Case Study: Hackney Festival Of Fitness With Virgin Sport
Written by
Bella Jolly
Brand Lead
With 10 years' experience working in brand and content for some of the UK's biggest hospitality brands under her belt, Bella takes ownership of the Togather brand. Bella's passion for the events industry shines through in her work, ensuring the stories of amazing suppliers and unforgettable events are effectively communicated through various mediums such as video, photo and the written word.
Outside of work, she can be found scrolling TikTok or enjoying a spicy margarita.
Published on Sat 26 August 2023
The Brief:
The Virgin Sport Hackney Festival of Fitness is one of the most popular sporting events in the UK. The event takes place each year across a weekend in May and includes the Hackney Half Marathon on the Sunday, which brings in huge crowds of 60,000 to celebrate at the finishing line in the Hackney Marshes. Togather has been working with Virgin Sport on this event since 2017, as well as on its Oxford Half Marathon.
The Event Details
Client: Virgin Sport
Venue: Hackney Marshes, London
Event type: Sporting event
Number of attendees: 60,000+
What Did We Do?
Togather's event management team provided end-end support, which included the handling of supplier documentation and payments, and logistical operations such as overseeing load-in and de-rig. The team worked closely with Virgin Sport to ensure the selected suppliers were suitably placed on-site, and assisted with specific production requirements such as access to power and water. Togather also provided an on-site management team for the duration of the festival, to ensure the smooth running of the event.
Going The Extra Mile
Togather worked closely with the Virgin Sport team to curate a line up of suppliers to best suit the demographic. Suppliers were selected for the event based on their ability to turn around between 200-300 portions per hour, keeping queue times at a minimum whilst maintaining the Togather standard of quality. Supporting local suppliers is hugely important to the Virgin Sport team, so 50% of the selected line-up were local to the Hackney area.
Thanks to the data we collected at the event through our EPOS systems, we had unparalleled knowledge of the attendees' cuisine and menu-item preferences. We were able to learn from this data to improve the offering in to best suit this audience, resulting in a 38% increase in sales.
Our Supplier Line Up:
13x street food suppliers (inc. Antonino's Pizza & Nanny Bills)
4x dessert suppliers (inc. Hackney Gelato)
4x coffee suppliers (inc. Seriously Coffee)
3x bar suppliers (inc. Five Points Brewery)
What Did The Client Think?!
"Togather have been our trusted food and bar partner at Hackney Half since 2017 and we've thoroughly enjoyed working with them. Their team removed all the stress that delivering any large-scale event brings with it from a catering perspective. We look forward to continuing to grow both Hackney and Oxford Half events alongside Togather for many years to come."
Learn More About Togather Pro
If you would like to learn more about how we can help your business host a spectacular event, product launch or company celebration please email our Senior Partnerships Manager Lisa at l.mifsud@togather.com. Alternatively please feel free to make an enquiry so that we can connect you with one of our dedicated event experts!