GL events served a double to help put world-class wheelchair tennis in the frame, providing multi-purpose sporting event temporary structures and temporarily increasing spectator seating capacity for the Tennis Foundation’s globally televised NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters.
The NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters tournament sees the world’s top-ranked wheelchair tennis players battling it out to be crowned master of their division and was once again hosted by the Tennis Foundation at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
For the third consecutive year, GL events’ seating and stadia experts were tasked with temporarily boosting existing seating capacity for the tournament. In order to preserve the venue’s state-of-the-art indoor tennis courts, the team laid down protective polythene and MDF layers before erecting two separate courtside temporary grandstands, creating generously proportioned and comfortable tiered spectator seating for more than 600 additional fans. Carpet was fitted around the grandstands to enhance visitors’ experience and create a premium event aesthetic.
These grandstands remained in place for four days, throughout the initial rounds of the tournament. The GL events team then worked through the night to prepare for the final day of the tournament; rapidly dismantling its tiered temporary seating grandstands before reconfiguring them around the venue’s main court, which played host to the highly anticipated finals.
Off the courts, GL events erected a smart, multi-purpose 25 x 45m temporary event venue. Within this space, our structures team installed power distribution, heating, and topped off the short-term event building with a curved, eclipse roof, complimented by daylight emulating, high-level LED lighting. Our structure included a vibrant, branded gable end, and came complete with a restaurant and equipped back of house kitchen facilities as well as a spacious lounge area, where visitors could relax and enjoy their choice of refreshments.
Our structure was also home to a supersized activity zone, where event-goers had the opportunity to meet star players, participate in a variety of fun and accessible tennis activities, and take advantage of free coaching. As with all GL events event solutions, our temporary event building was completely accessible for all, being equipped with fully compliant ramps and handrails, as well as temporary external trackway to ensure easy access in all weathers.
GL events supplied 170,000sqm of temporary sports buildings and 130,000 tiered seats for spectators at the London Olympics in 2012 and, at the close of another memorable Paralympic year, were delighted to return to the venue that hosted the London 2012 Paralympic Tennis Event. Our support of this inclusive and experiential sporting event further strengthened our partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association, whose tournaments and events up and down the country are supported by GL events throughout the year.
