JUNE | COVER FEATURE
40 years in the parks
Stephen Edwards, head of special
projects, the Royal Parks, on his
eventful career
to match, and the Royal Parks
have become famous for such
grandiosity.
Dating back to the Great
Exhibition, held in Hyde Park in
1851, the Parade Ground has hosted
many high profile and important
national and international events
such as Pavarotti in the Park,
Live 8 and Nelson Mandela’s 90th
Birthday celebrations.
Today, the Royal Parks’ events
attract millions of people each year,
opening them up to new audiences
and admirers.
Money raised from these events
goes back into maintaining and
keeping them as the national
treasures that they are.
It’s no walk in the park, of course,
balancing nature, neighbours,
nobility and the numbers. Alun
Mainwaring, however, cuts a calm
persona as head of events and
filming at the Royal Parks.
“The most important thing is we
get the best event delivery partner.
It’s not just the product itself, but
everything else around that,” says
Mainwaring.
The Royal Parks works in close
partnership with each event
organiser, particularly on the
big concerts. “These do have
30
disruption issues so there has to be
buy in from park stakeholders early
on,” adds Mainwaring.
Since 2012, the Royal Parks
have been far more focused on
on stakeholder engagement,
promoting constructive support
rather than opposition and
outlining its modus operandi in its
Major Events Programme.
“A lot of event organisers are
used to the restrictions of outdoor
venues in London parks, so the
conversation is usually at an
advanced stage by the time we get
involved.
“We also have community and
small events programmes for
charities, hospices, and community
groups working under the same
umbrella,” he adds.
Mainwaring’s team is also
on hand to advise on practical
considerations surrounding your
park-based event.
“Route management is crucial
for events, and our facilities
department are experienced in
handling this.
“We also recommend the most
appropriate ‘hard standing areas’,
which are routes and areas suitable
for use without disruption and
congestion. So we try and set
Production magic in
Hyde Park
What are your event highlights?
I’ve worked for the Royal Parks for over
40 years so you can imagine the changes
I’ve seen in that time. Live 8 was such a
huge and iconic event and so complex to
organise, we learned a lot from that event.
Another event which sticks in the memory
was the Festival of Food and Farming in
1989. It was such a different event for us
to host on the Parade Ground. It was like a
village fair but on a bigger scale with food
stalls, milking and cooking demonstrations,
and craft areas. The paths that run through
the Parade Ground were named so that
visitors could find their way around, those
names are still used today. Is was such
a different event and one that I really
enjoyed.
What has changed in terms of regulations
and procedures around events?
A lot has changed! For a start we now
have a dedicated events team who I work
with to organise events. We have working
groups with the police, local council and
other key partners who oversee all areas of
the events. We also work very closely with
our local residents and stakeholders who
also have a say in how we run events, it’s
a very collaborative approach. Obviously
technology and infrastructure has
developed over the years and our concerts
now are the best we’ve ever organised – we
even have flushable loos!
What does your role involve?
I was park manager for 35 years, but
became head of special projects. I oversee
certain projects and events in the park and
make sure the plans meet our strict criteria
in terms of layout, egress and ingress.
I’ve also just completed building a
super nursery which will supply all
plants and flowers for theceight
Royal parks. Some of the plants and
flowers will be on sale during the midweek
of Barclaycard presents British Summer
Time this year as part of our plant sale.