Market intelligence for live event promoters and producers | March 2022

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SUMMER | WELCOME

EDITOR Christopher Barrett

JUNIOR NEWS REPORTER Joe Gallop

DIGITAL & COMMUNITY EDITOR Cameron Roberts

SALES DIRECTOR James Linin

SALES MANAGER Joanne Knowles

PRODUCTION CONTROLLER Sabrina Boucher

PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Duncan Siegle

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Robert Fletcher

PAGE PRODUCTION PA Media

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With the summer season in full swing , event professionals throughout the UK , and beyond , are working against a backdrop of unprecedented challenges to pull off a remarkable events-packed summer . During the Glastonbury weekend alone live music events in the UK hosted more than a million people ; with Glastonbury ( cap . 200,000 ), three 65,000-capacity BST Hyde Park shows and several large-scale stadium and arena concerts taking place despite the ill-timing of the final RMT rail strike on 25 June . Since then , we have had huge sporting landmarks including Wimbledon , The 150th Open , the British Grand Prix and countless other festivals and stadium shows .

In this issue we focus on Scotland ( p18 ), where the summer is shaping up to be a record-breaking one in terms of show numbers and attendance . Major summer events promoted by Geoff Ellis ’ DF Concerts alone are expected to result in a £ 72.4m economic impact . With so many landmark Scottish summer events taking place , including The Open , Royal Highland Show and the 50,000-capacity TRNSMT , it is a remarkable but far from easy achievement by all concerned .

We also go behind the scenes at the Hampton Court Palace Festival ( p35 ) to explore this year ’ s changes , we witness the inaugural Kite festival ( p32 ), meet the boss of spectacular drone show specialists Skymagic ( p17 ), look at trends and developments with event concessions ( p42 ) and focus on Stufish Entertainment Architects ’ remarkable work on the ABBA Arena and Platinum Party at the Palace ( p39 ).

With so many strains on the supply chain , lack of crew , and challenges around costs and consumer confidence , this issue is dedicated to all of you who have been battling to make this year a successful comeback for the industry . We hope you enjoy the magazine and that we will see you out there on a site very soon .

Christopher Barrett , Editor

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