Commission Festival

Client: Commission Churches
Event: Annual Commission Festival
Location: Bath and West Showground, UK
Delegates: Nearly 4,000

Overview

Essential Event Management (EEM) was delighted to partner with the Commission Churches for their annual gathering, the Commission Festival, held at the Bath and West Showground. With nearly 4,000 delegates attending from across the UK, this event required meticulous planning, coordination, and execution. EEM was responsible for all logistical aspects, ensuring a smooth and memorable experience for attendees.

Project Scope:

EEM worked hand-in-hand with Commission Churches to manage every facet of site logistics, from infrastructure and security to health and safety documentation. Our team ensured that all elements were in place for this large-scale festival, allowing attendees to focus on the program and enjoy their experience.

Our Services Included:

Site Liaison
EEM acted as the primary site liaison with the Bath and West Showground, coordinating all necessary arrangements to adapt the venue to the event’s specific requirements and ensuring seamless communication between the site and the event team.
Big Top and Marquee Hire
We managed the procurement and installation of a Big Top and various marquees to create functional and comfortable spaces for gatherings, worship, and community engagement across the festival grounds.
Infrastructure Procurement
To meet the needs of all attendees, EEM oversaw the setup of essential infrastructure, including toilets, showers, accessible facilities, buggies, and waste management solutions, ensuring a safe and comfortable environment.
Security and Contractor Liaison
EEM coordinated with security teams to maintain a secure environment and managed relationships with all contractors, from setup through teardown, to ensure all logistics were handled professionally.
Site and Traffic Planning
Comprehensive site planning was critical to the festival’s success. Our team designed a layout that optimised space and flow, and we implemented a traffic management plan that minimised congestion and maximised accessibility for delegates.
Health & Safety Planning and Documentation
EEM managed all aspects of health and safety planning, including documentation for the build phase, live event, and break phases. Our commitment to thorough safety procedures provided peace of mind for both organisers and attendees.
Council Liaison
To meet local regulations, we coordinated with the council for the noise license and participated in the Safety Advisory Group to ensure full compliance with all legal requirements.

Outcome

The annual Commission Festival was a resounding success, bringing together nearly 4,000 attendees for a meaningful and enriching experience. Through EEM’s comprehensive logistical support and dedication to detail, we helped create a smooth, safe, and enjoyable environment that enabled delegates to fully engage with the program and connect with each other.

“They offered expertise on all the logistical and production needs of our conference”

"As an organisation, we were running our biggest and most sophisticated event, and Essential Event Management walked us through each step of the way. They offered expertise on all the logistical and production needs of our conference, and we felt we were in very dependable hands throughout. The event was delivered incredibly smoothly, and many compliments given on the high level of execution of every element of the event. We will definitely work with them again in future!"

Hannah Vaughan-Spruce, Divine Renovation

“A consistent, flexible and reliable team”

“Time and time again Essential Event Management have proved to be a consistent, flexible, reliable and professional team. They have been a key component to our successful UK event programme and I highly recommend them.”

Robin Vincent, Chief Executive, Care for the Family

“We couldn't have done it without the team at EEM”

“The team at Essential Event Management are a joy to work with. Professional, knowledgeable, more than capable and they will always go above and beyond to ensure the success of an event. We recently converted our normal physical annual summer event (serving tens of thousands of delegates) to a completely digital online version in less than 10 weeks. We couldn't have done it without the team at EEM who were a key part of making that switch a reality.

Delegate feedback is that the event surpassed their expectations, and they were astounded at the complexity and professional level of the end product. I cannot recommend EEM highly enough to any event organiser whether you need digital or physical event support. This is certainly a key relationship we value, trust and enjoy.”

Jules Morgan, Executive Director – New Wine

“We know our exhibitors will be well looked after and the event will be well-served. ”

“At Spring Harvest we have always found EEM's management of exhibition spaces so helpful. Whatever the size of event, and wherever it's happening, we leave everything to them and can trust that our guests and exhibitors will be well looked after and the event will be well-served.”

Abby Guinness, Event Director – Spring Harvest

“Flexible and diligent”

“Thank you so much for all your hard work, your flexibility and diligence in pulling together a very successful Rolling Roadshow. We've had great feedback from our attendees and it has been considered a massive success all round. That's quite an achievement given the complexity of what we pulled together. It was a pleasure working with you. We hope to have the opportunity to work with you again in the future.”

Danni Malone, Director of Operations - The Trussell Trust