Operation London Bridge
The State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II
It was our great privilege to play central role in the delivery of HM The Queen’s Funeral, known as Operation LONDON Bridge. LS Events worked with the Greater London Authority (GLA) from early 2021 as the central event management agency tasked with coordinating and delivering the overarching event management plan, resulting in one of the largest pan-London coordinated projects ever seen.
Pioneering major event
Whilst the planning of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral had been ongoing for many years, the appointment of LS Events by the GLA marked a change in how London coordinated and delivered major ceremonial events and specifically events of national significance. LS Events stepped into this new role with the primary objective of ensuring London was able to provide a safe and successful delivery of a multi-faceted and complex pan-London event, with a fully collaborative approach with all the key London Partners, stakeholders, contractors and extensive workforce at no notice.
The eyes of the world were watching, with over 63% of the global population tuning in to watch the ceremonial events unfold across the largest event footprint ever delivered in central London.
In depth knowledge
In addition to the central coordination, LS Events were tasked with key event deliverables, utilising our in depth knowledge of delivering large scale events within Central London. Key event deliverables provided by the LS Events team were as follows:
Operational delivery of the Ceremonial Procession Viewing Areas on D+5 and D+10 (the ceremonial event days marking the procession of HM The Queen to Westminster Hall for Lying in State and the subsequent processions following the State Funeral )
Operational delivery of the Hyde Park and Kensington Garden Viewing Areas on the ceremonial event days
Operational delivery of the Principal Proclamation public viewing at St. James’s Palace
Operational coordination of Grey Space management with appointed Crowd Management contractor (SES Group)
Infrastructure support for Floral Tributes in Green Park and Hyde Park
Notice of Death queue management infrastructure at Buckingham Palace following death announcement
Onsite site management across the overall event footprint
Operational Command and Control in Palestra Event Liaison Facility (PELF); the 24/7 Central Command and Control for the full event programme.
At the very epicentre of this project was the provision of one overarching Event Management Plan that was able to deconflict the many moving parts necessary for what was one of the most historical events London has ever hosted. A robust and comprehensive Stakeholder Engagement programme with critical planning workstreams spanning all key agencies, including the Metropolitan Police, The Royal Parks, Government departments, the Ministry of Defence and London Authorities, enabled London to not only honour our beloved Queen, but to ensure that londoners, the nation and the world could feel part of this most significant moment in history.
Mobilising for a Nation
LS Events provided a full complement of services including project management, event management, site management, crowd management, traffic management and infrastructure plans to enable the public to gather, pay their respects and move seamlessly through multiple Central London sites over ten days.
To represent our industry with an event of such magnitude and historical significance was a humbling and momentous experience. We could not have achieved this complex and multifaceted event delivery without the immediate support of over 150 event professionals, alongside a network of trusted suppliers, who were able to provide their services within a matter of hours.
It was an honour and privilege for LS Events to mobilise an extraordinary network of event professionals to work side by side to help deliver the State Funeral for HM Queen Elizabeth II.