TRUE STORIES HI-VIS WONDER WOMAN A change maker in a male-dominated industry, we find out what it takes to stage the feel-good festival of the summer with operations director at S&C Productions, Louise Young
F or many, festivals are the highlight of the summer – dreamy days that offer the chance to leave the real world behind and lose yourself to music, magic and a magnetic energy. Yet, in those moments, it is easy to forget the sheer amount of work that goes into staging such an event. For feel-good family festival The Cambridge Club (CC), a major local event run by S&C Productions, that weight largely falls on the shoulders of Louise Young. As operations director, Louise oversees the movements of roughly 12,000 people on any given day during the festival. Last year, the event drew crowds of more than 25,000 people over the weekend. “There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes to allow every single one of those people to have an amazing time in as safe an environment as possible,” she begins. Before the festival even starts, Louise’s multifaceted role involves designing the site, overseeing the build and production, plus everything from security and crowd management down to what food and drink will be provided. It’s a huge job that has continually evolved since Louise first joined the S&C team after a suggestion from her brother (one of the company’s founders) to help look after the finances. “My background is in economics and finance, but I also knew that I didn’t want to sit in an office all day,” she comments. After immediately realising that the company could benefit from tighter organisation, Louise rose to the challenge, combining her financial know-how with the logic and organisation required for events management. Having grown up in Newmarket, Louise’s interest in large-scale events was sparked by the likes of Newmarket Nights, but it was an obvious gap in the Cambridge market that inspired the S&C team to launch the festival as a community-driven space where thousands of people could descend every summer. TIPPING THE SCALES In finding her inspiration for the event, Louise looks to the likes of Latitude as
WORDS BY PHOEBE HARPER
CLOSE TO THE ACTION Louise stageside at The Cambridge Club Festival, enjoying the music
30 APRIL 2024 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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