Government announce Test Events in 3 key cities.
07/04/2021
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The government this week announced a programme of pilot events in 3 key cities to pave the way for larger audiences at sport, theatre and music gigs this summer.
These events are designed to collect evidence and best practice, in order for the government to continue with it’s roadmap out of lockdown and safely get fans and audiences back at large-scale events when restrictions are lifted.
This is great news for us all, and OPEN are even more excited at being perfectly placed in close proximity to the 3 locations who are at the forefront of welcoming back ‘normality’ in these test-run events. The events themselves and their close proximity to our digital out of home sites, provide an amazing opportunity for brands over the course of April to align themselves with the forward thinking nature of the events, as the first of their type in the UK, which are long awaited and overdue for the public who are desperately wishing for the times when attendance to large scale events can be commonplace.
OPEN will have potentially some of the most impactful sites in the country on these event days, as controlled crowds of thousands gather for the first time since March of last year. The pandemic has been the catalyst for a sense of lost time which is creating a need for people to return to all the things they enjoyed most a year ago. This combining with an elevated sense of happiness, and the beginning of summer delivers a perfect storm that brands can use OOH to capitalise on.
The events list is as follows:
- 16 April – Hot Water Comedy Club, Liverpool – 300 people (indoor seated)
- 18 April – FA Cup Semi-Final – Wembley – 4,000 people (outdoor seated)
- 17 April – 3 May – Snooker World Championships – Sheffield Crucible Theatre – up to 1,000 people a day (indoor seated)
- 23-25 April – Luna Outdoor Cinema, Liverpool – 1,000 people (outdoor seated)
- 25 April – Carabao Cup Final, Wembley – 8,000 people (outdoor, seated)
- 28 April – Business Event, Liverpool – 1,000 people (indoor, seated and mixing)
- 30 April – Circus Nightclub, Liverpool – circa 3,000 people (indoor club night)
- 15 May – FA Cup Final, Wembley, London – 21,000 people (outdoor, seated)
Our experience as the pilot city for mass symptom-free testing means we have the knowledge and infrastructure in place to deliver complicated projects safely.
This is a continuation of the city’s long-standing tradition of carrying out pioneering public health work that not only has an impact here, but also across the rest of the country and the wider world.
Matthew Ashton
Liverpool’s Director of Public Health
Our extensive Liverpool portfolio will be a great way to target the multitude of various events in the city over the course of April.
Footfall in Liverpool has been one of the most resurgent in the country, owing to the success of the initial mass testing programme in the city and Liverpool City Council being the first in the UK to host a social distanced cultural event in 2021, with the River of Light Festival proving a huge success in March.
In addition to this, one of the only other city’s to play host to a test sporting event is Sheffield, with the Snooker World Championships being held over the course of 2 weeks from 17th April to 3rd May.
The most anticipated of all these events is the return of fans to the English Cathedral of Football for some of the most important days in the domestic sport calendar.
Crowds increase gradually for the FA Cup semi-final and Carabao Cup Final until finally 21,000 fans will walk down Wembley Way to attend the FA Cup Final in May. Our Boxpark site dominates this iconic location, and we can’t wait for this preview of normality, and eventually to see the full capacity of fans back outside the ground again.
Mark Bullingham
CEO, The FA