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Following a quiet 2020 without public events from March, the NEC Campus returned to action to play host to the ultimate festive drive-in film experience through December, organised by the UK’s number one pop-up cinema provider.
The Luna Cinema brought their incredible big screen and drive-in setup to the NEC Campus car parks to show an array of Christmas classics, including Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, It’s A Wonderful Life, alongside newer titles such as Last Christmas and Frozen 2.
Richard Mann, Market Development Director for the NEC, tells of how this event series came to light:
We were approached in September by The Luna Cinema after they had identified the NEC Campus as a potential site to host their Christmas events. Having a proposition with real potential to convert into a successful series of large public events both excited and reinvigorated our team after a difficult few months.
With such little activity happening across our vast campus we were obviously keen to explore and progress any safe and legal event possibilities. Our car parks had been utilised for a variety of smaller purposes throughout the year, but they offer great opportunity to welcome large numbers to our site over any period and we could easily accommodate The Luna Drive-In Winter Cinema requirements.
Whilst local and national restrictions tightened between contracting these events and the actual event dates, thanks to the easy accessibility of our site and high population numbers within a short drive time, we were able to continue with the planning and delivery of a series of successful events.
The NEC Group is proud of being the UK’s leading live events company, so to be able to host events and welcome people to our site again was particularly pleasing and professionally fulfilling. Last year provided a serious challenge to our business, but we were able to showcase our adaptability during this difficult period.
Michelle Baldwin, Senior Event Manager at the NEC, shares her experiences on working to stage these fantastic events with The Luna Cinema team:
From our first contact with The Luna Cinema team, they were fantastic to work with. Every event operation is made easier when working with likeminded teams that are friendly, hardworking and passionate about events.
The series planning and safety procedure preparation, which in the current climate had to be extra diligent, was made straightforward through sound knowledge, open communication and a wealth of experience between the teams. We moved swiftly through documentation processes and concept development to on the ground activity.
Event build was a rather simple operation and only a spot of equipment movement problem-solving was required to complete the job promptly. I was pleased to see the event process simplicity carried through to create a very effective event delivery. The Luna Cinema model is clearly very well thought through and the NEC Campus and our car parks were ideal to facilitate it. I was also very impressed by the giant screen, which was inflated and deflated daily with ease. Witnessing an event operate successfully is always highly rewarding and that feeling was only heightened by the lack of events experienced last year.
A smooth customer journey was implemented, from arrival signage to event access, always on-hand staff and concluding with efficient departure processes. Along the entire journey, visitor and staff safety measures were applied carefully, and everyone involved was continually mindful of Covid-19 protocols. The immediate public feedback throughout the events was all positive and the team was buoyed by this. The attendances were also high across the dates with a good number of sell-outs towards the events in the build-up to the Christmas period, highlighting a clear public appetite for events and a desire to return to event venues.
Adverse weather conditions were not ideal, but our overall management remained slick and event processes were relatively undeterred. The long, damp days in the open surroundings were a motivational test but we persevered, in part thanks to the Costa Coffee team at Resorts World!
Beyond my work commitments to the series, I also attended one event as a visitor with my daughter and we both thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Perhaps the only major issue encountered was brought upon us due to excessively high wind levels affecting the screen. Unfortunately, one event day had to be postponed, however we were able to accommodate a rescheduling, and this was organised with minimal issue.
Unsurprisingly, breakdown of the operation was as simple as build, allowing everyone to be home in plenty of time for Christmas. The festive period was a little more enjoyable having had the opportunity to put our event management skills to use again after such a long period out of action.
There was a real determination by Team NEC and all involved from The Luna Cinema to deliver high quality and successful events, and through customer feedback and our experiences, I believe we achieved what we set out to do. We welcomed over 8,000 vehicles to the site during the 17-night tenancy, which far surpassed initial attendance expectations.
This was a unique, brilliant, and very importantly, safe series of events to be a part of. Credit to The Luna Cinema and thanks to all the visitors who made these events enjoyable to work on.
We most definitely hope to work with the team at The Luna Cinema again soon!
George Wood, Managing Director and Founder of The Luna Cinema, concludes of the events and the venue:
The NEC felt like the perfect venue to host a season of Festive drive-in cinema screenings. Given the challenges of 2020, and lack of out-of-home cultural experiences to enjoy, we were honoured to be able to welcome so many people for a magical Christmas film in a safe, socially distanced way. The site of course lent itself perfectly to the demands of a ‘Covid-19 Secure’ event, and the brilliant team at the NEC made the entire experience as smooth and enjoyable as putting events on in a pandemic can ever be!
I know I speak for all the Luna team when I say we look forward to working together in the future to put on many more events at the NEC as the entertainment industry emerges from this difficult period.