VIRGIN MONEY UNITY ARENA
At the start of the summer, it seemed that a number of events would take place, with professionals from across the sector offering innovative ways to socially distance crowds and keep people safe. Sadly, only a handful of these events made it out of the planning stage due to ever-tightening constraints as well as the feasibility of putting on an event during this trying time. As TPi rolled up on the Virgin Money Unity Arena, headed through the production entrance and looked up at the festival-sized stage setup, for a moment we were transported to a pre-COVID-19 world. The day TPi was there, Van Morrison was set to hit the stage – much to the delight of the crowd. Sadly, a few weeks after our visit, and with just three more show days left on the calendar, new local lockdown measures in the North East meant that the final scheduled shows of Virgin Money Unity Arena could no longer go ahead. Despite the slightly bittersweet ending to the project, it’s worth reflecting on the scale of this event, having welcomed over 50,000 people through its gates in August and September, employing a crew and staff of over 200 people along the way. Not to mention, giving artists a platform to perform live and provide their loyal crew a few working days this year. As we now live in a world with increased regulation, it’s important to take a look at the lessons learned from these large-scale live events and what conventions can be adopted for the months ahead. Event Organiser, Steve Davis gave a statement following the cancellation of the last few shows: “It is extremely disappointing to have to cancel these final shows at the end of what has been an incredible six-week run of successfully socially-distanced concerts,” he commented. “We’re honoured to have been able to provide a little happiness and joy to thousands of music and comedy fans throughout the region and the UK in what has been such a tough 2020 for everyone.” Greeting TPi at the entrance were Production Manager, Dave Weeks and Site Manager, Jim Gee from Engine No.4. Prior to the national lockdown,
the Manchester-based production company had been prepared to take the trip up north to lead the charge on This Is Tomorrow – a festival organised by promoters, SSD. However, with that event suffering the same fate as others in 2020, both SSD and Engine No.4 put their heads together to devise a concept that would still enable a live event to happen within the city this year. Having thrown around the idea of putting on a drive-in show, eventually the team opted for a far more elegant solution, with groups of up to six patrons enjoying their own socially-distant pod to enjoy the event. Having been operational from 11 August with an opening-night set from Sam Fender, the event continued for a five-week run, offering residents from the North East a wide range of entertainment, from musical performances from the likes of The Libertines, Frank Turner and Chase & Status, to comedy sets from Jimmy Carr and Bill Bailey and even sold-out nights of Bongo’s Bingo. Helping SSD and Engine No.4 bring the event to life were a number of long-time suppliers, including: Kingdom Services, R&M Productions, ESG, Arena Group and Dr Loo. FESTIVAL SETUP IN A COVID WORLD “Operationally, the drive-in concept proved to be somewhat of a nightmare,” explained Gee, while discussing the origin of the event. “We always planned to have the pods, which would have been situated next to each car, but the amount of space needed just wasn’t feasible. This system is much simpler and it leads to a much better experience for patrons.” Gee went on to explain the process he and the team went through in the build-up to the show. “We were following each new announcement from the government on a weekly basis,” stated Gee, reminiscing how each of the organisers would pore over each new announcement, while simultaneously speaking to each other over WhatsApp ensure the event was up to date with all the latest COVID-19 regulations. “We ended up delaying the launch by a few weeks due to the limitations on ‘mass gatherings’,” he explained. 30
