Brief
Northacre, a leading London property developer, reached out to We Are Placemaking to organise an event at Orchard Place, to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III.
The client wanted this creative placemaking concept to reach the surrounding community, including local businesses, schools and tenants. They wanted to enhance the public realm with a range of activities to be enjoyed by guests of all ages.
Northacre also wanted to install a photo opportunity which stayed with the coronation theme, to increase brand awareness and engagement within the area.
What we did
Working within the client’s brief, we wanted to create a lively event that would engage the surrounding community and bring people together.
So, we did just that! From wine tasting masterclasses to origami, scroll and jewellery making workshops, guests could participate in a range of activities. Entertainment included guardsman-inspired stilt-walkers and a live music trio Girls To Stroll, which enticed passers-by from the area.
Guests could enjoy food from a variety of traders, courtesy of KERB, and refreshments from an outdoor bar hosted by Gusbourne – the award-winning vineyard chosen by the Royal Household to mark the Coronation Celebrations and which supplied a specially labelled limited-edition wine for this event.
We also organised a community raffle with prizes donated by six local establishments, again encouraging visitors to engage with businesses in the public realm.
Our in-house creative team went all out, with our ‘hero’ piece taking form as a floral installation surrounding a classic white bench, decorated with green foliage, decorative crowns, and coronation-coloured plant pots. This photo opportunity encouraged footfall to the main courtyard during the main event and throughout the coronation weekend. A designed floor vinyl with a QR code also encouraged guests to share their pictures with Orchard Place.
The event was extremely successful, achieving a footfall of over 10,000 visitors, high social media engagement, and long-lasting connections developed between the client and surrounding stakeholders. All-in-all, a royally successfully London Placemaking project!
Deliverables
Event and production management: creating a creative design deck, developing a budget and producing a detailed schedule of the event.
Stakeholder Management: liaising with the client and the public ream stakeholders.
Logistics Management: creating a sound logistical plan for the installation and de-rig of the event, and working with multiple suppliers.
Sourcing and management of all suppliers: daily consultation, management and ownership of supply chain.
Workshop Liaison: delivered varying styles of workshops from Origami to Jewellery workshops for all ages.
