andy turner

Initial Concept

Over the course of 2020 we submitted numerous proposals with a variety of different ideas for projects to our clients and local councils as a response to the restrictions brought about by C19. Ards & North Down Council invited us in to discuss one of these suggestions and Window Wonderland was born. 

Designed as a way to help re-animate town centres and drive footfall at a time when town centres and retail had been hit hard, this proposal was a covid safe template that could be replicated and scaled up or down as needed. Council desired a project that could be effectively delivered for 2 days each across the 5 towns of Bangor, Newtownards, Comber, Donaghadee & Holywood and could be flexible in it’s approach with changing restrictions.

We proposed placing performers in shop windows to bring these spaces to life with magical fairytale characters through storytelling, dance, mime and music. By having performers behind glass, this would allow safe viewing for the public who were outdoors and able to distance successfully along with protecting our performers which was important for us. We wanted the public to feel safe themselves but also feel they could enjoy each performance in the knowledge that the performer was also safe.

A key element of this project was not just to delight and give the public access to performance that they hadn’t been able to access for 9 months but also to help inspire audience confidence through spreading a little bit of magic. At a time when panto’s and theatre weren’t accessible or open, this created an energy and a sense of engagement around Christmas time that was severely lacking otherwise. 

Next Steps

With the idea in progress, initial site visits allowed us to draw up a long list of potential retailers that was dependant on a number of different factors, window size, accessibility for running cabling outside for PA systems, clear windows (ie no obstructive frames, structure or decals that would obscure the view of the performer).The plan was for shoppers to enjoy numerous performances across the space of a couple of hours and so considered placement of participating retailers meant that shoppers would also encouraged up and down high streets and around quieter corners through a good spread of the area. Bite sized performances of up to 5 minutes repeated 3 times an hour were created to ensure there was no prolonged gathering in line with current restrictions but that would allow shoppers to be able to still enjoy the shopping and eating experiences available to them. 

Our long list became a short list through time as we made sure to balance these retailers out geographically and spacing them out to also minimise competing sound spill where possible. We also had to ensure any watching public wouldn’t be at crossroads or pedestrian crossings creating any additional hazards on the high street. Once the final retailers had been confirmed this also generated interest and excitement for them, this was something to look forward to and to help improve footfall into their shops. Many retailers went to town on their windows creating Christmas scenes and getting excited by dressing out their spaces for us. One even produced a red velvet curtain, very theatrical and perfect!

Having also finalised our performers and content we made sure to have a rigorous event plan in place taking into consideration all the current restrictions and regulations in place. This gave both us and the Council great confidence in the robust nature of the project which was an important document as it was reviewed by both the PSNI and the Department of Environmental Health. 

Opening 

Opening in Donaghadee we received a warm welcome from retailers and the town alike with one resident allowing us to take over his first floor flat so we could position two singers singing out of his windows. As part of our safety measures we had supported the council in not pre-announcing the performances because we were being mindful about not attracting or encouraging large groups to gather.

As a result what we experienced was very organic word of mouth that saw numbers of onlookers growing steadily across the course of the first day and into day two. The reactions were magical, an older lady dancing along with the ballerina and numerous children who watched our mime artist openmouthed. Many returned on the second day with family after they spotted our performers on day one and it was also a treat for the drivers in their cars whenever they had a few minutes stopped at the traffic lights. All of our characters created a buzz and a talking point about the town. 

We were delighted with the initial response but then an announcement was made to suspend all non essential retail for two weeks meaning we had to very quickly reschedule the dates for two of our participating towns. In the down time of the two weeks closure we made the decision to improve elements of the road safety by including barriers and suspending some parking bays for the future dates which went into our updated event plan. 

Happily we were able to successfully deliver all 10 days to the 5 towns. Our performances made the news and the reactions across the board were incredible from members of the public across generations who were able to experience this together safely. 

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Public Reactions

” Well Done every one of you, I had the pleasure of seeing you in Newtownards, Holywood ( by pure chance) and a very wet Comber evening. Really made my Christmas. Have a very well earned break xx”

“We saw this in Hollywood. What a great idea to boost everyone’s spirits! Thank you! “

“Congratulations to all involved. It was JUST what we needed in the Dee!”

“Lovely morning in Ards with hubby and grandson. Enjoyed all the window performances.. well done Ards ..”

“Just such a lovely thing to do at this difficult time”

“Trust the Irish with generous hearts and gorgeous voices to get it right. Good job.”

“This should lift anybody’s mood in this current climate.Amazing.Love it”

“Beautiful what a great way to get out the Christmas spirit in lockdown”

“Amazing!! Well done for doing something so magical and lifting the mood”

“Lovely well done to whoever organised, fabulous idea”

In association with Callow Events, we have created an hour-long online TV gameplay from a whole host of classic game show formats including the likes of Catchphrase & Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. 

Big Night In!

With online events being set to continue on a while longer, why not take the decision to book a night to reward the team, everyone’s been working so hard this year, you deserve it! 

We have a great team of seasoned professional presenters on board along with a number of presenters who previously would have been wowing you in theatre and live events. Having transferred their considerable talents across to make online a brighter place this means we can suit a wide range of tastes and styles for any group. We can offer a family-focused host approach, an employee-only approach, or how about a mix of both? With questions and an approach to suit individual group profiles, keeping everyone happy and engaged has never been so easy. 

If your team isn’t working from home then how about blurring the lines with live host delivery of party packs to your workplace ahead of the online event, followed up with a prize-giving back at the office? In this way, by utilising our hosts, presenters and glamorous showgirls and showboys we can bring some of the sparkle to you.

Group sizes start at 10 as a minimum up to a current limit of around 400 (engagement is counted by the number of log in’s). Whether it’s a team-building approach or just a fun social, we have a range of options we’d be happy to discuss with you and this particular virtual package comes at 3 tiers of Bronze, Silver & Gold so please get in touch and we’ll send you out a Big Night In! info pack.

Bespoke Virtual Entertainment Enquiries

Want to deliver a virtual event for your employees?

Virtual entertainment can feel like taking a real risk, how do you know it will be engaging? Good quality output? Fun? Value for money? 

In order to answer that question, we have teamed up with Callow Events to ensure that no detail is left to chance when it comes to the quality of our delivery. Through our partnership we have everything covered. 

As a first port of call, we’ll discuss your brief and the culture of your company. Knowing our audiences (and yours) is what we are all about and keep that in mind at the heart of our decision making. 

Then we’ll go away and get really excited coming up with ideas, leaving you with the trick part. Which decisions to make. We know our clients like a menu of different choices at different price points so we always have this in mind when designing any event, whether online or live (when we get back there).

As a taster we can also offer a wider range of workshops through this partnership which includes but aren’t limited to:

There are so many more options depending on your needs, many of these sessions can be paired with kits and goodie bags.

Our Talent Pool

While live performance is still on pause and while the route to being fully back and singing and dancing in close quarters like the good old days still seems murky, we have been working on our virtual offerings. With such a talented pool of performers at our fingertips and geography being no barrier, we’ve been able to work with more of our artists, further spread apart than ever before which has been exciting and rewarding.

Any event whether live or virtual takes a lot of organizing, let us do the hard work so you don’t have to, get in touch.

Our little black book of contacts is ready and waiting for you to get in touch so we can pluck out the very best talent for your needs. 

Single performer options are our most cost-effective offering, over Zoom or your preferred choice of online meeting app. Costs are on a quote-by-quote basis depending on your needs so the best thing to do is just get in touch.

Peter was asked to perform an online concert in aid of the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council Mayor’s charities – Air Ambulance NI and Guide Dogs NI. Here is that performance filmed at the Natural Room Emporium. Look out for the guest performances by BSPA and Fleur Mellor.

Find out more about The Mayor’s nominated charities for 2020-2021