WINTER | TRENDING
R
ogue producers, events
spiralling out of control and
disturbances to residents are
understandable concerns for local
authorities, who have a duty to uphold
what they were elected for, and
avoid bad press. However, the vast
majority of events serve to invigorate
communities, provide unbeatable
entertainment, and generate much
needed revenue for cash-strapped
local authorities.
The issue, according to We Are
The Fair’s CEO Nick Morgan, is
balancing consumer media focus
on the negatives of any show
which promotes engagement/sells
newspapers with the huge benefits
from hosting shows in green spaces.
“On the very basic level the amount of
revenue paid to councils on an annual
basis in in excess of £100m as per
the The Political Economy of Informal
Events white paper. Whilst it can be
hugely frustrating for local residents
during the build, live and break
of any show there are some parks
that simply couldn’t be maintained
without the show paying green space
revenue.
“We all know councils are facing
huge financial pressures and these
contributions often fund Rangers
through to infrastructure. Recently
through our pooled revenue over
the course of three years, we paid for
a brand-new play area. In terms of
economic impact to the area, council’s
might simply focus on the show day
and the attendees using local shops,
travel infrastructure, accommodation
which generates spend external to
the festival site.”
Being sympathetic to the needs
of organisers has been vital to
stimulating a vibrant events scene
around the Olympic Park. Peter
Tudor, director of Visitor Services
Park Operations and Venues, Queen
Elizabeth Olympic Park, met Access
for a stroll in the Park: “The key
thing we do is make sure the person
promoting the event will engage
Permission critical
Red tape is a perennial headache for festival organisers trying to cut the ribbon
on their latest event. Access spoke to event organisers large and small, as well as
influential authorities to demystify the dark art
with residents and those in the
buildings around the park. There are
various forums, including residents’
associations and getting correct
info on how people will get through
the park and not the residential
district. As with Ride London and half
marathons, if roads are to be closed,
people need to know about that
“There’s a big bible we refer to
every time we know people will
disrupt routes. We couldn’t do things
like in the Copper Box Arena with
the roads closed. Next summer we’ll
have basketball and baseball in the
stadium, as well as hockey in the
North of the park, and we’re due
something in the Copper Box at the
same time.
He says there are ways to engage
locals in the process. “A number
of residents are volunteers in the
park, so they can get early access to
tickets, then there’s an opportunity
for people in the new office buildings
surrounding the Park to get engaged.
Pictured above: The
Aquatics Centre, Queen
Elizabeth Olympic Park
“We’re well briefed on the benefits
of events. The ‘London is open’
ethos is strong, and the benefits to
hotels and local businesses is well
understood. But there are inevitable
disruptions that we try and make a
virtue of. For example, The Aquatics
Centre has thousands of members
and swimming lessons take place
over the weekend, so making sure
they can get involved in events has
been a focus, but we build that into
the event plans. Arcadia Spectacular’s
dress rehearsal was made into a
community night, where locals got to
see the spider in action.”
While high profile events often
have experienced teams to deal
with bureaucracy, for smaller event
organisers, the challenges can
be significant. Samantha Hasler,
director, Jess Productions, runs a day
time, three-day beer festival Beer
Bop A Lua in Reigate’s Priory Park,
with suppliers including Meridian
Events for tents and crew and Blue
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