Client
Event Horizon/Afro Nation 2023
Location
Rolling Loud and Afro Nation 2023 are Europe’s largest music beach festivals, bringing top-tier artists – and 120,000 people – to Portimao in the south of Portugal each year.
The challenge
Holding the festivals involves transforming a sandy beach into a fully functional, world-class event venue with stages, sound systems, lighting rigs and catering outlets. Sand isn’t a stable surface: it shifts under the pressure of weight and can be blown away by wind. The success of the festival depended on having exactly the right foundations in place. The festival organisers had had a bad experience with flooring in 2022 so our team worked closely with them to understand their needs and reassure them that our solution would work for them.
Our solution
We meticulously negotiated with equipment suppliers, planned transport logistics and co-ordinated operational schedules between our UK and European teams, including the complex management of CMRs and post-Brexit Carnets. In total we sourced, transported and laid 14,500m2 of flooring – equivalent to twice the area of Wembley Stadium – and our trackway had to cope with a wide range of vehicles including fully loaded articulated lorries and a 120-tonne crane to assemble the stage and entrance gate. Once on-site, speed was of the essence. By planning thoroughly, working 24hrs when needed and investing time in training local teams in Portugal, we were able to unload our trucks and install the equipment safely, efficiently and to schedule.
Outcomes
Our experience, innovative thinking and can-do approach came together to help lay the foundations that made this event a resounding success. In the height of summer, music festivals are big business, so the demand on rental stock throughout Europe is enormous; leading to lower availability, longer lead times and higher prices. Our equipment sourcing strategy involved rigorous research to ensure we could acquire the right kit, while staying within budget. As a result, Afro Nation 2023 was a resounding triumph, an event that was not only incredibly enjoyable for music lovers and artists from all over the world but one that also ran smoothly from an operational perspective. The organisers couldn’t have been happier.
“One thing that stands out about The Box Group is their unwavering commitment to delivering on their promises. I instinctively trusted John and his team to pull off something extraordinary, and they exceeded expectations. Their positive, resourceful approach and determination has really helped us deliver a world-class event.”
Jason Jennings, Event Horizon
“We were pleased with the work provided by The Box Group in providing the flooring for our concert event. We look forward to working with them next year for the 2024 festival.”
Paulo Amaral, Director, Made of You Group
