Ready for take-off ?
As the Government ’ s Events Research Programme draws to an end , Access goes behind the scenes to explore the remarkable amount of work and expense that has gone into getting the pilot events off the ground .
A Circus nightclub event at Liverpool ’ s
Bramley-Moore Dock
Words : Christopher Barrett
The Government ’ s Events Research Programme ( ERP ), announced at the same time as the conditional re-opening roadmap on 22 February , has seen a run of events staged without social distancing , including the Snooker World Championships , FA Cup matches , a business event and two consecutive club nights .
Among the largest ERP events was a 5,000-capacity gig by Blossoms at Liverpool ’ s Sefton Park , organised with the aim of mirroring the conditions at an outdoor music festival without social distancing .
To attend any of the events , ticket holders were required to take a rapid lateral flow test at a local testing centre 24 hours prior to entry . They were then required to take a test afterwards to ensure any transmission of the virus was properly monitored .
Organised by Festival Republic MD Melvin Benn , the Sefton Park pilot was hailed by culture minister Caroline Dinenage as a milestone on the path to the return of full-capacity live events , and the joy it gave to the audience involved was evident from the many social media shares of grinning faces .
Sefton Park followed two
“ Tom Rodden is absolutely extraordinarily good , he is so committed to getting us open .”
3,000-capacity ERP Circus nightclub events at Liverpool ’ s Bramley-Moore Dock warehouse , with acts including Fat Boy Slim and Sven Väth . On 11 May , The BRIT Awards was held at The O2 arena , with a free-flowing audience of 4,500 people – the first show of its kind for 14 months at what is usually the UK ’ s busiest arena . The FA Cup final is expected to be the final chapter of the ERP on 15 May .
A field of its own Benn says the events industry had to push hard to get a greenfield concert included in the ERP , the aim being to ensure that data from a festival
Festival Republic MD Melvin Benn
pilot could be taken into account by the scientists involved . Among those responsible for helping Benn make it happen were Association of Independent Festivals CEO Paul Reed and Greg Parmley , CEO of umbrella industry body LIVE .
“ We all kept repeating that we were worried that when it came to it , the ERP data would fall shorty of what we needed and we would be set back ,” says Benn . “ I repeatedly offered to put a whole series of events together but was told it was not needed . Eventually , Sir Nicholas Hytner was appointed to head up the ERP from a strategic point of view . I had three calls with him
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