“ Five weeks is a very short time , when planning a festival ,” says Cleasby .
“ We had started planning but there was still a lot to do and being part of the ERP added another layer of work , so while it enabled us to go ahead , it made the process a lot harder . It also added a level of cost ; we had extra staff on the gate , answering phones , and back-of-house .”
Among the “ stringent ” measures back-of-house were regular testing of all personnel and the requirement to complete a daily health questionnaire . The NHS app was used to provide Covid status certification prior to access for all customers , crew and suppliers .
Other measures included an upgraded Wi-Fi provision to help ensure the entry process was as smooth as possible .
Says Cleasby , “ It worked surprisingly well , people turned up very well prepared . Over the weekend there were a few hundred people that we had to send to our Covid resolution centre to get
Timm Cleasby
sorted out and a handful we had to ask to go and do a test .
“ The process was really well received ; we had a lot of comments from people that it made them feel more secure about being there .”
ERP confirmation for Tramlines came just five weeks before the event
Supply chain pressure As with the other festivals taking place that weekend , Tramlines had to overcome some major supply chain bumps on the road to the event ’ s delivery .
“ It was very tricky ,” says Cleasby . “ I had had conversations with a lot of suppliers earlier in the year and asked them to hold the dates . We kept those conversations going on a weekly basis , and as we got closer to potentially going ahead , we were talking daily because things were changing rapidly .
“ Most suppliers were really good and accepted that we couldn ’ t commit . Without their support I don ’ t think we could have gone ahead .
“ During the pandemic we have all had a battering , not least the supply chain , so we came across a lot of hurdles and had to look at other supply options – some were very last-minute .”
Among the issues was a lack of tents , not an ideal situation for a greenfield festival to find itself in with only days to go .
“ Fencing was tricky to get hold of , as were cabins , then four days before we went on site the marquee supplier said , ‘ I have lost all my team to Covid so I can ’ t deliver any of your tents ’. That was quite a shock ,” says Cleasby . Fortunately , a last-minute solution was found , and 100m of clear span tent coverage was purpose-built for the festival .
As well as the event ’ s suppliers , Cleasby says he is very grateful for the help of Sheffield ’ s director of public health , Greg Fell , whose team he says were “ progressive in their thinking ”. The ops director was also hugely impressed with the attitude and behaviour of the event ’ s staff .
He says , “ It was really wonderful to see and hear so many people so happy and that ’ s across both the public and our team – they were absolutely buzzing to be back at work and doing what they love , and seeing the audience react to what we do .
“ I hope what we did between us , Latitude and Standon Calling shows there is a way forward ; that was the whole point of it .”
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