Cultural events strategy, leadership and management.
About Us
We are a specialist consultancy that focuses on providing strategic guidance, leadership and management throughout the planning and execution of festivals and events.Our passion lies in supporting and nurturing creative practitioners to conceptualise and deliver high-quality events that achieve their strategic aims, while delivering the best possible experience for their audiences.Services include:
Artist liaison
Applying for and managing premises licences
Audience development
Budget management
Business development and strategic planning
Business support and administration
Continuous improvement strategies
Contract negotiation
Consultation and engagement
Convening and chairing Safety Advisory Groups and Event Liaison Teams
Cultural policy and planning
Developing collaborative relationships
Digital media in festivals and events
Events leadership and direction
Festivals and events management
Food and beverage
Health and safety
Liaising with local authorities and blue light services
Managing product/service development
Managing business web presence
Marketing for cultural events
Managing strategic human resources
Production
Project management
Programming
Research
Shaping organisation culture and values
Sponsor and partnership management
Stakeholder management
Tender, bid and report writing
Venue finding
Venue operations
Visitor experience management
Writing event management plans, risk assessments and method statements
Our Work
We're proud of our diverse client base and the projects we've worked on together. From landowners to producers, programmers to promoters, local authorities to you - we've enjoyed providing all our clients with professional and reliable festival and event services.Below you'll find some examples of the various projects we've enjoyed working on but to hear more about the success of our historical projects please get in touch.
Consultation and Community Engagement
Mechanical Apple carried out a review of London Borough of Enfield's outdoor events strategy, A recommendation that came out of this review was that the Council should seek to improve how festival and event organisers operating in the borough engage the local community.Mechanical Apple conducted focus groups and interviewed event organisers currently operating in the borough to determine best practice. These findings were combined with knowledge gained implementing similar programmes of consultation and engagement with local stakeholders across other venues our personnel have managed. We then created an accessible guidance document which explains how event organisers, the Council and the host community can benefit from strong consultation and community engagement plans.The Council now distributes this guidance to their event organisers and makes it a requirement that event organisers implement robust consultation and community engagement programmes or their event might not be granted permission. As a result, there now improved relations with the host community.To find out how consultation and community engagement can help your event achieve it's positive societal aims, pleas get in touch.
Premises Licence Application
Gunnersbury Park, in the London Borough of Hounslow, is a picturesque urban haven with a rich history. Despite its beauty and potential, the park was underutilised for years and was costing London Boroughs of Ealing and Hounslow (who jointly own the park) too much in maintenance costs. The councils established the Gunnersbury Estate (2026) CIC to manage the park on their behalf and initiate an ambitious revitilisation project which would see the park transformed into a vibrant visitor destination with several revenue streams which can generate the necessary funds to maintain the park.At the centre of the business case the two councils created when making this strategic choice, was the need to generate revenue by charging third-party event organisers to hire Gunnersbury Park as an event venue. The Gunnersbury Estate (2026) CIC leadership recognised the need for a specialist to help deliver this piece of work. Mechanical Apple personnel were available to help with this.Mechanical Apple personnel identified the need for a universal premises licence for Gunnersbury Park which could be used by major event organisers. This licence was essential to hosting large-scale events, festivals, and cultural gatherings. This would improve the salability of the park to potential hirers while also giving greater control to the Gunnersbury Estate (2026) over the type of licensable activities occurring in the park; however, securing this licence presented several challenges:1. Regulatory Complexity and Licensing Act 2003: Navigating the intricacies of licensing regulations, including safety and security measures, was a formidable task.2. Resident Consultation and Engagement: To secure buy-in and support from the local community, extensive resident consultation and engagement were essential. It was clear from the outset that not everyone would share the same enthusiasm for the license application and significant work would need to be carried out to secure buy-in from the host community, and address their concerns.The Process:1. Thorough Planning: Every detail of the event hosting process was meticulously planned, addressing concerns about security, noise, and environmental impact.2. Community Engagement: Understanding the diversity of the community, a comprehensive community engagement strategy was developed. It involved open dialogues, workshops, and feedback mechanisms to ensure that residents' concerns and ideas were heard and integrated into the planning process.3. Addressing Opposition: Recognising that there would be residents opposed to the license, it was crucial to be sensitive to their concerns. Conditions were included in the license that provided assurances regarding noise levels, event frequency, crowd management (particularly around ingress and egress) and environmental impact. These conditions aimed to strike a balance between event hosting and the needs of the local community.The OutcomeThe approval of the 40,000 capacity premises license marked a watershed moment for Gunnersbury Park, leading to a series of transformative outcomes:1. Increased Footfall: The park became a magnet for major festivals, drawing diverse audiences and increasing footfall significantly.2. Economic Impact: Local businesses benefitted from the influx of visitors, boosting the local economy.3. Revenue Generation: Revenue generated from hosting events became critical for the park's upkeep and preservation, ensuring its continued beauty and accessibility.4. Community Engagement: Gunnersbury Park became a hub for community engagement, uniting residents and visitors to celebrate diverse cultures and partake in recreational activities.The journey to obtaining the 40,000 capacity premises license for Gunnersbury Park exemplifies the power of thoughtful planning, community engagement, and sensitive decision-making. It demonstrates that, even in the face of opposition, a balance can be struck between hosting major events and preserving the interests of the community. Today, Gunnersbury Park stands as a testament to the transformative potential of licensing, breathing new life into a cherished space, and strengthening its role as a vibrant cultural and recreational destination.
Strategic Planning and Policy Writing
Come back soon to find out about our experience writing cultural event strategies and policies for local authorities.
Venue Operations
Come back soon to find out about some of spaces we've transformed into vibrant multi-use arts and culture venues.
Thank You
We look forward to working with you.
Legal
Here's where you can find the legal stuff.
TERMS OF BUSINESSThese are the terms upon which Mechanical Apple agrees to act for you. Our agreement takes effect from the date we agree to accept your instructions but these terms will apply from the date we provide you with a copy of them.
1. DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS
1.1. “Terms” means the terms of business set out in this document and include any other terms and conditions set out or referred to in our Fee Proposal. These Terms apply to all services that you instruct us to provide and cannot be varied or amended except in writing and signed by you and us.
1.2. “Client” (referred to throughout as “you”) means the person, company, firm or other legal entity named in our Fee Proposal. We will not accept instructions to act for any other legal entity nor will these Terms apply unless we have agreed in writing to act for that alternative entity. We reserve the right to refuse to act for such an alternative entity until (if at all) we have undertaken due diligence to fulfil our internal credit, money laundering and risk obligations. In the event that we are instructed to act for a single purpose corporate vehicle we reserve the right to require and be provided with a parent company or other guarantee for our fees before accepting instructions to act. In the case of the sale of a Property by a corporate client in which the shares in such client are the assets transferring we will require the shareholders of such corporate client to guarantee its obligations to us.
1.3. “Confidential Information” means information that is by its nature confidential and/or is designated by us to be confidential.
1.4. “Fee Proposal” means any correspondence pertaining to the proposed Services which is sent to you with these Terms. In the event that there is any conflict between the terms set out in this document and the terms set out in the Fee Proposal the terms in the Fee Proposal shall take precedence. For the avoidance of doubt, the terms set out in a Fee Proposal will remain valid for three months from the date of that respective Fee Proposal.
1.5. “Services” means the specific services set out in the Fee Proposal and any other services which we agree in writing to provide.2. FEES
2.1. Our fees are as stated in the Fee Proposal. Our fees may take the form of a fixed fee or may be charged on the basis of an hourly rate (see clause 2.2).
2.2. Hourly Rates: Our fees are charged on hourly rates unless otherwise agreed. These rates are reviewed from time to time. In the event that changes are made to these hourly rates, you may make a reasonable request for further details of such changes.
2.3. Additional Work: Where we are required to undertake additional work outside the agreed scope of the Services additional charges will be agreed.
2.4. Estimates: Any estimates of fees and disbursements are provided on the basis of the information you provide to us. Such estimates are not therefore binding upon us if the information provided is in any way incomplete, misleading or wrong.3. DISBURSEMENTS AND EXPENSES
3.1. We will provide you with an estimate of disbursements and expenses prior to incurring them. Such items include but are not limited to any individual disbursements or multiple disbursements, in respect of which the sum or aggregate sum is £100 or more.
3.2. Disbursements and expenses may be charged to you as soon as they are ascertained or incurred, whether or not our instruction proceeds to a conclusion.
3.3. You agree to indemnify us against any liability on our part in respect of such disbursements and expenses.
3.4. In all circumstances in which your instructions involve an amount of administration on our part, such as photocopying, faxing etc., we shall be entitled to add an administration charge to our bills to cover such expense.4. CHARGES DUE
4.1. As far as is reasonably possible, invoices will be submitted on a monthly basis and our fees will become due for payment after 14 days, free from any discount, deduction set-off or counter claim:
a) on the date(s) specified on the Invoice; and/or
b) when you withdraw your instructions.
4.2. In all other cases charges become due on the date that we issue an invoice for the services provided and/or the disbursements and expenses incurred.
4.3. All invoices are payable by you upon delivery to you.
4.4. In the event that we are required to issue proceedings to recover any fees or disbursements and we are successful in such proceedings you agree that you will pay our legal costs of such proceedings even if the amount claimed is less than the limit for small claims cases. Furthermore, if any invoices remain unpaid, we reserve the right to exercise a general lien on all files, documents and other items in our possession relating to this agreement.5. TAXES
5.1. The fees disbursements and expenses referred to in these Terms and in the Fee Proposal are all subject to the addition of VAT where applicable (and any other taxes whether UK or overseas which may arise).6. INTEREST
6.1. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, in default of payment by you within 14 days of delivery of an invoice, interest will be chargeable upon outstanding invoices at 8% over the Bank of England base rate, and you will become liable for debt recovery costs under Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.7. SCOPE OF SERVICES
7.1. We will exercise reasonable care and skill in our performance of the Services.
7.2. We will perform the Services within a reasonable period of time after acceptance of your instructions on the basis that:
a) any estimates of the time for performance of the Services are not to be legally binding upon us;
and
b) we shall be entitled (but not obliged) to delegate performance of the Services (or any part of them) by instructing one or more other persons, firms or companies (whether as sub-agent or in any other capacity) upon such terms as we consider appropriate in our absolute discretion.
7.3. It may be necessary as part of our work to instruct specialist consultants, suppliers or contractors on your behalf. We will not do so before obtaining your authority. Once you have authorised us to instruct such specialist consultants, suppliers or contractors you will be responsible for payment of their fees and matters relating to their performance. In accepting your instructions to instruct such specialist consultants, suppliers or contractors we do not warrant their competence. If we are instructed by you to supervise the work of such specialist consultants, suppliers or contractors we will be entitled to charge an additional fee calculated by reference to the time incurred in doing so however we assume no liability for any advice given to you by such consultants, suppliers or contractors.8. INFORMATION PROVIDED
8.1. Unless you inform us in writing to the contrary we shall not be required to check or approve the accuracy of information provided to us by you or others.
8.2. Unless you inform us in writing to the contrary you hereby warrant the accuracy of all information provided to us by you or on your behalf on the basis that you expect us to rely upon it.
8.3. You undertake to indemnify us against all costs, claims, charges and expenses of whatever nature which may arise as a result of any such information proving to be inaccurate (whether wholly or in part) or incomplete.
8.4. Subject only to Clause 12 below any information which we acquire from you in the course of performing instructions may be used by us for any other purpose unless you instruct us in writing at any time prior to such use by us.9. OUR REPORTS
9.1. In relation to any written report or advice prepared by us you agree that neither the whole nor any part of our report or advice or Confidential Information may be included in any published document, circular or statement or published in any way without our written approval prior to publication.
9.2. Copyright in any reports, documents or other material provided to you by us shall remain our property at all times.10. PAPERS
10.1. After completing our work, we are entitled to keep all and any of your papers and documents until our fees and charges are paid in full.
10.2. Unless you instruct us to the contrary, you hereby agree that we may destroy papers or documents relating to the Services six years after the date of the final invoice that we send you for the particular matter.
11. E-MAIL
11.1. We shall treat receipt of an e-mail from you as a request to us to communicate with you by e-mail.
11.2. If you intend to communicate with us by e-mail, by accepting these Terms you confirm that you understand the risks of doing so and you authorise us to act upon electronic instructions which have been transmitted (or appear to have been transmitted) by you.12. DATA PROTECTION
12.1. In the course of providing Services to you in accordance with our agreement we may receive personal data about you. We will comply with relevant data protection legislation in the UK (including the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 while it remains in force in the UK). Details about how we collect and process your personal data, the purpose(s) for which we carry out processing of your personal data, and the legal basis (or bases) upon which we carry out such processing, as well as details of how long we will retain your personal data, can be found in our privacy notice at https://mechanicalapple.co.uk/#privacy.
12.2. The privacy notice also contains details about the circumstances in which, and with whom, we may share your personal data, as well as explaining a summary of your rights relating to our processing of your personal data.13. CONFIDENTIALITY AND PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
13.1. Each party undertakes that it shall not disclose to any person any Confidential Information concerning the business, affairs, customers, clients or suppliers of the other party, except as permitted by Clause 13.2.
13.2. Each party may disclose the other party's Confidential Information:
a) to its employees, officers, representatives, subcontractors or advisers strictly to the extent that they need to know such information for the purposes of carrying out that party's obligations under or in connection with these Terms and any agreed Fee Proposal. Each party shall ensure that its employees, officers, representatives, subcontractors or advisers to whom it discloses the other party's Confidential Information must comply with this Clause 13; and
b) as may be required by law, a court of competent jurisdiction or any governmental or regulatory authority.
13.3. You shall not make or cause to be made any public announcement in any form including (but not limited
to) social media or other online communication, public broadcast and print media in respect of any matter contemplated by or otherwise in connection with these Terms and/or any Fee Proposal without our prior written consent (save to the extent strictly required by applicable law).
13.4. You agree that we may make reference to you and use your logo on our website and promotional
materials.14. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
14.1. In relation to any Services provided by us to you the following limitations apply:
14.2. You agree not to bring any claim for any losses against any member, officer, director, employee, consultant, supplier or contractor of Mechanical Apple (each a "Mechanical Apple Person"). You hereby agree that a Mechanical Apple Person does not have a personal duty of care to you and any claim for losses must be brought against Mechanical Apple. It is agreed that any Mechanical Apple Person may enforce this clause under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 but that these terms may be varied at any time without the need for them to consent.
14.3. We will not be liable in respect of any of the following:
a) for any services outside the scope of the Services agreed to be performed by us;
b) to any third party;
c) in respect of any consequential losses or loss of profits.
14.4. Where any loss is suffered by you for which we and any other person are jointly and severally liable to you the loss recoverable by you from us shall be limited so as to be in proportion to our relative contribution to the overall fault.
14.5. Our liability for loss and damage attributable to our negligence, breach of contract, misrepresentation or otherwise (but not in respect of fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, death or personal injury) shall not exceed £1 million per single originating cause. This limit applies to each and every transaction and retainer and any subsequent work we undertake for you unless expressly overridden in a subsequent Fee Proposal signed by a director of Mechanical Apple.
14.6. The exclusions and limitations in this paragraph will not exclude or limit any liability for fraud or dishonesty or for liabilities which cannot lawfully be limited or excluded.
14.7. Where the Fee Proposal is addressed to more than one client, the above limit of liability applies to the aggregate of all claims by all such clients and not separately to each client.15. FORCE MAJEURE
15.1. Mechanical Apple shall not be in breach of this agreement nor liable for delay in performing, or failure to perform, any of its obligations under this agreement if such delay or failure result from events, circumstances or causes beyond its reasonable control. In such circumstances either Mechanical Apple or you may terminate this agreement by giving 14 days' written notice to the other party.16. INDEMNITIES
16.1. You agree to indemnify us against all costs, claims, charges and expenses which we shall incur by reason of (but not limited to):
a) Use of any of our work for purposes other than those agreed by us.
b) Misrepresentation by you or with your authority to third parties of advice given by us.
c) Misrepresentation to third parties of the extent of our involvement in any particular project.
16.2. You also agree to indemnify us against any and all damages or liability suffered by us, arising from the use by us of material provided by you to us the copyright of which is vested in a third party.17. ASSIGNMENT
17.1. Neither this agreement nor any of its terms may be assigned by you to any third party unless agreed in writing.18. VARIATION
18.1. Except as set out in these conditions, no variation of the agreement shall be effective unless it is in writing and signed by the parties (or their authorised representatives).19. TERMINATION OF INSTRUCTIONS
19.1. We may terminate any agreement governed by these Terms immediately by notice in writing:
a) Where as a result of circumstances outside the control of both of us the Services become impossible to perform; or
b) Where you have rendered the Services impossible to perform; or
c) where you have provided incorrect information to us contrary to Clause 8 above upon which we have relied; or
d) if you have not made payment by the due date of any sum payable to us; or
e) at any time in the event that you are in material breach of your obligations to us; or
f) without assigning any reason and on the basis that you are under no obligation to pay any fees in respect of the matter and that we are under no obligation to perform any further services.
19.2. You (and if clause 19.1 does not apply we) may terminate any agreement governed by these Terms by giving not less than 28 days’ notice in writing. However, if the Fee Proposal states a minimum period for our instruction, notice to terminate may not be given so as to expire before the end of that period.
19.3. On termination of our instructions you will be liable to pay to us any outstanding disbursements and expenses and you will remain liable for any fees arising under Clauses 2, 3 and 5 of these Terms.
19.4. Notwithstanding termination of our agreement with you the provisions of Clauses 1 to 10, 12, 13, 14, 19.3, 19.4, 20, 22 and 23 shall remain in full force and effect.20. MONEY LAUNDERING COMPLIANCE
20.1. We are required by law to operate procedures pursuant to the Money Laundering Regulations 2007, which may include requesting that you provide us with documentary proof of identity, proof of address and/or proof of funding in relation to a particular transaction or instruction. You agree to comply with any such requests promptly.21. COMPLAINTS
21.1. All complaints must be submitted in writing by email, and clearly labelled as a complaint to hello@mechanicalapple.co.uk.22. LAW AND JURISDICTION
22.1. These terms of business are subject to the laws of England and Wales.
22.2. Any dispute shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.
22.3. If a court rules that any provision of these Terms is invalid or unenforceable this will not affect the validity of the rest of the Terms which will remain in force.23. RIGHTS OF THIRD PARTIES
23.1. Except as set out in clause 13 none of the Terms shall be enforceable under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 by a third party. No third party will be entitled to rely on any Report or advice except as agreed in writing by us.
PRIVACY NOTICEThis privacy notice sets out how Mechanical Apple uses and protects any Personal Data that you provide us.1. WHO WE COLLECT DATA FROM:
1.1. Mechanical Apple collects information from:
a) Customers and prospective customers
b) Suppliers and consultants
c) Potential employees
d) Stakeholders participating in research and consultation programmes2. CUSTOMERS OF MECHANICAL APPLE
2.1. We may collect, store and process Personal Data of our customers, suppliers and consultants. In doing so Mechanical Apple will complying with all laws and regulations that apply to the collection, use and control of such Personal Data.3. CUSTOMERS OF MECHANICAL APPLE’S CUSTOMERS
3.1. We may collect store and process Personal Data of customers of Mechanical Apple’s customers, solely on our customers behalf and at their direction.4. THE INFORMATION WE COLLECT
4.1. Via our website: We only collect Personal Data that has been sent to us directly by you via a contact form (such as name, telephone number, business address (which could also be your personal address).
4.2. Outside of our website: Personal information may also be collected directly by us when you enter into a contract with us or contact us to make an enquiry via email, telephone or post.5. HOW WE USE THE INFORMATION WE COLLECT.
5.1. Where relevant, the use of your Personal Data will be justified by the following condition:
a) Our use of your Personal Data is in our legitimate interest as a commercial organisation, provided it is conducted at all times in a way that is proportionate, and that respects your privacy rights;
b) Our use of your Personal Data is necessary to perform a contract or take steps to enter into a contract with you
c) You have provided your consent to us for using the Personal Data in that way for example where you provide us with consent to send you newsletters.
5.2. Your Personal Data will not be used for any other purpose than provided by this Notice. We will use the information you supply:
a) To answer a specific enquiry or respond to your complaints;
b) For general business purposes, such as the administration of your customer account and the fulfilment of our service to you.
c) To ensure we comply with Money Laundering Regulations.6. DIRECT MARKETING
6.1. We will not use your Personal Data for direct marketing purposes unless you opt in to receive such information.7. HOW WE USE INFORMATION COLLECTED THROUGH COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES
7.1. We use cookies across our website to improve performance and enhance user experience.8. WHO WE DISCLOSE YOUR INFORMATION TO
8.1. We work with third parties to help manage our business and deliver services to you. We disclose and share your Personal Data:
a) Among Mechanical Apple staff
b) To third party service providers that perform services for us on our behalf to assist with the fulfilment of our service to you [specialist consultants, barristers, LPA]. Such service providers are required to handle your Personal Data in accordance with applicable laws and principles related to privacy and data protection;
c) Any access to such information will be limited to the purpose for which such information is provided to us or our service providers.9. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS
9.1. We do not use third parties or services from outside of the UK.10. HOW WE PROTECT AND STORE YOUR INFORMATION
10.1. We take the security of the information we collect seriously. We maintain technical and organisational security measures, policies and procedures intended to reduce the risk of unauthorised disclosure or access to such information.
10.2. Personal Data is stored on our servers in the UK.11. RETENTION OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA
11.1. We will retain your Personal Data for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected. In some circumstances we may retain your Personal Data for longer periods of time, for instance where we are required to do so in accordance with legal, regulatory, tax or accounting requirements.
12. YOUR RIGHTS AND HOW TO OPT OUT OR REQUEST CHANGES
12.1. Subject to certain exemptions, you have the right to:
a) Access your Personal Data
b) Rectify /erase Personal information
c) Restrict the processing of your Personal Data
d) Transfer your Personal Data
e) Object to the processing of Personal Data
f) Object to how we use your Personal Data for direct marketing purposes
g) Lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority13. CONTACT US
13.1. If you have any questions, concerns or complaints regarding our compliance with this Notice and the data protection laws or if you wish to exercise your rights of access, choice, rectification or deletion, please contact us at hello@mechanicalapple.co.uk
