Cover Feature
“The audience and our commercial partners, they just love the
fact that we are running this show and they really appreciate
all the measures that we put in place to do so safely, without
detracting from the experience.”
which I will always have an answer. The
safety of our guests is the only priority.”
This is the beauty of Concours
– aside from the Lancia Stratos.
The event is all about the experience,
and not about the Covid-secure
measures, such as hand
sanitisers and grumpy matrons
shouting “two metres” every minute.
When I entered the venue, I was
simply directed to scan a QR code on
my phone to complete my details for
track and trace, which only required
my email address as I was already registered
for the event and was informed
that hand sanitisers and so on were
dotted around the place. There was
ample signage which, to be honest,
was a reminder to use common sense.
At no point did it feel overpowering,
in fact, you didn’t really notice
it: it was just as an event should be.
I spoke to some visitors at random
and all of them confirmed they
felt safe and were able to enjoy the
collection of cars at their leisure.
“There are lots of measures in place,
and some of them you can see very
Photography: Patrick White
clearly, and some of them are behind
the scenes,” says Kitching after I compliment
her on putting the event front and
centre rather than the hand sanitiser
points. “Things from signage, hand sanitisers
around site, the new directional
flow through the event and separate
entrance and exit are all fairly obvious.
“In terms of limiting the touchpoints,
we also have hygiene hosts who
are managing the toilet and washroom
facilities, so they are visible, and there
are front of house staff making sure
that your experience isn’t reduced
too much. We reduced the amount
of people that are in the washrooms
at any one time, so that the customer
service level remains at the level that
we expect to see here at the HAC.”
That is all reasonable, and it is a
similar story with the corporate hospitality,
which is managed by Searcy’s.
I return to Evans to ask him about
his relationship with his suppliers, and
whether they joined him on the adventure
or not. “I had a number of partners
who were contracted to be at this
show, a number of them are not at this
show in spite of this obligation,” he says.
“However, I have replaced them
with some more foresighted people
who were keen to harness the opportunity.
This is the only automotive
event to take place this summer and
we have another one in 10 days’ time
(Concours of Elegance, Hampton Court
Palace, 4-6 September), but I wanted to
capture that essence, so I’ve actually
got companies who probably wouldn’t
have come, and I’ve got companies who
should have been here but said no.”
I ask Evans to encapsulate the
mood. He says: “Well let’s start with
the reality: today (day two, 20 August)
is lovely. Yesterday (19 August) it rained
all day, but it didn’t dampen the spirits.
We had a real zest, a real enthusiasm
for what we are doing for our visitors.
“Although funnily enough
on day one the umbrellas made
good social distancing tools.
“The audience and our commercial
partners, they just love the fact that
we are running this show and they
really appreciate all the measures that
we put in place to do so safely, without
detracting from the experience.”
And that is the point to close on:
experience. The exhibitions industry,
by design, creates experiences for
people and businesses, and they must
delight and excite. Measures such as
face masks and hand sanitisers are
going to be around for a while yet, but
they are not the centre-piece. They
should be treated the same way as a pair
of trousers, necessary, but unnoticed.
Thorough Events and the HAC have
demonstrated it is possible. Yes, the event
was outdoors, but raising confidence
ahead of the 1 October restart date is
crucial, and we have to start somewhere.
WE MUST ALL BE DRIVEN BY
DETERMINATION.
28 — September