Steve Reynolds, Operations Director at LS Events reflects on a pivotal moment for the Events Industry; the delivery of one of the largest pan-London coordinated projects ever seen Operation LONDON Bridge.
It was our great privilege to play a part in Operation LONDON Bridge. LS Events has been working with the Greater London Authority (GLA) since early 2021 as the central event management agency tasked with coordinating and delivering the overarching event management plan, resulting in one of the largest pan-London coordinated projects ever seen.
Whilst the planning of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral has been ongoing for many years, the appointment of LS Events by the GLA marked a change in how London coordinated and delivered major ceremonial events and specifically events of National significance. LS Events stepped into this new role with the primary objective of ensuring London was able to provide a safe and successful delivery of a multi-faceted and complex event with a fully collaborative approach with all the key London Partners.
At the very epicentre of this project was the provision of one overarching Event Management Plan that was able to deconflict the many moving parts necessary for what was one of the most historical events London has ever hosted. A robust and comprehensive Stakeholder Engagement programme with critical planning workstreams spanning all key agencies, including the Metropolitan Police, The Royal Parks, Government departments, the Ministry of Defence and London Authorities, enabled London to not only honour our beloved Queen, but to ensure that Londoners, the nation and the world could feel part of this most significant moment in history.
In addition to the central coordination, LS Events were tasked with key event deliverables, utilising our in depth knowledge of delivering large scale events within Central London. Key event deliverables provided by the LS Events team were as follows:
LS Events provided a full complement of services including project management, event management, site management, crowd management, traffic management and infrastructure plans to enable the public to gather, pay their respects and move seamlessly through key Central London sites over ten days.
To represent our industry with an event of such magnitude and historical significance has been a humbling and momentous experience. We could not have achieved this complex and multifaceted event delivery without the immediate support of over 150 event professionals, alongside a network of trusted suppliers, who were able to provide their services within a matter of hours.
It was an honour and privilege for LS Events to mobilise an extraordinary network of event professionals to work side by side to help deliver the State Funeral for HM Queen Elizabeth II.
LS Events would like to thank our remarkable team who worked diligently and respectfully in their contribution towards the final journey of Her Majesty The Queen.
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For further information regarding this project please contact Tess Grindle E: tess.grindle@ls.uk