Hospitality Event Feature - Party in the Park

TUNED INTO EVENTS

Capital FM is among the growing number of companies that put events at the heart of their marketing mix. Square Meal reports from Capital’s flagship do, Party in the Park

You may think turnout at your last corporate event was impressive but, as far as summer parties go, it’s hard to beat numbers at Capital FM’s annual bash. In 2003, Party in the Park, which the London station traditionally puts on in aid of the Prince’s Trust, was attended by 100,000 people. And, just like the four before it, last year’s event (the sixth one running) offered backstage hospitality for specially invited guests, enabling Capital to entertain business associates and staff as well as listeners.

The radio station clearly takes corporate entertainment seriously, as its events manager, Siobhan McCreesh confirms. ‘Events are a key part of our marketing strategy. We’ve been doing them for a long time and recognise their benefits,’ she says, naming the Capital Awards, Capital Christmas Live and six regional versions of Party in the Park as other important dates in the company calendar. Chief executive David Mansfield, agrees: ‘Putting on live events is a large part of being a radio station. The market is very competitive and we feel we have to put on something that will leave people thinking “only Capital can do this”. That builds a lot of loyalty.’

Those who caught last year’s live show will know that it attracted a large number of top acts, including Meatloaf, Blue, David Gray and Beyonce Knowles. What they wouldn’t have seen, however, was the vast operation that went on behind the scenes. Taking up almost as much space as the audience out front, the backstage area was a flurry of activity, with over 1,000 staff, including caterers Eat to the Beat, Chevalier Event Design and Annie B’s, servicing a village of trailers, trucks and De Boer marquees with separate hospitality areas for bands, press and VIP guests.

Unsurprisingly, the most impressive was the one in which Capital entertained. Its airy marquee was beautifully finished with drapes designed by Fluid and it also involved flowers dangling from invisible threads, as if floating in thin air. Fuelled with free-flowing drink and a delicious spread, guests could also head for a VIP grandstand or soak up the sun in the chic garden area in front of the marquee.

Deborah Shilling, director of Entertee, who managed the hospitality side of the event, comments: ‘We know this is a big one for Capital, so we had to get it right. The objective is to ensure people walk away thinking “Wow, Capital knows how to put on a great show”.’ Mansfield agrees. ‘This is our number-one London event and all the people we do business with are here. We also invite some of our competitors, because we like to show them how it’s done,’ he says. ‘Very few companies invite families to business events, which makes this one particularly popular. We have 1,500 people here and we could easily have invited two or three times that.’ With Party in the Park tickets traditionally selling out within minutes of their release, we’d say that’s true of the main event, too.

From Square Meal The Magazine, Spring Issue 2004