England , which adds to the cost ,” she says . Other differences Galletti di Cadilhac has found in Scotland include the licensing process .
“ It is completely different in Scotland ,” she says . “ There are things called occasional licences for individual bars , and whereas in England you have a 28-day consultation period and once you have a hearing you know if you have the licence , in Scotland you can be given the licence on the day of the event ; so there is a higher risk .”
Edinburgh-based festival and live event production specialists Rogue City Productions also work on major outdoor events throughout the UK . In Scotland , its projects include Terminal V . It has also worked with EE Live to launch new festival Out East ( 6,000 ), which is due to debut on Scotland ’ s East Lothian coast in August .
Previously handled in house , the production and site management of this year ’ s Royal Highland Show is being overseen by Rogue City .
“ We have around 400 marquees and 250 cabins on site . That ’ s a chunky one ; there ’ s a lot to build ,” says Rogue City director Shane Grieve . “ The Royal Highland Show production has been handled inhouse for the past 20 years , but their team was reduced considerably during Covid so they asked us to do it . The show usually takes a year to plan but we only had five months because
Aberdeen ’ s P & J live arena
Omicrom set that back . It is attended by 260,000 people over four days , and the site ’ s absolutely huge .”
Grieve says that while the Scottish Government ’ s prolonged closure of the events sector was unhelpful , its move to host Cop 26 in Glasgow last year provided a much-needed boost : “ One good thing the Scottish Government did was to host the biggest conference on the planet that year . It was a massive undertaking for a country the size of Scotland , and everyone I knew in the events industry was involved in it in some way .
“ Cop 26 helped kickstart the industry but at the same time it was an eye-opener – we soon realised that things weren ’ t going to be easy on the journey back because there was a shortage of kit and a massive shortage of crew .”
Building momentum
Scotland has no shortage of venues of all shapes and sizes ; from lush parkland , stately homes and imposing castles to much-loved theatres and club venues , such as Glasgow ’ s Barrowlands Ballrooms ( 1,900 ).
It also boasts two of the best equipped and modern arenas in the UK – Aberdeen ’ s P & J Live ( 15,000 ) and Scottish Exhibition Centre ’ s ( SEC ) OVO Hydro ( 14,300 ) in Glasgow .
The SEC has played a key role in Glasgow ’ s live events industry since it hosted its first concert ; UB40 ’ s
1985 show in Hall 4 . A Simple Minds show there two years later proved another landmark , with the hall becoming the first arena-style venue in the UK to be granted permission to introduce a standing floor .
Since it opened at SEC in 2013 , the Hydro has regularly been among the busiest arenas in the world for live events . Just metres away stands the equally architecturally impressive SEC Armadillo ( 3,000 ), with both buildings having been designed by Foster + Partners with a space-age flourish .
Business at the OVO Hydro this year is buoyant , according to SEC director of Live Entertainment Debbie McWilliams . She says the past six months have been among the busiest the venue has ever experienced , with sold-out shows by acts including Billie Eilish , Sam Fender , Diana Ross and Queen + Adam Lambert .
“ Tickets are selling , no-show percentages are greatly reduced and are almost back to pre-Covid levels , and despite concerns about the cost of living , fans continue to spend on live events ,” she says .
The hugely flexible venue is able to host show formats ranging from a 600-seat theatre layout to a 14,300-capacity mix of standing and seating .
“ The tiered design and shape of the OVO Hydro creates a unique intimacy for a venue of its size , along with our flexible draping system that allows us to offer a variety of capacity options for standing / seating and fully seated configurations ,” says McWilliams .
SEC not only hosted the COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference last year but announced a commitment to become a carbon net zero venue by 2030 . It has since become the first arena in the world to be awarded A Greener Arena status .
Aside from the financial benefits of staging the event for the SEC
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