Arnold Clark doubles size of its events team… with a little help from Tinseltown
Vehicle rental company fuelled by success of big sporting spectacles and burgeoning film and TV business
BY KEVIN O’SULLIVAN O
utlander, Happy Valley, World War Z. Oh, and possibly Trainspot- ting 2. It’s a roll-call of instantly recognisable
household TV and movie titles, whose production might not have run so smoothly were it not for the help of Arnold Clark and its expanding events rental business. Te names come up in conversation with Philippa Park, who leads the events, film and TV team from the car company’s offices in Glasgow. In the last 18 months, she tells
me, the team has doubled its size, buoyed not only by demand from the increasing numbers of mov- ies and TV series being filmed in Scotland, but also by the now com- mon occurrence of major sporting events taking place here: the Open golf championship at Troon this summer is likely to further drive demand.
WITH THE RED carpet only just rolled back from the Oscars, I ask Philippa what the all-female team might make of leading man Leon- ardo DiCaprio placing a booking through them, if he were to need a Toyota Prius to take him to a ro- mantic location shoot in a Scottish glen. “I think there would be a queue
on that one,” she says. “I think they would even offer to drive!” Transport is a major subject for
events planners, especially those focused on bringing in international association business, which is a highly lucrative market, some- thing Scotland is really tapping
The vehicle rental arm of Arnold Clark has grown with the demand driven by the events industry
into now. Air, rail and even coach transport plays its part in getting delegates into the country, but firms like Arnold Clark know logistics involves a coordinated approach, and what vehicles allow is freedom, that ‘short hop’ or shuttle service to destinations not covered by public networks. “We have a fantastic, well-
positioned branch network with 35 rental locations across the UK. We’re now in the position to be able to offer services at all the major Scottish airports: Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Prestwick and in England, Manchester airport. So in terms of coverage and accessibility, we’re ev- erywhere we need to be,” she says. “I think it’s also ease of travel and comfort, as well. Tat’s what people get when they use us.” She adds: “Events are a growing
part of the business and the team are dedicated to that field, because a travel itinerary is not always straightforward. People have a lot of questions, about vehicle size and requirements, based on how many
42 | EVENTSBASE | MARCH 2016
people they’re travelling with or kit they need to transport, so they’ll draw on our experience for that.”
THE TEAM, WHICH is six in num- ber, is also attending more network- ing events as it seeks to drum up business, which means trips down to Manchester, where a lot of film and TV work in particular is based.
‘EVENTS ARE A GROWING PART OF THE BUSINESS AND THE TEAM ARE DEDICATED TO THE FIELD. EVENT LOGISTICS ARE NOT ALWAYS STRAIGHTFORWARD.’
Philippa Park, Arnold Clark
On inbound tourism, the company also works with VisitScotland and the Scottish Tourism Alliance, as well as numerous travel brokers to make sure its message gets across to potential buyers. But the one thing that stands out
as we chat is experience. Te short- est time a member of the events team has been with the company is eight years, with the longest at 20. “Te experience we have is phe-
nomenal, and I think that’s what’s helped us get to where we are now. Myself and my colleague Suzanne, as account managers, do all of the face-to-face account management with our clients, with the rest of the team offering operation and logisti- cal support, meaning the service we offer overall, I think, is first class. I’ve worked at other rental firms in my career and we really do offer so much flexibility in comparison. I think you need that for events, especially some of the outdoor events, where you need vans and 4x4 vehicles. It’s that flexibility, and also a modern, young fleet, which gives us a real edge.”
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