Tom HallAccess runs down some notable recent seating projects.
Case Study: Steeldeck
The London Classic Car Show is billed as the must-attend event for the discerning classic car owner, collector, expert or enthusiast and this February Steeldeck were asked in to work on the show which is organised by Brand Events, the company behind the globally successful Top Gear Live show. The company built three grandstands inside ExCel London making up a total of 571 seats around the event area.
Lisa Knipe, operations manager at Brand Events said: “The Steeldeck team did an incredible job at the London Classic Car Show, and the quality of the structures was everything I wanted for a high end finish and indoor environment. The build was smooth, well managed and on schedule, Duncan, our project manager, was always contactable, friendly and helpful throughout the planning and onsite.”
Arena rides again
Arena has announced its return as seating and structures supplier for the Royal Windsor Horse Show — one of a number of royal events and engagements the company have been contracted to support with in recent years.
The elite equine show took place from 8-12 May 2019 within the private grounds of Windsor Castle. As well as the UK’s largest outdoor horse show, it is the only event in the UK to host top international competitions for show jumping, dressage, endurance riding and carriage driving.
This year was the seventh year that Arena has worked with event organisers, The HPower Group for the prestigious competition.
Simon Marsh, Arena project director, says: “As with any event, trusting suppliers to get things right is crucial. We are delighted to have forged such a strong working relationship with The HPower Group over the years.”
Arena has also worked on a number of other Royal and national events, including supplying camera and media towers for the weddings of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as well as seating and structures for HRH Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday celebrations and the 2012 Olympics.
For the Royal Windsor Horse Show, Arena provided tiered Clearview™ seating for prime viewing, plus wheelchair and standing platforms were installed to seat more than 4,000 people in the Castle Arena for the show. A number of structures were also constructed for the Royal entrance, enclosures and grandstands.
Nick Brooks-Ward, operations director for The HPower Group, said “We pride ourselves on delivering a variety of large-scale events. To ensure we can deliver our full event service, it’s essential for us to work with our own hand-picked network of reliable and trusted contractors to ensure 100 per cent successful delivery.
The shows were held in commemoration of HRH Queen Victoria’s 200-year anniversary with a 90-minute show featuring world-renowned, international equestrian acts.
ACE Seating Hire
ACE Seating Hire has carried out a wide variety of seating installations, both indoor and outdoor and many have presented unique challenges, says manager Helyne Edmonds.
At the Tour de France ‘Grand Depart’, grandstands were sat in flower beds and on traffic islands, and for the opening of the Northern Line underground extension for Transport for London, seating was lowered into and then built in the deep tunnel of the new Tube line.
But the most exciting project to date has been to install 2,000 seats on board the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, for The Queen to attend its commissioning ceremony at the HM Naval Base in Portsmouth.
The event was many months in planning, and ACE beat strong competition to win the contract. ACE worked in partnership with the dockside crew and the ship’s company to have the components lifted by shore-side derricks to the vessel, which ordinarily, of course would be carried-out by ACE personnel.
To ensure that all was carried out smoothly, a comprehensive operations schedule had to be created to ensure that the seating components were on board ready for assembly in the short time-frame available. The ACE team was looked-after superbly while on board, and the Royal Navy sent their thanks for completing this project so smoothly and efficiently.