backyard. A resident of Lytham St Annes, he is incredibly supportive of his local area, but it does mean he can’t pop to the supermarket without bumping into someone he knows.

“Sometimes I do think, ‘Oh God, I can’t just put my tracksuit on and go to the shop’ because the people will be like, ‘Oh, Peter Taylor’s let himself go’.

“But I’d rather be seen out there and let residents know they can approach me. I always say, ‘Treat your audience with contempt at your peril’. You have to remember that people have bought a ticket, they’re bothered about what you’re doing, and I want people to be happy.”

BLUEPRINT

The Ribble Estuary runs parallel with the

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PETER TAYLOR (he/him) Lytham Festival site, a long and thin stretch of land sandwiched between a main road and the water’s edge. Over the years, the festival has grown, pushing the site’s physical boundaries east and west. From hosting a couple of thousand people to now welcoming 25,000 people each night. Except on Thursday and Fridays. School nights!

“I’ve done every single job on this site and there isn’t any job that I’ve not been involved in,” Taylor continues. “From litter picking to accessibility to box office and artist liaison.

It is a bit of a cliché, but I’ve worked my way up in our own business and we’ve created a business model, a blueprint here, and rolled that out over the country.”

“So, this was the original blueprint for the Cuffe and Taylor of the future, was it?”

StandOut asks, sipping tea and scoffing a Fondant Fancy.

“We didn’t even think about that,” Taylor continues, pointing out the little extra touches

that make backstage the “best” home for international artists.

“I remember, even after the first time we did it, we never thought about it until the day after, when somebody said, ‘Are you doing it again?’ – and I know that sounds bizarre, but we were so much in it at the time that we hadn’t thought about it.

“We had a meeting and somebody asked me and Dan [Cuffe, co-director] what the business was called and we said, ‘Well, he’s Cuffe and I’m Taylor’ and it stuck. We created this funny bit of a logo in Word. There was never a master plan.”

DEVOLVED POWER

Yet in 2017, Live Nation acquired a “controlling interest” in Cuffe and Taylor.

Nine years later and by the end of 2026, the promoter will have delivered 184 shows in various venues. From Live at Powderham, a new venue for 2026, to Live at The Piece Hall

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LYTHAM FESTIVAL and Scarborough Open Air Theatre. However, Lytham Festival still feels very regional, loved by locals. Almost independent.

“It’s funny when people say Live Nation because I’m in Live Nation now and I think people think there’s this room that the Live Nation people sit in, but it’s Denis [Desmond], the chairman, me and Dan. That is Live Nation effectively. Live Nation is a devolved power.”

“Like Andy Burnham’s Westminster of the north?” StandOut asks. Taylor laughs.

He comments: “There’s a lot of us in the North. We’ve got Creamfields and we’ve got Warehouse Project. Music has a good home in the north of England.

“A lot of promoters went to university, started promoting in student unions, but we did it a totally different way. We put a gig on with zero experience of putting on an outdoor event.

James, my best friend from school, helped and I remember at one point we had no lights backstage to read the running order, so he ran home and got a lamp from his desk, and we plugged it in on an extension lead. We had a friend of ours doing the box office with a trestle table and a gazebo. Now I look back at it, and I think I would have a breakdown. That’s just how we started,” Taylor states.

“So, what was the turning point for you?”

StandOut says.

“Probably, about 2014, when we did Rod Stewart, and then 2015, 2016, we did it again.

We were going into Scarborough, we were branching out, we were doing some stadium. tours and that’s when we felt OK, we were doing things properly and that’s when people started noticing what we were doing.

“It’s only through the backing of Live Nation that we’ve been able to accelerate that growth.

We’ve been allowed to run our business but not be bogged down by the things that used to bog us down, which has allowed us to

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become much more strategic, creative, and bold. Here we are, the festival, 15 years later, and Lytham has grown into this amazing event that I’m very, very proud of; we’re all very proud of it.”

OVER IT

According to Taylor, it’s the artists that drive the business. Taylor says he has to give them a touring period. They want to cram in as many shows as they can so if he wants an artist to do ten shows in two weeks then he has to have ten venues running over a fortnight.

It makes for a busy schedule. But a packed run of events has caused industry and other promoters to raise questions over market share and artist availability.

Taylor acknowledges this point.

“We’re the biggest and I want to be the best,” comments Taylor. “People don’t like ambition. It’s a British kind of thing. I’ve noticed that in life. People love to pick you up, but then they also love to knock you down. We’re a strange kind of culture in that way. We’re successful. And I’ve kind of stopped shying away from that and we celebrate our success and we do it the best.

“We have the best catering, we have the best dressing rooms, we have the best artist liaison teams, we have the best event management teams. We’re leaders and I’m over it now, getting criticised.

“It’s easy to say, ‘Oh, you’re part of Live Nation’ but Live Nation don’t make me the best,” he says. “Cuffe and Taylor make ourselves the best. That’s not something Live Nation can do. That’s not something you can throw a load of money at either.”

Taylor is candid. He knows that both he and the business are criticised. Does he care? It’s not so much that he doesn’t but to him, it’s old news and he’s too busy concentrating on

what’s next. A self-inflicted crazy busy, intense schedule of shows.

He continues: “To me, we’ve created a market out of nothing. We didn’t take business away from London, Manchester, or Birmingham. We’ve created a new market, and we’ve created our own arenas. We’re still chasing the new acts; there’s still this vibrant industry out there. I’m not so arrogant to think that there are not other people doing great as well, it’s a highly competitive industry.”

So, what is next? More shows? World domination? Taylor concludes: “We want to refine our product, we’re not really on the hunt for lots of new sites, we have a good geographical split, we’re putting thousands of people through our sites every day, and you know that’s kind of my own doing really, but that’s the Cuffe and Taylor ethos.”

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FOREST LIVE

Tree-mendous

Forestry England’s Rhodri Jones explains why a partnership approach is making a world of difference to Forest Live – the live music series celebrating 25 years

FOREST LIVE

Images: © Lee Blanchflower

StandOut writes, more than 140,000 A smusic fans are preparing to visit

four forest venues this summer to enjoy performances from diverse artists beneath a canopy of magnificent trees. This year, Forest Live, Forestry England’s flagship live music series, celebrates 25 years of bringing worldclass music to the nation’s forests and it’s Rhodri Jones’ job to ensure the anniversary – and the series moving forward – stays true to its roots. “The concept of Forest Live is very simple,” explains Jones, national events programme manager at Forestry England. He oversees commercial events, including Forest Live. “It’s to hear amazing artists in a beautiful setting, that’s the absolute kernel of it. Added to that, it’s also raising funds for the work we do, generating income for the 1,500 forest sites that we are custodians of.”

Jones has been with Forestry England since 2023. Previously a senior producer at Southbank Centre, he is no stranger to curating a varied programme of artists and performers to suit a wide range of demographics. And he is more than comfortable with stakeholder engagement and adopting partnership models. In fact, it’s quite his jam.

“We want to attract new audiences – who maybe haven’t visited one of our sites before.

These big name artists are a really good way of getting people’s attention.

“To this day, we’re clearer on what we need and what success looks like, maybe more than at the start when there were questions about whether Forest Live would work. But now, we have 25 years of experience, and an incredible amount of data as to what works on our sites.

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“We’re definitely faithful to our original principles but we’ve built on those as we’ve grown in confidence, which has allowed us to think more about what we can achieve and how best to run the shows.”

TWEAKS

In March 2023, just months before Jones started his role, Forestry England awarded Cuffe and Taylor an exclusive seven-year contract to present Forest Live.

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FOREST LIVE

Originally, the plan was to programme and deliver outdoor shows at up to seven forest locations. But over time, those locations have decreased to four.

It’s demonstrative of the market and prime example of just one of the lessons learned by the Forestry England team.

Jones continues: “This is the third year now of our relationship with Cuffe and Taylor, and that’s an example of us learning in a different way; learning how to run Forest Live as a partnership rather than a completely homegrown event.

“The last time you and I met, we were in Dalby Forest, and we had relaunched our Sherwood and Dalby sites,” he adds. “Whilst they were really great events, really successful in terms of audience feedback, we just found that the capacity, with our current production values and our current infrastructure needs, the sites just weren’t viable.”

It was a tough lesson. But thanks to honest conversations with key stakeholders, lessons were learned and the model has been adapted so four sites – Cannock Chase, Delamere Forest, Thetford Forest, and Westonbirt Aboretum – can branch out and thrive.

“We’ve made the decision to really focus on how we run those sites and increase efficiencies,” Jones explains. “2024 was a year of revolution. We changed almost everything about how we did things and adopted this partnership model. It was like going back to the drawing board and going, ‘How do we do this?’ and we went into a lot of detail.

“It’s been a really, really good journey and it’s been nice to have a lot more industry expertise than we were able to have when we

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were just running things ourselves. Each year, we make a couple of tweaks.”

PARTNERSHIP APPROACH

One of the biggest reasons why Forestry England decided to adopt a partnership model was the impact that a large music series like Forest Live had on the organisation’s day-today operations. It required huge amounts of its workforce to suddenly down tools and become an expert in live event delivery. Jones describes this as both disruptive and a big ask. Especially if you’re only doing it for two weeks of the year.

“The partnership model definitely does work for us, and it’s been a great learning case for both sides,” he says. “I think we’ve both come at it with the right attitude of trying to understand how the other partner works and what the other partner needs in order to get the event up and running and happening as exactly as we both see it.

“How we operate couldn’t be more different,” Jones explains further. “We’ve both spent the last few years working out how we meet in the middle and I think Cuffe and Taylor has got a lot more patient with how process driven we are, and how many hoops we have to jump through internally to do a lot of things. But I think we’ve learned to be a lot more agile in keeping up with that commercial promotion world, where we have to do things more quickly.”

SWEETSPOT

According to Jones, audiences now expect arena-level concert experiences. This calls for a level of infrastructure that requires high capacity crowds to make it work. Yet

Forestry England does not have any sites that can accommodate huge numbers. So, for the series to work, 8-10,000 people is the sweetspot, he says. Currently, there are no plans for expand the series but that’s not to say that some locations will not be investigated in the future. “We’re sort of bound by our sites and boring things like car park capacities and partnerships with local landowners,” Jones comments. “There’s a lot of factors to consider and you have to get the fundamentals right.”

LEAN INTO THE ENVIRONMENT

Jones is looking at ticket sales and estimates that this year, Forest Live will have the highest sales it has ever had. It’s a massive achievement, he says. Success that has been achieved through collaboration, evolution, slick ops, great supplier relationships – with companies such as Pearce Hire, Event Design, Advantage Security, and Peppermint Events – and a team effort.

“So, what are you looking forward to the most?” StandOut asks. “Not everyone gets to celebrate 25 years.”

Jones concludes: “I think a key thing for me is to not fight what we are doing. I think in the past where events struggled at our sites is where we were trying to make what we have into something else. Forest Live works because it leans into the natural environment to create something completely unique.

“We are custodians of 1,500 forest sites.

That gives us an incredible opportunity to use the topography and use it as an asset rather than fight it. But right now, we’ve been talking about Forest Live for so long, I just want to be in a field and to see it come alive.”

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HAY FESTIVAL

Hay now!

Hay Festival’s Georgie Cooke and Fred Wright discuss operational developments and why the festival’s contractors have learned to go with the flow article for The Spectator, I nZoea recent Strimpel claimed Hay Festival had

forgotten about books, becoming a stage for political grandstanding rather than literature.

The numbers tell a different story.

Laying on the edge of a town renowned for its independent literary hidey-holes, Hay Festival remains rooted in books. In fact, its own festival bookshop sold 70,000 books over 11 days this year (up 35 per cent on 2025), while more than 210,000 tickets were snapped up for a comprehensive programme of talks, workshops, performances, and debates.

Far from abandoning its roots, Hay continues to put books and ideas at the heart of everything it does thanks to a dedicated team of event professionals who make the festival happen.

QUIRKY CHALLENGES

Georgie Cooke, operations director, and Fred Wright, site manager, are in charge of delivering the compact site. Surrounded by

rolling green hills and sheep, the festival’s location has its own set of quirky challenges.

Firstly, it’s a border town. So, whilst the site is physically located in Wales, the event’s SAG features input from both Welsh and English councils (Powys and Herefordshire).

Furthermore, the traffic management plan is written in two languages, because it requires input and emergency services support from outside of the county.

These are just some of the idiosyncrasies that make Hay interesting, says Cooke, as we chat during the build. She has made StandOut a brew and is handing out the choccie biscuits. We’re taking shelter because the heavens have just opened and this year, there are fewer covered walkways on site.

“One of our USPs is the fact that people are pretty much protected from the weather as soon as they enter the site,” says Cooke.

“They’re undercover. But when you’re walking under a covered walkway, it limits what you can see.

“We made the decision to remove a couple of the walkway roofs and it’s opened up a lot of the site,” says Cooke, explaining the reasoning behind their removal. “The walkways connected some of our venues but now you can see more of the beautiful surroundings, and new décor and dressing.”

Wright concurs. He has worked at Hay Festival for 30 years and has designed the site. It’s based on a large grid system, pretty rectangular in shape, with interconnecting corridors and venues on horizontals and verticals. The Milton Keynes of the event world. It’s a layout that works but that doesn’t mean changes can’t be made to enhance the site for loyal and discerning ticketholders.

HAY FESTIVAL

Images: © Hay Festival/Sam Hardwick/Adam Tatton-Reid

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HAY FESTIVAL

GEORGIE COOKE (she/her)

the panels easily and adjust hard standing areas as we need to throughout the build.”

This increases flexibility and saves costs.

This is paramount because Wright describes the grass and land as “fairly sacred” – it needs to be protected. No one can take a shortcut across the site, so having equipment that can be manhandled and easily moved is a big win for Wright and his team.

He continues: “We saw these Ground Guard panels and really liked them. They’re smaller, they take the same weight, and they’re just more flexible. We can use them, manhandle them ourselves, which we can’t do with the metal panels. It basically means I can lay out a big pad for GL to bring all their arctics on and unload, and then when they’ve done their job, we can take some of those panels and put them somewhere else. It makes life a lot more flexible, and I can position stuff precisely when things have been built.”

Yet, it’s not the only infrastructure change on-site. Cooke adds: “We are also now working with Prestige Toilets. We’ve gone from a re-circulating system to an evac system – which means less tankers going off site daily with waste, all units are on ground level, and there’s no step access, which is much better from an accessibility point of view.”

FRED WRIGHT (he/him)

FLEXIBILITY

“We’ve amalgamated two smaller venues into a larger one, creating an 1,100-seater theatre,” adds Wright. It’s one of the biggest changes on site this year. “And we’ve fairly drastically moved our generator area, working with Figure of Eight. We did a bit of a survey about power needs, and the greatest power is needed in the catering areas. So, we have moved the generators for that reason, and the staff canteen. They are all closer together.”

STICKING TO A PLAN

Hay Festival is blessed with being able to access mains power. Grid connections feed one half of the site and generators (running on HVO) feed the other. Mains power is prioritised with a view to Hay Festival becoming greener and more sustainable, says Wright, who admits to having an “organic approach” to plans. He acknowledges that whilst some people like to plan everything to within an inch of its life, he is a more “visual” kind of guy. The sort that finds it

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easier to visualise things once they have been or are being installed.

“If I want to change something, I can do that while it’s being built, rather than stick to a rigid plan,” Wright continues.

“I bet the contractors love you,” StandOut laughs. We both laugh and drink more tea.

“They have learned to love me,” Wright says, with a slight hint of sarcasm. “GL events has especially been great. They know what I like, they know how the festival works, they’re very adaptable, and are willing to humour me.”

SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIPS

Hay Festival has a long build period, but Wright believes that’s not a problem if you develop the right relationship with your suppliers, such as Wireless Solutions and WEL Safe. Cooke agrees. “We have also changed our trackway,” she says. “From standard aluminium panels to MaxiTrack MK3 panels. We dry hire them and install ourselves, which means we can move

Accessibility, inclusivity, and sustainability are incredibly important to the festival team. This year is Hay’s second of conducting a carbon audit, which is building on a 2025 report created by Hope Solutions. The team wish to build a clearer picture of supplier, artist, and audience travel so it can make future improvements as the festival heads towards its 40th anniversary in 2027.

“We made the decision to change our venue sizes last year,” Cooke explains further.

“We wanted to work out whether it was feasible, and the most important thing was being able to make sure we weren’t reducing the number of ticket sales on site.

“We did that but at the same time, we’ve also been trying to work out what we want to do for our 40th anniversary next year. We want to give people a new impression and excite people, so they walk on site and go, ‘Wow, look, Hay has done this’. Whether that’s with new décor or free activities.

“We’re trying to work all of that out without spending vast quantities of money and to make things financially viable, which is, I guess, what everybody’s trying to do.”

The key to success is being adaptable, says Wright. Much of the site has been developed over time and the site’s ability to work successfully during operational time is purely down to hard work, making mistakes, and making adjustments. But what does Wright have to say on the matter?

“I think it’s important to remember that you can’t assume everyone knows what’s going on. That’s probably one of the biggest lessons I have learned over the years.

“Next year is our 40th anniversary. Am I thinking about it? I’m trying not to,” he concludes, smiling.

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PORTABLE BUILDINGS

WERNICK EVENTS

Contain yourself Portable buildings and cabins are essential pieces of equipment that must be fit for purpose. Here, industry experts discuss best practice, new products, and why just any old construction cabin will not do… can you tell me about portable W hat buildings, James? How can I make them

look sexy?” StandOut is talking with James Thomas, managing director of Qdos Event Hire.

Thomas laughs. “They can be sexy,” he says.

“I suppose the pitch from me is if you’re going to be working on-site for four to eight weeks, or even longer, the last thing you want to be working in is a crappy construction cabin.

“You just want something that’s nice, that has sockets and nice big windows, blinds, so what’s sexy is that you can live and work out of them and be comfortable.”

Qdos Event Hire specialises in temporary accommodation, welfare, and toilet facilities.

Benefitting from modular construction, its portable buildings are available in a variety of sizes and shapes. From squares to rectangles, which lend themselves to a variety of configurations and working preferences on-site.

“It’s all about making spaces work better for people so if they want their desks to be on either side of the office space, rather than on a long run, they can – that lends itself to more collaboration.

“And then if you marry that with double glazing, lots of natural light, and better insulation then when you’re working on a noisy event site, you can go walk in the cabin, shut the door and you’ve got a bit of peace and quiet,” he explains.

VIKING EVENTS FIT FOR PURPOSE

From festivals and air displays to ceremonial events and flower shows, portable buildings and cabins are essential operational spaces.

Whether they are used as a production office, cleaning store, ticket office, or dressing room,

portable buildings and cabins are vital pieces of infrastructure that support event teams and help organisers, crew, and contractors to deliver memorable events.

No, they don’t always look fancy, but they need to function and be fit for purpose.

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PORTABLE BUILDINGS “You have to understand where things are going on your site,” Thomas continues. “You don’t need a really sexy cabin for the cleaners to put their stock in, but if you want a nice office that’s out front, that people are walking up to for guest information, then actually – when you call and ask for ten cabins – we will ask what they will be used for and could suggest something else.”

Thomas adds: “The important thing to remember is event dates and then you need to know what the cabins are being used for, do they need to be the same size, and how many people will be in them?”

NEW PRODUCTS

There are a few changes within the world of cabins and a number of new products that have either hit the market or are in development.

For example, Liam Muldoon, managing director of Wernick Events – which provides temporary buildings to Reading Festival, The Jockey Club, and Glastonbury – says that the business is currently looking at three new products, one of which is a new on-site merchandise/retail unit. Plus, the company – which is marking its 20th anniversary this year – is looking to develop fitted out green rooms that are delivered to site “ready to roll”.

Qdos Event Hire has added another high dependency unit to its fleet to meet growing demand for accessible facilities, and Viking Events is working on a new artist/ dressing room cabin for 2027 as well as more “completely new concepts”.

“We launched our dressing room cabins last year,” explains Harry Agombar, managing director of Viking Events. “I saw a gap in the market because I got fed up with looking at these artist areas that still looked crap. A bogstandard cabin is not something you put some

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of the most powerful people in the world, or entertainment, in. They deserve better.

“The way that I see it is that what people have been doing for ages, they’ve been trying to polish a turd or cover it in glitter. People were throwing money at a solution that wasn’t good enough when someone just needed to make the right solution in the first place.”

He continues: “Imagine walking off stage after a headline set and being sent to a site office. An office that was sat on the M25 the week before. Promoters are expected to deliver world-class shows.

“Our artist cabins are fully fitted with AC, a 55-inch TV, a sound system, and a Nespresso coffee machine, they have an en-suite bolt on, and now we’re going to have a new lux model come out next year that will essentially be two 20-foot units that connect.

“We’re also looking at making an artist liaison cabin with a chiller to store the rider and an event control office that will probably be three or four 40-foot cabins that link, creating one large open space with masts attached, battery backups, and radio chargers.”

GOLD STAR

Agombar is confident. In fact, if he was to rate his dressing room cabins, he’d give them a 20 out of ten, he says. “There’s a reason why we’re sold out for 70 per cent of the summer already,” he adds. “We’re going to manufacture some more. I spend the majority of my life thinking or designing things that work in shipping containers. You can drop them in and install stuff quickly. They’re impressive and there’s a reason why I reckon 60 per cent of the content at Download this year was all container-based. It’s easy to transport and you get a premium effect.”

Viking Events worked with Live Nation’s David Hetherington, customer experience

director UK and Ireland, and Four Quarters to create an arcade bar complete with retro games that toured several UK festivals this year. Agombar continues: “What makes us different is understanding the need for the plug and play solution. If you have a premium set-up, it doesn’t have to cost as much as people think it does, because you can drop it in and get rid of it really quickly.”

Thomas can relate. Site access and logistics are top priorities.

“Access is massively important,” says Thomas. “Organisers need to be confident that any cabin or building will go where they want it to go. And if that’s in a field and it’s been raining for a week, and there’s no trackway, don’t expect the lorry to turn up and try and deliver it.”

He continues: “You need to be prepared for big trucks to deliver your cabins because if you’re not prepared, then it’s a problem, which will add money to the budget, and nobody wants to pay.”

Qdos, which is currently working with the organising teams behind Goodwood Festival of Speed and the British Grand Prix, can provide a range of solutions. From storage containers and hospitality suites to dressing rooms and welfare cabins.

But what advice would Thomas give to anyone looking to hire a cabin this season?

What’s the one thing that would make life easier for everyone who needs a portable building on-site?

“I’ll give a gold star to anybody who has a properly marked out site,” Thomas concludes. “Those little flags save you money because it means you’re delivering something once and when everyone talks about efficiencies, let’s just load something in once, get it perfect, and make things less stressful for everyone involved.”

LEADING PROVIDER WITH OVER 37 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE We specialise in supplying:  Diesel generators  Distribution  Cabling  Eco solutions  Auxiliary equipment

We can meet all your event power needs.

Triton Projects provides professional Event Scaffolding, Event Joinery and Temporary Power for the events industry.

T: 0845 077 6693 E: info@npr-uk.com

www.newburnpowerrental.com

Stand Out Magazine_Newburn Power Rental Ltd_Showcase_September 15/08/2025 StandOut_Summer26_Triton 25.indd 13:031 Projects_Showcase_Blue V2.indd 22/06/2026 1 Stand Out Magazine_HFE 13:58 Signs_Showcase_May 26.indd 1

25/03/2026 11:48

020 8003 3344

office@mldeventgroup.co.uk Crew, Plant operators & Logistics

01903 372773

Find us at the Showmans Show - Stand 238

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Specialists in Two-way Radio Sales • Hire • Service

We provide: Event Hire Latest Equipment Bespoke Solutions

UK Delivery & Collection Competitive Pricing 24/7 Support

For more information Call: 0808 100 8811 sales@audiolink.co.uk hire@audiolink.co.uk audiolink.co.uk

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15/04/2026 16:38

TENTS & MARQUEES

TOPCAT BIG TOPS

TOP CAT BIG TOPS manufacture & hire out colourful Big Top style Marquees.

Staffed by a crew of highly experienced personnel with many years of experience in the festival, local authority, educational & corporate fields. We can supply small to large colourful structures built by our own craftsmen, that can withstand extreme UK weather conditions.

01654 700030/07599 882654 Email: info@topcatbigtops.co.uk Web: www.topcatbigtops.co.uk

t: 01654 700030 07956878157 e: info@topcatbigtops.co.uk

PLATINUM RESELLER Business Radio Authorized Professional and Commercial Radio Elite Specialist WAVE PTX Specialist

w: www.topcatbigtops.co.uk

.

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WE BRING 08/07/2026 15:43 THE HEAT

StandOut_Summer26_DCRS_Showcase.indd 1 14/04/2025 16:14

30

th Celebrating our year supplying gas at festivals and events

THE UK’S LARGEST INDEPENDENT SUPPLIER OF ALUMINIUM ROADWAY

The UK’s number one supplier of LPG Gas to festivals and outdoor events.

Ground Protection Portable Roadways | Pedestrian Walkways

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We have a reliable team of staff based onsite and a 100% safety record.

01698 352751 davistrackhire.com info@davistrackhire.com

Contact us today if you would like us to cover your event and take the stress away:

Tel: 07930 758893 Email: orders@festivalgas.co.uk www.festivalgas.co.uk

StandOut_Festival Gas_QP_February 26.indd 1

22/01/2026 10:13

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9th - 11th November 2026 The Place To Do Business

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07/07/2026 15:21

CONNECTIONS ACCESS CONTROL

BARS

Pass Sheet Pro E: Rick@305live.co.uk W: passsheetpro.com

Bar Live Events Unit D215, Parkhall Studios, London, SE21 8DE T: 0208 761 8424 E: nick@barlive.co.uk W: www.barlive.co.uk

ACCESSIBILITY & INCLUSION

Cask London T: 0208 064 2012 E: info@casklondon.com

Eventwell T: 0800 470 0958 E: bookings@eventwell.org W: EventWell.org

Cambridge Event Bars T: 01223 785401 M: 07837 707057 E: Info@cambridgeeventbars.co.uk W: www.cambridgeeventbars.co.uk

Opal Temporary Access Ltd Norfolk Road, Gravesend, Kent, DA12 2PS T: 01474 568100 E: info@opaltemporaryaccess.com W: www.opaltemporaryaccess.com : @opal-temporary-access-ltd ALUMINIUM TRUSS & SUPPORT STUCTURES

Truss Aluminium Factory

UK & Ireland TAF-UK Ltd 8 Fryers Road, Walsall, West Midlands WS2 7LZ United Kingdom T: 01922 495 396 E: sales@taf-uk.com

AV, SOUND & LIGHTING Event Production Services The Pack House, Drayton St. Leonard, Oxford, OX10 7BG T: 01844 278446 E: info@epsoxford.com Hire Frequencies T: 0203 3026947 E: enquiries@hirefrequencies.co.uk W: www.hirefrequencies.co.uk Lighthouse Events Reading, UK T: 0333 335 6353 E: info@lighthouse-events.co.uk W: www.lighthouse-events.co.uk/ : @lighthouseeventsuk : @lighthouse-events

Pop-up-Pubs T: 01993 832155 E: info@pop-up-pubs.com W: www.pop-up-pubs.com BRAND ACTIVATION & EXPERIENTIAL Instant Marquees T: 01840 213063 W: www.instantmarquees.co.uk BRANDING Sunbaba Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Plexal, Here East, London E20 3BS T: 0208 988 9100 E: info@sunbaba.co.uk W: www.sunbaba.co.uk BUGGY HIRE Bradshaw Event Vehicles New Lane, Stibbington, Peterborough, PE8 6LW T: 01780 782621 E: rentals@bradshawev.com W: www.bradshawev.com : @Bradshaw_EV

NSR Communications Ltd 16 Caxton Way, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD18 8UA E: james@nsrcommunications.co.uk W: nsrcommunications.uk : @nsr-communications-ltd : @NSRComms

Event Buggy Hire T: 0113 393 4100 E: info@eventbuggyhire.co.uk W: www.eventbuggyhire.co.uk

BALLOONS, BUNTING & FLAGS B-Loony Ltd Cape House, 105 Bellingdon Road, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, HP5 2HQ T: 01494 774376 E: sales@b-loony.co.uk W: www.b-loony.co.uk

CABINS

Sponsored by the Falcon Team

Innovative Hire Unit N, Lion Works Estate, 543 Wallisdown Road Bournemouth BH12 5AD T: 01202 941 068 W: innovativehire.co.uk

Innovative Hire Unit N, Lion Works Estate, 543 Wallisdown Road Bournemouth BH12 5AD T: 01202 941 068 W: innovativehire.co.uk

www.falconteam.co.uk n 63

CONNECTIONS NSR Communications Ltd 16 Caxton Way, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD18 8UA E: james@nsrcommunications.co.uk W: nsrcommunications.uk/ : @nsr-communications-ltd : @NSRComms Qdos Event Hire Ltd Fernside Place, 179 Queens Road, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 0AH T: 0845 862 0952 E: enquiries@qdoseventhire.co.uk W: www.qdoseventhire.co.uk : @qdoseventhire : @Qdos-Event-Hire : @QdosEventHire Wernick Events Joseph House, Northgate Way, Aldridge, Walsall WS9 8ST T: 01922 472 900 E: events@wernick.co.uk W: www.wernick.co.uk/events : @WernickEvents : @WernickEvents CAR PARKING Event Traffic Control Limited Baldersby Gardens, Ripon Road, Baldersby, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 4PS T: 08000 246 800 E: info@eventtc.com W: www.eventtc.com CLEANING & SUPPORT SERVICES Falcon Cleaning Chipping Hall Farm, Chipping, Herts SG9 0DP E: info@falconteam.co.uk W: www.falconteam.co.uk W3W: bless.loses.typed The Nu Group T: 0208 594 0800 E: info@thenugroup.co.uk W: www.thenugroup.co.uk Top Mops Event Services 7 Bell Yard, London WC2A 2JR T: 0800 970 4035 E: info@topmops.net W: topmops.net COFFEE BARS Markey Ltd 39b Park Farm Ind Estate, Buntingford, Hertfordshire, SG9 9AZ T: 01763 271110 E: info@markey.co.uk W: www.markey.co.uk

64 n www.falconteam.co.uk

CONTROL ROOM MANAGEMENT MinT Command Ltd Unit 1063, Kent Science Park Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8PX E: neil@mintcommand.com W: www.mintcommand.com : @neilminter : @MinTcommand : @MinTcommand CORPORATE CREW Rodeo Crew 128 Wey House, 15 Church Street, Weybridge, Surrey, KT13 8NA T: 020 8075 7799 E: bookcrew@rodeocrew.uk W: www.rodeocrew.uk CREW SERVICES MLD Event Group T: 01903372773 E: office@mldeventgroup.co.uk W: www.mld.events Olympus Crew T: 07904 903452 E: info@olympuscrew.co.uk W: www.olympuscrew.co.uk Optimal Events Group Ltd / Trading as Optimal Crew Marsh Mill Village, 5A, Fleetwood Rd N, Thornton-Cleveleys FY5 4JZ T: 07375 843976 E: enquiries@optimalcrew.co.uk W: optimalcrew.co.uk PS Events Crew Suite 117-119 Lovell House, Birchwood Park, Warrington, WA3 6FW T: 0151 319 8888 E: operations@pseventscrew.co.uk W: www.pseventscrew.co.uk S3K Group The Old Mill Building, Rookery Farm, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO22 6EP T: 0845 299 7991 E: office@s3kgroup.com W: www.s3kgroup.com : @s3kgroup : @s3kgroup : @s3kgroup Stage Miracles Ltd The UK’s Leading Crew Company We supply crew in: London (and surrounding areas), Leeds, Hull, Sheffield, Birmingham, and more Rooms 39-40, The Enterprise Centre Cranbourne Road, Potters Bar EN6 3DQ T: 01707 662 500 E: mail@stagemiracles.co.uk

Sponsored by the Falcon Team

CONNECTIONS YOUR Group – A global workforce T: 0203 576 2330 E: connect@your-group.co.uk W: www.your-group.co.uk : @your.comp.group : @your-companies-group Video: https://vimeo.com/yourvid/ presentationuk

CM Production Management Ltd T: 020 8056465 E: hello@cmpm.co.uk W: www.cmpm.co.uk : @cmpmlive : @cmpmlive LFX Events Unit 10 Merchants House, Market Place, Stockport, SK1 1EU E: enquiries@lfxevents.co.uk W: www.lfxevents.co.uk

CROWD MANAGEMENT K4 Group of Companies Event Safety: Security, Crowd Control & Medical Services Under One Roof 4th Floor, Holdsworth House 65–73 Staines Rd, London TW3 3H T: 020 3143 3998 E: admin@k4group.co.uk W: k4group.co.uk : @k4groupofcompanies : @k4-group-of-companies : @k4groupofcompanies EQUIPMENT HIRE

Saward Marketing and Events T: 07788 660996 E: admin@saward-me.com W: saward-me.com Victorious Events T: 07922 836227 E: info@victoriousevents.co.uk W: victoriousevents.co.uk EVENT PASS PRINTING

GAP Event Services CityPoint 2, 25 Tyndrum Street, Glasgow, G4 0JY T: 03330 094 153 E: events@gap-group.co.uk W: www.gap-group.co.uk EVENT ACCOMMODATION

Eyecatchers T: 01772 681000 E: sales@eyecatchers.co.uk W: www.eyecatchers.co.uk / www.myeventpass.co.uk EVENT PRODUCTION

Bunkabin Tweedale Way, Oldham, OL9 7LD T: 0345 456 7899 E: hires@bunkabin.co.uk W: www.bunkabin.co.uk Zoo Events Group Ltd Stockton Dairy, Stockton, Warminster, BA12 OSQ T: 01258 840233 E: info@zooeventsgroup.co.uk W: www.zooeventsgroup.co.uk EVENT CONSTRUCTION Setstage Ltd T: 01274 265217 E: info@setstage.co.uk : @kate-greenwood-82315223 EVENT CONTROL, RADIO & WI-FI SERVICES Controlled Events T: 0203 286 6392 E: info@controlledevents.com W: www.controlledevents.com EVENT MANAGEMENT Bright Events Ltd T: 07856588815 W: www.brighteventsltd.com : @karen-edwards-events

Sponsored by the Falcon Team

Culture Creative T: 01665 798 007 E: info@culturecreative.co.uk W: www.culturecreative.co.uk SC Productions Ltd T: 02921 850 650 E: admin@scproductionsltd.com W: scproductionsltd.com EVENT SAFETY Acumen Safety T: 07557 669523 E: hello@acumensafety.co.uk W: acumensafety.co.uk K4 Group of Companies Event Safety: Security, Crowd Control & Medical Services Under One Roof 4th Floor, Holdsworth House, 65–73 Staines Rd, London TW3 3H T: 020 3143 3998 E: admin@k4group.co.uk W: k4group.co.uk : @k4groupofcompanies : @k4-group-of-companies : @k4groupofcompanies LFX Safety Unit 10 Merchants House, Market Place, Stockport, SK1 1EU E: enquiries@lfxsafety.co.uk W: www.lfxsafety.co.uk

www.falconteam.co.uk n 65

CONNECTIONS Number 8 Safety The Hay Shed, Sparrows Lane Matching Green, Essex, CM17 0RP T: 0203 7437292 E: info@number8events.co.uk W: number8events.com Radius Desklodge House, Redcliffe Way, Bristol, England, BS1 6NL E: info@radius-events.com W: www.radius-events.com : @radiuseventsltd SafetyDocs Conect Ltd 483 Green Lanes, London, N13 4BS T: 0208 242 4942 E: info@safetydocs.org W: safetydocs.org

Zone Secure Gorsley Business Park, Ross on Wye HR9 7SD E: info@zonesecure.co.uk W: www.zonesecure.co.uk FENCING SCRIM & SITE SUPPLIES Concept Products Ltd 10 Cary Court, Somerton Business Park, Somerton, TA11 6SB T: 01458 274020 E: ben@conceptproductsltd.co.uk W: www.conceptproductsltd.co.uk FESTIVAL GAS Festival Gas Supplying LPG gas solutions to major events and festivals in the UK T: 07930 758893 E: simon@festivalgas.co.uk W: www.festivalgas.co.uk

EVENT SERVICES Number 8 Hire Ltd The Hay Shed, Sparrows Lane, Matching Green, CM17 0RP T: 0203 7437292 E: info@number8events.co.uk W: www.number8events.com

FIRE COVER Red Rose Fire Solutions Ltd 6 Brissenden Close, New Romney Kent TN28 8JD T: 01995 503504 E: info@redrosefiresolutions.co.uk

EVENT VEHICLE HIRE Bradshaw Event Vehicles New Lane, Stibbington, Peterborough, PE8 6LW T: 01780 782621 E: rentals@bradshawev.com W: www.bradshawev.com : @Bradshaw_EV EXHIBITION STAND CONTRACTORS Access Displays Unit 38, Whitehill Industrial Estate, Whitehill Lane, Royal Wootton Bassett, Swindon, SN4 7DB T: 01793 613088 E: sales@accessdisplays.co.uk W: www.accessdisplays.co.uk EXHIBITION TRAILERS & MOBILE UNITS Inchmere Event Design Ltd Swan Close Studios, Swan Close Road, Banbury, OX16 5TE T: 01295 661000 E: alastair@inchmere.co.uk W: www.inchmere.co.uk TCM Trailers Ltd Watery Lane, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 7SE E: emily@tcmtrailers.co.uk W: www.tcmtrailers.co.uk FENCING & BARRIERS Augusta Event Support Ltd Cadeby, CV13 0BD E: Sarah@aesteam.co.uk W: augustaeventsupport.com

66 n www.falconteam.co.uk

Virtus Fire T: 01895 590212 E: office@virtusservices.co.uk W: www.virtusfire.co.uk FLAGS Instant Marquees T: 01840 213063 W: www.instantmarquees.co.uk FLOORING & FLOOR COVERINGS Coir Store 8-9 Yelverton Road, Brislington, Bristol BS4 5HP T: 07983 614410 E: info@coirstore.co.uk W: coirstore.co.uk Event Flooring Solutions Ltd T: 01509 768 252 E: sales@efseurope.co.uk W: www.efseurope.co.uk FURNITURE HIRE / SALES Furniture On The Move Unit B, Canada Warehouse, Chittening Industrial Estate, Worthy Road, Avonmouth, Bristol, BS11 0YB T: 0845 459 9875 E: info@furnitureonthemove.co.uk W: www.furnitureonthemove.co.uk

Sponsored by the Falcon Team

CONNECTIONS

Innovative Hire Unit N, Lion Works Estate, 543 Wallisdown Road Bournemouth BH12 5AD T: 01202 941 068 W: innovativehire.co.uk

HEATING & COOLING SYSTEMS

LIGHTING TOWERS Boels Rental T: 01245 208031 E: lighting@boels.co.uk W: www.boels.com LITTER PICKING Falcon Cleaning Chipping Hall Farm, Chipping, Herts, SG9 0DP E: info@falconteam.co.uk W: www.falconteam.co.uk W3W: bless.loses.typed

Cooling & Heating Solutions Ltd Marlwood House, Silver Street, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 6DG, UK T: 01590 681 434 E: sales@candhs.co.uk W: coolingandheatingsolutions.com

The Nu Group T: 0208 594 0800 E: info@thenugroup.co.uk W: www.thenugroup.co.uk

Spica Temperature Control Solutions Ltd 20 Crowsport, Hamble, Hampshire, SO31 4HG T: 02380 453841 M: 07780 638976 E: kay@spicasolutions.com W: www.spicasolutions.com

Top Mops Event Services 7 Bell Yard, London WC2A 2JR T: 0800 970 4035 E: info@topmops.net W: topmops.net

INSURANCE Tysers Insurance Brokers 71 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 4BS T: 0203 037 8000 E: tim.rudland@tysers.com W: www.tysers.com LASER & FX Laser Grafix Unit 4A Stratton Park, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 8QS UK office: 01767 315948 Dubai office: +971 4887 9808 E: info@lgfx.co.uk W: www.lgfx.co.uk LED SCREENS EMF Technology Ltd Unit 27 Freemantle House, Kingsclere Business Park, Kingsclere, Hants, RG20 4SW T: 020 8003 3344 E: info@emftechnology.co.uk W: www.emftechnology.co.uk Lightmedia Displays Mobile & Modular LED Screen Hire T: 0333 600 6000 – 24 hour response E: sales@lightmedia.co.uk W: www.lightmedia.co.uk

MARQUEES Alternative Stretch Tents Building 15, Gateway 1000, A1 (M) jct 7, Stevenage, SG1 2FP T: 01920 830256 E: info@alternative-stretch.co.uk Fews Marquees Chessgrove Park, Ditchford Bank Road, Hanbury, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B60 4HS T: 01527 821789 E: info@fews.co.uk W: www.fewsmarquees.co.uk Instant Marquees T: 01840 213063 W: www.instantmarquees.co.uk Mahood Marquees Ltd 8 Lords Fold, Rainford, Saint Helens WA11 8HP T: 01744 882 079 W: mahoodmarquees.com RÖDER UK T: 01487 840840 E: sales@roderuk.com W: www.roderuk.com

Tech AV Ltd London, Essex, Birmingham T: 0345 257 9969 E: lee@techav.events W: www.techav.events

TT Tents Ltd North Waltham Business Centre, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG25 2DJ T: 01256 397 551 E: sales@tttents.co.uk

YSLV London & York T: 0800 080 3310 E: hire@yslv.co.uk W: www.yslv.co.uk

Tentickle Stretch Tents UK Ltd Langley Brook Business Park, Unit 3B London Rd, Tamworth, B78 2BP T: 0121 7401385 M: 07826 843099 E: jorg@tentickle-stretchtents.co.uk W: www.tentickle-stretchtents.co.uk

Sponsored by the Falcon Team

www.falconteam.co.uk n 67

CONNECTIONS Tentstyle T: 01403 333135 E: enquiries@tentstyle.co.uk W: www.tentstyle.co.uk Top Cat Big Tops Tents & Marquees Ltd The Old Stable Yard, Gasworks Ln, Achynlleth, SY20 8BY T: 01654 700030 E: info@topcatbigtops.co.uk W: www.topcatbigtops.co.uk Ziggu Marquees Dutton Green, Little Stanney, Chester, CH2 4SA T: 01244722739 E: hello@ziggumarquees.com W: www.ziggumarquees.com MARQUEES ACCESSORIES Opas Southern Ltd Enterprise House, St Lawrence Avenue Worthing, West Sussex BN14 7JH Free Phone: 0845 1300 477 E: sales@opas.co.uk W: www.opas.co.uk MEDICAL SERVICES First Aid Cover Ltd 405 Kings Road, London SW10 0BB T: 020 8875 5758 E: enquiries@firstaidcover.co.uk W: www.firstaidcover.co.uk K4 Group of Companies Event Safety: Security, Crowd Control & Medical Services Under One Roof 4th Floor, Holdsworth House, 65–73 Staines Rd, London TW3 3H T: 020 3143 3998 E: admin@k4group.co.uk W: k4group.co.uk : @k4groupofcompanies : @k4-group-of-companies : @k4groupofcompanies NOISE MANAGEMENT Siderise Group Forge Industrial Estate CF34 0AH T: 01656 730833 E: enquiries@siderise.com W: www.siderise.com PARKING

PORTABLE TOILET HIRE A Star All Solutions T: 02477 350679 W: www.astarallsolutions.co.uk Excloosive Event Hire Field House, Bromley Park, Abbots Bromley Rugeley, Staffordshire WS15 3AH T: 01283 575 749 M: 07778 473 064 E: info@excloosive.co.uk Four Jays Group Barling Farm, East Sutton, Maidstone, Kent ME17 3DX T: 01622 843135 E: enquiries@fourjays.co.uk W: www.fourjays.co.uk LOOS FOR DOs Ltd Bakers Court, Forge Road, Kingsley, Hampshire GU35 9NZ T: 01420 588 355 E: info@loos.co.uk W: www.loos.co.uk Ontrax Rentals Elmwood Farm, Bampton OX18 2PL, England E: hello@ontraxrentals.com W: www.ontraxrentals.com Site Event The Depot, The Avenue, Lasham, Hampshire GU34 5SU T: 01256 384 134 E: event@site-equip.co.uk W: www.site-equip.co.uk Vacant Event Hire Unit C White Oak Technology Park, London Road, Swanley, Kent BR8 7AG T: 01322 761 117 M: 07960 301178 E: info@vacant.events W: vacant.events Zoo Events Group Ltd Stockton Dairy, Stockton, Warminster, BA12 OSQ T: 01258 840233 E: info@zooeventsgroup.co.uk W: www.zooeventsgroup.co.uk POWER & GENERATORS

Wise Parking T: 03301 334522 E: info@wiseparking.co.uk W: www.wiseparking.co.uk PLANT HIRE Charles Wilson 86 High Street, Harpenden, AL5 2SP T: 0800 458 5701 E: instanthire@cwplant.co.uk W: www.cwplant.co.uk

68 n www.falconteam.co.uk

ATD Electrical Unit 93, Greenway Business Centre, Greenway, Harlow, Essex, CM19 5QE T: 01279 507890 E: office@atdelectrical.com W: www.atdelectrical.com Festival Power Ltd Unit 2, Temple Bridge Business Park, Bristol, BS39 5AA E: info@festivalpower.co.uk W: www.festivalpower.co.uk

Sponsored by the Falcon Team

CONNECTIONS Gofer Ltd Unit 7 Arkwright Road, Hadleigh Road Ind. Est, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 0UB T: 01473 282530 E: info@gofer.co.uk W: www.gofer.co.uk IDE Systems Head Office & Manufacturing Centre, Unit 3, Swaffield Park Hyssop Close, Cannock Staffordshire, WS11 7FU United Kingdom T: 01543 574 111 E: enquiries@idesystems.co.uk W: www.idesystems.co.uk Instagrid UK Ltd Silent, Clean and Portable Power T: 07939 315074 E: andy.barnby@instagrid.co Newburn Power Rental Limited Unit 36 Lidgate Crescent, Langthwaite Business Park, South Kirkby, Pontefract, WF9 3NR T: 0845 077 6693 E: info@npr-uk.com Pearce Hire Unit 8-9 Reynolds Industrial Park, Thetford IP24 3RR T: 01733 554950 E: info@pearcehire.co.uk W: www.pearchire.co.uk Power Revolution Unit 9 Kelvin Place, Stanton, Bury St Edmunds, IP31 2AR T: 01359 256 265 E: info@power-revolution.co.uk W: www.power-revolution.co.uk Robert Blezard Electrical Contractor Ltd Unit 5, Fishes & Peggy Hill Fm, Clitheroe BB7 3BY T: 01200 777 666 E: hello@robertblezard.co.uk W: www.robertblezard.co.uk Stuart Power Stuart House, Hargham Road, Shropham, Norfolk, NR17 1DT T: 01953 454540 E: enquiries@stuartpower.co.uk W: www.stuartpower.co.uk The Technical Department 14 Henley Business Park, Pirbright Road, Normandy, Surrey, GU3 2DX T: 01483 238 050 or 07850 367 917 E: chantal@thetechnicaldepartment.com

Sponsored by the Falcon Team

XLE Event Services T: 01789 224227 E: info@xle.co.uk W: www.xle.co.uk : @xle_events : @xleeventservices : @XLeventservices PRINTERS UK Flyers Suite 210, Victory House, Somers Road, North Portsmouth, Hampshire PO1 1PJ T: 023 9229 3050 E: sales@ukflyers.com W: www.ukflyers.com PROJECTION EMF Technology LTD Projection Mapping, Water Screens, Flame Effects, Lighting, Mains Distribution T: 020 8003 3344 E: info@emftechnology.co.uk W: www.emftechnology.co.uk RADIO COMMUNICATIONS 2CL Communications Ltd Unit C, Woodside Trade Centre, Parnham Drive, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO50 4NU T: 0800 389 2278 E: contact@2cl.co.uk W: www.2cl.co.uk DCRS Edison Road, St.Ives, Cambs, PE27 3LH T: 0800 043 2688 E: sales@dcrs.co.uk W: www.dcrs.co.uk Icom UK T: 01227 741741 E: sales@icomuk.co.uk W: www.icomuk.co.uk Light of Night T: 0203 189 2679 E: info@lightofnight.co.uk W: www.lightofnight.co.uk Marathon Communications Ltd Oakhurst Business Park, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 9RT T: 01403 473 858 E: info@marathoncomms.co.uk W: www.marathoncomms.co.uk : @marathoncomms : @marathoncomms : @marathoncomms : @marathoncomms

www.falconteam.co.uk n 69

CONNECTIONS RATCHET STRAPS

SEATING

Ratchet Straps UK T: 0333 2027110 E: sales@ratchetstrapsuk.co.uk W: www.ratchetstrapsuk.co.uk

Ace Seating Hire T: 01832 279333 E: info@aceseating.co.uk W: www.aceseating.co.uk SECURITY

RECYCLING Falcon Cleaning Chipping Hall Farm, Chipping, Herts SG9 0DP E: info@falconteam.co.uk W: www.falconteam.co.uk W3W: bless.loses.typed

Alliance Events Ltd Ventura Park Road, Tamworth, England, B78 3HL T: 02034 885480 E: admin@alliancemanagementgroup.co.uk W: www.alliancemanagementgroup.co.uk

The Nu Group T: 0208 594 0800 E: info@thenugroup.co.uk W: www.thenugroup.co.uk

Anubis Group T: 0800 121 6576 E: sales@anubis-security.com/ recruitment@anubis-security.com W: www.anubis-security.com

REFRIGERATED STRUCTURES Cask London T: 0208 064 2012 E: info@casklondon.com Dawsongroup tcs Export Drive, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire NG17 6AF Dawsongroup | tcs T: 01623 518538 E: info@dgtcs.co.uk W: dgtcs.co.uk/inflatable-cold-rooms RENTAL EQUIPMENT Sunbelt Rentals T: 0330 053 2348 E: events@sunbeltrentals.co.uk W: www.sunbeltrentals.co.uk/sectors/events REUSABLE CUPS Re-uz UK Less is now Limited Unit 1A Walrow Industrial Estate, Commerce Way, Highbridge TA9 4AG T: 01278 238390 E: info.uk@reuz.com W: www.re-uz.com & www.green-goblet.com SAFETY TRAINING Acumen Safety T: 07557 669523 E: training@acumensafety.co.uk W: acumensafety.co.uk SCAFFOLD SYSTEM & TRUSS STRUCTURES SRG Structures Oldbury Lane, Bristol, BS35 1RE T: 0117 911 4034 E: info@srg-structures.com W: www.srg-structures.com

70 n www.falconteam.co.uk

ESM Operations T: 07355 094162 E: info@esmoperations.com W: www.esmoperations.com K4 Group of Companies Event Safety: Security, Crowd Control & Medical Services Under One Roof 4th Floor, Holdsworth House, 65–73 Staines Rd, London TW3 3H T: 020 3143 3998 E: admin@k4group.co.uk W: k4group.co.uk : @k4groupofcompanies : @k4-group-of-companies : @k4groupofcompanies Light of Night T: 0203 189 2679 E: info@lightofnight.co.uk W: www.lightofnight.co.uk Manchett Security The Tack Room, Lorkins Farm, Conway’s Road, Orsett, Grays, Essex, RM16 3E T: 01375 470 022 E: info@manchett-security.com W: www.manchett-security.com : @ManchettSec – : @ManchettGroup : @ManchettSec – McKenzie Arnold Group T: 01376 350 999 M: 07701 048 69 E: joanna.white@mckenziearnold.com New Dawn Security and Training Unit 10 Dunley Hill Court, Ranmore Common, Effingham RH5 6SX T: 01306779436 E: Events@ndst.ltd W: www.ndst.ltd

Sponsored by the Falcon Team

CONNECTIONS Newman Event Services Ltd Crowd Management, Festival & Event Security/Stewarding.

Bloxham Mill, Barford Road, Bloxham, Oxfordshire, OX15 4FF T: 01295 722844 E: enquiries@newmanevents.co.uk W: www.newmanevents.co.uk Right Guard Security Experts in Crowd Management and Event Security T: 01227 464588 E: info@rightguard.co.uk W: www.rightguard.co.uk Showsec Regent House, 16 West Walk, Leicester, LE1 7NA T: 0116 204 3333 E: sales@showsec.co.uk W: showsec.co.uk : @showsec.uk : @Showsec : @showsec Trojan Security Unit B7 Loughton Seedbed Centre Langston Road, Loughton IG10 3TQ T: 0330 113 9966 E: info@trojansecurityuk.co.uk W: www.trojansecurityuk.co.uk : @trojan_security_UK : @trojan-security-uk-ltd : @TrojanLondon SET & SCENERY CONSTRUCTION Staged Events Ltd Meadow View, Newnham Lane, Old Basing, Hampshire, RG24 7AU T: 01256578055 E: info@stagedevents.com W: www.stagedevents.com SHOWERS Zoo Events Group Ltd Stockton Dairy, Stockton, Warminster, BA12 OSQ T: 01258 840233 E: info@zooeventsgroup.co.uk W: www.zooeventsgroup.co.uk SITE MANAGEMENT Special Projects, Site Management T: 01738 505 747 E: info@specialprojects-uk.com W: www.specialprojects-uk.com SOUND, LIGHTING, VISION, POWER AND SCENIC SPH Event Production LTD Unit 7, Upper Wensleydale Business Park, Brunt Acres Road, Hawes, DL8 3UZ T: 01535 442084 W: www.event-production.live

Sponsored by the Falcon Team

STAGING & RIGGING IPS (Impact Production Services) Second Avenue,Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK1 1ED T: 01908 657950 E: enquiries@ips.co.uk W: www.ips.co.uk Rigger.co.uk T: 0333 772 0120 E: contact@rigger.co.uk W: www.rigger.co.uk Serious Stages Ltd Tor Hill Works, Dulcote, Wells, Somerset, BA5 3NT T: 01749 899 188 E: info@stages.co.uk W: www.stages.co.uk The Stage Bus 19 Prestwood Road, Birmingham B29 5EB T: 0121 585 9264 E: info@thestagebus.com W: www.thestagebus.com SRG Structures Oldbury Lane, Bristol, BS35 1RE T: 0117 911 4034 E: info@srg-structures.com W: www.srg-structures.com Steeldeck Rentals Unit 58, T. Marchant Estate, 42 – 72 Verney Rd, London SE16 3DH T: 0207 833 2031 E: rentals@steeldeck.co.uk W: www.steeldeck.co.uk STAND DESIGN & BUILD Saward Marketing and Events T: 07788 660996 E: admin@saward-me.com W: saward-me.com TEMPORARY BRIDGES Mitchell Bridges Limited London Road, Kings Worthy, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 7QN T: 01962 885040 M: 07768630373 E: chris@mitchellbridges.com W: www.mitchellbridges.com TEMPORARY ROADWAYS Cap Trac Limited The Stables, Loke Farm, Weston Longville, Norwich, NR9 5LG T: 01603 880448 E: info@captrac.co.uk W: www.captrac.co.uk

www.falconteam.co.uk n 71

CONNECTIONS TEMPORARY STRUCTURES

TT Tents Ltd North Waltham Business Centre, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG25 2DJ T: 01256 397 551 E: sales@tttents.co.uk W: www.tttents.co.uk

Creative Structures Creative House, Station Road, Theale RG7 4PD T: 0118 380 5590 W: www.creativestructuresgroup.com

WH Silverbacks Unit 26, Oakfield Road, Woolsbridge Industrial Park, Dorset BH21 6FE T: 01202 096957 E: info@silverbacks.co.uk W: whsilverbacks.co.uk

Fews Marquees Chessgrove Park, Ditchford Bank Road, Hanbury, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B60 4HS T: 01527 821789 E: info@fews.co.uk W: www.fewsmarquees.co.uk

Innovative Hire Unit N, Lion Works Estate, 543 Wallisdown Road Bournemouth BH12 5AD T: 01202 941 068 W: innovativehire.co.uk Losberger De Boer Castle Park, Boundary Road, Brackley, Northamptonshire, NN13 7ES T: 01280 846500 E: sales.uk@losbergerdeboer.com W: www.losbergerdeboer.com/uk Media Structures : Imagine, Create, Deliver Green Lane Sawmills, Outwood, Surrey RH1 5QP T: 0203 781 7772 E: lance.baker@mediastructures.co.uk W: www.mediastructures.uk NEPTUNUS Ltd Cob Drive, Swan Valley, Northampton NN4 9BB T: 01604 593820 E: sales@neptunus.co.uk W: www.neptunus.co.uk RÖDER UK T: 01487 840840 E: sales@roderuk.com W: www.roderuk.com Technical Overlay by Visions Unit 2 Thames Valley Connect, Western Road, Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 1QP T: 01189 358121 E: info@visionsgroup.co.uk W: www.technicaloverlay.co.uk Tentickle Stretch Tents UK Ltd Langley Brook Business Park, Unit 3B London Rd, Tamworth, B78 2BP T: 0121 7401385 M: 07826 843099 E: jorg@tentickle-stretchtents.co.uk W: www.tentickle-stretchtents.co.uk Triton Projects Unit D, Islington Warehouse, Little Catterton Lane, Islington, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire LS24 8EA. T: 01937 229911 W: www.triton-projects.com

72 n www.falconteam.co.uk

TRACKWAY TRACKWAY

Worldwide Structures Ltd Ayrshire Farm, Sharcott, Pewsey, SN9 5PA T: 01672 565 060 / 07875 027369 E: enquiries@w-sl.com W: www.worldwidestructures.com

All Weather Access Ltd County Farm, High Roding, Dunmow, Essex CM6 1NQ T: 01371 700510 M: 07801 751137 E: henry@all-weatheraccess.co.uk W: www.all-weatheraccess.co.uk TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT BUKO Traffic & Safety T: 0333 110 0020 E: sales@buko.co.uk : @bukotrafficandsafety : @buko-traffic-safety : @bukotrafficandsafety Carbonite Traffic Solutions T: 020 3567 1479 E: enquiries@carbonitetraffic.co.uk W: www.carbonitetraffic.co.uk CSP (The Combined Services Provider) Unit 1, Abloy House, Hatters Lane, Watford, WD18 8AJ T: 020 8900 2405 E: sales@gotocsp.com W: gotocsp.com Event Traffic Control Ltd Baldersby Gardens, Ripon Road, Baldersby, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 4PS T: 08000 246 800 E: info@eventtc.com W: www.eventtc.com Right Guard Traffic Management Event Traffic Management CSAS Accredited Traffic Officers Car Parking • Event Signage T: 01227 464588 E: info@rightguard.co.uk W: www.rightguard.co.uk

Sponsored by the Falcon Team

CONNECTIONS Total Event Solutions Unit 12, Bredhurst Business Park, Westfield Sole Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 3EH T: 01634 826 999 W: www.totaleventsolutions.co.uk WASTE MANAGEMENT Falcon Cleaning Chipping Hall Farm, Chipping, Herts, SG9 0DP E: info@falconteam.co.uk W: www.falconteam.co.uk W3W: bless.loses.typed The Nu Group T: 0208 594 0800 E: info@thenugroup.co.uk W: www.thenugroup.co.uk

T.E.S.S Ltd T: 01332 850 860 E: info@tess-ltd.co.uk W: www.tess-ltd.co.uk Wicked Event Water Services Kevin: 07909 771996 E: info@wickedeventwaterservices.com W: www.wews.biz WIFI, INTERNET & STREAMING attend2IT Unit 6-8 Park Farm Industrial Estate, Buntingford T: 01763 877 477 W: attend2it.co.uk Fli-Fi Ltd UK Wide T: 020 3778 0454 E: enquiries@fli-fi.com W: www.fli-fi.com

Top Mops Event Services 7 Bell Yard, London WC2A 2JR T: 0800 970 4035 E: info@topmops.net W: topmops.net

NVENTS T: 0330 043 5113 E: info@nvents.co W: nvents.co

WATER & PLUMBING SERVICES MTD (UK & Ireland) Ltd Unit 1 Westerngate, Hillmead Enterprise Park, Langley Road, Swindon, SN5 5WN T: 01264 773 818 E: sales.uk@mtd.net W: www.mtd.net

SimpliWifi Unit 13, Leominster Enterprise Park, Leominster, Herefordshire HR6 0LX T: 0800 298 9434 E: hello@simpliwifi.agency W: simpliwifi.agency

Online Geographical Directory www.standoutmagazine.co.uk

PUT YOUR BUSINESS ON THE MAP. StandOut Magazine_May26_HOUSE AD_CONNECTIONS_185 X 135.indd 1

Sponsored by the Falcon Team

24/04/2026 11:30

www.falconteam.co.uk n 73

NEXT ISSUE

Editor Caroline Clift caroline@standoutmagazine.co.uk

Featured in our next issue...

Advertising manager Jen Crisp jen@standoutmagazine.co.uk Account manager Sarah Bourne sarah@standoutmagazine.co.uk Account executive Lewis Briggs lewis@standoutmagazine.co.uk Marketing executive Katie Goldsmith marketing@standoutmagazine.co.uk Design and production Neil Hepden Jemma Heslop Emma Hickman Colin Swaffer standout@tandemmedia.co.uk

GROWING PORTFOLIO

StandOut heads to Gloucestershire and goes behind the scenes of RHS Badminton Flower Show, the new five-day horticultural event from the RHS

Credit control Janine Walmsley creditcontrol@standoutmagazine.co.uk Managing director Neil Fagg neil@standoutmagazine.co.uk T: 01795 509101 CEO John Denning StandOut Multimedia Limited, 10 The Metford, Evegate Business Park, Smeeth, Ashford, Kent, TN25 6SX T: 01795 509113 www.standoutmagazine.co.uk

GOT IT COVERED

Temporary structures and grandstand seating can transform an event space. We shine a light on best practice and new products

No part of this magazine may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form – electronic, mechanical or physical – without express prior permission and written consent of the publisher. Contributions are invited and when not accepted will be returned only if accompanied by a fully stamped and addressed envelope. Manuscripts should be typewritten. No responsibility can be taken for drawings, photographs or literary contributions during transmission or in the editor’s hands. In the absence of an agreement the copyright of all contributions, literary, photographic or artistic, belongs to StandOut Multimedia Limited. The Publisher accepts no responsibility in respect of advertisements appearing in the magazine and the opinions expressed in editorial material or otherwise do not necessarily represent the views of the Publisher. The Publisher cannot accept liability for any loss arising from the late appearance or non publication of any advertisement. Information about products and services featured within the editorial content does not imply an endorsement by StandOut magazine. © 2026. StandOut Multimedia Limited, 10 The Metford, Evegate Business Park, Smeeth, Ashford, Kent, TN25 6SX

Image: © Khroma Collective/Jake Davis

UP THE JUNCTION

AMAAD discuss The Bridge, a new six-day event series, and talk about ten years of Junction 2, the electronic music festival that sits underneath the M4 flyover

74 n www.olympuscrew.co.uk

WORKING ON SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS EVENTS WE ARE A CREWING COMPANY FOR THE CLIENTS AND FOR THE CREW. WE ENSURE THE BEST SERVICES FOR YOU.

• We have a diverse skillset including carpentry, audio visual and with each member having a positive, can do attitude.

• We have forklift and IPAF operators

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Pulling in the Crowds!

OUR PEOPLE CARRYING TRAILERS ARE PERFECT WHEN YOU NEED TO MOVE LARGE QUANTITIES OF PEOPLE ON EVENTS. 10 SEAT TO 24 SEAT VERSIONS AVALIABLE.

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