History Repeating

In June of 1520, the events industry took a great leap forward. The place was northern France. The location an outdoor venue — the countryside between the small towns of Ardres and Guisnes, at the time still within English territory.

The occasion? A meeting between Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France, who two years before had signed a mutual nonaggression pact that joined major European powers against Ottoman encroachment.

And, of course, it was true then as it is now: You can’t have a meeting without an event. And what an event it was. Lasting two weeks, it would be the most ostentatious display of wealth, culture and courtly sports that Europe had ever seen.

Indeed, for as much as styles have changed over the years, the basic event elements — location, décor, lighting, entertainment, food and beverage — have remained consistent over time, whether they’re part of a triumphal Roman procession, a meeting between nations or an Oscar party. And, although we like to think our bashes reach never-before-achieved heights of event excellence, it turns out that the spectacles of yesteryear sometimes surpassed even the most ambitious contemporary events in size and cost — not to mention historic impact.

A Meeting of Nations

Before the planning profession was even a glimmer in an executive’s eye, the duties of event planner fell to many different parties. That summer in 1520, it was King Henry VIII’s close advisor, the charismatic Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who organized the meeting in an attempt to forge a strategic alliance between France and England. The historic gathering would come to be known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold, after the real gold yarn used in the special manufacture of the hundreds of elaborate tents housing the 12,000 noblemen, women and servants in attendance from both sides.

But the semipermanent structures in use weren’t limited to golden tents. The English built a temporary palace for the occasion: On top of an 8-foot-high brick base rose 30-foot walls made of cloth or canvas and supported on wood frames that were painted to look like stone or brick, according to Bernard Nurse, librarian for the Society of Antiquaries of London. Above was a slanting roof made of oiled cloth painted to look like slate. Additionally, expanses of glass — progenitor of the clear-top tent? — made visitors feel as if they were in the open air, Nurse wrote. And this event didn’t have any lines at the bar: Two fountains outside flowed with wine.

Inside, décor was sumptuous. Ceilings were draped in white silk, with numerous braided gold hangings, as well as carved gilt panels on the walls.

Not to be outdone, the French erected spectacular tented pavilions with ornate pole ornaments mounted atop adjoining galleries, halls, and chambers and constructed of gold and silver material. Inside the royal pavilion, stars and zodiac figures decorated the roof, according to 19th century historian and novelist Charles Morris.

Historical records make it clear that the event was an extraordinary example of conspicuous consumption — the English alone provided 40,000 gallons of wine, 14,500 gallons of beer and ale, over 25,000 fish, three porpoises, a dolphin, 337 oxen, 2,000 chickens and more. So great was the demand for food that they started boiling the beef six weeks beforehand, according to British historian John Guy.

Much as with today’s events, attendees dressed to impress. One French memoirist described the nobles as literally “carrying their castles, woods and farms upon their backs” — they had mortgaged their lands to buy the best clothes they could.

Jousts were the main entertainment and were staged in another huge temporary structure, the “lists,” which were 900 feet long and 320 feet wide. Again, elaborate décor, including a giant tree covered in gold and green damask with green silk and Venetian gold ornamentation, as well as tapestry-laden spectator galleries, was the order of the day.

Rounding out the entertainment during meals and an elaborate Catholic mass was a variety of music, dance and special effects, including a type of mechanical flying dragon and even fireworks. A 16th century oil painting (see pgs. 16-17) depicts many of the components: the procession of royalty, flying dragon, gold tents, English temporary palace and wine fountains, and the tournament structure.

After all the planning and a cost that almost broke the royal treasuries of both countries, this two-week extravaganza was to be for naught — the countries were at war with each other within five years.

When in Rome

But spectacular events weren’t invented in the 1500s. In 167 B.C.E., Roman general L. Aemilius Paullus had just returned from a crushing victory over the Macedonians. His three-day triumph through the streets of the city was typical of the more than 320 such events staged between 753 B.C.E. and 403 A.D.

The Greek historian Plutarch (born circa 46 A.D.) tells us that scaffolds were erected throughout the city for viewing. The first day was completely filled with a procession of the valuable spoils of the war: statues, pictures and colossal images of the conquered country. These images would have had to be manufactured much like our parade floats of today, but instead of motors, they were mounted on 250 chariots and carried by slaves.

The second day was devoted to a similar display of the Macedonian armor, which was highly polished and arranged on hundreds of wagons, after which came 3,000 men carrying 750 vessels full of silver coin.

The third day saw the procession begin early in the morning with trumpeters; 120 sacrificial oxen with gilded horns and heads led by specially costumed young men; 77
more vessels full of gold coin; a number of specially consecrated and bejeweled bowls; and the conquered King Perseus, along with his entire family, friends and attendants, probably under a yoke or in chains. Last in the procession was the conquering hero, Aemilius Paullus, adorned in a purple and gold toga and carrying a laurel branch in his right hand.

Seated in a white chariot pulled by four white horses, he was followed by his entire army in their best uniforms, undoubtedly numbering in the thousands.
This type of triumphal event would normally be paid for out of the spoils of the war, which for this example were worth almost $2 billion in today’s terms — an amount approximately equal to the entire budget of the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics.

One can only imagine the amount of planning required to stage these triumphs, especially when many of them included exotic animals from the conquered countries and the fact that planning had to begin while the general and his army were still in the distant country.

And these two events only scratch the surface of our industry’s storied past. Equally amazing events can be found in the ancient Greek, Egyptian, Chinese, Indian, Cambodian, Mayan, Incan and a host of other civilizations. However, regardless of demographics, budget, duration, cuisine and entertainment, which vary from age to age and culture to culture, it’s clear that the human need to gather and celebrate — and outdo the last celebration — isn’t going anywhere.