The Queen was joined by President Trump and Theresa May today to honour the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings that kick-started the liberation of Europe from the Nazis.
Arena supplied 13 bespoke structures, a variety of seating solutions and fencing and barriers for the National Commemorative Event on 5 June 2019 at Southsea Common as part of the D Day 75 commemorations in UK and France. Portsmouth, where much of the landing force sailed from in 1944, was the focal point of national commemorations for D-Day 75.
Several different structures were installed ranging from back of house crew catering to kitchens, medical and press tents as well as Royal and Ministry of Defence suites. The Veterans were treated to a fitting tribute with Her Majesty the Queen in attendance along with President Trump, key Heads of Government and the Ministry of Defence. VIP’s enjoyed lunch in the Arena facility and the Head of state photoshoot was also held within one of the Arena structures.
The Arena team worked around the clock to ensure the finish and delivery was fit for this exclusive, international audience.
Over 3 thousand Samsonite chairs, over 700 tiered seats 172 VIP chairs for the Royal Box and several Wheelchair positions were installed, as well as a roof covering and fencing and barriers for the commemorative event.
Hosted by the Ministry of Defense, the private event was attended by hundreds of veterans and invited guests, including heads of state, and featured a flypast of up to 25 historic and modern RAF aircraft including a Spitfire.
Bradley Merchant, Project Director of UK & Europe Seating commented:
“We are really proud to be involved in this event which pays tribute to an important moment in our history. The Commemorative event was especially sensitive, and we had to work around tight time constraints and a high level of security to get the structures and seating installed on time and to the highest of standards. It was great to also work with the team at H Power Group again who we recently worked with to deliver seating for the Royal Windsor Horse Show.”
Arena, who is no stranger to ceremonial events, has supplied event infrastructure for numerous royal, government, and commemorative events over their long history including the Sousse & Bardo memorial opening earlier this year, the 2018 Royal Wedding, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, amongst others.
