October/November 2021

EVENTS
Please detail the measures
you have taken specifically for
Covid-19
We brought our learning from our
venue with regard to Covid. As it was
an outdoor event it made the event
very comfortable, but staff were
encouraged to wear masks and both
staff and visitors were encouraged
to complete a lateral flow test before
entry. All visitors were encouraged
to check in. We had sanitising
stations throughout the event and
marquees were all very open to
allow air flow and lower the risk of
transmission.
What ground protection do you
use for cars and footfall?
It was very dry at the time of the
event – we were extremely lucky.
We used some woodchip at the
entrance to deal with footfall but
the ground was otherwise dry and
manageable.
How do you publicise the event?
We had a very tight turn around for
marketing. Acts were announced
four weeks ahead for the first three
events and three weeks for the
festivals. That made marketing very
difficult. We used largely press and
socials because of the timescale.
There was some, but not much,
local presence with banners and
posters.
What challenges have you faced?
The largest challenge was the eight
week turnaround time which was
due to the funding confirmation.
This led to other problems;
everything was in short supply
because there were a lot of outdoor
“ALL VISITORS
WERE EN-
COURAGED TO
CHECK IN. WE
HAD SANITIS-
ING STATIONS
THROUGHOUT
THE EVENT
AND MARQUEES
WERE ALL
VERY OPEN
TO ALLOW
AIR FLOW
AND LOWER
THE RISK OF
TRANSMIS-
SION”
events this year for obvious reasons.
Staff also take leave in summer as
it’s usually the time when we cease
events, and of course we had the odd
Covid case that took a couple of staff
members out for a few weeks.
It’s tough for events at the
moment as we all know. We were
building towards quite a large
event, not really knowing if we’d
get the audiences or the weather
would be good or if it would be at
all successful… I personally wasn’t
at the first weekend because I had
booked annual leave and it was the
same for other staff. So some of us
were working towards something
that we didn’t even see and that’s
really tough!
How did you finance the event?
This project was financed by Arts
Council England, Bury Council and
Greater Manchester Combined
Authority as part of Greater
Manchester’s Town of Culture. The
event largely broke even, which is
a great success for a first outdoor
event working with these partners.
We learned a lot during the summer
that we can apply to other events
and will do some things differently to
cut costs.
What are your plans for next year?
We’re unsure at the moment but we
are discussing running something
similar in 2022.
What advice could you give to
someone coming into the outdoor
event industry?
I think there’s a perception that this
is a very glamourous career. It’s really
very hard work and it’s very stressful,
particularly the higher up you get!
The majority of calls I got over
the weekend were about supplies
running low (toilet roll! Water!).
But you know it’s so enormously
satisfying to see something amazing
created from nothing and for me
it was really lovely to work closely
with the Met team again after such
a long time working from home and
not really seeing each other.
Seeing audiences having the best
time at something you’ve created
makes the hard work and stress
worth it – I can say that now after
two months!
ADDRESS BOOK
MARQUEES & FLOORING
Smiddereens
www.smiddereens.com
SNS Marquees
www.snsmarquees.com
STAGES & AV
DBS Stages
www.dbs-solutions.co.uk
MTS Live www.mtslive.co.uk
LIGHTING & POWER
Ayre Event Solutions
www.ayre.events
HEATING
Crown Oil www.crownoil.co.uk
BARS & CATERING
Brightside Brewing Company
www.brightsidebrewing.co.uk
Power to the Pizza
www.addtoevent.co.uk/woodfired-functions
TOILETS
PAL Hire www.palhire.co.uk
TICKETING
Spektrix www.spektrix.com
CONNECTIVITY
Avoira www.avoira.com
SECURITY
Churchill Group
www.churchillgroup.com
INSURANCE
Tysers www.tysers.com
60 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM