This was the first year of a significant move from Olympia, where the show had been hosted for 49 years, to ExCel, with an increased capacity of 1,500. Arena started planning the design in February with clients Clarion and HPower Group and the venue’s operational team. The design was based on the mezzanine layout of Olympia, accommodating the VIP hospitality boxes and the Royal Box above the rear of the grandstand audience seats. The West stand also incorporated the entrance arch for the horses, dogs, performers and media commentary boxes, with multiple updates to the CAD drawings undertaken by Arena’s technical team to arrive at the final design at the beginning of November.

The organisers delivered eleven spectacular shows across the five days, with a fabulous range of equine and canine performances and competitions thrilling the live and broadcast audiences.

HPower Group Operations Director Nick Brooks-Ward states: “Arena has delivered an unbelievable seating and dining experience for the brand-new London International Horse Show at ExCeL. Martin and his team were simply wonderful to work with. The attention to detail is second to none and they created a fabulous experience for all our guests.”

Arena’s Project Director Martin Clark, along with Site Manager Dan Butler and Project Manager Nathan May led Arena’s experienced team, to transform the multiple halls of ExCeL in just 12 days. Construction of the 78m x 33.5m audience seating and hospitality infrastructure required a strict timeline, from the delivery of the equipment from the yard to the on-site team to the precise build schedule achieved in ExCeL.

Martin commented: “The build has been a good challenge with Arena’s whole team, on-site and in the offices, delivering an impressive looking, expanded arena - maximising the capacity, whilst maintaining the sense of intimacy and building on the amazing atmosphere at previous years at Olympia. The first time doing anything of this scale is always going to be testing but we planned out every detail, to eliminate mistakes, and there was a great collaboration.”

Clark continued: “The team at Excel has been extremely helpful and provided me with an office and parking. The main liaison at ExCeL, Jamie Harvey, has been on the ball and kept a very good level of communication. Matt Constance, health & safety manager for the venue, was very happy with how we managed the site, health & safety-wise. It’s been enjoyable working alongside Clarion, ExCel, and H Power Group to successfully produce a show that is a very popular part of London’s Christmas tradition for so many families.”

[Source: Aggreko] Aggreko is accelerating its investments in hydrogen technology. This step is part of its Net Zero programme and will enhance the company’s capability to provide emission-free temporary power worldwide. At present, the global leader in mobile and modular energy solutions is focusing on two different technologies.

Together with cleantech partner CMB.TECH, a 50 kVA hydrogen combustion genset demonstrator has been developed. After successful testing, Aggreko is now investing in 10 additional units to support hydrogen readiness, working with lead customers and partners to test and validate hydrogen as an energy carrier in temporary power. The solution will be ready for customer installations in Europe in H2/2021.This solution is Tier 4f/Stage V compliant without aftertreatment and results in near to no NOx emissions.
In addition, Aggreko has partnered with Nedstack for building a fuel cell demonstration unit that will integrate zero-emission hydrogen technology into Aggreko’s canopy storage battery solution. The hydrogen hybrid consists of a Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell and a lithium-ion storage system. The zero-emissions solution will be piloted in Aggreko’s hub in Moerdijk, Netherlands.
Aggreko is exploring hydrogen technologies and fuel supply logistics to better understand long-term feasibility and usage in temporary power generation. The engine and fuel cell hybrids will be available as field-trial and demonstrator units at customer’s sites in the second half of 2021. This will help businesses around the world – from events to construction - to reduce their own emissions and bridge the gap to net zero.
Carsten Reincke-Collon, Director of Future Technologies at Aggreko, said: “At Aggreko we like to think of hydrogen as having its own superpowers, given the electricity it can produce without emitting any emissions. However, businesses around the world are only at the start of the hydrogen journey and therefore need to be supported to find the best ways of integrating it into their operations. This means better knowledge of and increased investment in storage and transport infrastructure, which is why we’re testing different technologies in order to fully understand the role hydrogen can play in transitioning temporary power to net zero.”
Last year, Aggreko committed to operating as a Net Zero business across all services it provides by 2050. The company will also reduce the amount of fossil diesel fuel used in customer solutions by at least 50%, reduce local air quality emissions of its solutions by 50% and achieve Net Zero across all its own business operations by 2030. To achieve these goals, Aggreko is increasingly offering clean technologies like battery storage and solar power, as well as prioritising the use of alternative fuels.

John Langford, COO, AEG Europe

“I’m delighted to be joining the Host City conference in Glasgow this year. This is a great opportunity to share my thoughts on the industry and meet fellow representatives of sports, business and cultural events from across the globe. I look forward to discussing the challenges of hosting major event at our venues as well as discovering new opportunities and learning from industry leaders.

“There are a number of important considerations venue planners should bear in mind to maximise commercial opportunities around entertainment facilities.

“Firstly: know your market. Understanding consumer needs allows venues to match their capabilities with the expectations of customers. Providing a product and service that customers want is the foundation upon which volume and margins can be maximised.

“Secondly: flexibility. Entertainment venues cater for multiple different audiences. Every night, our arenas see a different crowd from the night before. Facilities need to be able to flex from champagne at Andrea Bocelli to burgers and beer at ZZ Top – and everything else you can imagine in between.

“Thirdly: adaptability. Customer expectations change over time, particularly as new generations spend more in the entertainment sector. Flexibility in spaces, premium experiences, food and beverage options, access and add-ons all mean that venues need to adapt quickly to market changes.”

David Tunnicliffe, Commercial Director, GL events UK

“Host City will bring together excellent people for open, frank discussions that will allow us to share experience and best practice. The event combines a formal daytime structure with a more relaxed evening format, meaning there will be plenty of opportunity to network with new and existing contacts.

“Are venue owners fully informed of the opportunities available to them in terms of temporary infrastructure? Yes and no – this really depends on the venue, as well as the culture and approach of its team. General awareness can be an issue; while some venues can be so focused on their permanent USPs, or under so much pressure to deliver prices-per-head, that they overlook the many exciting creative possibilities presented to them by temporary infrastructure.

“Other venues – Hampton Court Palace is an excellent example, frequently innovate; enhancing and adapting their offering with temporary infrastructure and overlay.

“At GL events we’re no stranger to all kinds of requests and the possibilities for venues are endless. We’ve created entire temporary venues to support refurbishment works, as well as creating everything from additional kitchens to ballrooms, reception spaces and exhibitions on behalf of all kinds of venue. Temporary swimming pools, ice-rinks, cinemas… working with venues is a great opportunity for event infrastructure suppliers to showcase their creativity.”

Ken Scott, Head of Inspectorate, Sports Ground Safety Authority

“A pressing concern for organisers is what we call ‘Zone Ex’ – the area outside the stadium that spectators must pass through when arriving or leaving an event. Stadium and event operators can no longer think about the stadium in isolation. When considering safety, the sum of all parts is critical to creating as safe an environment as possible for everyone at the ground.

“We’re looking forward to attending Host City 2019 to discuss this and other safety issues with colleagues from across Europe.”

Cyril De Greve Managing Director, European Stadium & Safety Management Association (ESSMA)

“We’re expecting more and more from stadium management today. Besides a range of new threats (terror, drones, cyberattacks, etc.), it is not only delivering a safe and secure event; people are looking for unforgettable experiences. Training staff to deliver these experiences is definitely a challenge, as well as the demand for a more multifunctional use of the venues.

“Our aim at Host City 2019 is to share knowledge, expertise and exchange best practice with all delegates linked to the stadium industry.”

Host City 2019 takes place in Glasgow on 26-27 November, organised with support from EventScotland. For more information visit www.hostcity.com

[Source: AGES] With the increasing demands on infrastructure, the limited lead-time and the ever louder call from an increasingly sceptical public for cost effective and sustainable solutions, temporary event infrastructure – often described as event overlays – becomes an indispensable factor for event organisers and city authorities.

And yet, the event suppliers’ industry has been challenged by respected commentators suggesting that “organisers often do not understand your business”. AGES now steps forward to take up that challenge and provides an inclusive, encyclopaedic reference for event organisers, building authorities and governmental bodies and all those involved in event infrastructure:

• Disseminating information to illustrate the potential of event overlays;

• Highlighting and educating on key issues; and

• Facilitating timely and productive engagements between organisers and the industry.

Written by recognised industry experts and supported by governmental bodies like the IOC and the UEFA, this 200-page document provides a sequential narrative explaining the activities and procedures in chronological order, to facilitate a general understanding about overlays for large events. The writers describe and illustrate the relevant strategies, principles, methods, procedures and other information to guide the reader step by step through the delivery process; i.e. from Planning, through Procurement to Delivery of the event overlay works.

The “Practice Guide for the Planning, Procurement and Delivery of Temporary Infrastructure for Major Events”, Part I General Information is now available, and offered in two formats, at https://www.ages.international/shop/ which also offers an informative preview of the publication.

“We are proud to present this Guide – Part I. It’s the first ever document explaining the specifics of our business from the initial conception phase to the reinstatement works, says Daniel Cordey, Chairman of AGES at the Annual Event 2019 in Dubai. And next year, we will publish Part II Technical Information providing an overview about all works categories”.