Freelance live event director

2. HOLI ONE colour festival sees thousands of people, dressed in white, come
together to share music, dance, performance art and visual stimulation. The event is
inspired by the Hindu spring festival of Holi, which is celebrated primarily in India,
Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
!
!
As head of Live Events for Big Cat Group, I lead the production of the Holi One tour, taking it to
16 cities throughout the summer of 2014.
My key areas of responsibility included:
!
Lead event teams across the London and Birmingham offices
Full supplier procurement securing economies of scale across the 16 date tour
Sole budget holder for all 16 shows
Production Manager of the London show at Wembley Park
Overview of the sponsorship, marketing and PR teams
Reported in to Big Cat CEO
Client and promoter management
!
!
Event synopsis and strategy
HOLI ONE Tour 2014

4. Wilderness is a unique 4-day festival of pioneering live
performances, talks, debates & theatrical spectaculars. Multi-award winning,
including Best New Festival (2011) and Best Festival (2012) Currently has a 20,000
capacity license and was a sell out event in 2013
!
For the past 3 years I have produced a variety of key content pillars for the festival
These include:
Transe Express, Maudit Sonnants - (click here)
A celestial art masterpiece of bell ringers and trapeze artists suspended 50ft in the air on a
mechanical chandelier attached to a 200 tonne crane
Les Pepones - (click here)
An aerial trapeze act inspired by the silent films of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.
For both aerial acts, I produced the performance from initial relationship building with the French
based troupes, though to contracting, production and budget management, H&S sign-off and
on-site build management
Thyme Food School - (click here)
A gourmet food and hotel brand based in the Cotswold village of Southrop Having never
operated within a festival environment, I worked with them to build and develop their Wilderness
operation including a programme of cookery classes, talks and demonstrations and a gourmet
cafe offer with book signing I was the content director on behalf of Wilderness, pre and live
event production manager and budget owner
Event synopsis and strategy
Wilderness Festival

9. !
Red Bull Music Academy - (click here) is a world-traveling series of
music gigs founded in 1998. In 2013 RBMA chose Lovebox Festival as
one of its event partners
!
For this ambitious arena build, I directed the team responsible for the creative
vision and on-site build, procured all materials and managed the budget on behalf
of RBMA
The production aesthetic was based on 4000 pieces of 6m bamboo which were
then secured to box truss towers
Each bamboo tower was internally lit by one of the top lighting designers in the
country. The result was the largest free-form stretch tent construction in the UK
to date
In liaison with the agents of DJ Harvey, Toddla T and David Rodigan, I worked to
ensure the stage was suitable for each individual headliner across the 3-day
festival
I was the sole budget holder, managing a variety of suppliers including lighting
and sound, H&S, steel deck, tent and truss companies
Event synopsis and strategy
Red Bull Music Academy

13. Google UK were looking for a Christmas Party to remember complete with
full creative production, theatrical entertainment and bespoke themed
catering
!
For the past two years I have worked with interactive entertainment company Bearded
Kitten, to develop two creative themes for Google: ‘Santa’s House Party’ in 2011 and
‘Googlehofen Ski Resort’ in 2012
I work as the creative director, budget holder and live event producer
Design and build manager for large bespoke event props including giant armchairs,
oversized gingerbread men and a Santa’s sleigh DJ booth
I championed the first ever Google snowball fight which has since become something
of an event tradition
Worked with a team of around 20 actors including a team of dressmakers and make-
up artists who transformed the team in to Santa’s house elves (2011) and ski
instructors (2012)
I am proud to say that since first managing this event two years ago, the attendance
rate has more than doubled thanks to the efforts of my team. We have helped create
an event legacy which attracts a great deal of pre-event Googler excitement!
Event synopsis and strategy
Google UK

18. Premium brand Russian Standard Vodka wanted to develop their UK
presence and market share
!
Working with their UK distributor, I developed a 360° live marketing campaign based
on a loyalty card scheme allowing Russian Standard consumers to attend free branded
gigs across the UK
I commissioned a bespoke touring stage set based on Russian Standard’s opulent back
bar as featured in their television advert - (click here)
This toured MAMA venues including The Forum in London and the Picture House in
Edinburgh
I managed the production of supporting collateral in the form of advertorials in The Fly
Magazine and via MAMA’s online channels Sole production budget owner across a two
year campaign
Liaised with the TV production company in charge of broadcasting the gigs on
Channel 4
Managed the pre-event creative development and on-site build teams including a team
of 15 carpenters, set builders and stage riggers
The talent booked for the gigs included The Noisettes, Plan B, Paloma Faith and
Fenech Soler
Event synopsis and strategy
Russian Standard Vodka

21. Relentless is an energy drink created in 2006 by The Coca-Cola Company.
With the slogan ‘No Half Measures’ the brand aligns itself with dance music
and extreme sports
!
I produced large-scale arena builds for Relentless at both Lovebox and Leeds festivals
Leading the creative development with the brand’s production arm Vision 9 (formerly
Sportsvision)
I progressed the scale and ambition of their production builds over a three- year deal
Directed the team responsible for the pre-event management and on-site build
Budget owner including helping to achieve economies of scale across both Lovebox and
Leeds festivals
Liaised with artist bookers and the festival MD to ensure the stage’s suitability in terms of
both size and aesthetic for promoters and talent such as Hospitality, Booka Shade, Ed
Banger Records, Mulletover and This is Circus
Managed pre-event marketing and PR collateral across print and digital platforms
Event synopsis and strategy
Relentless Energy Drink

25. In 2010 Gaymers cider altered its marketing strategy aiming for an LDA 18-24
year old audience. A major part of this shift in target demographic was
achieved through live marketing campaigns at both Lovebox and Glastonbury
festivals
!
I worked directly with Gaymers marketing directors to develop the following campaigns:
A bespoke 2-tiered tree-house viewing platform and bar aesthetic at Lovebox Festival
I developed the creative and the production build in conjunction with Gaymers and
MAMA’s sponsorship team
Working with Los Angeles based art collective The Do Lab - (click here) we created large
scale wooden pallet structures which could be seen across the whole of the festival site
I progressed the marketing strategy a year later with a roof top party inspired creative,
which toured both Glastonbury and Lovebox festivals
The arena was programmed with talent such as Silent Disco, Hip Hop Karaoke, Drum Along
Disco and Beardyman - all aimed at driving footfall in the 18-24 year old bracket
Budget owner, helping achieve economies of scale across both festival builds Managed the
pre-event creative development and on-site build teams Managed pre-event marketing
and PR collateral across print and digital platforms
Event synopsis and strategy
Gaymers Cider

29. !
Jose Cuervo is a tequila brand produced by Tequila Cuervo La Rojeña. It is
reportedly the largest selling tequila brand in the world with a 19% global
market share
!
In 2010, I worked with Diageo (the then UK distributor for Jose Cuervo) to create a
bespoke festival environment for the brand.
Alongside Jose Cuervo brand managers, I curated a Day of the Dead street fiesta theme
I commissioned spray artists to create the Day of The Dead stage art work The area’s
architecture consisted of a stage at one end, flanked by a margarita bar
Working with Los Angeles based art collective The Do LaB - (click here) we created
suspended canopies over the bar area providing much needed shade during drink
purchase
I directed the team responsible for the pre-event management and on-site build
Budget owner
Booked and managed all carnival collectives and dancers
Managed pre-event marketing and PR collateral across print and digital platforms
Event synopsis and strategy
Jose Cuervo

32. Vintage Festival, the brain child of Hemingway Design - (click here)
moved to London’s Southbank in 2011 The festival is a celebration of
British music, fashion, film, art, design and food
!
Working with The Southbank Centre and MAMA’s sponsorship team, I produced a
series of branded ‘High Street’ shop fronts along with
numerous smaller vintage market traders
I worked with several brands including Benefit cosmetics, New Era caps, Cath
Kidston and Oxfam to design their ‘store front’
The build was created using a series of staggered clear-span marques with
scaffolding sub-structures on to which my team clad the branded store fronts
I commissioned a series of spray artists, some of whom are leaders in photo-realist
street art, to accurately replicate each brand’s identity
I managed the production budgets and was lead client liaison for each of the major
brands involved in the project
Liaising with the Southbank Centre’s preferred supplier list, I ensured reliable water,
internet and power supplies were provided for each brand
Event synopsis and strategy
Vintage Festival

34. !
Leila Padidar
Event Specialist
!
Mob: +447900555736
Email: leila@ickleproductions.com
LinkedIn: My LinkedIn Page
!
Contact Me