Health & Safety: RecFest
Background
In July 2022, OPS worked with We Are Placemaking to bring RecFest 2022 to Knebworth Park. RecFest is the world’s largest talent acquisition and HR event, and the 2022 instalment saw an impressive line-up of talks, activities and sessions from a wide range of speakers and industry leaders. The event saw around 3,000 recruiters attend, all looking to upskill, network and most importantly, enjoy themselves.
We Are OPS were involved from the concept stage, and worked closely with We Are Placemaking throughout the entire planning process to ensure a thoroughly considered, and safe event.
Challenges
One of the main attractions at RecFest was the assembly of a wide range of sponsors, including Reed, Veremark, and LinkedIn, all with an aim to build their set up and interact with the attendees throughout the live event day. In totality, there were 60 sponsors positioned all around the event site, with significantly differing set up plans. In the lead up to the event, this resulted in close work between the Safety Advisor and a member of he RecFest team, to ensure all sponsor documentation was collated prior to arrival on site, and that any issues with the paperwork were identified early and resolved promptly. It was also important that this compliance was maintained by all whilst on-site, with most of the sponsor builds taking place on the same day.
Ensuring we were able to work effectively with a new client, at a new site, and on a new event for the We Are OPS and We Are Placemaking teams.
There were 10 stages in total for the event, in the form of big tops and domes. To ensure these were structurally sound, the team therefore had to obtain and understand a range of structural specifications and reports, to guarantee we had the necessary information to allow for sign off.
Throughout the planning stages, OPS had to maintain frequent liaison with the team at Knebworth, to ensure they were aware of all event plans and procedures. This included regular meetings, the approval of event documentation, and on-site communication throughout to ensure any issues were flagged.
In order to capture unique footage of the event, the RecFest team requested the presence of drones, which would be used during the live event. This therefore required extensive communication between all parties involved to figure out a safe and effective flight plan, including take off and landing locations, distances maintained from the audiences, and flight timings.
Close work with the security team to allow for a smooth transition from the day-time activities to the night-time entertainment, including performances from NOASIS and DJ Reggie Yates.
Delivery
Event Safety Management Plan
Event Risk Assessment
Fire Risk Assessment
Supplier, Sponsor and Trader Auditing
Site Visits
On-Site Safety
Results
Successful delivery of RecFest at a brand new site
Effective liaison with all parties involved throughout the planning and delivery phases of the event
Positive audience experience
A returning event in 2023, requiring OPS services