FEBRUARY | WELCOME
Colophon
EDITOR
Tom Hall
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Martin Fullard
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Stuart Wood
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James Linin Sean Wyatt-Livesley
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Elizabeth Nixon Lana-Mae Taylor
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B
rits both revere – and recoil from – the creeping Americanisation
of its shores.
The quiet dignity of watching the cricket at Lord’s with a flask
of tea and a broadsheet is a world away from the bombast of an NFL
game: a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it experience best enjoyed with a pint of
Bud Lite in one hand, and a giant foam hand on the other.
British sport is the Morris Minor to the American’s DeLorean; The
Twinings Earl Grey to their Pumpkin Spiced Latte.
Yet – to borrow and Americanism – I’m no ‘hater’. There’s room
for both the reserved and the revved-up experience. But as social
media heightens consumer expectations, your flask of tea just isn’t
‘Instagram-ready’.
My most recent All-American experience was watching the Oakland
Raiders vs Seattle Seahawks at Wembley, where I ate the ingeniously
paired combo of popcorn chicken with actual popcorn.
Getting to know an unfamiliar sport’s intricacies was fun, and the
‘between plays’ action was high-octane, glitzy, and frankly kept us
entertained for hours.
This trend towards ‘turning it up a notch’ is largely good news for the
event industry. And in this issue we hear from the organisers behind
many of these spectacles (p32).
The truth is that, despite the cynical British disposition, these events
do a lot right. Namely, providing world-class creative experiential
activity; high quality programmes and merchandise; big money
sponsorship; impressive audio-visual standards and the creation of
desirable, fun jobs.
So lighten up, and you might actually ‘have a nice day’.
Tom Hall, Editor
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