Wessex Water Charity Race Night

Background

Wessex Water is the regional water and sewage treatment business serving an area of the south west of England includingDorset, Somerset, Bristol, most of Wiltshire and parts of Gloucestershire and Hampshire.  It is recognised by the water industry regulator, Ofwat, as one of the most efficient water and sewerage companies in England and Wales.

WaterAid, campaigns with governments and supports communities  in seventeen countries across Africa, Asia and the Pacific Region to set up water and sanitation systems.

Revelation has enjoyed an eight-year partnership with Wessex Water to event manage the bi-annual race night.  Established in 2001, it has become a  is a hugely popular event to raise money and awareness of the WaterAid charity and has raised £242,000 to date.


Solution

As event management and production company for the event, our team was responsible for producing  an exciting racing evening for over 400 guests from the water industry. The event had to be entertaining and also result in achieving the client's fund-raising  targets.

Using a simple but effective set consisting  of drapes and a large screen with front projection, the Revelation team utilised the full space at the Bristol Marriott Hotel to create an intimate but lively atmosphere, perfect for the race night.

Warm, subtle lighting highlighted the richness of the venue whilst focusing attention on the projected videos and tote betting tables throughout the venue, ensuring that every area was enhanced with the racing theme.

Revelation also provided fully interactive DVD playback facilities to enable the commentator to run the races flexibly and allow him to interact with the guests as well as the video, giving the night a feel of added spontaneity.  With a complete PA system, the team ensured that every guest enjoyed the full impact of  the horse racing track as well as the more immediate banter from the commentator.


Results

The event was a huge success for both Revelation and our client and, after several years of producing the event at the Commonwealth Museum, the allure of a new venue contributed to a fantastic evening's entertainment.

"As you know this was the first time that we had staged the event at the Marriott.  Whilst there is always slight apprehension about any form of change we couldn't have wished for a better AV partner.  You were not just our sound and lighting guys you were part of our team."

Despite the  challenging economic circumstances, table sales, tote betting, a YTL holiday raffle and generous donations from guests and sponsors, the event defied all odds to generate a massive £66,000 for WaterAid!

"Thank you very much for the exceptional support and service delivered by Revelation".

"Many people have commented how slick and professional everything went.  We could never have achieved this without the attentiveness and responsiveness of your staff as part of our team."
Race Night Organiser, Wessex Water