Access All AreasNeptunus’ Rugby World Cup 2015 Fanzone, created by ICON, has been a popular attraction in Rugby.
Thousands of people have been celebrating Rugby World Cup 2015 at the game’s spiritual home of Rugby in a programme of sporting, cultural and heritage events, staged in a bespoke venue provided by temporary structure specialists Neptunus.
Rugby Borough Council appointed events company ICON to create a temporary festival village in the historic town of Rugby to celebrate England’s hosting of the Rugby World Cup tournament.
ICON, whose branding and graphics have appeared at global live experiences and major sporting events, developed the concept for the unique World Cup Fanzone within one of Neptunus’ state-of-the-art structures.
The Fanzone, operational for all eight weeks of the Rugby World Cup, has a capacity for 2,000 people and is free to enter for fans and families for 17 match-days during the tournament – with live coverage of games, entertainment, food and drink and rugby-based activities.
Located on Old Market Square in Rugby town centre, the Fanzone is situated just a short distance from Rugby School, where the game originated when William Webb Ellis famously picked up a ball in a football match and ran with it.
Matthew Deaves, infrastructure lead for Rugby Borough Council’s World Cup, said the Fanzone had been created to celebrate the town’s heritage with the game, but to also stage a festival packed programme of events covering the arts, engineering, literature, film, sport, science and food and drink.
Deaves said: “Neptunus was able to provide us with a temporary structure with the flexibility to be quickly adapted for a multitude of cultural events running in tandem with the World Cup schedule.
“On match days rugby fans can watch all the action unfold on large TV screens in a fantastic fun environment, while on non-match days the facility is transformed for a host of events including film, theatre, music concerts and comedy nights along with a dedicated programme of events for schoolchildren during half-term.
“The Rugby Village Festival programme has proved to be immensely popular giving the opportunity for thousands of people to join in the Rugby World Cup celebrations.”
Bert Glover, project manager at ICON, added: “The Neptunus structure provides versatility across the wide range of event types that make up the Enjoy Rugby Festival. Whether packed to the rafters for live rugby and rock concerts, or as a stylish setting for media events and intimate theatre performances, it offers a comfortable and atmospheric event space.”
April Trasler, managing director of Northamptonshire-based Neptunus, commented: “We are delighted to have been selected to supply the Fanzone structure to the historic town of Rugby, where the great game has its roots. This festival demonstrates the amazing flexibility of our structures and our ability to accommodate large audiences, no matter what the event or how big the occasion.”
The Fanzone was created within a 750sqm Neptunus’ Evolution II structure with a clear span floor space for people to view games on a giant 5m x 3m screen with bar areas and external toilet facilities.
Neptunus was also responsible for providing the building’s steel under structure, air-conditioning, flooring, ramps and handrails. The facility will be dismantled on 6 November, the week after the Rugby World Cup Final.
