Beat the Baton attracted over 800 participants, who ran the course around the Park to the accompaniment of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, to raise money for people suffering from multiple sclerosis, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke and cancer.
Logistics for the event were taken care of by London-based Absolute Events, working closely with Wandsworth Council's events manager for Battersea Park, Alison Smith.
Formed in 1998 by Jonathan Price, Absolute Events' experience stood them in good stead to handle this occasion. "Not only was this the first Beat the Baton Sue Ryder Care has held, but it was the first time the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra has played in the Park so, amongst the other requirements, we needed a stage that could accommodate them adequately and a sound system that would do them justice," says Price.
To this end, Star Events Group and SRC supplied a 13m Alpha Stage, whilst sound rental company Britannia Row provided a loudspeaker system that was hung around the perimeter of the course and fed from a DiGiCo D5 Live digital mixing console.
(Jim Evans)
