Venue Delivery

If you don’t work in the world of events, you may be forgiven for not being entirely sure what overlay is. Look it up in a dictionary and it is defined as anything which is superimposed over something else – literally “overlaid”.

In 2016, The Department for Trade defined it as “the design, planning, installation and removal of all the temporary infrastructure and services needed to deliver major one-off sporting events.” So essentially, it means the creation of temporary venues and the installation of temporary elements and commodities that are needed to convert existing and new venues into event-ready ones.

The elements which make up the overlay for an event, are therefore by nature specific to the event itself and defined by the venues being used. Some elements are pretty universal and include temporary buildings or “tents”, demountable spectator seating, cabins (including toilets and concessions), fencing, flooring and trackway, lighting and rigging. And some are bespoke, being defined as venue specific projects – we will tell you more about these in relation to Birmingham 2022 as we begin the delivery phase of the project!

Most overlay commodities are removed at the end of an event and redeployed elsewhere – returning the facility or venue to its original state. There are also a few overlay commodities which are by nature a little more permanent – this mainly relates to any groundworks which are required to be undertaken as part of the project, to get venues ready to accommodate other overlay commodities. These are usually permanent and can be seen as part of the event’s legacy plan. Legacy is the long-term positive impact the event has on the host area culturally, economically and physically – such as improvements in infrastructure.

Part of the overlay delivery for Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, is also taking on the role of Principal Designer and Principal Contractor, to control the construction phase of the project involving more than one contractor. This is a crucial role in the delivery of the event as it involves managing health and safety risks during the construction phase and complying with the Principal Contractor obligations defined within the CDM Regulations 2015.

We will be sharing more detail on the project and the work involved in bringing each of the commodities to life, as our planning continues during 2021, and our delivery gets underway in 2022!