Press Release : Master TentMaker Rudi Enos Awarded Legend Status at 2025’s EPAs.
Rudi Enos receives the Legend Award presented by Festival Republic’s Melvin Benn.
At the glittering Event Production Awards ceremony on Friday 21 March 2025, at London’s historic Connaught Rooms, attended by industry friends old and new, Rudi Enos received the Access All Areas Legend Award.
The award recognises outstanding achievements and contributions to the outdoor events industry over a career, honouring individuals who have pioneered, innovated, and driven change - someone who has demonstrated a commitment to excellence, innovation, and leadership within the industry.
Following a film that included praise and endorsements from colleagues and clients, such as Glastonbury’s Michael Eavis, Festival Republic MD Melvin Benn presented the Special Structures Lab founder and celebrated event structures designer with the Access All Areas Legend Award.
Michael Eavis congratulated Rudi by saying
“Congratulations Rudi on being such a star and designing most of the tents in the business.
You've done so well, and you really deserve the award.”
Melvin Benn acknowledged Rudi’s achievements by saying “They say that big outdoor events are all about the promoter and the headliners - the faces of the event, but it's not true. They are also about the many, many people that contribute in an unseen way and Rudi, although the product of your unseen work is seen, the massive amount of engineering and creativity that goes into your work is seen by only a few. I count myself lucky to be among that few and you genuinely deserve this award for your massive contribution to engineering and design of some amazing spaces that millions of people have enjoyed. Congratulations”.
Strategy Director of engineering firm Alan White Design, Malachy Ryan, who has worked with Rudi on many tensile structures, went on to say “I just wanted to say that I’m absolutely delighted for you. It’s a fantastic achievement and it's been fantastic to be a part of your journey. I've not met any other person within the tensile industry that has your depth of knowledge and experience, and the title of the award ‘Legend Award’ is definitely fitting for you”.
Technical Director of SSL, Alex Prideaux said “He has certainly pioneered the way in which certainly the festival industry has been covered over the last 40 years, from the early days at Worthy Farm at Glastonbury. He's had a huge impact - he's the first person that a lot of people will call when something very unique needs to be done. He has such a specialist skill set and he's always prepared to push the boundaries”.
On the night itself, Melvin Benn was proud to present the award to Rudi, saying in his presentation speech,
“Rudi, it’s genuinely a real pleasure to be able to give you this award.
The real reason I’m here is because there’s only 2 people in the industry older than Rudi, and for the Legend Award you do need someone older than the person that’s receiving it. That’s Michael [Eavis] and myself and in the end, Michael couldn't make it this evening, and I’m very pleased to give you this Rudi.
I can’t even think of the first time we met - even though you reminded me of it, I think, recently - it was a very long time ago [Rudi “Worker’s Beer Company”], yes, the Worker’s Beer Company in the 1980s. We go back from the point before ‘the festival industry’ - and it’s an industry now, in that sense but it wasn’t an industry then - it was a few people who knew how to deal with events outdoors and outdoors within - indoors within outdoors, so to speak.
It's Rudi and his family, Colin, and his next generations down - the generations that are coming up... but the person that designed in the creativity sense, was Rudi. And as Michael said, we return to him time and time and time again. And for myself, most recently, I turned to him for a structure that didn’t actually have any tensile piece of it ostensibly, which is the Chevron Stage for Reading and Leeds Festival - entirely outdoor - entirely aluminium - in that sense, there is no tented piece to it. I hope I will have a tented piece to it in the future, but for the first year we had no tented piece to it. That thought of mine - what I wanted to create was put into real life by Rudi.
Rudi it’s an honour to be stood with you. You really have covered lots of festival spaces - allowed incredible, incredible, incredible performances inside your structures.
Foo Fighters first played Reading Festival inside one of Rudi’s structures, I think in 1995... 96. It nearly brought the structure down, but it was built well enough for them, despite all of their trying to bring it down.
Rudi, you genuinely deserve this award.”
Rudi Enos, accompanied by his wife Eileen, daughter Laurianne and fellow director Alex Prideaux and his wife Katie, graciously accepted the award saying,
“Thank you so much. When I started building stages, it was the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977. And the event industry has changed beyond recognition in that time. In those days, Glastonbury and other festivals had tube and clip scaffold, and tarpaulins tied on with bailing string and wire. And now I'm seeing amazing venues that are being built for touring shows, for festivals. And it's just such an amazing industry, that the UK has - we lead the world in event technology - from stages to lighting to all the new innovations, such as the Chevron Stage - and congratulations to Melvin for having the courage to even build the thing, by the way!
So, if people want to come into this industry - we should welcome them. And people ask, "Is it a good industry to be in?". And all I'd like to say is this - it's an industry where you have to discover it and invent it, at the same time.
So, for those young people coming in, all I can say is, welcome to a world where anything is possible”.
All press and media enquiries to info@specialstructures.com.
Steve Theivendrarajah, Group Portfolio Director, Access All Areas & The Event Production Show and Rudi (top left) with all the night’s award winners.
