Cover Feature
In what felt like an almost impossible feat
just months ago, London Concours took
place as planned in August. Martin Fullard
puts on his driving gloves to meet the
organiser
IT WAS IN LATE DECEMBER
when the coronavirus started to appear
in news column inches in the UK. To
many, it was just another story from
overseas. By January, it was apparent
that things weren’t dying down,
and news started to filter through
of event cancellations in China.
However, it was in February when
the dawning realisation of what was
happening became apparent. The
cancellation of Mobile World Congress
fired the starting gun on a chain of
closures unthinkable just days before.
In normal times, we would still be
talking about that event’s cancellation
now, but it is just another victim,
joining literally thousands of others
which have had to give 2020 a miss.
Indeed, many organisers have written
off 2020 altogether, with plans
to go again in 2021, if they are able to.
Every organiser faces different challenges
in different ways, and good
intentions don’t always pay the bills.
If though, there was even a hint
of a chance of getting your event
underway, you would do it, right?
Back in May I was privy to an online
meeting between several prominent
exhibition organisers, and it was here
that Thorough Events MD Andrew Evans
stated, unprovoked, that he was going
ahead with 2020’s London Concours.
It was an unusual reaction from
the rest of us, one of collective relief I
suppose: here was someone willing to
put their neck on the line in the name
of events. It is worth noting that at
this point there was no indication of
an events restart date, in fact it felt
there would never be another event
again after the industry was left out
of all Downing Street press briefings.
Fast forward to 19 August
and, as the rain came down in
Central London, the mood went
up: finally, an event was underway.
Make no mistake, the fact that
London Concours is an outdoors
exhibition is the main reason why
it was allowed to proceed, there
would have been no chance at all
if it was due to take place inside.
But that’s not the point: here was
an event, an organised gathering of
people, and as a first step in regaining
corporate and consumer confidence - its
importance cannot be underestimated.
“This is the fourth edition of the
London Concours,” says Evans, who I
talk to on a much sunnier second day.
“Concours, by the way, is a French
term for a competition or beauty
parade,” he adds. No kidding, while I
am a car enthusiast myself, the beauty
of seeing a managed crowd enjoy themselves
was the best sight of 2020 to date.
Standing next to a collection of
Lancia rally cars, I ask Evans when he
decided that he was going ahead with
the event this year (assuming he hadn’t
decided on a whim during the aforementioned
Zoom call). “I’m a channelled
person and I’ve got to be honest, the
whole event was born out of frustration
and at some point, anger,” he says.
“I watched on the news that public
markets were allowed to function, and
it crossed my mind that that is what
we, organisers, all do. I’m in an outdoor
environment but I’ve got control,
whereas a public market doesn’t. A
market does not know who is coming
or how long people spend walking
around. I thought that’s the trigger; I
am now going for it. So I immediately
picked up the phone to call the HAC.
“These guys have partnered with us
in a way that I cannot begin to describe.
One talks about partnership, they
have been with us step-by-step, creating
the rules with us, working with us
around our protocols. They are such
a great partner, I just I love them.”
The Honourable Artillery Club
(HAC) is located near to Moorgate
in the City of London and
boasts a hidden gem of green space
surrounded by towering buildings.
Rowan Kitching is the venue’s
director of catering and events, and
says as part of the visitor economy,
they were given permission to run the
event using their outdoor facilities.
“We have been working closely with
Andrew and his team over the past few
months,” she tells me. “We have had to
work through the guidance to make sure
that we can open the doors and make
use of the venue’s five-acre garden.
“While our indoor event spaces have
had to remain closed in line with the
current guidance, our outdoor space
has been permitted to reopen. We went
through the guidance, and involved
all stakeholders, including Andrew,
in the operational planning phases.”
It’s refreshing to hear of such a collaborative
partnership between organiser
and venue, but I ask Evans about
the obstacles he has had to overcome.
“I couldn’t find loopholes because
I didn’t know enough about the regulations,”
he says. “We had to create
the event around the protocols to
meet Covid guidance with all of
the agencies that we work with, so
I’ve been learning along the way.”
Then Evans makes the key comment,
as far as I am concerned. “What I don’t
want with this event is for it to feel
like the Covid Show,” he notes. “What
I do want is an event that anyone can
come to and challenge me on, and for
September — 27