The Borders Book Festival features spy thriller writer Frederick Forsyth, comedian Sara Pascoe and Mike Rutherford of Genesis
Organiser Olivia McLean says there is much more to the festival than books, including events to get children involved and plenty of participation for adults
me. We moved back to Gattonside from Glasgow in 2008 and have never looked back. We can even see the festival from our house. I have worked on some big events, but there’s no experience quite like or- ganising the Borders Book Festival. “It is an ever-increasing, ever
popular event, and people are suddenly realising that it’s not just about books ... it’s about listening to people’s stories, and for children getting involved. I do love seeing how it develops over the years – and that’s something I’m very proud to be involved in.”
ACCORDING TO Olivia, forward planning is the key to the festival’s success; no sooner have the tents been packed away than she’s orga- nising the following year’s event. “We have a small break – usu-
ally about two months – then we’re back to work organising the next year’s festival. Tere’s a lot to con-
sider, so we bring in all the infra- structure earlier in the year. Tents need to be hired far in advance, es- pecially for a summer event, when demand for marquees is highest. We have to organise power, book food and drink vendors and hire staff, among many other tasks. “We hire around 60 staff to work
over the four days. We try to hire lo- cal people, especially young school leavers – or students back from university for the summer. “People really enjoy working for
the festival; there isn’t much to do in the town so it’s a good opportu- nity for them to meet new people, get involved and work as part of a team. It’s a lovely atmosphere. We receive so many applications – from as early as January – that we now have a waiting list. Te demand is significant, which is a really posi- tive.” Troughout her career Olivia has had plenty opportunities to mix
with the rich and famous, meeting celebrities such as actress Joanna Lumley, comedian Jennifer Saun- ders and former Take Tat singer Robbie Williams. But despite public perception, events management, she maintains, is a far from glamor- ous job. “People often assume this is a
glamorous occupation, but the reality is, it’s not. In fact, people would be surprised if they knew what really goes on behind the scenes. I have to do everything, from picking-up rubbish, clean- ing up after people and filling and emptying the chemical toilets – and often wading around a muddy field in my wellies. “We get the keys to the book
festival just six days prior to the launch, which is when the fork-lift trucks roll in and we start building our site, and it’s my job to coordi- nate all of this, as well as balance the books – it costs between
£60-100,000 to put on the festival. Ten there are health and safety and security issues to consider; we have to make sure the site is safe and secure. During the event we’re always conscious that everyone is having a good time while keeping safe, so we now also employ traffic management companies and over- night security. We work long hours, sometimes starting at 5am and not leaving the site until midnight or sometimes even later.” It all sounds very stressful, but for Olivia, it’s all in a day’s work.
What: Brewin Dolphin Borders Book Festival When: June 16-19 Where: Harmony House, Melrose
EVENTSBASE | SUMMER 2016 | 11
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