Where has the past 5 months gone. It only seems like 2 minutes since the outdoor event season started. It has been an absolute blast! Here’s what we have been up to.
43 events from May to October
A bit like a football manager says, you take each event as it comes. To be honest we couldn’t believe that we had been part of that many events across Yorkshire and the north west, until we counted them up. Such a varied range of productions too. From your humble local village feast in Hampsthwaite to PRIDE stages near Wakefield. Of the 43 events we have produced, 34 of them have been in different towns and venues.
So what have been the highs and lows?
That’s a really difficult question. There has been so many great events that that sadly the ones that stick out are where there has been challenges to overcome. But like the kids say we like to keep it real. Two charity indoor multi-band concerts at the Grand Opera House York and York Barbican were up there for both reasons. Our regular contract with Cancer Research UK to supply PA and stage production for their Race for Life events. 20 different towns and cities across Yorkshire, with the crowds back for 2022 was a humbling sight.
The great news is that all but one of the annual events we produced in 2022 have rebooked in 2023 already. The diary for next year is starting to fill up nicely.
You don’t know, what you don’t know!
So what have we learnt in 2022? There’s an appetite for locally produced events and a hunger to get out and enjoy local talent. WiggyFest near York attracted 2000 people for their first family festival this year with plans already in place for a bigger event next year.
The amount of work we put in pre-season with production planning and the new equipment we purchased really helped us hit the ground running. Surpassing clients expectations is always a great feeling. But in the quieter winter months we aren’t resting.
What’s new for 2023
Bigger Stage, yes we are adding a 10m x 7m trailer stage to our services to cater for the larger local music festivals. Combined with our current 7 x 6m stage we could service a local music festival up to 5000 people across 2 stages.
Some improvements to our equipment is planned for 2023. This includes a new 6 – 8 way stage monitor system and radio mic racks with improved signal distribution. The biggest issue this year has been equipment supply because of the global electronic chip problems. Some pf the planned equipment purchases for this year have been delayed to early 2023.
Bring it on!
2023 has been such a whirlwind of a year, with lots of people to thank for their help and tireless work to get Soapy Productions going down the right path. These people know who they are and how grateful I am for their help.
The winter is a calmer affair with a few trailer stage events around bonfire and Christmas. Award ceremony season is among us too, with indoor events through to April next year. So there’s enough to keep us ticking along until then. Still plenty of work with clients for the 2023 season going on in the background to keep us busy too.
The diary is starting to fill up nicely for 2023 with space still, but I would urge not to sit around too long before booking dates for your events.
Simon (MD)
