SEPTEMBER | AGENDA
Quote of the month:
“Ah no... Aretha Franklin... never left my record box since
the age of 18... always dug me out of a hole and filled the
dancefloor when I needed it ... what a legend lost,”
- Bestival’s Rob Da Bank (@RobDaBank)
Plans for a new 13,000-seat arena venue in West London
A sports stadium in West London
could be redeveloped into a 13,000-
seat concert venue.
The Linford Christie Outdoor
Sports Centre on Wormwood Scrubs
near East Acton is currently home to
the Thames Valley Harriers athletics
club, and PHC Chiswick hockey
team.
But plans are being considered to
redevelop the venue into a major new
entertainment venue with a capacity
greater than that of the SSE Arena
in Wembley. This would make the
new venue the second largest indoor
arena in London, behind Greenwich’s
O2 Arena.
The proposals for the new venue
were seen in a questionnaire about
‘project bolt’ which was circulated to
investors. Architectural design firm
Populous have been appointed by
Hammersmith & Fulham council to
explore options for the site.
Queens Park Rangers football club
had previously been in talks about
using the site to build a new 30,000-
seat ground, and are still involved in
ongoing discussions.
The questionnaire says the
new venue has the potential to be
stand-alone or “integrated with a
community stadium”, which could
mean sharing the venue with QPR
football club.
A council spokesman said: “Our
subsidy for the stadium in its current
form is unsustainable. We have
asked a masterplan architect to
draw up options.”
AEG adds Simon Jones as SVP
AEG Presents has announced the
appointment of Simon Jones to the
newly created position of senior vice
president, live music international.
AEG Presents is the live music
division of global entertainment
company AEG, and the new role will
see Jones building the division’s global
presence following the opening of their
Paris office in 2018.
He will head up the international
promoting operations for AEG
Presents UK, expanding the company’s
international touring footprint across
the US, Europe Asia and the Middle
East.
Jones commented: “I’ve enjoyed
building the international touring arm
of our UK office in recent years; it’s a
major passion of mine and I’m excited
to continue and expand this even
further, with some incredible shows
and tours to announce soon.
“What we have achieved since AEG
Presents launched in the UK has been
phenomenal and I’m certain we can
keep upping the ante both her and
around the world.”
Raising
the
game
Deborah Armstrong, founder of event design
company Strong & Co, gives a rallying call to make
experiential better
Write your narrative
I’m here to encourage
and bring partners into
you not just try to stay
it, encourage them to
ahead of the game, but
develop their own sub-
to raise the game. To
narratives.
make the whole thing
Sometimes we have to
better.
be really creative with a
To create impact –
smaller budget.
you have to bring it.
Do that by thinking
Here are a few ideas:
about how people
Make it surprising:
interact with each other
I want you to pioneer
and considering what
new ideas, to encourage
barriers you want to
clients to go further,
break down and how.
to take risks in radical
Think about the
juxtapositions, to
before and after. Your
deeply engage in how
event will have a
audiences will feel as
lifespan beyond itself
they move throughout
only if you document it
the space.
well and enable people
It must be meaningful
to share it. Similarly, can
or there’s literally no
the whole lead up to the
point.
event be an experience
Think of what is
that ties in?
meaningful not just to
All very well and good
you or your client but
you may say but how the
to your audience- after
devil do I get started?
all they are the ones
I’ve been starting
you are communicating
every project the same
with.
way for at least 20 years.
Apply quality control
Simple pen and paper
at all times. I don’t want
and mind map it - name
to see any unclipped
in the middle, ring
cable tie ends to spoil
around it.
my illusion.
Start drawing
Choosing partners
the aims and ideas.
who can help you to
Research, visual and
share the information
written, and back again,
could make all the
mind map it again…
difference if you are
looking for big numbers.
07