Love Summer Festival
Description: Weekend music festival in Plymouth, Devon
Product: 12 x 20KVA generators, 8 x Trime X-eco lights
Supplier: Brandon Hire
Telephone: 0333 2000 836
Website: www.brandontoilethire.co.uk
Details: Brandon Hire’s highly experienced South West events team, based at the Plympton office, supported this year’s highly successful Love Summer Festival by delivering a complete event management service including the hire of lighting, electrical power and distribution, security fencing, crowd control barriers and event toilets.
At pre-event planning meetings the regional events team, led by Brandon Hire’s South West regional events manager Scott Bryant, worked closely with the festival’s team, analysing site plans to pinpoint the best locations, delivery and collection time-frames, logistics and critical volumes of equipment for site ‘hot-spots’.
Members of the Brandon Hire events team were in attendance throughout the festival, providing portable toilet servicing, equipment safety and security checks and maintenance.
Post-event planning meant a swift on-site disassembly was accomplished on time.
Feedback: Billy Hughes, owner of Love Summer Festival, said: “Brandon Hire consistently delivers excellent service and equipment. We have used them for eight years for all our infrastructure and power provision; they understand our needs and over deliver every time. I would not hesitate in recommending them to others. Scott, Peter and the Plympton Events Team, they do festivals ‘On Smash!’ It doesn’t matter what you throw at them – weather, extra requirements, unrealistic targets, anything – they just get on with it.”
The Vicar’s Picnic
Description: ‘Kent’s biggest little festival’
Services: Full production facilities including staging, PA, lighting, power distribution, crew and transport
Supplier: SRD Group
Telephone: 01732 373920
Website: www.srdgroup.co.uk
Details: SRD has been providing full staging, lighting, audio and production services for The Vicar’s Picnic for the last three years. Each year the festival has grown – originally the stage was a 8m x 6m ARC roof but for the last two years a 10m x 8m saddle roof with PA wings and sheds has been used. This year SRD was asked to provide extended rear decking for the artists and their equipment. This was easily achieved and the artists were impressed with the area provided.
The lighting was professionally installed and operated using experienced technicians to give a superb finished look. This was rigged from the roof of the stage and programs were set in the console to give the required effect for the artists and the audience.
For PA, the latest offering from GAE was utilised at FoH and Monitors giving unrivalled sound on both live stages all controlled using the dLive systems from Allen and Heath.
Feedback: Having worked closely with the organisers for a number of years we pride ourselves on making sure the client has what they need. The meetings start early in the year to get the details right and see how the event can be improved on from the previous year. Social media plays a big part and we regularly check what attendees liked or not, and work to improve any issues.
The fact that we do everything in house using our own equipment is a huge plus – we have fewer people to rely on, less stress and offer cost savings to the client.
Pendennis Castle Tallships and Glen Miller Orchestra
Description: A performance by the Glen Miller Orchestra at Pendennis Castle in association with the Tallships event at Falmouth
Product: Electric power and distribution for stage, sound and access lighting
Supplier: C. B. Potts Electrical
Telephone: 01460 242021
Website: www.cbpottselectrical.co.uk
Details: C. B. Potts Electrical was asked to provide all the electrical services for the event during the day, and the concert and fireworks display in the evening. All access routes were lit by temporary and emergency lighting, especially through the tunnel under the battlements. The lighting was controlled by photocell and time clocks built into specialist control panels.
A temporary scaffolding walkway was constructed over the moat, which had to be lit separately by two electrical supplies, one from each side, so if one system failed the walkway was always illuminated.
The main feed from the generator was installed through the main Pendennis Castle Hostel building to the back stage distribution for power and lighting of the event. The reason for going through the building rather than around the outside was the considerable length of cable that would have been required. As the cable passed through the building, including the refectory, a gantry had to be constructed over the entrance to allow constant access to the dining hall.
The only access to Pendennis Castle has a limited width and height over a steep cobbled access road, so all equipment had to be loaded onto trailers and towed onto site by Land Rover.
Feedback: Ben Potts said: “Customers who have hired our services are delighted with our professional approach and standard of workmanship. Our engineers are always on site during the event to ensure the event runs smoothly and provide technical backup if required.”
The Showman’s Show
Description: The UK’s original and most comprehensive exhibition of products, services and entertainment for the festival, outdoor and special event industry
Product: The Arcotherm Jumbo range
Supplier: Arcotherm
Telephone: 0345 600 44 99
Website: www.arcotherm.co.uk
Details: Arcotherm has exhibited at the Showman’s Show for 21 years and has built a reputation for selling high quality, affordable heaters to the marquee and events sector.
Its heaters can be seen around every corner at the show, heating the numerous temporary structures on show, including the Mar-Key exhibit (pictured). Many have been sold to event hire companies then hired to exhibitors, while others have been purchased directly.
The main hall at the Showman’s Show is heated using the Jumbo range of indirect oil fired heaters, with heat outputs from 81kW to 218kW.
The Jumbo range and EC range are perfect for heating marquees, tents, tipis and temporary structures. Arcotherm’s marquee packages include accessories such as ducting and thermostats to ensure easy set up.
Feedback: Kirsty Birch, business manager, said: “We are usually situated on Avenue E each year and it is always satisfying to walk around the showground and see how many Arcotherm heaters are being used at the exhibition.”
