Tour de France Victory for Sourcerer as Finchingfield Event Attracts 8,000 Visitors

FINCHINGFIELD, U.K. - July 18, 2014 - PRLog -- One of the key points on the Tour de France route was a village called Finchingfield in Essex: the Tour de France competitors were to pass right through it on Monday 7^th July. And Finchingfield just happens to be where Essex events organisers Sourcerer Events is located!

A Fruitful Opportunity

Recognising such a fruitful opportunity, Sourcerer was keen to lend its support to one of the village’s local businesses, encouraging them to pull out as many stops as possible to take advantage of such an auspicious occasion.

Their client, a public house and restaurant, had the perfect opportunity to position itself as the central catering hub for the event, ensuring all visitors to Finchingfield were adequately provided for and thus putting their business on the map courtesy of official Tour de France recognition and a host of PR opportunities.

Twelve Weeks in the Making

After an initial consultation in April, Sourcerer had 12 weeks to plan the whole event from concept through to delivery.

Owner Shelley Morris explained how it all ran, "Our first task was to meet with the local council to pitch the proposal. This we did and it was well received and accepted. And so it was all systems go!"

Sourcerer took on both a practical, hands-on coordination role and an advisory one too.

Expert Advice all the way

It was decided that the client’s premises should be extended by way of a marquee, so as to comfortably accommodate the expected 2,500 visitors.

Originally the client suggested locating it in the car park, but on the considered suggestion of Sourcerer Events (http://www.sourcerer-events.co.uk) they agreed that a position on the village green would maximise exposure for publicity purposes and that it would appear more like an extension of their premises. Shelley said, "To this effect, we suggested erecting a banner across the marquee to ensure instant recognition. And what a good idea that turned out to be, as it was picked up by numerous newspapers, radio and TV stations!"

Something for Everyone

To make sure the day would be a memorable one for all who attended, including the media, a host of activities and entertainment was planned and coordinated. This included a hog roast and BBQ, a Pimms bar, a French food market, a large screen TV, face painting to keep the younger visitors occupied, a performing arts academy show, a live music show and buffet during the evening and of course, the most quintessentially English of all spectacles: Morris dancing!

One of Sourcerer’s preferred suppliers is a producer of luxurious picnic hampers, so they introduced them to their client with the suggestion that visitors could pre-order a delectable packed lunch to enjoy on the village green, ensuring that all tastes and dietary needs were catered for with traditional, vegetarian and gluten free options.

VIP packages were also arranged and Sourcerer introduced an excellent wine merchant to assist in carefully selecting fine wines to accompany the 4-course lunch. Shelley added excitedly, "We really do love forging relationships that both our suppliers and clients can benefit from, and we are delighted to report that our wine merchant is now a preferred supplier of our client!"

Cultivating Commercial Success

When it came to catering, Sourcerer's client felt that outsourcing was the way to go, but Sourcerer pointed out that there would be much more scope for commercial success in the long term if they took direct responsibility. Shelley was delighted they took her advice: "We are pleased to say they agreed and went on to provide both the hog roast and the BBQ, both of which were a roaring success and bestowed much kudos upon our client."

With such a huge crowd expected, Sourcerer thought it would be a good idea to offer paid-for fast track wristbands so that visitors wishing to avoid the queues to access the marquee could gain priority access. All of this they coordinated, taking responsibility for design, print and delivery.

Taking Care of the Finer Detail

Throughout the 12 weeks of planning and preparation, numerous meetings were required with the local council, and Sourcerer accompanied the client to all of them.

Early on in the organisation of the event Sourcerer took responsibility for updating the client’s website with promotional information, right down to arranging professional copywriting so the content would benefit from maximum impact. They also took care of organising the design and print of leaflets and for managing a social media campaign.

Sourcerer was also responsible for arranging private security to assist with crowd management and to ensure the safety of patrons, given the extended drinking hours and large crowds expected.

And the day of the Event Finally Arrives!

On Sunday 6^th July, the day before the event, the marquee erectors arrived at 7am, and Sourcerer was there bright and early to meet with them to ensure the correct positioning of the structure in accordance with Parish Council guidelines.

The event was an absolute roaring success, with attendance in the realm of 8,000 visitors, substantially more than the 2,500 originally expected! One of the objectives set down by the client was to achieve publicity, and this they did in spades, with coverage in the Daily Mirror, the Telegraph, the Times, the Herts & Essex Observer and the Dunmow Broadcaster as well as BBC Essex Radio, Heart Radio and Switch Dunmow features on BBC Look East and ITV.

A Momentous Milestone for Sourcerer Events!

Shelly concluded by saying, "To say we are extremely proud of the success of this inimitable Tour de France comes to Essex event is definitely an understatement! Not only was it a major accomplishment for our client, it was also a triumphant victory and a momentous milestone for Sourcerer: our biggest event to date!"