The Very Important Pedestrians (VIP) weekend sees the iconic London streets become traffic free for two days. Wilde Ones was reappointed by client New West End Company and worked closely with all stakeholders including Westminster Council, Met Police, Transport for London and over 80 retailers, to bring the streets to life and create a dynamic festive atmosphere.
The event featured a diverse range of entertainment to appeal to all audience demographics including Christmas-themed attractions located across six sites within the area. These included vintage buses, a traditional fun fair, large nutcrackers, a horse drawn Victorian bus ride, a Carol-A-Thon in Oxford Circus and finale fireworks on Sunday evening.
Celebrity appearances included X Factor winner Joe McElderry, sixties icon Twiggy and the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Susie Burbridge. With so many elements and suppliers to organise, precise planning, scheduling and a quick turnaround were paramount to ensure the smooth and safe running of the event. Wilde Ones' production manager Dean Parker explains: "This is the first year the event has been extended to two days, so it presented a whole host of new challenges such as where to store all of the vehicles and decorations overnight on Saturday. We've been planning since September and the event required particular attention to timings as well as ongoing stakeholder and retailer engagement.
"The event is spread across two miles and our team had just two and a half hours on the Saturday morning to load in and set up all elements. The same timeframe was in place for setting up on the Sunday, with just two hours to de-rig each day."
High Street retailers Selfridges and House of Fraser contributed to the vibrant atmosphere with performances from gospel choirs and steel bands outside the stores. T-Mobile's Snowglobes, Sebago's giant shoeboat and promotional Christmas huts from lead sponsor American Express were also part of the popular attractions.
Parker concluded,"Live events and entertainment play an important role in retail. We were delighted with how the weekend went, it had a brilliant atmosphere and really engaged both shoppers and retailers, increasing footfall and ensuring that the Oxford Street and Regent Street area remains one of the leading destinations to shop in at Christmas, and throughout the year."
(Jim Evans)
