WORLD YOUTH DAY 2008
Background
A celebration of faith, attracting youth from across the globe, World Youth Day (WYD) 2008 was held in Sydney from Tuesday 15 to Sunday 20 July. The largest event ever hosted in Australia, WYD08 saw 223,000 registered pilgrims, including 110,000 from 170 nations, flock toward Sydney to help celebrate the birth of the Church.
Marking the first visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to Australia, WYD08 played host to a weeklong series of events - culminating in a final mass celebrated by the Pope on the last day (the actual World Youth Day). As stated by (Most Rev) Anthony Fisher OP Bishop Coordinator WYD 2008, “An extraordinary outpouring of divine grace upon our church, our country and the youth of the world! A tsunami of faith and joy. We can be confident that it will bear abundant fruit in the lives of our young people for years to come”
Challenge
As with any event of this size and caliber, a well organised approach sets the foundation for a smooth running, problem free experience. With so many people in attendance, combined with the high levels of excitement such events embrace, security as well as effective crowd managementwas of the utmost importance. As the pinnacle event of the Catholic calendar year, WYD footage was streamed to viewers across the globe, making it imperative that a consistent look and feel was rolled out across each compound,to not only bring each venue together as one, but also complimentthe overall experience.
As thousands of children, from countries across the globe, attempted to navigate across Australia’s largest city, clear and concise signage was an essential component - making sure participants would find their way to each event in a safe and orderly manner. With possibly the worlds most admired icon in attendance - His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI - any and all signage had to be of the highest quality, boasting weather durable, fire retardant materials, as well as a dynamic print worthy ofworldwide exposure.
Strategy
Following initial client consultation, to determine event requirements and potential, SCAFFAD recommended a fire retardant, OH & S compliant, anti-fungal, heavy-duty vinyl crest mesh, capable of supporting a full UV digital print. Strong enough to ensure security barriers would not be breached; the SCAFFAD bannersframed the configuration of each site, assisting with crowd control and direction, as well as branding the route through which His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI would travel across Sydney.
Working to extremely tight deadlines, the SCAFFAD team worked tirelessly through each night, to ensure products were delivered and client deadlines were met. Throughout the event regular maintenance and progress reports were provided to the client, detailing banner installs, take downs, as well as damage reports - the SCAFFAD team were proud to announce their banners had survived WYD’s mass exposure with ease, and would go on to become souvenirs for hundreds of WYD participants.
Results
The SCAFFAD team worked closely with both the event coordinators, as well as the Catholic Church, bringing each site to life through colourful branding and event messaging. Through the use of vinyl mesh fence wraps and event banners, the team created a visually appealing screen, shielding the outside from what lay within – allowing pilgrims to participate in this unforgettable experience with peace of mind they could safely navigate from one event to the next. In addition to the many benefits aiding event security, the SCAFFAD banners also offered a communicative medium, used for additional branding as well as the direction of human traffic around each venue.
Following the event, the SCAFFAD team was very humbled and grateful to receive a thank you letter from both the Catholic Church as well as the Vatican directly. According to (Most Rev) Anthony Fisher OP Bishop Coordinator WYD 2008, “While we are all still basking in the afterglow of those wonderful days, we wanted to record our heartfelt thanks to you. As we told the Holy Father, you poured out your time, your talents, your energy – your heart and soul – for World Youth Day. The Church is so very proud of you and grateful to you.”
For more information and imagery, download the WYD2008 PDF..