Arboretum Sunsets during Covid – a series of intimate outdoor events at the picturesque Nottingham Arboretum . Lockwood says DHP intends to take the event forward , but its scope may change due to the rampant return of mainstream outdoor events and changes in the festival market .
The company also organises multivenue event Dot To Dot , which also takes place in Bristol and Manchester . Held in September last year rather than its traditional late May bank holiday weekend slot , the event is staged at Nottingham Trent Union , Rock City and DHP ’ s other venues Rescue Rooms ( 450 , 120 ), Bodega ( 220 ) and Stealth ( 220 ).
Lockwood says he started the festival after taking inspiration from the Texas event South by Southwest ( SXSW ), and that he wanted audiences to see multiple acts throughout the course of the event , rather than missing some due to clashes . Dot To Dot began with two venues in 2005 and has now grown into the “ beast ” that it is today , with some 80 bands on its main stage and other fringe activity also taking place .
Lockwood says , “ In Nottingham everyone thinks we ’ re the big dogs , but when you look at it nationally , you ’ ve got an O2 Academy in every city except Nottingham because Rock City is there .”
He says it is important that each of DHP ’ s venues retain an individual character and identity to avoid the
Martin Ingham Anton Lockwood
The Goose Fair attracts 450,000 people feeling of “ waking up in a Premier Inn and forgetting which city you ’ re in ”.
He says , “ Having multiple venues gives us a big talent pool of people that we can pick up and promote through to become the general managers of each venue or become promoters .
“ Our finance director started on the bar . There ’ s is a tremendous pool of talent there , and that ’ s really what makes it possible .”
From bar to boardroom Another individual who knows Rock City like the back of his hand is FKP Scorpio MD of live Daniel Ealam , who also started out behind the bar at the venue while studying at university , before becoming general manager . Having left DHP , after 19 years , Ealam now works alongside fellow former DHP director Scott O ’ Neill , and is promoting Ed Sheeran ’ s huge 2022 tour – 12 years after he first booked the then budding singer-songwriter to play at Stealth .
“ The reason I went to Nottingham University is because of Rock City , I used to see it in the back of NME and it had all the gigs I wanted to go to ,” says Ealam . “ Nottingham just seemed like a place where there was big stuff happening all the time and it was a dream come true to get a job there . I couldn ’ t believe you got paid to watch all the best bands there , I probably would have done it for free .”
FKP Scorpio , which has had an office in Nottingham since launching in the UK in September 2020 , has big plans for the city this Summer .
Three days before speaking to Access , Ealam had a production meeting with the council about the Meadowlands Festival , which will host around 25,000 people over the Jubilee bank holiday weekend . Ealam says that with Splendour ’ s having a family friendly feel , there was a gap in the market in Nottingham for an event focused on attracting a younger festival audience from within the city and beyond . He says Meadowlands will cater for acts who are perhaps too big to play at Motorpoint Arena , which is one of the smallest of its kind in the UK .
Gerry Cinnamon will headline the inaugural Meadowlands event , which will see Nottingham ’ s Victoria Embankment , on the River Trent , host commercial live music for the first time since 2001 .
Collaborative approach Motorpoint Arena and National Ice Centre chief executive Martin Ingham says his team has built a strong relationship with DHP , which brings shows to the venue that are too big for Rock City .
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