< Events

Recreating the past for live events, TV and film

Event planning and management services

Choose EventPlan for unrivalled experience, integrity, reliability, creativity and value for money

For a quick overview of our services, please read this page, historical events  and other client information.

EventPlan specialises in organising historical events for national and international clients.  We also offer consultancy services to help develop your own successful programme. No buzz words, no management waffle, just excellent, solid, experienced advice and assistance. With over 5,000 events to his credit over the last 35 years, EventPlan Managing Director Howard Giles offers unrivalled experience and expertise. In 1984 he created and thereafter directed for 16 years the largest historical events programme in the world for English Heritage, established their 10 guiding principles of successful event planning, literally "wrote the book" on the subject, the English Heritage events manual, and trained regional staff in the safe, creative use of properties for events. He also played a major role in the production of English Heritage's video guide to event planning, Ticket to the Past, and wrote a concise guide to event planning, also published by EH. This invaluable knowledge and experience is now available to you through EventPlan.

Our primary objective is simple - to stage or help you to stage first class, successful events, as organisers and/or advisors. We offer a number of distinct areas of expertise to owners and managers of heritage venues including historic houses, castles, attractions, along with councils and other clients. We even bring to life entire historic city areas.

Our services include:

As you see, we offer assistance on pretty much anything and everything to do with staging successful historical events. For example....

Planning and co-ordinating individual events

We create, organise, script, narrate and direct top-quality live displays and entertainments for audiences of all sizes, specialising in the very best historical re-enactment and interpretation. From huge outdoor multi-period "spectaculars" to intimate interior living histories, our experience will ensure a great event every time. Find out more about which historical events might best suit you. We can also organise displays and entertainments for corporate hospitality days and themed weddings.

EventPlan strongly believes in working with event performers to the benefit of all. By maintaining a close working relationship with both clients and performers, we ensure the best possible show. We are trusted by re-enactors and can as a result make the most of their unique skills.

Safety first: We always operate a careful safety policy at our events. As part of their contract with us, performers are required to adhere to our Conditions of Participation, which also outline standards of authenticity and behaviour.

Supply of event equipment: When staging events on your behalf, EventPlan often supplies a considerable amount of equipment from stock including our powerful mains-free PA system with radio mike, hundreds of camera-friendly lightweight green plastic barrier stakes (suitable for all locations including archaeologically sensitive sites) and miles of tape,  A3 signboards and signs, A1 signboards, plus other items. If wished, we can source any additional equipment as required.

Strategies for a single event or event programme

With a vast amount of practical experience on offer, we can advise you on all kinds of innovative insights, strategies and ideas, whether you plan just one event or a full annual programme. We understand what usually works, what doesn't, what specifically appeals to audiences and what to avoid. So there's no need to re-invent the wheel when tried and tested strategies are there for the asking. Let us help you!

Our more unusual projects have included the ground breaking recreation in 2001 of the the climactic moment of the 1984 miners' strike, the Battle of Orgreave, and creating, developing, scripting and directing The Roman Army and Chariot Experience in the ancient chariot racing hippodrome of the city of Jerash in Jordan. This included the training of ex-military and police personnel as Roman legionaries and gladiators,  and the integration of chariot racing into a thrilling, smooth-running show.

 

Practical help, advice and event training for venue staff

Even if you don’t need us to organise everything, you can always ask for help in specific areas if you need it. For example, we can check out your site presentation, advise on safety or if appropriate historical accuracy, or even script and narrate a show. It’s up to you. We can also advise and assist on essential health & safety issues.

Perhaps surprisingly, there are very few courses available for historical event organisers. With years of practical experience in events, we can plug this gap with invaluable in-house staff training services. Virtually any aspect of event strategy, organisation and planning can be covered, depending on a client’s specific needs. With Howard Giles having trained English Heritage staff in practical and creative event planning, and written a definitive event manual, we can pass on this knowledge to your staff. Please see our Training Services section for more details.

 

Organising your own event and require quality performers? Then use us as a booking agency!

In addition to organising and co-ordinating events, we can also arrange performers on behalf of clients who prefer to manage events on site themselves, usually when an event simply isn't big enough to warrant our on-site co-ordination. We know many groups very well, their strengths, quirks, what they will and won't do, where and when. After discussing your needs, we can book you appropriate performers (subject to availability, of course) and handle the early planning stages, then you take over from there (if you want to). So whether you want us to do everything, or just do the preliminaries by sourcing you appropriate performers, we can help. You'll be surprised how reasonable our fees are, too!

Need an experienced commentator? Historian Howard Giles is one of Britain's most knowledgeable historical event commentators. Usually working without notes, he can narrate virtually any historical event with a smooth, easy going and entertaining style. Howard has also scripted and narrated historical videos and DVDs.

We can also help by arranging displays and interpreters for schools and museums, entertainers for children's parties, as well as costumed talks for clubs, societies and special interest groups.

Projects include:

  • Events depicting the past from Prehistory to the Space Race

  • Multi-period events including large scale "spectaculars"

  • Exciting battles and sieges through the ages

  • Military and combat displays

  • Living history and site interpretation, suitable for all kinds of venues including museums

  • Music, song dance and other entertainments including for children

  • "Have a go" activities

  • Historical fayres, markets and bazaars

  • Equestrian displays

  • Fly pasts and air displays

  • Maritime themed shows, from tall ships to small boats

  • Spectacular large scale shows and festivals to smaller, more modest events

  • International projects

  • Cultural history

  • Authentic, reliable reconstructions for film and TV

Historical eras and event categories

Eras covered run from prehistory right to the Space Race.  Categories of events range through popular multi-period events including large "spectaculars"; battles and sieges; military and combat displays; living history and site interpretation; historical entertainments "and have a go"; maritime and/or air displays, and more!  For details, please see our historical events page. This also explains  the different categories of event that might suit your need, from battles to living history, interpretation to entertainment.

Some frequently asked questions 

Is an event (or programme of events) practical for you?  We can advise on the practicality of your venue, physical considerations such as access, space and facilities, but whether a event will succeed will also depend on what you are prepared to invest into the project (not just financially - there are other crucial issues such as marketing strategy and venue staffing to consider) and aim to achieve. However, its a fact that on a practical level, historical events are much easier to stage than many others as, for example, they need a relatively low level of infrastructure.  We'd always be completely honest with you and offer unbiased, experienced advice...after all, if you utilise our services, it is in our best interests for you to succeed!

What's best, a one day or two day event?  Most of our events are held over two days on a weekend (usually April through to October), as this is usually the most cost effective and successful arrangement. Sometimes we stage one day events on request (although this can limit participation as a lot of performers dislike and won't accept single day events, particularly in high season) and we have occasionally also staged three day events, either a "schools" day followed by a weekend, or a three day bank holiday event. These can be hard on site staff though - its very tiring! - and except for established annual shows, probably do not usually attract more visitors than a two day event. We also stage weekday events for specialist clients, eg a forthcoming 125th anniversary photo shoot for SSAFA.

Is EventPlan efficient?  Very. Our reputation has been built on this. Much of our work comes from personal recommendation and increasingly, repeat bookings, which we feel says a lot about how clients view us. We believe that we are the best - and we are certainly by far the most experienced in this specialist field - so you can engage us with absolute confidence. We are always happy to refer you to other EventPlan clients for an unbiased view of our services, if so wished.

Would the quality of the show reflect the venue's high standards? We are renowned for producing top quality events. EventPlan enjoys an excellent working relationship with top groups and performers, ensuring that your event(s) would project the highest standards of behaviour, showmanship and (where appropriate) historical accuracy to your visitors. Standards at some other events can vary considerably, but if its an EventPlan show, you need have no worries.

What about value for money? We always strive to offer the very best value for money. This doesn't mean cutting corners, but instead using our huge experience to provide you with the best possible event(s) at reasonable, affordable cost.

Will visitors enjoy the show(s)? Most definitely, as we have enormous experience in staging creative, entertaining, exciting events that thrill audiences and create a real "wow" factor.  Let us loose and see how good it can get!

Other client information

Please see our Other client information page for information on:

Queries

Please just ask! Email or call! Our office is open 9-5 Monday to Friday, except when we are away preparing for or packing up a large event. There's an answerphone service of course, but you should also be able to reach us on 07779 340108.

 

Back to    Home Page    2010 events

Links to    Historical events      Safety policy      Other client information

Events past, present and future   Explore EventPlan

 

Updated 8 January 2010