TENNIS
Ron Smith Arena Structures’ project director
What does the partnership between the LTA, The Queens Club and the Arena Group involve? Arena Structures is one of many partners that help transform The Queen’s Club for the week of the championships, by providing the tournament with temporary structures, seating, scaffolding and interiors. We’ve supported the LTA and its
sponsors AEGON to help evolve a world-class sporting venue, befitting the increasing status of this annual tournament. We work closely with the LTA in delivering an enhanced visitor experience, while also ensuring the commercial partners’ brand aspirations are met.
What sets this tournament apart and how has the event’s overlay evolved over the years? Arena Structures’ relationship with this event tracks back three decades; during which time both the overlay company and the event venue have evolved beyond recognition. Three years ago, the event saw 9,000
blue seats added, in-line with the new sponsors (AEGON) branding; last year Arena introduced a new range of innova- tive developments. The AEGON Championships enjoys a
very special atmosphere, with a unique intimacy between the players and fans
and we have to maintain that central ethos as we develop the facilities. Last year we assisted the LTA in improving the retail and catering offerings for the public, while the custom interior design for the organisers and sponsors reflected their status and aspirations. The Arena Group has recently
restructured following a £16.5m investment by new partners Sports Investment Partners (SIP) and growth capital investor, MML Capital, in-line with the companies delivery of event overlay to major international sporting tournaments. Double-decked hospitality structures,
covering an area of approximately 100m x 40m, housed guests on its upper level with pink interiors and separate bespoke-design sponsors’ suites, while public catering and retail areas were situated on the lower level. The structure was 5m wider than in 2010 and built to accommodate more guests and incorporate a new retail outlet. Also new for last year’s tournament
was the introduction of a new 20m x 30m double-decked structure to house the Crown Club lounge, a new champagne bar and public dining area. Inside, our partners Spaceworks and Well Dressed Tables created bespoke interiors that provided individual areas for hospitality with furniture, glassware, cutlery and china across the venue.
What does the event’s overlay management involve? The Queen’s Club is a logistically challenging and sensitive location to work within, requiring months of planning and organisation once on site. We co-ordinate with multiple stakeholders, including local neighbours and London Police, to escort 35 of our 57 arctic lorries the wrong way up a one way street. We supplied 8,800 spectator seats, 12,500sq m of temporary structures and 100 tonnes of substructure scaffolding last year. Over the years, we have looked at the
challenges The Queens Club presents as a venue and the event seating solutions have spread back into the company and benefited many other clients. For example, due to our R&D, we’ve invested in creating bespoke grandstand media boxes and corner seating elements that have allowed us to maximise capacity, while helping the organisers deliver a great audience experience through improving the atmosphere.” Last year we introduced a bespoke
scaffolding frame and full branding at the rear frame of the main grandstand to deliver sharp lines and a permanent feel to the area. We re-engineered the grandstands
substructure to widen tunnel walkways and removed pillars from the centre court’s entrance tunnel to improve crowd flow, while the glossy, white, solid boarding with branding images gave a brighter, sharper feel within the tunnels. We applied this same fresh style across the site to deliver a pristine finish that transformed the temporary overlay and enhanced the venue’s image for this event.
What does the future hold? Delivering a complete temporary sport- ing venue, the 2011 event was given a new appearance by event organisers, by altering the site layout through intelligent engineering, maximising the use of space and sharpening the aesthetic finish. The 2012 AEGON Championships is one
Hospitality areas reflect the sponsor’s brand Bespoke design creates individual areas 58 Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital
of the first of this summer’s iconic inter- national sporting events, taking place on 11th to 17th June. Given the tenacity of the experienced and ambitious team be- hind the scenes to deliver a great event it is certain to continue setting standards for world class event management this year and far beyond.
Issue 1 2012 © cybertrek 2012
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