Neptunus takes centre stage at NATO 70th Anniversary Summit

The Solution
Calling on their vast experience from previous high-profile NATO events, the 16-strong Neptunus technical team took just 30 days to construct a vast network of impressive temporary facilities spanning over 7,000 square metres – large enough to cover the football pitch at Wembley Stadium.
The intricate layout included a main conference centre and a press conference building, utilising Neptunus’ state-of-the-art Evolution technology. These were situated either side of an Alure Globe temporary structure that formed a meeting area for delegates. The complex had an atrium-style entrance accessed from a covered walkway which also led to a dedicated exhibition hall and a facility with private delegate meeting rooms, with everything built within the hotel’s walled garden. Both conference rooms were constructed with solid floors and roofing, and were completely sound-proof in accordance with the organiser’s rigorous stipulations.

Elsewhere across the site Neptunus built a holding area for media alongside a crew catering facility. Technicians also constructed a 3,800 square metre media centre with a dedicated area, split into sections, for television presenters to broadcast summit news around the world with The Grove Hotel as a backdrop to their film reports.

Neptunus built over 100 metres of carpeted bespoke covered walkway, lined with images commemorating NATO’s 70 year history, which threaded around the hotel car park and into the Walled Garden complex. Neptunus was responsible for Carpentry, Sound Proofing, Acoustic Internal Ceilings and the steel under-structure for any of the temporary buildings that required elevation.

The Challenges

The summit presented Neptunus with one of the company’s greatest logistical challenges.

Sound proofing the two key areas where the world leaders would be holding discussions and briefings was of paramount importance to the organisers.

The main part of the temporary complex had to be built inside the walled garden which only had a narrow access point. A crane was used to lift equipment into place with virtually every square metre of space within the garden covered with temporary structures, leaving just enough room for Neptunus’ technical team to operate in.

With the look and feel of permanent buildings, Neptunus’ robust Evolution structures used to accommodate the key conference facilities were so sound-proof that mobile phones could not be used inside as there was no signal.

Although The Grove was taken over by NATO for all three days of the anniversary summit, the hotel remained fully operational during the build up to the summit and through the dismantling phase.

Neptunus’ technicians carried out their complicated build programme without interrupting the day-to-day running of the hotel. This also included a period when England’s football team were staying and training at The Grove for two key European Championship Qualifying matches several weeks before the NATO summit.