West End VIP Weekend attracts the crowds

Production company Wilde Ones was reappointed by the New West End Company to deliver the traffic free event, working closely with stakeholders including Westminster Council, the Met Police, Transport for London and more than 80 retailers.

Entertainment to appeal to a wide audience demographic included Christmas-themed attractions across six sites, from vintage buses and a traditional fun fair, a Carol-A-Thon in Oxford Circus and finale fireworks on Sunday evening.

“This is the first time the event has been extended to two days,” production manager Dean Parker said. “That presented a whole host of new challenges such as where to store all of the vehicles and decorations overnight on Saturday. We’ve been planning since September and the event required particular attention to timings as well as ongoing stakeholder and retailer engagement.

“With so many people in attendance our first priority was public safety. We liaised extensively with our health and safety consultants, the local authorities and our security provider to ensure there were clearly defined entrance/exit routes and procedures for safe and convenient ingress and egress.”

“This is the most important event in our calendar,” Sally Humphreys, head of partnerships at the New West End Company, said. “It creates a really welcoming atmosphere for shoppers, and attracts people from across the UK and abroad. From a retailer perspective it really gets them involved, many participate and put on entertainment and special offers.”