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Arena and Star for Wembley Arena Pavilion
“Design and build a 10,000-seater semi-permanent venue, with superb audience facilities and capable of housing the productions of the world’s most demanding artists (starting with Westlife on Feb 22nd)” was the challenge facing the management team of Wembley Arena, which is due to close through much of 2005 for a major re-furbishment.
To meet this challenge, the Wembley Arena Pavilion project team, lead by Carrie Walsh, brought together Arena Event Services Group and Star Events Group and asked them to become an integral part of the team creating this unique venue.
Arena Structures, part of the Arena Event Services Group, launched their revolutionary Tensioned Fabric Structure (TFS) in 2001, since when it has been used in the UK for projects including the huge Decorex Exhibition and two others that also involved Star Events Group (Star Trek Exhibition in Hyde Park, and the Schroders London Boat Show).
The main front-of-house structure is a 50m wide x 130m long TFS structure, which has a very modern look due to its sleek lines and silver exterior. At over 17m high it will create an impressive sight at Wembley. The TFS has already proven itself to be a significant step forward in the world of temporary structures, as Grahame Muir, MD of Arena Structures explained:
“The TFS system really needs to be thought of as a semi-permanent building. It is far more robust and able to cope with a UK winter than any other temporary structure. By the time it is fitted with over 10,000 seats, supplied by our sister company Arena Seating and finished with professional decor, heating and air conditioning, it will be comparable to any venue in the UK.”
Whilst creating a modern venue environment in a temporary structure requires the expertise of the Arena Event Services Group, the stage and rigging side of the venue requires the specialist expertise of Star Events Group. They are supplying a full-scale festival specification VerTech stage linked to the TFS, along with a substantial loading and working area backstage, covered using Star Orbit technology, with Star Rigging managing the rigging throughout.
Roger Barrett, group development director of Star Events Group said:
“We are well aware of the expectations of incoming production managers with regard to their staging and rigging. The main Wembley Arena Pavilion stage is based on the specification of the Star Vertech stage we’ve supplied to the T-in-the-Park festival in Scotland for the last few summers.
“One of the challenges for Wembley was to convince promoters and production managers that a semi-permanent venue would be up to the job. To this end, the experience of Star Events Group was invaluable. Many of the world’s major artists have performed on a Star Events Group stage at an outdoor festival or concert over recent years and Star Rigging (the in-house rigging contractor at Wembley Arena) is the first choice of many international promoters and production managers. Their confidence in us was a very important factor in the project going ahead.”
With shows announced and tickets on sale, the construction of this revolutionary semi-permanent venue will commence in January 2005. Wembley Arena Pavilion promises to be a great experience for incoming bands and the British public throughout 2005, creating an “I was there” memory. The Pavilion will keep Wembley at the forefront of major tour schedules, whilst highlighting the cutting edge abilities of some of the UK’s leading event suppliers.
David Walley, chief officer of Arena Events Services Group said:
“Working with fellow professionals at the top of their respective trees has been a great experience, as we all have a ‘can do’ attitude. Whilst temporary venues aren’t a new concept, nothing of this scale or prestige has been attempted before and Wembley Arena Pavilion will create a new benchmark. We’ve all had to push ourselves to create what I am sure will be a superb venue and I would be surprised if this concept is not taken on by other clients.”
http://www.stareventsgroup.com
15th October 2004
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