A Bournemouth sports and music festival – known as the ‘Sporting Glastonbury’ – has been shortlisted for two awards by a nationally recognised events organisation.
The Bournemouth 7s festival – which celebrated its tenth anniversary this year – has been nominated in both the Sports Event of the Year and Best Practice categories at the National Outdoor Events Association (NOEA) awards.
Bournemouth 7s Events Manager Paul Ashurst said: “In recent years, the growth in profile and reputation of the festival, both on a regional and national level, has been truly rewarding for our small company which is still privately owned and based in Bournemouth.
“Recognition from industry bodies such as NOEA is further testament to the hard work we put in each year and it’s brilliant for us to be in such good company. We are really looking forward to the awards dinner later in the year.”
The festival, held annually on the May Bank Holiday weekend, has grown from a small rugby event to seeing over 30,000 people pass through its gates each year, with teams travelling from across the world to take part in events ranging from hockey to dodgeball.
It has now become a fixture in the festival season and often attracts big names from both the musical and sporting worlds.
“Grown beyond expectations”
Ashurst said that Bournemouth 7s had “grown beyond expectations”, declaring that the festival now “features prominently on the calendar of national sports teams and local people alike!”.
The National Outdoor Events Association is the UK’s leading outdoor events trade association. Its website describes it as ‘dedicated to enhancing professionalism in the outdoor events industry through education, networking, lobbying, advice and creating business opportunities.’
The awards ceremony will be held on the 22nd November at the Roman Baths and Pump Room, Bath, Somerset.
