Background
OPS has been working with Escape Record, Wales’s largest festival company, since 2019, enabling them to host a range of festivals and events.
Festivals the team has worked on with Escape Records (formerly known as Climax Live) include In It Together in Margam, Inside Out in Cardiff, and Escape in Swansea, as well as Party at the Park and Colour Clash – both in Newport.
All of these festivals offer exciting line-ups of artists and attract tens of thousands of partygoers every year. Last year, camping festival In It Together alone hosted 15,000 people – featuring a headline performance from Noel Gallagher. The festivals also invite a huge range of Hip Hop, Garage, House, Trance and Drum & Bass artists to perform each year.
OPS provides Health & Safety and Licensing services across this portfolio of events.
Challenges
Examples of challenges we faced at the client’s newest concept In It Together Festival 2022 can be found below:
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The Escape Records team are adept at delivering 1-day, metropolitan dance events aimed at the 19-30 and student audiences. So, when In It Together came about – a four-day, family-friendly camping festival in a new, rural location -this was certain to take them out of their comfort zone.
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What’s more, is that the chosen location (Margam Old Farm) had never been used for events previously, and as such a new Premises Licence was required. OPS liaised with the client, as well as the various Local and Responsible Authorities to conduct site visits and discuss the event (producing a draft Licence application) prior to formal submission.
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The planning phase of the event involved the site plan having to undergo multiple adjustments to ensure that, where it needed, a safe and suitable Invacuation Plan could be enacted (the site is bordered on all sides by roads, meaning a typical evacuation would be difficult to manage).
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Once on site, the challenges continued: Welsh Water attempted to close the event as they were unsatisfied with the wholesome drinking water provision installed by the event’s water company. This resulted in having to bring multiple deliveries of bottle water to site and distribute around to ensure that there was adequate drinking water available for all customers in all locations, whilst the production team worked to commission the plumbed supply.
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On the morning of Noel Gallagher’s headline performance, the wind became such a concern that the main stage had to be evacuated during load in. The wind remained problematic all day and the decision was made to cancel all band performances prior to Noel. The Safety Advisor worked closely with the Production Manager and the Tour Manager, monitoring anemometer readings and reviewing against local forecasts and we were able to safely allow Noel’s production team to get back on stage to set up in time for the show.
Delivery
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Event Safety Management Plan
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Event Risk Assessment
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Fire Risk Assessment
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Invacuation/Evacuation Plan
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Supplier and Trader Auditing
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On-Site Safety
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Child and Vulnerable Persons Welfare Policy
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SAG Attendance
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Premises Licence
Results
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Successful delivery of the first ever In It Together Festival
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Raving reviews from attendees
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2023 tickets selling fast
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A continued, long lasting relationship with the Escape Records team
