Showsec has been awarded its highest ever score by the ACS (Approved Contractor Scheme), reinforcing its commitment to progressively raising customer service and staff training standards in the live events sector.

The ACS scheme is a voluntary annual inspection for providers of security services, which aims to raise performance standards and assist the security industry in developing new business development opportunities.

Members of the Showsec team, including training and development manager Roy Wise, head of human resources Debbie Atherton, Midland’s regional manager Richard Church and training coordinator Charlie Hanna organised the assessment, which lasted three days and took place at Showsec’s Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield offices.

An independent examiner marked Showsec on 92 different criteria covering company processes including finance, training, recruitment, HR, operations and systems, in addition to attending two Showsec events, interviewing two of its clients, 30 members of staff and a selection of the public to determine the company’s areas of good practice.

Showsec exceeded last year’s score of 105 with a score of 118, a record for the company, reflecting Showsec’s ongoing development and continuous improvements made to company processes.

During the assessment two areas of good practice were identified in communication and training operations, where Showsec was commended for its online portal and innovative online booking system. Praise was also given to Showsec’s investment in a dedicated training team and electronic e-learning platform for staff which is set to launch in January.
 
Speaking of the award, Richard Church said:

"This year Showsec has continued to develop its communication and training areas, giving us a strong platform to build on for the future. To be awarded our sixth ACS award and to also break our company record score proves that we are continually extending and upgrading our training programs in order to improve the service we offer our clients.”

Date: January 2012

Pictured: Richard Church

Leading event security specialist Showsec successfully implemented a crowd management operation for the Manchester Christmas Markets, a key festive event held in the city from 11th November – 23rd December.

Showsec provided a team of SIA licensed staff 24 hours a day to the eight sites which spread across the city centre from St Ann’s Square to the Triangle, including members of staff during the daytime and eight at night.

Public safety was of ultimate importance for the multifaceted markets which included European-style stalls selling continental foods, crafts and gifts, and a broad audience demographics ranging from families to foreign visitors. 

Showsec worked closely with event organisers Manchester City Council to effectively implement and manage a strategic security plan, creating the safest environment for the crowd whilst maintaining the market atmosphere. 

The annual event cemented Showsec’s reputation as one of Manchester City Council’s chosen security suppliers, having previously worked on successful events including the 2010 Christmas markets which attracted more than 1.3m visitors.

The Showsec team was led by Tom Bailey, who liaised with other local authorities including trading standards, environmental health as well as Greater Manchester police to ensure no illegal alcohol inside the site perimeter was consumed.

In addition to the security provided for the opening weekend, Showsec will also be providing daily security to the markets in the build up to Christmas, with increased staff levels at weekends to higher crowd volumes.

Tom Bailey said:

“We’ve worked with Manchester City Council for several years now and developed a great relationship through implementing crowd security procedures to a number of the city’s public events.

“Our knowledge and understanding of the local area is a testament to the success of both 2010’s and 2011’s Christmas Markets opening weekend, which required planning and engagement from start to finish and communication with other local agencies to ensure every eventuality was accounted for and managed effectively.”

Showsec strengthened its relationship with Birmingham City Council, creating a safe, festive environment for the city’s annual Christmas parade.

Maintaining the up-beat festive atmosphere through a customer service oriented operation, Showsec’s security professionals focussed on the enjoyment and safety of over 35,000 people who flocked to the city centre. They were constantly attentive to everyone’s well-being as crowds cheered on the council’s parade, which involved 200 performers including a variety of animals, stilt walkers and moving vehicles.

Showsec worked closely with Birmingham City Council’s events team to implement a strategic safety plan across the two-mile route which started and finished in Victoria Square and took in Colmore Row, Temple Row, Cherry Street, High Street and New Street, on November 12th.

The team of 58 SIA licensed staff was led by Showsec West Midlands area manager Ieuan Fury, who liaised directly with local authorities including Highway Patrol, Birmingham Police, ambulance and fire crews to ensure the smooth running of two road closures on Colmore Row and Corporation Street.

The festive procession further cemented Showsec’s reputation as Birmingham City Council’s chosen security supplier, having previously worked on successful events including Artsfest in September, the UK’s biggest free arts festival.

Showsec’s Birmingham Area Manager Ieuan Fury said:

“This was a complex security procedure requiring engagement and planning with numerous local authorities, retailers and street traders to ensure minimal disruption.

“Showsec was engaged with the event more than two months in advance to ensure every eventuality was accounted for, especially given that there were no perimeter barriers for the parade, which included families with young children as spectators.

“Every member of the team adapted well to situations and remained customer focussed throughout to maintain the family atmosphere of the event.”

Lee Tomkinson, head of Birmingham City Council’s events team said:
“Showsec was part of the City Council procurement process and acquired as an approved contractor. They were responsible for the traffic restrictions and the parade, and worked very well to ensure the parade passed through without problems, monitoring crowds along the route whilst maintaining a clear thoroughfare throughout.”

 

Showsec’s industry experience was evident as they joined a panel of high-profile professionals for a lively discussion on festival safety at the UK Festival Conference, 15th November, HMV Institute in London. 

Mark Logan, director at Showsec, joined the “Weather – Or Not” debate which explored safety standards following the stage collapse tragedies this summer.  The panel  was mediated by Andy Lenthall, general  manager at Production Services Association, and featured fellow festival industry leaders including Live Nation UK COO John Probyn,  Hedwig De Meyer from Stageco and Simon James from The Event Safety Shop. 

Mark drew on personal experience, to discuss how thorough contingency plans, site-wide monitoring processes and incorporating external agencies are vital to diminish threats posed by adverse weather events.
Examples discussed included this year’s Bestival where Showsec evacuated during the site build, when high winds recorded at up to 28 metres per second hit the site. The effects from the tail end of Hurricane Katia meant the site lost a load in day and caused widespread logistical disturbance to a number of the onsite agencies.

Mark commented; “Safety is about all stakeholders – festival organisers, security, police, first aid and local authorities – working together. I am delighted to have been part of such a lively panel which saw the audience get involved. The fact that the industry is continually striving to exceed safety standards can only be a good thing. 

“We are proud to have supported the UK Festival Conference and Awards by being part of the panel and also sponsoring the “Best Family Festival” category. All of us at Showsec would like to extend huge congratulations to Beautiful Days festival that walked away with the title, and also congratulate our clients Creamfields for winning ‘Best Dance Festival’ and Bestival for ‘Fans Favourite Festival.”

Pictured: L-R- Rudi Enos from Special Structures Lab, Hedwig De Meyer from Stageco, Simon James from The Event Safety Shop, Andy Lenthall from The Production Services, John Probyn from Live Nation UK and Mark Logan from Showsec

Showsec provided a 15 strong management consultancy team to oversee all elements of the complex security operations surrounding the 2011 MTV EMA Belfast, 6th Nov, 2011.
 
A who’s who of pop music came to Belfast to celebrate the best of the past year in a glittering awards show that will be seen by more than 600 million MTV homes around the world through the global TV network.  Eleven live performances and a host of international stars took pride of place in Belfast’s Odyssey Arena, as EMA gongs were scooped by performers including Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber. Across town Irish favourites Snow Patrol and US singer songwriter Jason Derulo played to 15,000 fans on an outdoor stage at Belfast’s City Hall, while - the Red Hot Chili Peppers rocked  a third stage at Ulster Hall.
 
Showsec Director Simon Battersby was the 2011 MTV EMA Director of Security.  He says:
 
“We have been engaged for months in advance putting together the detailed security plans; working with the show producers, the local venues, Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and Belfast City Council. With such a high profile show visiting Belfast there have been numerous challenges we have overcome to ensure the safe and successful delivery of the EMA’s.
 
“This is a particularly complex security operation requiring extensive engagement with numerous stakeholders. The fact that we have had over 1,000 accredited people on the main show alone gives an appreciation of the size of the production and number of VIP movements we have managed.” 

Richard Godfrey, Executive Producer, 2011 MTV EMA comments: 

“Security is a huge priority for MTV and, given the scale of this year’s triple-location event, the calibre of international artists and the sheer number of crew and guests, security was a huge and logistically complex task.  Simon Battersby and the Showsec team, along with the PSNI, were outstanding and ensured a faultless and smooth-running security process both in the lead up and on the night itself.”

Pictured: L-R: Showsec directors, Mark Logan and Simon Battersby

Showsec joined some of the UK’s leading music business professionals when it sponsored the Live UK Summit and Live UK Music Business Awards, 5th – 6th October 2011.

The prestigious event, organised by Live UK Events, sister company to Audience Media – the publisher of LIVE UK and Audience magazines – is the only event in the UK dedicated to supporting the country’s contemporary live music industry.

Featuring two days of seminars focusing on topics integral to the future of the industry, and culminating in an esteemed award ceremony with categories including Best Tour Manager, Best Venue Teamwork, Best Festival and Unsung Hero, the event was attended by high-profile players from across the sector. 

Simon Battersby, Showsec director, said: “One of our core business areas is live music. The Live UK Summit and Awards offers a great opportunity to spend time with many of our peers. It’s also the perfect environment to discuss the issues affecting our industry and hopefully continue to drive ongoing improvements in the live sector. 

“We’d also like to extend huge congratulations to the winners of the awards, and well done to all of those nominated.”

Showsec provided SIA licensed security professionals to ensure the smooth running of the two-day event. 

Date: October 2011

Pictured: Showsec team at the Live UK Summit 2011

The Event Awards celebrated achievements from across the live event industry on 20th September 2011, with Showsec proud to be award sponsors for the night. 

The Roundhouse in Camden saw over 700 leading professionals from the live event sector take to their seats to enjoy a variety of entertainment, three course meal and glittery awards ceremony presented by charismatic comedian Jason Byrne. 

Showsec’s team of licensed security professionals ensured a safe and enjoyable night for the visitors at the venue, a familiar site for the company who has a long standing security partnership with the Roundhouse. The iconic building was transformed into a stunning black tie venue, whilst maintaining its characteristic edge, creating a visual treat for the audience. 
Normally behind the scenes, ensuring the smooth running of security operations at the Roundhouse, Louise Stockden, Showsec operations executive and successful Academy graduate found herself in the spotlight as she handed out the award to Best Event Space of the Year (large) on centre stage. 

Louise reflects on the night;

“The Event Awards was a great night with a fantastic atmosphere. On behalf of Showsec I want to pass on congratulations to all the winners, especially Sheffield City Hall who won the award Showsec sponsored.  Working with a fantastic venue, the Roundhouse, we are always committed to creating the safest environments, so it was a pleasure to host the industry finest who share in our passion for excellence in the field.”

Date: September 2011

Pictured: Jason Byrne, Sheffield City Hall represenatives and  Louise Stockden

Showsec implemented a unique event security plan and operation for a private Kasabian gig inside a Boeing 747 300; 5th September 2011.

Showsec was contracted by organisers VEVO just four days before the band’s exclusive performance, so focused immediately on planning a detailed operation. Showsec’s project manager for the event, Stuart Kennerley lead a team of ten carefully selected SIA licensed staff on the night to create a safe environment for the secret show.

The location of the gig was kept secret from 250 attendees, comprising of the winners of a Kasabian website competition and key media. The fans arrived at the Leicester City Football club, where they were welcomed by Showsec, who gave them wristbands and escorted them via coach to the secret destination. 

Guests were greeted at Bruntingthorpe Airfield by a separate Showsec team, and treated to traditional hog roast before being ushered onboard the Boeing 747, which had been specially adapted to create the unique performance space for the band.

Stuart Kennerley comments;

“We worked with VEVO to consider all eventualities regarding everyone’s safety for this unusual and highly secretive event in just four days. Writing risk assessments, making contingency plans for a gig on board a Boeing 747 on an operational airfield. 

“The short turn around combined with the need for secrecy meant that apart from myself, the rest of the Showsec team didn’t even know which band were playing. The success of the operation is testament to the expertise within the whole event management team and I was delighted with the extremely professional attitude and manner in which our staff carried out their work.”

Date: September 2011

Pictured: Stuart Kennerley

Showsec revitalised and rejuvenated its operating strategies to maximise the secure environment and customer experience at this year’s Creamfields festival – the first of a five year deal with Cream International Events. 

The festival and event security specialist won the contract following a competitive tender, and it builds on over a decade of successful working partnership with the festival organisers, ensuring the highest quality of care for guests since its launch in 1998. 

Creamfields, which took place from 26th-28th August this year in Daresbury, Cheshire, has grown from a small dance festival spawned from the underground clubbing culture, to one of the UK’s largest events pulling in crowds of over 50,000 people with major chart headliners including Chemical Brothers and Swedish House Mafia. 

This year Creamfields added a third night to the line up, and welcomed more than 45,000 campers across the weekend. 

Mark Logan, director at Showsec, said: 

“It is no longer a niche dance-based demographic in terms of audience base; it’s a mainstream festival where guest experience is of paramount importance to the organisers. 

“As the UK’s leading electronic music festival, Creamfields differs to live music events – the focus is not so much on the traditional 180 stage format , but more about safe access and egress to and from the campsite and between a multiple performance areas, each attracting different audiences depending on the talent scheduling. With so many campers this requires sophisticated crowd-management systems.”

Showsec provided 1,100 staff, working across a multitude of shift patterns over the weekend ensuring a flexible approach to the security operation.

Mark continued:

“The five year contract means that we can have a truly joined-up approach with CI Events and Loud Sound. We’re not simply a security provider – we are part of the festival management team and as such can tweak methods and processes year-to-year, concentrate resources and allocate management solely to this project.” 

Jim King, Loud Sound’s festival director, said:
 
"We’ve invested in site infrastructure, such as the solid perimeter fence around the whole site, and have also invested a lot of time in working with Showsec to plan and implement various strategies. These ensure our guests have a safe and enjoyable experience. With this year’s increased capacity we knew that security was the right thing to focus on.
“We’re pleased Showsec has been awarded the contract; their knowledge and expertise within the festival security sector makes them the obvious choice for the job, and means we can develop a long-term security strategy.”  

Date: August 2011

Pictured: Mark Logan

Showsec successfully delivered a comprehensive public crowd management service for the Tall Ships Races 2011 in Lerwick, Shetland Islands, July 18th-25th.

The Scotland office deployed 70 security professionals, led by Showsec manager Scott Anderson to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all who attended the five day event. 

The Tall Ships Races is an internationally renowned celebration, which draws crowds from around the world. Organisers from Lerwick Council widened the audience even further with a diverse timetable of carnival style family events.

Fiona Dally, project manager, oversaw the three year planning involved in the prestigious event and met with Scott and the Showsec team several times to assist with the extensive preparation involved.

Scott explains further;
“In little over a year since the Scotland office opened we have dramatically expanded our capabilities and the 70 Showsec security specialists who attended this event exceeded both the clients and the crowds’ expectations. I would like to express my gratitude to Fiona and her team, who helped organise the logistics of getting our staff to the island and accommodating the team.”

Showsec’s security offering included a crowd management plan which stretched across a large area of the site, including a temporary event site built at Holmsgarth where a host of performers such as the Levellers and Bjorn Again entertained the audience. Additionally the security specialists provided assistance with traffic management, helping to maintain the pedestrian only zones.

Fiona Dally says “We’re delighted by the work Showsec has done over the course of The Tall Ships Races 2011 – Lerwick event.  Professional and friendly, the staff went the extra mile and were praised by the public and us throughout the event for their excellent customer care.  In addition, what started as a four day event, turned into a five day weekend with all of the additional challenges an unplanned extension brings.  It was down to extensive planning, our close working relationship with Showsec and the support of the local police that we were able to ensure everyone who attended the event stayed safe throughout.”

Date: August 2011

Showsec has been awarded the security contract for Lincoln’s largest live music venue, University of Lincoln’s Students Union, The Engine Shed.

The event and venue security specialist won the contract following a competitive tender process. The three year agreement will see Showsec secure the venue’s gig and club nights, starting on Friday 19th August with Scottish rock outfit, Big Country.

The contract for the 1,800 capacity club, which has welcomed top artists including The Zutons, Kings of Leon, Stereophonics and Gorillaz, will be supervised by Showsec’s project manager, Stuart Kennerley.

Stuart’s experience includes managing venues such as The Roundhouse in London as well as student unions. These include the O2 Academy Leicester, a venue ran in partnership by Leicester Student Union and Academy Music Group (AMG), which has a similar commercial approach, profile of events and audience demographic to the Engine Shed.
 
Joe Milner, Showsec’s East Midland area manager, comments;
“We have been keen to work with The Engine Shed since it opened in 2006 and are looking forward to building a successful partnership with them to make it a safer venue for their customers. We have been in talks with a number of venue and events in the East of England and this hugely popular student union is a prestigious landmark as we expand our capabilities across the region.” 

Date: July 2011

Pictured: Joe Milner

There were no heroics required from Showsec when they enhanced customer experience and ensured the safety of the audience at the Batman Live world premier at Manchester MEN Arena, and the VIP party hosted in Manchester Cathedral on 19th July, 2011.

A well-planned event security operation was implemented by Showsec, the venue’s long-term security partner, at the show’s world premier and the subsequent five shows at the MEN.

Batman Live is a unique live stage adaptation of the comic book superhero’s story, embarking on a two year world tour. The thrilling action-packed show combines entertaining circus-style performance with a high-tech set incorporating ground-breaking visual and technical effects. It has been in production for the last two-and-a-half years and cost £12 million; with a stunning show the result. 

Rehearsals had taken place over three weeks in June at Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, another venue where Showsec is the contracted security partner. With huge media interest producers demanded the specifics of the show, including the plot, remained a closely-guarded secret. Showsec was engaged to ensure the venue remained a closed set throughout rehearsals, with only members of the production crew and cast having access.

Prior to the opening night an audience of 4,000 guests were specially invited to the Manchester MEN Arena; a final opportunity to fine-tune aspects of the production and ensure the venue staff understood how Batman Live differed from other shows.

Tim Chambers, Showsec’s project manager said: “This was as much a rehearsal for us as it was for the cast. We had been through detailed planning and consultation with the venue and show’s management, so everyone was aware of the high standards of visitor experience expected.
“One of our highly experienced supervisors, Dave Middleton, suggested an improvement to the seating layout in order to maximise that viewer experience around the stage that covers a lot of the arena floor.

“This advice was taken on board by the venue and production team, with the layout being changed in time for the premier. The forward thinking, proactive approach of one of our supervisors ensured any potential issues were resolved before the show went live to the public, with suggestions coming from supervisors and stewards alike.”

A team of 80 highly-trained staff were handpicked for the show, including 14 supervisors.

Showsec also provided experienced SIA licensed professionals to secure the premier’s afterparty at the Manchester Cathedral, which was given a Gotham City make-over for 600 VIP guests. 

Date: July 2011

Pictured L-R: Akeel Butt, Tim Chambers and Steve Dummond

Event security specialists Showsec played a pivotal role in the success of this year’s Hyde Park festivals and concerts, ensuring nearly half a million ticket holders remained safe across a record nine gigs in thirteen days, from 22nd June – 3rd July.

The annual series of shows, organised by Live Nation, included two Kings of Leon nights, Hard Rock Calling festival, with headliners including The Killers, Bon Jovi and Rod Stewart, an Arcade Fire gig and Wireless Festival, featuring acts including Black Eyed Peas, Chemical Brothers and Pulp.

Showsec has provided security at the events for the last eight years, and again Showsec director, Simon Battersby, led a vastly experienced management team to oversee all security arrangements. 

Simon commented: “It is hugely rewarding to see the strength and quality we have across our management team. The operation, led by Steve Reynolds and Paul Legge, not only features seasoned campaigners but great new talent that has been scouted, trained and mentored. This talent improves year-on-year.” 

As with all major events in London this summer, there is a lot of focus being placed upon observing procedures by various agencies, including The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), Greater London Authority (GLA) and the Metropolitan Police, ahead of events being planned for 2012.

These organisations monitored a new road closure system implemented by Showsec and the traffic management company Sola, which saw Park Lane and other tributary roads closed from 10pm until egress was complete. Previously the Metropolitan Police managed the egress of the public onto public roads but this year Live Nation, and, in turn, Showsec, took responsibility due to changes to policing policy. 

The decision to put a temporary closure on Park Lane and its tributary roads was a progressive and positive move which enabled the site to clear more swiftly and arguably more safely each evening. It also allowed Showsec to distribute the 45-65,000 strong crowds to various exits across the area, and offer a safe route to public transport.

Up to 100 SIA and stewards helped man the closure each evening, ranging from implementing diversions and directional stewards, to road closure marshals trained to chapter 8 standard. 

Hannah Farnham, festival manager at Live Nation, said: “This year has been a huge success and we’ve seen nearly half a million customers come through the gates in ten days. It’s been an eclectic mix, both of bands and audience with an interesting audience demographic split each night; every group acts differently. We have worked closely with Showsec, and they have ensured that the correct level of security has been provided each day, and across each area of the site.” 

The varied bill of artists, diverse audiences, and the changing site set-ups, required vigilant monitoring of crowd safety and behaviour. 

Over 600 event security specialists per show were drawn from Showsec’s offices, with London office manager Paul Legge coordinating the logistics and organisation.

Paul explains: “While the London office took the lead, we had invaluable support from our offices across England and Wales. The company’s new management infrastructure meant we could provide experienced managers across all areas of the site, who were able to make decisions quickly and excelled in delivering a responsive, reactive and professional service.” 

Date: July 2011

Pictured: Showsec at Hyde Park; (L-R) Dayo Adelugba, Simon Battersby, Paul Legge, Steve Reynolds, Simon Howard

Showsec is strengthening partnerships with student unions across the UK, successfully securing a series of recent summer events to round off the 2010/11 academic year.

Showsec’s constantly evolving student security services are customised to suit the requirements of the wide range of events and the different aims of individual student unions. This summer universities including Reading, Cardiff, Sheffield Hallam, University of Central Lancashire and Liverpool have enjoyed safe end-of-year parties with Showsec.

The company’s Midlands area manager, Richard Church comments;

“Each student union has its own approach and Showsec draws on a wealth of experience to deliver a service that suits each student body’s requirements.

“In this past year we’ve seen a trend for some student unions to adopt a more commercial approach. Leicester Student Union’s partnership with Academy Music Group (AMG) to create the state of the art O2 Academy Leicester is a great example. The venue is already a premier touring venue for bands and hosts a wide range of student nights that attract students over and above other local venues.”

“Showsec’s relationship with both parties meant that we could introduce improved security systems, drawing on our nationwide experiences working alongside a variety of commercial events and venues as well as universities and student unions.

Ash James, University of Leicester Students Union operations and commercial services manager commented:

“With the launch of the new O2 Academy Leicester to be housed in and partnered with the student union, we planned extensive changes alongside AMG to manage the building effectively. Showsec have developed a great rapport with our regular student clientele, alongside introducing some significant new procedures and systems, which have resulted in real improvements.”

Another example of changing attitudes were evident at this June’s University of Nottingham Summer Party, attended by 6,000 students. The organiser’s also introduced a more commercially viable business model to the annual event, cementing long term agreements with key suppliers and investing more funds into headline artists Example, Pendulum and Feeder, which boosted ticket sales.
 
Showsec worked alongside them to deliver a security operation centred around the duty of care of everyone on the site. A solid site perimeter was implemented to ensure tickets had to be bought, while consistently attentive ingress and site management operations maintained a safe site along with a friendly community atmosphere throughout the event.

Date: June 2011

Pictured, L to R: Ash James and Stuart Kennerley at 02 Academy, Leicester.

Live events security specialists Showsec successfully secured both Rockness and Download Festival on 10th-12th June.

Showsec’s Midlands region continued the company’s excellent relationship with the organisers and crowds at the UK’s leading rock festival Download, with over 600 event security professionals contributing to another fantastic year.

Further North, Showsec’s Scotland office fulfilled an extended contract to secure the entire Rockness festival, building on specific security elements covered in the previous five years.

Showsec provided a characteristically well organised management infrastructure, who worked with the organisers, Loud Sound, and local police through extensive planning procedures.

Showsec Scotland area manager Scott Anderson explains:

“With the emphasis on maintaining a safe, welcoming festival site for the 30,000 fans attending, all stakeholders were keen to minimise the potential threats of organised crime and anti-social behaviour across the site. Showsec is part of a national network of criminal intelligence, and based on UK trends last year we wanted to be alert to counter organised crime and ensure the safety and enjoyment of the audience.

Knowledge from previous years at Rockness and many other festivals was combined to ensure operations were well planned, with the Scottish Office supported by Showsec staff from Newcastle Leeds, Sheffield and Liverpool.  The 400 plus staff were assigned in teams to specific areas, Julian Kumah and John Taylor for campsite management, Steve Dyker and Robbie Jarvis the main arena and VIP areas, James Taylor securing backstage and Junior Linton the Main Stage barrier.

Scott says:

“Our growth at Rockness reflects the expanding Showsec Scotland capabilities and extended client base. This was the first large festival for a lot of these staff so the company’s training and briefing procedures were prevalent in the preparation for a professional operation. It was great to see the Scottish staff integrate immediate and thanks must also go to staff from other areas who made them feel welcome from the start.

Scott continues;

“Having worked at Rockness with Loud Sound for the past 5 years, we were eager to improve and build upon the solid foundations that we have set in previous years. Securing and delivering at Rockness 2011 has been a huge success for our Scottish office and has helped develop a closer working relationship with the Loud Sound team. There were a number of positive developments and ideas, which we will hopefully progress forward into next year’s planning. ”

Date: June 2011

Pictured: Showsec's Rockness 2011 Team

Showsec has managed the safety of the Download audience for over a decade, and we like to think we’re prepared for every eventuality . . . but we didn’t see this one coming!

The online social media legend that is security professional 836 rose to instant stardom and is already receiving national press coverage - The Metro

836 struck a chord with the Download 2011 main stage audience waiting for headliners Linkin Park to appear.  Some friendly interaction led to cheers from growing pockets of the audience, then one of the giant stage-screens showed him making the signature Download 'devil horns' gesture, which was applauded by tens of thousands of rock fans just before main act Linkin Park were due on. After the headline performance had finished 836 was then encored back on - with thousands chanting 8-3-6, 8-3-6 . . .

The legend and number of Download 2011’s surprise star has spread outside of the festival and become a massive internet frenzy.

Our mystery man, more often seen in Showsec’s Leeds-based venues, has already attracted 5,000 ‘likes’ on the ‘Steward 836 Download Festival 2011’ facebook page, has fans posting videos and enthusiastic comments on YouTube “Download Legend 2011” . . .  and people are already buying T-Shirts dedicated to the now infamous 836?

Showsec director Simon Battersby comments;

“The rise of 836 is a great indication how much the perception of our industry has shifted. We are committed to the safety and enjoyment of the festival crowd, and achieve this in part through being approachable and establishing good communication with the audience. I don’t think we ever thought we’d see one of our teams achieving this much popularity though!”

Live Nation COO and Download Festival Director John Probyn added, ‘For a number of years we’ve worked closely with Showsec. The staff are always professional, helpful and have a great attitude. Steward 0836 is this year’s phenomenon, demonstrating how the Download community work together to create a fantastic upbeat atmosphere at the festival. Let’s hope he’s there next year.’

Date: June 2011

Pictured: Download Festival 2011 Legend 386

Live event security specialists Showsec managed the safety of 350,000 screaming Take That fans as the band returned to their home town Manchester, 3-12th June, for eight gigs as part of their record breaking Progress tour.

The overall security operation was spilt between four agencies, and following detailed planning Showsec supplied 254 licensed security professionals and stewards. Showsec’s responsibilities at the venue began with managing the queues before gates opened, implementing a smooth ingress, guiding the public onto the pitch and stands and ensuring their safety throughout the show and then clearing the stadium.

Mark Wilcock, Showsec’s area manager explains more:

“Take That’s Manchester tour dates saw us liaising with several different security organisations along with the venue manager and the production team. This meant communication between myself, Showsec’s operations executive Graham Herbert and the other companies involved was key in the success of the effective crowd management procedures that were in place.

“Our professional, approachable team welcomed visitors to the stadium, ensuring swift crowd flow from the car parks through the turnstiles and into the concourse. We also provided stewards for the perimeter of the large pitch, who worked alongside Man City stewards to guarantee the safest environment for the excited crowd.”

Date: June 2011

Pictured: Mark Wilcock, Graham Herbert

Showsec’s Manchester office has been busy securing the city’s football fans, with two separate victory parades for both Manchester City on 23rd May and Manchester United on the 30th May. 
 
Following the successful security operation a week prior, where Showsec ensured the safety of hundreds of thousands of Manchester City fans as they took to the streets for the FA Cup Parade, the crowd management specialists returned to Manchester city centre. In the second un-ticketed, public event Showsec secured Manchester United’s Football Club parade in celebration of their 19th victorious premier league trophy.

Led by Alan Wallace, 350 Showsec professionals managed the crowd of excited supporters as they surrounded the bus, which bore the number 19 to symbolise the record breaking number of times the club has won this trophy.
 
Alan Wallace, Northern regional manager states;

“We worked with Greater Manchester City Police and Manchester City Council to plan a smooth security operation across the 4.5 mile route. Our licensed and trained security and stewarding teams provided excellent crowd management services for similar un-ticketed public events, utilising both our national network with in-depth local knowledge.”

Date: June 2011

Pictured: Manchester United Premier League Trophy Parade

As thousands of football fans lined Manchester’s City Centre, in celebration of Man City’s triumphant FA Cup victory parade, security specialists Showsec successfully ensured the safety of players, crowd and the all important FA Cup. 

The Manchester office utilised local knowledge and vast experience securing public events within the city to secure two separate celebrations for Man City’s victory. The first, un-ticketed public parade was organised by Manchester City Council, whilst Manchester City Football Club put on entertainment inside the stadium for the second, ticketed event. Showsec professionally managed crowds of over 100,000 excited supporters, as they celebrated the club’s first trophy in 35 years on Monday 23rd May. The security teams planned and implemented the complex security operation, including the handover from public to private grounds, as the bus carrying the team left the city and entered Manchester City Stadium.  

Working alongside Manchester City Council. Greater Manchester Police and Manchester City Football Club, Showsec exceeded the aspirations of the three different stakeholders, securing the city centre in a very short time scale.  

Alan Wallace, Showsec’s northern regional manager, explains the complexities involved;

“With all free, un-ticketed events, it is vital to have efficient communication channels between everyone involved. We divided the security operation into two phases, beginning at Albert Square and ending inside Manchester City Football Club. This meant we needed a watertight handover between myself and area manager Mark Wilcock.

“We had over 600 trained and licensed Showsec staff securing the entire route, which was a huge logistical operation and a testament to our highly organised booking team that we were able to source all the security professionals we needed in house and deploy them effectively.”

The celebrations began in Manchester’s Albert Square where Showsec professionals ensured the safety of the 8,000 capacity crowd and directed people to follow alternative routes once this had been reached.  In order to achieve the safest environment for both the crowd and the players, Showsec staff and Greater Manchester Police became a moving human shield, sealing the bus as it made its way through the route. Showsec were quick to remove the pedestrian barriers lining the route once the bus had passed, easing the crowd movement as people continued on behind the bus towards its final destination.      

Inside the stadium, Manchester City Football Club had given out 40,000 free tickets for selected fans to enjoy the second celebration of the day; entertainment included an impressive fireworks display and a performance from Badly Drawn Boy.
 
Mark Wilcock, Showsec’s area manager explains the second phase of the security operation;

“The handover from the public to a free ticketed event took place at the side entrance of the stadium on Rowsley Street, where barriers were removed to let the bus and escort staff pass through. This marked the end of the parade and the beginning of the club’s own celebrations in their own ground. Having worked successfully all season securing the club, we understand the high standards expected and are familiar with procedures, the layout, players and venue management.  

“I was in constant communication with Showsec's lead manager at the stadium Graham Herbert, keeping him updated on the parade’s position at all times, ensuring a smooth security operation as the bus turned into Rowsley Street. As soon as the parade had safely passed through the entrance, our staff replaced the barriers and directed the hordes of fans towards the stadium for entry into the ticketed evening festivities.”

Date: June 2011

Picture: Alan Wallace

Live events security specialist, Showsec was entrusted by BBC Radio 1 and the shows producers Live Nation to maintain a safe festival site for fans, artists and production professionals at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, 14th and 15th May 2011.

10,000 lucky pairs of winners from the ticket draw attended each day; chosen from the 700,000 fans who applied to attend the free ticketed music festival with headline music artists, Lady Gaga, Black Eye Peas and Foo Fighters in Carlisle Cumbria on.

Following the previous year’s successful event security operation in North Wales, Showsec was brought back to maintain security at the new location, bordering Carlisle Airport. Extensive planning meeting with the BBC show producers, Live Nation, the Police and Airport Authorities meant that a detailed security plan took account of the expectations of all stakeholders.

BBC Radio 1’s PR announcements were used to deter non-ticket holders attempting to enter the site. Showsec implemented a robust perimeter operation to seal the site, particularly on the ‘live’ airport boundaries. The security teams were constantly attentive to ensure the safety over the two day event with 40,000 ticket winners as well as maintaining a friendly, welcoming atmosphere at this years’ festival.

Showsec BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend project manager, Julian Kumah led a team of 300 Showsec staff for this year’s free music event and explains;

“We identified the potential problem of non-ticket holders trying to get in, given the massive amount of unsuccessful applicants for tickets. So we effectively organised and executed a series of measures that began some distance from the entrances including ticket checks and a traffic management system, which successfully deterred people breaking into the festival whilst also minimising queues.”

“The site also borders Carlisle Airport, so a strong security presence was imperative to refrain any fans gaining access to the runways which operated all weekend. That was balanced with our priority of creating a safe family orientated festival site. Maintaining our customer focused values meant the audience, many of who were at their first big gig, were comfortable approaching us with any questions. It was a great start to our busy festival season.”

Date: May 2011

Pictured: Radio 1 Big Weekend - image copyright BBC

Showsec will be participating in the world’s largest corporate health initiative, the Global Corporate Challenge (GCC), beginning 19th May 2011.

Showsec’s involvement in the 16 week health programme GCC is part of an ongoing commitment to staff wellbeing inline with the Investor in People policy. The benefits to local schools mean the initiative also takes into account the company’s corporate social responsibility principles.

The challenge will consist of competitive pedometer based walking, with two teams of seven Showsec employees, Global TrekSec and Show Trekkers trailing the activity. The 14 staff will take part in a ‘virtual walk around the world,’ where they are encouraged to increase their levels of walking on a daily basis and will enter their daily step count recorded on their pedometer into the GCC website. As they progress through the challenge, they will achieve milestones showing them their progress and where they would be if they were doing the global walk in reality whilst learning about places through imagery, facts and Google maps. For every Showsec member participating, a child in their last three years of primary school will be selected and entered to take part in the GCC for free.

Debbie Atherton, Head of Human Resources at Showsec comments;

“As part of Showsec’s ‘wellness at work’ ethos, we are delighted to be participating in this exciting Global Corporate Challenge health programme.  Taking part in the GCC will lead to an increase in Showsec’s staff fitness whilst promoting teamwork and a positive competitive spirit across the company. While it supports an active, healthy, and more productive working environment, we are equally delighted that 14 children at selected schools will also gain from our participation in this challenge as they will be entered into the GCC to discover and enjoy how exercise can be fun and beneficial for their health in years to come.’’

Date: May 2011

Pictured: L-R Amy Mounteney, Bradley Knight, Linda Osborne, Sonal Khunti all receiving their packs from Laura Barnes, HR Co-ordinator

Showsec has been awarded the contract to provide security for the entire Rockness festival, building on five successful years supplying specific elements of this popular Scottish event.

Rockness, the recently announced winner of the 2011 NME Awards for Best Small Festival, is committed to achieving the highest levels of customer service for the 30,000 festival goers expected across the weekend of the 10-12th June. 2011.

Festival security specialist Showsec’s desire to raise standards in both customer service and customer safety met with Rockness’ aspirations for their award winning festival, making the new contract win a natural development.

Showsec area manager Scott Anderson says;

“We are excited to be working with Rockness for the fifth year and we believe the decision to extend our services across the entire site demonstrates our continual progression across all areas of our service. Showsec’s ongoing investment in training and staff development brings continued improvements in areas such as customer service, crowd management and operational decision making, based on actual event experience passed on by respected event security professionals. This contract reflects our expansion in the Scottish market, with an ever-increasing local staff capability underpinning our growth.”

Jim King, festival director at Rockness states;

“The past five years have proved a great success and to ensure continued exceptional customer service for our loyal fans, we needed the right security professionals. We also wanted to run a very competitive tender process to ensure we got the right deal for the event. Showsec won the tender by providing us with the right commercial deal whilst maintaining the high levels of service and customer focus that we need from our security contractor. We are delighted to have them on board for this year’s festival.”

Showsec’s continuing growth within the live event sector has been aided by the recently announced next phase of their operational restructure.

The award winning event and venue security specialists’ ongoing expansion, across England, Scotland and Wales, has meant that the internal structure has progressed from two to three regions. Breaking these down to Northern, Midlands and Southern regions will allow the company to better support client services throughout the country, and to allow further expansion into 2012.

The newly created Midlands region will be managed by Richard Church who has worked for the company for sixteen years. Ieuan Fury moves from his post in Wales to become the area manager for the West Midlands, whilst Joe Milner takes the step up from senior operations executive to role of area manager for the East Midlands. Replacing Ieuan in the Wales and South West office will be Martin Lewis who moves up from operations executive. Martin previously was part of Showsec’s Management Training Academy and becomes the first graduate to be promoted to area manager. This underlines Showsec’s commitment to education and training for their security personnel, to promote professional and personal development throughout the company. 

The Northern region’s management structure will stay the same with Alan Wallace remaining as regional manager. Steve Reynolds will continue to be regional manager for the Southern region

Richard Church states;

“This expansion marks an exciting time for Showsec and as we move forward, the new management structure means we are better placed to offer clients bespoke security offerings with in-depth local knowledge supported by strong central resources and the companies’ national network.”

Date: March 2011

Pictured: L-R -  Richard Church, Iuean Fury and Martin Lewis

Showsec secured the whole of London’s Trafalgar Square on the 6th March, ensuring the safe ingress and egress of 100,000 Russians as they celebrated Maslenitsa. 

The traditional Russian festival Maslenitsa, which is held at the beginning of spring, is celebrated across Russia and for the third year running was held in the UK capital’s iconic square. With an abundance of food, live music and a televised stage which was streamed live to Russia, Maslenitsa Festival saw a constant stream of visitors throughout the entire day.

Showsec’s security operation was managed by senior operations executive Dayo Adelugba, who oversaw all 120 SIA security personnel across the high profile site.

Dayo explains more about the security requirements;

“Ensuring crowd safety across London’s prestigious Trafalgar Square requires us to work closely with GLA and Westminster Council, to provide the safest environment for all visitors at this un-ticketed festival and ensure the number of people on site didn’t exceed the 9,000 capacity at any one time.

“The logistics of guaranteeing a speedy ingress, whilst ensuring that prohibited items were not bought into the site meant we needed several different entrances. In order to achieve this and to secure the site, we spilt the square into four sections which were managed by operational supervisors, Simon Howard, Paul Burrows and Yez Stuart. All sections had entrance and exit points, where our security specialists provided exceptional customer service, whilst working alongside our control centre to constantly monitor the total number of people on site.”

March 2011

Pictured: Dayo Adelugba and Paul Legge

Showsec continued to support London's annual International Live Music Conference (ILMC), as a key sponsor, and sharing their knowledge, insights and opinions in panel discussions throughout the conference.

ILMC 2011 returned to London's Royal Gardens Hotel, with 1,000 delegates engaging many topics that will shape the future of the live music sector in a packed conference programme, 11th - 13th March 2011. Showsec was a sponsor of the event and the London office supplied SIA licensed staff to professionally secure the conference, attended by many of the companies' peers and clients.

The Saturday morning Engine Room panel focused on production related issues, chaired by Brian Grant (Britannia Row) and Andy Lenthall (Production Services Association). Showsec managing director Mark Harding accepted the invitation from the ILMC and began proceedings with a presentation which sparked an interactive dialogue with the audience about safety, with a focus on un-ticketed events. 

Mark stated:
"Un-ticketed events have a comparable safety record with paid events, but following last summers Love Parade tragedy in Germany there has been a lot of attention focused on free-to-attend events.
"Love Parade (and other events) highlights the importance of prioritising safety critical factors against commercial and political influence.
Planning, implementation, organisational structure, competence and skills, defined responsibilities and communication are all paramount in delivering a safe and successful event. "
 
Lee Charteris (Flash Entertainment in UAE), Wob Roberts, (international tour production manager), Chrissy Eurlings (German production manager) and Live Nation's event director John Probyn all made key contributions to the debate.

They contributed suggestions as to how international co-operation, improved access to professional working standards and practices would all benefit the wider industry; along with the event professionals' strength of conviction to say "no" when they were pressured into making poor decisions.

Showsec directors Simon Battersby and Mark Logan also contributed to other panel discussions with industry peers, ranging from progress in digital ticketing technology,  venue operating procedures (from a security perspective), along with education and career development opportunities.

March 2011

Pictured Left to right: Engine Room Panel - Wob, Mark, Brian, Andy, Okan, Jim.

In a security industry that has traditionally been thought of as male dominated, Showsec is striving to change and progress attitudes with their growing number of SIA licensed female security professionals. 

Showsec’s management team continue to lead the way with women security specialists managing security operations in venues and at events as well as taking key roles within the training and development centre. 

South Coast’s area manager Tracey McCarthy has seen an upsurge in the number of women only security teams being requested across the South East, she explains further:

“We offer all our clients a personal, bespoke service and recently I was asked if we could provide an all women security team for an upcoming live event. We are now in the final stages of planning and since accommodating this request, I have had several calls regarding similar services. I am currently working with the senior management to make this service available nationwide and am available to discuss individual requirements for a SIA licensed women only security service.”

Louise Stockden is a recent Showsec Academy success story, she was appointed as a London operations executive in November soon after graduating from the Showsec Academy. The detailed, specialist industry knowledge teamed with the practical experience she acquired through her training enabled her to effectively plan, implement and manage the security for events such as the Military Tournament’s 56,000 visitors at Earls Court last December.

Training and education is paramount to a new breed of security specialists and Showsec has recently hired a full time course writer, Julie Ellis who is helping with the development of new courses and delivering existing ones. The training department comprises of state of the art facilities and a wide selection of accredited courses including, amongst others, conflict management, physical intervention security, counter terrorism and close protection.

Showsec has always been an equal opportunities employer and encourages all their members of staff to achieve the highest standards of security through training and education.

Pictured: Tracey McCarthy

March 2011

Showsec’s Scottish office manager Scott Anderson hosted a popular seminar on Event Stewarding and Pit Training at Event Expo 2011 on 9th February at the Garage, Glasgow.

Attracting a crowd of over 60 delegates, Scott and Showsec operations executive Mark Lawton gave a detailed presentation at Scotland’s only event and hospitality industry conference. Scott gave an overview of event stewarding before focussing on more detailed elements involved in crowd management throughout the pit area. His seminar covered topics from crowd dynamics and behaviour to demonstrating lifting techniques for safely removing people from the crowd.

Using Showsec’s training and staff development department as a proven example, Scott discussed the importance and value of training staff to enable them to manage situations in a professional way, creating and maintaining safe event environments. Scott hopes that by sharing his expertise, a combination of knowledge gained from the national Showsec network and experience managing security at flagship Scottish Venues, he has helped encourage the sharing of knowledge and engendering cooperation for better working practices amongst local security professionals.

As Scott states:

“Security professionals are the public face of all events with an important responsibility for public safety. I am part of a business culture which firmly believes that industry relevant training, qualifications and building a wide range of experience means event and venue security specialists will offer the highest service to your customers.”

Showsec Scotland’s security portfolio includes Edinburgh Playhouse, the 02 Glasgow Academy, Aberdeen Music Hall, Dundee Caird Hall and Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) alongside festivals such as Rockness and Belladrum.

Pictured: Scott Anderson

February 2011

Surrounded by eleven hundred music industry peers, Showsec Director Mark Logan collected the prestigious Total Production Award for Favourite Security and Crowd Management Company on 7th February.

The lively awards ceremony, held at London’s Hammersmith Novotel, was presented by Fun Loving Criminals front man Huey Morgan. Readers of Total Production Magazine have been voting in their tens of thousands from all corners of the live event sector since November, underling the credibility of these coveted awards.

Huey kept the crowd entertained throughout the evening and handed over the well deserved award to Mark.

Speaking of the company’s success, Mark Logan states;

“Winning the TPi Award for the fifth consecutive year marks a decade of consistent recognition for Showsec. We never take these wins for granted, instead we invest in laying down the foundations to achieve  our clients expectations by constantly reviewing our staff skills and working practices, in a bid to achieve higher standards year on year. We are genuinely thankful to all who voted.

“Our sustained success is thanks to the entire team, from the staff booking, HR, IT, finance, training and management academy departments to all of our operational personnel, licensed event security, stewards, supervisors, operational executives and our specialist teams including our close protection personnel and award winning backstage and specialised pit teams. They are all responsible for the fresh approach and high service levels Showsec aim to bring to events and venues nationwide.”

Pictured: Mark Logan, Scott Anderson, Huey Morgan, Steve Reynolds and Julian Kumah

February 2011

At this January’s ‘Sheffield Best Bar None Awards 2010 / 11’, Sheffield Hallam Students' Union won best bar in Sheffield, then also won the evenings highest accolade of overall Best Bar None in Sheffield; whilst the O2 Academy Sheffield was recognised and won Best Club Venue.

Julian Kumah, Showsec Area Manager stated:
“Showsec has established strong relations with these Sheffield venues Union across recent years, initiating policies, procedures and introduce the relevant staff to deliver a service suited to the specific aims of the venue management. I am delighted at this recognition for both venues and that all the great people who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes.
“Both venues share a common drive with Showsec in their ambition to continuously improve security and safety standards whilst also striving for progression, innovation and excellence within their venues.”

Senior management from both venues were quick to thank Showsec’s Sheffield office for their venue security services and contribution towards winning the awards.

Sheffield Hallam Students Union Bar Manager, Phil Brown said:
“We want to pay thanks to Showsec and their team as they have helped us win this award. Without their input and help with policies and the general operational running of the union, we would not have been able to win these awards. We extend a huge thank you to everyone at Showsec.”

The Best Bar None Awards has been set up to promote and encourage responsible management of venues, such as bars and clubs, in order to reduce the risk of alcohol related disorder and crime within Sheffield’s City Centre.

Justin Smith, Assistant General Manager at 02 Academy Sheffield explained;
“As it’s an award that is health & safety and customer service based it was one we were very keen to win and a large amount of time was spent by the Best Bar None staff looking at security paperwork. Everything checked out perfectly and comments were made about how much more professional our systems were than many other door teams at different clubs who had been assessed. To go from runners up last year to this year’s winner is thanks to the ongoing efforts of all the Showsec staff who have worked so closely with us. ”

Pictured: Sheffield Hallam's Joe Bailey and Phil Brown celebrate the 'Best Bar None' Award wins with Showsec's Sheffield team, led by Richard Elliot and supervisors Asif Kahn and Manos Skalidakis

Showsec’s London Office supplied the event security staff for the sell out Prizefighter 2 at London’s Olympia this January 29th.

The Prizefighter Light-Heavyweights 2 contest was broadcast live in 3D on Sky TV, with a capacity live audience of 3,000 enjoying the quick-fire quarter/semi/final tournament, culminating with Travis Dickinson beating Sam Couzens in the final with a second round KO.

Showsec selected professional, licensed event security staff best suited to the robust security operation, which also required high levels of customer service.
The event organisers worked with Olympia to locate separate VIP and public bars away from the ring, and Showsec staff ensured that no drinks left the bars as alcohol was not permitted into the auditorium.

Security staff searched boxing fans arriving at the ticket check-in, also ensuring that they were efficiently directed to appropriate pre-booked ringside or general grandstand seating.

Showsec Operations Executive Louise Stockden supported London Office Manager Paul Legge, implementing a seamless event security operation; Louise said:

“The crowd were in good spirits and the night proved to be one of the best yet. We carefully utilised experienced Showsec supervisors and staff to ensure yet another successful tournament for promoters and Olympia. Managing the security for this event gave me a real sense of how much I have developed since graduating through the Showsec Academy and I look forward to introducing improvements to future boxing events."

Pictured: Ringside with Showsec at PrizeFighter 2, London.

Showsec’s London Office demonstrated the high levels of commitment and professionalism throughout December’s blizzards as the team maintained 100% of services to cap a great year.

Steve Reynolds, Southern Regional Manager, affirms:
“The severity of the snow incapacitated much of the capital’s transport network and entertainment programs; particularly on the 3rd weekend of December when I’m very proud to say we ensured the security and safety of all concerned with gigs by Sir Paul McCartney at HMV Hammersmith Apollo, Rumer at O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, and Deadmau5 at Earls Court. 

“It was thanks to the commitment of all operational staff and the office staff behind the scenes, who worked additional hours and weekends, we could cover all bookings, communicating constantly with clients, so that we could ensure that all of our clients’ gigs and events could be held safely.”

Steve concludes:
“The dedication of staff to support clients through the toughest of conditions is indicative of our approach to overcome what ever challenges arise. Ongoing investment through these economically challenging times in areas such as staff training and business support infrastructure has underpinned Showsec’s ever improving, state of the art security services. We move into 2011 offering clients a high quality specialist security service, for which our reliability is proven to help event organisers and venues face the challenges of the coming year.”

The company’s outstanding performance in December underlined the years’ achievements of Showsec’s London Office. Modern event and venue security techniques received ringing endorsements at events ranging from the Brit Awards to BBC Electric Proms at the Roundhouse, and Help for Heroes Concert at Twickenham to Royal Garden Parties at Clarence House.

Pictured: Steve Reynolds

January 2011

Showsec’s progressive venue and event security specialists are focused on raising customer experience and standards even further across Newcastle in 2011.

Newcastle has become a hub of activity for the Showsec managers of the North East division. Inside their recently opened office, ongoing investment in training and development throughout Showsecs’ workforce has empowered the company’s Newcastle managers and stewards to implement modern procedures and safety measures across all venues and events.

Showsec has drawn on extensive nationwide resources and refined the venue security services in Newcastle inline with the aspirations of an expanding client base, including two of the areas most prestigious venues, AMG’s O2 Academy and SMG’s Metro Radio Arena.

Tony Hume, North East area manager explains:

“Our newly assembled northern junior management team, which includes trained operational supervisor Lee Mcnally and Showsec Academy associate Tom Rigby, are already implementing ambitious, cutting edge security programmes that reflect the individual requirements of our northern clients for 2011.
“We are developing strong relations with these clients and introducing progressive security services that are increasingly professional and help improve our clients’ offerings.
“Our staff have benefitted from being able to go and work in other teams within the company’s nationwide network, taking with them, the knowledge and relevant skills along with a professional idealism and ethos that sets Showsec above competition.”

Colin Revel, Newcastle Metro Radio Arena’s managing executive shares his thoughts on how crowd management company Showsec are exceeding customer expectations since their appointment in September 2010: 

“The Newcastle Metro Radio Arena was built fifteen years ago, and as we continue to push the boundaries as a leading live events venue, we need a security specialist that shares our aspirations. 
“We work in an industry that places great emphasis on the customer experience; Showsec’s pioneering and innovative approach ensure our clients expectations are met whilst their progressive training on up to date practises set them apart.”

Pictured: Alan Wallace and Tony Hume at Newcastle Arena
 
January 2011

Showsec expanded its integrated venue security provision by incorporating a new service led traffic management plan in the MEN’s venue security offering, December 2010.

Showsec’s longstanding relationship with Manchester Evening News Arena has developed over the past decade in line with the clients’ aspirations to be the best international entertainment venue. Both companies have maintained their status as industry leaders by continually adapting to new situations, being proactive in introducing fresh techniques and solutions, constantly improving services for clients. The latest example of Showsec’s progressive security management was the implementation and testing of a new traffic management plan, by Showsec Academy graduate Tim Chambers.

Mark Logan, Showsec’s director, drives the company’s forward thinking and dynamic personnel to push customer service and event security boundaries, by encouraging the introduction of academically researched, confident measures that lead to innovations. Investment in the Showsec Academy has created a training legacy producing a very capable generation of management, fulfilling this criteria.

Tim Chambers is a Showsec Academy graduate success story and an accomplished security specialist at the MEN. Following the withdrawal of Greater Manchester Police from road closures on busy event days, Tim worked with MEN management to initiate and implement a new traffic management plan. Bringing the operation in house eliminated the need for a third party to close roads by providing an alternative solution, whilst widening Showsec’s remit. 

Tim project managed all elements of the speedy implementation of the new plan, from writing risk assessments to working closely with Steve Laws from Training Event Safety Solutions. They ensured the 30 hand picked Showsec security professionals were thoroughly trained for the specialist traffic management task. Emphasis was placed on high levels of co-operation and communication between the staff, who worked in groups of five to safely close one of Manchester’s busiest highways. Speaking about the new traffic management plan Tim says:

“It seemed a logical solution to create a plan that would enable the MEN to merge their traffic management and security requirements to one company as we had the human resource onsite to undertake this role. Careful consideration and investment in training our security specialists with correct techniques to safely close the major trunk road along Trinity Way, meant we could bring the traffic management in house. Combining this with our strong reputation amongst visitors to the venue meant the MEN were assured of our consistent quality in managing crowds.”

Pictured: Manchester MEN

December 2010

Showsec’s London Office successfully implemented a complex event security operation at Earls Court for the British Military Tournament.

VIP Royal guests and senior military officials were among 56,000 visitors attending the return of Britain’s oldest military tattoo, on December 4th and 5th, at Earls Court. Over 500 troops and 145 horses appeared in two performances per day, featuring the ever-popular field gun run, massed bands and battle re-enactments.

IMG’s operations director Nick Mattingley managed the event production, stating:
“Showsec were seamless from beginning to end. Their venue knowledge and experience was second to none, particularly for directing crowds and performers around Earls Court, we were reliant on them to deliver - and they did very well.”
“There is a momentum for us to capitalise on this years’ success and come back next year, so we will open discussions with the ABF Soldiers Charity and the MOD at the first possibility.”

Showsec’s London area manager Paul Legge contributed his vast experience of working at Earls Court from the first meeting with the organisers IMG in March, remaining pro-active throughout the extensive contingency planning process. The security team considered multiple eventualities, carrying out in-depth risk assessments leading into the weekend, with everyone’s safety being of primary consideration.

Paul was joined by the newly appointed operations executive Louise Stockden, who had graduated from the Showsec Academy and taken on her new role in London this November. Paul commented:

“Louise put a fantastic amount of knowledge and enthusiasm in to the project. She has managed a complex security operation with total confidence, the skills she has shown bear testament to the effectiveness of the Showsec Academy in providing her with detailed state of the art industry knowledge. Louise has already been a real asset on this and other events since joining our London office.”

“Showsec provided 168 event security professionals on each event day, working alongside 82 volunteers in customer service roles, so in numbers of personnel this event is similar to the demands of the Brit Awards at Earls Court as a security operation. Friday rehearsals followed by two shows on both the Saturday and the Sunday required detailed planning in staff schedules to ensure consistency in the quality of service. The supervisory and management team were supported by key personnel accommodated close to the venue. This allowed us to change many of the staff between the days, with the supervisors retaining the key knowledge and experience to brief the fresh incoming staff with detailed information about the unique venue format.”

Sarah Cook, Earls Court operations manager said:
“Showsec staff represented the venue very well, constantly attentive to a wide range of customer service requirements with audience ages between 9 and 90 to consider.”

Pictured: Sarah Cook, Paul Legge, Louise Stockden

December 2010

 

 

Leading event security specialists Showsec successfully implemented a service led crowd control operation at the Goose Fair, a key annual event in Nottingham held across five days from the 6th October.

The high profile event, currently in its 716th year, featured over 500 attractions and rides to entertain crowds of over 350,000, with a wide audience demographic including families, school children and young adults. Public safety was a priority for the un-ticketed event and event organisers Nottingham City Council entrusted Showsec to effectively plan and manage the multifaceted event security across the site. 

Un-ticketed events are potentially difficult to predict in terms of crowd numbers, demographics and timing of peak numbers on site, and it is an area Showsec has considerable experience in, implementing effective, flexible security solutions. Planning for multiple contingencies,

Showsec operations executive Patrick Leafe attended a series of preparation meetings with the council’s event team and local police addressing challenges that could have arisen at the unique and historic event. Showsec developed strategic plans to minimise criminal activity and maximise safety, counterbalancing negative influences, such as noise and alcohol, along with the unpredictable movements of the crowd moving around the different attractions.

Patrick Leafe states;

“The Goose Fair is Europe’s largest travelling fair and encompasses Nottingham’s Forest Recreational Ground, presenting a unique event site to secure. We provided the expertise of  50 of our SIA licensed personnel, individually selected from the Nottingham office because of their professional security skills and local knowledge, which combined, enhanced the customer experience and public safety at this family event.”

Pictured: Nottingham Goose Fair

November 2010

Showsec’s management consultancy team recently returned from yet another successful engagement with MTV for the 2010 Europe Music Awards.

This year’s host city was Madrid on 7th November, where a multitude of A list artists and celebrities gathered for the 17th annual awards ceremony.

Lady GaGa was the night's big winner after bagging a total of three gongs, including the prestigious Best Song award for Bad Romance. Live performances included Bon Jovi, Rihanna, Kings of Leon and Plan B. The glamorous Eva Longoria hosted the event from the Caja Magica.

There was a festival feel across Madrid with MTV hosting a number of events during the week. This culminated in a huge Outdoor Broadcast Show at the Puerto de Alcala, where a mammoth stage was built in front of the iconic landmark, in the middle of a roundabout. A complex security plan was agreed with the National and Municipal police, whereby a series of road closures and pedestrian control points created an audience area of up to 50,000 people. Saturday 6th November was MTV Spain day with a line up of top Spanish pop acts, whilst the Sunday delivered a visually spectacular event featuring Katy Perry, 30 Seconds to Mars and Linkin Park.

Showsec used a team of 11 managers from the UK, who were each responsible for different areas of the EMA activities, liaising with MTV department heads and overseeing the local security.

Simon Battersby, Showsec operations director, commented; 

“The EMAs grow larger by the year and are a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase our expertise and contribute to the success of this global TV event.”

This year saw a challenging set of circumstances in that a brand new international tennis centre was converted into the main awards venue, with different courts being used for different parts of the event.

Simon continues;

“The way in which MTV utilise the venue to make the space work for the event, always requires alternative solutions for security and crowd management. This year’s venue had additional issues in that it had no front of house security or customer service procedures in place.

Therefore we had to work hard with the local promoter and import systems and expertise to create our own front of house operation including ticketing, access management, command and control systems along with security and ushering. All of the Showsec team, as usual, embraced the challenge and worked tirelessly with MTV to ensure the success of the event.”

Pictured: 30 Seconds to Mars at MTV

November 2010

Showsec played a key role at this November’s UK Festival Conference and Awards along with the hundreds of the UK Festival Organisers attending London’s O2 Arena.

The company’s Operations Director Simon Battersby was part of a panel of industry professionals discussing the issues surrounding crowd safety at free events in the wake of several incidents in 2010. Simon drew on very recent experiences at the 2010 MTV European Music Awards along with his many years’ experience managing the evolving security operations at free events including  BBC Radio 1 live events.

The seminar (sponsored by TPi Magazine) entitled ‘Non-ticketed events should be banned’ was firm in its conclusions that with effective planning and management free events should be safe. The panel acknowledged that there are several areas of concern that still arise too often, notably in the evaluation of competence of both organisers, suppliers and licensing officials to ensure best working practices and delivery safe events.
 
Celebrations at the evening’s UK Festival Award ceremonies followed the conference, with six of the 12 awards going to festivals that Showsec have helped make safer events.

Showsec’s unwavering passion to drive for cohesive progression within the industry has been evident from the start of the year, beginning with London’s International Live Music Conference this March. Managing director Mark Harding and operations director Mark Logan sat on international panels, continuing a decade of support that has seen the company entrenched in the fabric of the ILMC reflecting the shared belief in the objectives to engender continuous improvement and open debate.

Mark Harding more recently chaired a lively panel debate in front of an influential body of industry leaders at the Event Risk, Safety and Security Conference in London this September. Mark, also the chairman of the UK Crowd Management Association, discussed the elements involved in pre-planning and executing a safe and secure live event with panellists from Police authorities and crowd management specialists.

Showsec continued its commitment as a key sponsor of the two day Live UK Event Summit in October, joining 200 promoters, agents and venue operators in London, to discuss a range of relevant issues affecting today’s music industry. The company also sponsored the inaugural Live Music Business Awards associated with the Summit, and whilst there was no security category, Showsec provides services to five of the evening’s winning recipients.

Mark Harding also spoke at the Stand Out Showmans Show ‘Outstanding Seminar’ at Newbury Showground, on October 20th, he joined outdoor event health and safety professionals for an interactive discussion covering legislative and licensing developments, the role of volunteers and other issues.

Mark Harding says:
“As part of our Corporate Responsibility the Directors all believe in the continuous support of events which provide an environment for open discussion and encouragement of industry development. It is essential that we all work towards the common objective of developing standards, while sustaining and extending the commercial opportunities for the industry to flourish within. These platforms for discussion highlight the challenges in security and related event sectors, which can only help collective ideas and co-operation to eventually drive improved working practices. Event security has made some great advances in recent years and we are currently in a position to continue that momentum with regards to raising standards and harnessing the potential of some very talented professionals.”

Pictured: Mark Harding at Showman’s Show Outstanding Seminar and Simon Battersby at UK Festival Awards Conference

October 2010

Showsec’s continued expansion in 2010 has seen key events and five new venue contract wins create a wealth of security career opportunities across the UK.

The award winning company is a leading supplier of event and venue security, renowned for introducing ground breaking staff training and career progression opportunities. After the continued commercial success during 2010, Showsec have executed their planned expansion on the 2,250 staff deployed across festivals this summer.

Katie Farmer, recruitment department manager ensures the requirements for operational staff and management are fulfilled. Katie says:

“We have increased our workforce by 20% to meet the equivalent turnover increase of the business, thereby bucking the trends of recession in the employment and economic environment.”

The company has focused on developing regional recruitment teams, combining extensive operational experience with innovative ongoing recruitment training. Katie believes the new innovations are producing significant benefits to clients through the standard of the product delivered.

Katie continues:

“We have developed a very effective recruitment process from the initial on-line application to appointment. Throughout the whole process we are looking for an array of attributes in areas such as; communication skills, levels of commitment, positive attitude, confidence and customer service skills. It is vital that we find people who share Showsec’s pride in delivering excellence.

“Successful candidates go through a full screening process and training. We ensure all new staff are welcomed into the company through our mentoring program and highlight potential for our Management Academy which is taking another intake in October.”

Seven years of continuous expansion enables Showsec to provide exciting opportunities for both licensed security personnel and stewards. Staff are highly valued, receive quality training, can have flexibility in their work patterns and work in an array of exciting environments. Area Supervisory and Academy campaigns provide significant opportunity for those looking to progress within the Company.

Showsec is an Investors in People Award Winning Company. Visit the work for us tab for  all current and future opportunities with the company.

Pictured: Katie Farmer

September 2010

Showsec won their fifth consecutive Security Excellence Award for Best Event Security Team along with being highly commended in the Contract Security Manager category.  This reflects the company’s ongoing contributions to public safety, event security and crowd management. 

A judging panel of respected security experts placed Showsec at the pinnacle of the event security sector, with the company’s specialist Front of Stage Barrier and Backstage Teams being awarded the trophy in front of a thousand peers at London’s Park Lane Hilton, October 2010.  

The company was recognised for achievements at UK festivals, venues, TV broadcasts and awards. They combine innovative security techniques with vast experience in delivering hugely varying operational solutions, to achieve artist and public safety at thousands of events.

Mark Harding managing director states;

“Winning Event Security Team of the Year, is testament to the company’s strategy of individual development, group training, utilisation of expertise and the loyalty and dedication of our staff, who demonstrate the highest standards of professionalism.

“The experience and consistent service provided by very loyal key operational personnel, such as Keith Etchells, John Hadland, Junior Linton, Balbir Judge and Brendan Kellegher has been invaluable in achieving this award.”
 
Showsec area manger Julian Kumah was highly commended in the Contract Security Manager of the Year category. Julian progressed his career over the past decade at Showsec, continually building and maintaining strong client relations. He has helped clients deliver a wide range of spectacular events, operate successful venues and ensured the safety of hundreds of thousands of members of the public through professionally managed security operations.  

Mark concludes

“Once again this year has given us a great platform to build on and we will continue to extend and upgrade out training and leadership programs in order to continually improve the services we can offer our clients.”

Pictured: L - R Julian Kumah, Sonal Khunti, Jon-lee Trotman, Dayo Adelugba, Amy Foster, Simon Howard, Paul Burrows

November 2010

Showsec excelled in implementing an extensive event security operation to ensure the first Papal State visit culminated in a successful mass to beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman in Birmingham’s Cofton Park on 19th September 2010.

The Catholic Church and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office engaged WRG Communications to produce the final highlight event of his first state visit, which effectively saw Cofton Park transformed into what resembled a cathedral like space to host this rare Beatification Mass. In July Showsec was appointed to undertake the robust and complex event security operation in conjunction with the West Midland Police. This required up to 600 SIA licensed event security professionals to ensure the safety of the Papal entourage, 150 Bishops, 1,000 priests, 200 seminaries, a 2,000 strong choir and over 50,000 pilgrims travelling to worship with the Pope.
 
WRG Executive Producer Alie Tilley worked closely with Showsec Director Simon Battersby and Southern Regional Manager Steve Reynolds to define, plan and implement the protocols and complexities of the multi-agency security operation associated with this iconic occasion, which attracted huge international media attention.

Alie says:
“WRG enjoyed working with Showsec both in the planning and operational stages of this complex and unique event.  Their on site staff were well briefed and responsive.  Simon and Steve offered excellent support and advice throughout the project and we look forward to the opportunity of working with them again.”

There were many aspects that distinguished this project from most other event security operations. The security operation commenced with the site build on 26th August with combined search regimes between Showsec and the West Midlands Police, and continued throughout the installation of the event infrastructure. The highest levels of search and accreditation protocols were implemented for any person or vehicle entering the backstage area.

Complex transport and traffic arrangements meant the site welcomed pilgrims from 3am on the Sunday leading up to mass at 10am, with the most robust security elements surrounding the Papal entourage.

Simon Battersby says:
“It was an honour to be a part of the Pope’s first state visit to the UK and it was a pleasure to work with such a dynamic and professional team from WRG.  The Papal visit tops off an excellent outdoor season for Showsec providing security and crowd management solutions for many events that took place across the UK.”  
 
Attention to detail was key to the success of the Papal Visit, with so many people participating in the event or attending as pilgrims.  Simon continued:
“Our operatives should be commended for their ability to adapt to the sensibilities of very different audiences.  This event called for a great understanding of the environment they were working in and a respect for the assembled congregation and their religious beliefs.  As always they rose to the challenge.” 

The event was a particular landmark for Showsec’s Birmingham office, which was restructured earlier this year. Area Manager Richard Church was responsible for project planning supported by Joe Milner who managed the logistical planning and implementation. Carlos Campbell and O’Neil Richards were responsible for the day to day site security along with Oz Daporte.

Pictured: Richard Church

September 2010

Showsec successfully implemented a professional, multi-facetted event security operation at Twickenham on 12th September at the Help for Heroes fundraising concert in aid of injured soldiers.

Showsec secured the artist and pit areas, whilst liaising with the Rugby Football Union, seamlessly managing the crowd of 60,000 spectators. 

The event, attended by Prince Harry, climaxed with a reunion performance from Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams, amongst a host of other pop stars and comedians, including Tom Jones, Katherine Jenkins, Peter Kay and Michael McIntyre.

Showsec’s Operations Director Simon Battersby along with project manager Paul Legge oversaw 280 Showsec security professionals during the show.

Simon states;

“The Help for Heroes concert was in aid of a fantastic cause and an event we are very proud to have been a part of. The event was an emotional one for some of our staff who have connections with the armed forces.”
“The new south stand has created an improved infrastructure for securing the dressing rooms and backstage offices, and allowed us to create a new system to get artists onto the site directly and swiftly from the road.” 

The team secured the area throughout the production build and full artist rehearsals on Friday and Saturday. On concert day this event had multiple levels of accreditation and passes for staff to monitor and direct people to different areas, such as VIP golden circles on the pitch, while also ensuring the performers could get on and off stage and site safely, discreetly and  efficiently.

The layout of the circular stage catwalk, along with the two golden circles meant John Hadland, who managed the pit team, had a complex layout to secure. The pit team were therefore spilt into three different areas; front of stage and either side of artist’s circular stage catwalk. 

Pictured: Showsec's Simon Battersby and Paul Legge

September 2010

Showsec’s London team showed professionalism at the highest level, securing The Garden Party To Make a Difference in the gardens of Clarence House, The Prince of Wales personal reside in London.

The charity VIP event of the season opened on 8th September with a celebrity filled launch, seeing the Clarence House and St James Palace Gardens opened to the public for the first time over the following 11 days.

The modern style garden party offered guests a wide range of responsibly sourced local foods, alongside an exhibition backed by a string of high street brands. This entertained and promoted lifestyle changes towards living sustainably, as well as raising funds for the Princes Trust. 

Showsec Operations Executive Simon Howard has been entrusted to project manage the specialised security and crowd management operation. Starting work months in advance Simon began planning the operations and sharing intelligence alongside the Royal Police and Palace’s Security. Regular meetings allowed Showsec to plan for the range of potential scenarios that could arise and be aware of the potential threats. All 50 SIA licensed staff went through robust security accreditations due to the nature of this event, but the companies in-house checks ensured that all staff presented were suitable to work.

Simon explains:

“The thorough planning process leading into securing this VIP event meant that we incorporated our client’s preferences throughout our operations. These included the use of effective yet low key wand searches at all entrances, with experienced ever-vigilant security professionals smartly presented, friendly and approachable located throughout the Royal Gardens.”

Simon joined the Showsec Academy two years ago, from a hotel and conference background and since graduating, he has progressed his career with Showsec’s London Area Office. He says:

“The Showsec Academy gave me a great opportunity and is the reason I am now confident to manage all aspects of event security with a large team of security professionals whilst liaising with Royal Security, local Metropolitan Police and Production Manager Andrew Haworth at Live Nation to achieve everyone’s ideal outcomes.”

The Prince of Wales’s visit on Friday was a huge success, as Simon states;

“We have prepared three levels of security for an event of this prestige, on a normal day we only operate to level one, but during Prince Charles’s visit, we moved this up to level three. The elements involved in this higher level of security and the clientele this type of event attracts mean all staff were selected with characteristics to put visitors at ease, whilst also being highly alert.”

Pictured: Simon Howard Operations Executive

September 2010

Showsec has been selected to provide the venue event security at two key venues in the Mama Group.

The appointments to supply security professionals at London’s HMV Hammersmith Apollo and newly refurbished HMV Birmingham Institute underline the strength of the long relationships with the Mama Group.
 
London Area Manager Paul Legge and Midlands Area Manager Richard Church will be responsible for the venues in their respective areas. In Hammersmith, the Mama Group have extended their relationship with Showsec, continuing to entrust the London team with a three year contract to secure of the countries flagship venues. The newly refurbished HMV Institute in Birmingham is another venue seeped in UK music history and one the Mama Group and Showsec are delighted to see opening its doors again this September.
 
Richard Church, Area Manager at Showsec says;

“We pride ourselves on long term security relationships with venues who want the best for their visitors through good crowd management and specialist security. We invest a lot of energy to gain a firm understanding of the different requirements for each venue and work with clients to achieve their aspirations in the kind of venue they wish to run.”

Pictured: HMV Birmingham Institute and Hammersmith Apollo   

September 2010

Following the best year to date, Bloodstock organiser Adam Gregory says:

“Showsec’s first year at Bloodstock Open Air, 13-15th August 2010 was hugely successful with praise from the organising team, authorities and fans for raising the standards of the festival security, stewarding and customer service. We couldn’t have asked for anything better, their staff were professional, polite, easy to get on with but strong when required.”

The three day festival, based in Catton Park saw a capacity 10,300 fans enjoy the weekend of heavy metal bands, culminating with headline act Twisted Sister on Sunday evening.

The tenth anniversary Bloodstock continued the independent festival’s continued year on year growth. Owners, the Gregory family, have planned for sustained expansion of the festival, in order to secure better artists for the fans. Adam explains the introduction of Showsec in 2010:

“As the festival grew we identified the requirement for a better level of festival security and crowd management. From what I’ve seen at other events I believe Showsec have helped us achieve and surpass industry standards, and fan reaction has been brilliant.”

Showsec’s Midlands Area Manager Richard Church, Operations Executive Darren Evans, assisted by Paddy Leafe and Joe Milner managed all aspects of the event, from planning, all operational aspects to debrief. The team secured all areas of the site from car parking, access control and response teams through to the front of stage barriers and campsite patrol.

Adam looks to the future:

“Showsec has justified us awarding them a three year contract to fulfil all our festival security and crowd management requirements. I’m confident they will be invaluable in the development of the festival site to accommodate expansion next year. We have already announced one of our headline artists, Immortal, to appear at next years Bloodstock on 12th – 14th and I’m sure we’ll deliver a great festival with help from Showsec.”

September 2010

Metro Radio Arena Newcastle (SMG UK Ltd) proudly announces a 4 year contract and association with Showsec to provide customer safety and security for all events at Metro Radio Arena from 1st September 2010.

Paul Tappenden, Marketing Director & Deputy General Manager of Metro Radio Arena comments:
“SMG’s worldwide expansion (recently adding venues in Leeds, Turkey and Poland to its portfolio) signals our intentions to proactively expand our international offering to promoters and event organisers.  Showsec has received numerous awards over the past decade, reinforcing their credentials as one of Europe’s leading event security crowd management companies, and therefore an association with Showsec is a natural progression for an SMG owned venue.”
 
Showsec presently service many of the major UK Arenas including SMG’s European first and largest UK arena based in Manchester, the MEN.

Operations Director for Showsec, Mark Logan says:
“I view this as a natural progression of our ongoing partnership with SMG, who we have always worked closely with to introduce security and customer service innovations. At Newcastle we hope to provide the same quality of service at a corporate and customer level that helped make the MEN an award winning venue.” 

Showsec has developed a nationwide management and staff infrastructure that allows a consistently high quality product to be delivered to customers with the profile and high expectations of SMG Europe. The majority of staff will still be sourced in the immediate local area, boosting local employment.

September 2010

Showsec has reached the finals for two coveted categories in the 2010 Security Excellence Awards.

Showsec Specialist Front of Stage Barrier and Backstage Team has been shortlisted for Event Security Team of the Year, which Showsec has held for the last four consecutive years, whilst Julian Kumah, Area Manager Leeds and Sheffield, has been shortlisted for Contract Security Manager of the Year.

Mark Harding, Managing Director says:
“Showsec constantly strives towards excellence in event security and these awards, judged by experts from across the wider security industry, are a great recognition that we are achieving that. This is the fifth year we have been made finalists and I am particularly proud of the consistency of professionalism our staff achieve at all levels. This is a reflection of the high standard of operational service underpinned by the innovation and creativity of our support teams.”

Pictured : Julian Kumah
August

Showsec secured Belladrum Tartan Heart festival, near Inverness, for the forth year, over which time the security operation has evolved along with growth of the festival to its current capacity of 13,000.

Festival organiser Joe Gibbs, also a proud member of the Association of Independent Festival Organisers, says:
“We have a unique family festival which is becoming an integral part of the highland events calendar. There is no other company of Showsec’s calibre who could maintain the balance between our relaxed family atmosphere and the safety and security of our patrons and artists.”

Changes have been introduced year on year taking account of the specific needs of the organisers, alongside the companies experience at other festival sites. This year Showsec supplied 199 licensed security professionals, selected in line with the family oriented audience. Since opening the Scottish office in 2009 there has been an increasing number of Scottish staff at Belladrum, in 2010 Scott Anderson, area manager Scotland based in Edinburgh and Steve Dyker, operation executive based at Aberdeen contributed a team of 50 out of the total of 199 event security professionals

Showsec’s Northern area manager Allan Wallace, the appointed festival head of security says:
“We enjoy a productive open relationship with the festival family based on trust and understanding; they are willing to accept fresh ideas to improve their event.
“They have some very clear ideas about the kind of festival they want to put on, so we find the safest, most effective way for them to achieve that.
“For example, the division of campsites has been undertaken to create a family friendly quiet yellow area, whilst the red area caters for visitors who like to party into the night, with a mid-range green campsite for families. Our staff were briefed to enforce this and on the first (Thursday) night moved some roudy party campers from yellow to red, which kept everyone happy.
“The organisers want a family focused festival so staff were briefed to apply zero tolerance to under age drinking and interject quickly and quell any anti-social behaviour. The use of separate wristbands for under 18’s, who are not allowed on site without an adult, made it easier at the bars but requires sensitive, patient enforcement at the entrance gates.
“The result is that there were relatively few ejections because we have been pro-active with the whole festival team to create the right atmosphere. Belladrum has a brilliant “bon ami” with a unique character on a beautiful site.”

Showsec successfully managed crowds across the weekend (6th – 7th August) from perimeters, backstage areas, campsites to all public areas, along with six live stages varying from local folk and ceilidh bands to The Wailers, to Amy Macdonald to the mosh pits of Feeder and Glasgow based Twin Atlantic. Additionally there was a busy daytime kids area and the ‘Mothers Ruin’ area dedicated to DJ’s and a late night headphone disco.

Pictured : L- R Steve Dyker, Allan Wallace, Scott Anderson
August 2010

Showsec implemented a delicate balance of maintaining safety and security with a very customer focused operation for festival organisers Rob da Bank and John Hughes along with the Loud Sound production team to deliver a successful, family friendly, Camp Bestival, 28th July-31st July 2010.
 
Southern Regional Manager Steve Reynolds explains;
“Customer care was a high priority for everyone. We worked with all stakeholders to create a plan and briefed staff very thoroughly in that area. It was imperative we create a relaxed and safe environment for the 25,000 capacity crowd from the moment they arrived on site. Parents with small children had travelled for hours in warm cars, so all staff were encouraged to welcome guests courteously, familiarise themselves with all key locations for giving directions and to be patient at all times.”

The team of 280 event security professionals from Showsec offices across the UK, including 80 from the new South Coast area, ensured that all visitors were greeted in friendly fashion by staff knowledgeable and friendly staff.

Showsec’s Festival Security Manager Tracey McCarthey co-ordinated operations with local agencies and implemented a seamless family oriented security operation. Tracey comments:
“We carefully selected staff for the specialist audience profile comprised of 10,000 children and 15,000 adults. Andy Edwards supervised the Kids Field, and with so many attractions staff kept a constant vigilance for lost children, with clear communication through radio communication and the event control room, resulting in all families being quickly reunited.  

Mr Tumble was the star attraction of the dynamic Kids Field, with interactive circus, art and kiddies catwalks keeping children amused. Adults were entertained with bands such as The Fall, Madness and Tinchy Stryder on the main stage.  This audience went from the old experienced gig-goers to the younger, smaller and inexperienced members of the audience, with some boisterous teenagers also ‘in the mix’,which required attentive monitoring by the pit team, as crowds got excited at the front of the stage.   

Pictured : L-R, Steve Reynolds, Dave Grindle, Tracey McCarthey
August 2010

Cardiff City Council has appointed Showsec to supply event security for their annual program of events.

Y mae Cyngor Dinas Caerdydd wedi penodi "Showsec" i gyflenwi digwyddiad ddiogelwch ar gyfer eu rhaglen flynyddol o ddigwyddiadau.

Wales’ Capital City is highly regarded for hosting events over recent years, so Showsec’s Cardiff & South West Area Manager Ieuan Fury was delighted to be selected following a strict tender process; he said:

“We have a great team based in Cardiff of exceptional event security professionals, whether securing the flagship Cardiff International Arena (CIA), local festivals, student unions or supporting local authorities and emergency services.

“I believe our ability to deliver a consistently excellent service with the support of the companies national resources, as exemplified by our accreditation on the SIA Approved Contractors Scheme all helped with our selection. We are committed to working with Cardiff City Council to introduce security, crowd management and customer service initiatives to help them develop their events.”

The contract begins this July with Wow at the Waterfront’ and ‘Admirals Cardiff Big Weekend’, three days of music headlined by Feeder and Athlete. These shows are both part of Cardiff Festival that includes live music, street theatre, open-air theatre, children’s entertainment and funfairs, highlighting the diversity of services Showsec supply.

Pictured : Cardiff & South West Area Manager Ieuan Fury
July 2010

Showsec carried out a multi-faceted security and crowd management operation at the home of the Warrington Wolves rugby team this June. Maintaining robust stadium security from car parks, emergency exits from ingress through to egress, Showsec staff also ensured the highest levels of customer service at all times for all fans and hospitality guests.

At the Halliwell Jones Stadium, the safety and security of players, fans and VIP’s was Showsec’s a key priority, as the wolves played the Leeds Rhinos in their bid to become the number one team in the Rugby Super League.

Joe Taylor from Showsec’s Manchester office was project manager for the event, with support from Steve Williams in the role of senior supervisor. They oversaw a team of 33 security professionals and worked together with the Warrington Wolves stewards, stadium safety managers and other key stakeholders to effectively manage each area of the event.

Joe explains:
“Seven members of the Showsec team looked after hospitality, where duties included meeting and greeting past players, board members and other VIP’s, accreditation and health and safety. Showsec stationed stewards covering the car parking and external areas, such as specially allocated player and disabled guest parking, to ensure all visitors on the day were in the right place. Whilst checking vehicle credentials and directing traffic accordingly, the car park team maintained order despite the high volume of traffic, directing pedestrians safely at all times.”

The remainder of the Showsec staff were stationed over the concourse fire exit doors, ensuring these remained shut during the game and more importantly providing professional, approachable customer service, fielding enquiries from the public. They were also briefed and prepared for any emergency situation, with a full understanding of the strategy for safe ingress and egress in the event of an evacuation.

Joe continues:
“This is our second season providing additional security and stewarding at the club and by providing a consistent, friendly, professional service we look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationship with the Halliwell Jones Stadium in the future.”

 

A multi-faceted Showsec operation ensured the security, safety and enjoyment of the audiences, artists and VIP’s at June’s packed and sunny 2010 Hard Rock Calling shows. London’s largest and most prestigious series of outdoor concerts in Hyde Park got off to a successful start with headliners Pearl Jam, Stevie Wonder and Sir Paul McCartney; a Kings of Leon concert and the forthcoming Wireless Festival weekend at the start of July are also hosted across the following week.

Showsec’s Simon Battersby is head of security for the events. He says:
“Hyde Park is a well established summer concert series, our challenge is to build on ever-increasing expectations, as the general site management and venue doesn’t change very much year on year. For us, it’s all about fine tuning, and delivering an improved operation each year that draws on our expertise and innovation, giving the audience, artists and VIPs the best possible experience. We have achieved that this year by working closely with all stakeholders including the park, police and organisers from early planning stages to completion.”

With over 400,000 people coming through the doors over the seven scheduled events, the Showsec team planned and delivered a complex security and crowd management operation, which was flexible to the requirements of the different shows and artists. Showsec Southern Regional Manager Steve Reynolds has acted as Security manager for all seven concerts.

Showsec project manager Dayo Adelugba arranged all the staff logistical operations including staff briefings, deployment transportation and administration. With Ieuan Fury acting as the arena security co-ordinator, Roy Wise overseeing all gates and Tracey McCarthy co-ordinating backstage operations, this was an opportunity for four Showsec Academy associates to gain valuable experience supervising the specialised security functions from experienced teams.

As part of Showsec’s ongoing research and development programme, representatives from the University of Derby Corporate were on site, illustrating the importance Showsec places in using real live events experience to observe, learn and pass on valuable skills to junior members of the industry. For those staff enrolled in the Crowd Management degree launched earlier this year in partnership with Derby, these representatives filmed and analysed video footage of the egress at Hyde Park, using this as the basis of research into pedestrian movement patterns.

Showsec successfully implemented a comprehensive security and crowd management operation at the largest ever Download this June, where 95,000 rock fans gathered for the festival’s historic 30th year.

Showsec Operations Director Simon Battersby was appointed as the festival’s Head of Security, prior to seven months strategic planning that led into coordinating 1300 security professionals and stewards at the event. Headline acts AC/DC, Rage Against the Machine and Aerosmith were among 125 bands entertaining the dedicated rock fans over three days. This was a challenging, highly complicated operation, as Simon explains:

“Live Nation were keen to have a more co-ordinated overriding security operation which managed the increased size and scale of Download this year more effectively. My new role within the festival management team meant that I engaged all stakeholders from Leicestershire police, licensing authorities, and the festival crime prevention team, to other contractors securing the campsite and car park areas. As a result, we consolidated the security operations across the site, sharing information, resources, and ensuring clear communication between all parties, which I am happy to say led to improved security for everyone on site.”

Steve Reynolds, Showsec’s Southern Regional Manager, oversaw the complex event security operation, which spanned the five stages, markets, entrances and perimeter. With such a vast area and so many staff, effective briefings and extensive planning were key to the operation’s success.

Steve says:
“The crowd management at Download has always been a very carefully coordinated operation, maintaining the barriers and large numbers fans over five different stages. In addition, with AC/DC bringing their own stage this year, our teams in the main arena had to adapt their operation in line with the barrier and crowd layout changes that were the result of a change of stage between Friday night and Saturday morning.

“This style of high energy rock music is associated with an audience who like to crowd surf and whose boisterous behaviour can approach being (unintentionally) unsafe. Having said that, the crowd are here to party, are very co-operative and tend to look after each others well being. We initiated a couple of show-stops as careful monitoring spotted potentially dangerous situations developing and these prevented serious injuries. The five pit teams managed by John Hadland deserve credit, with high numbers coming over the barriers (for example 2,500 people coming over the barriers during Rage Against the Machine’s set alone).”

Key members of the Showsec team included Roy Wise, who managed gate security, mentoring Showsec Academy staff successfully so that by day three he could entrust and observe them managing the ingress. Richard Church oversaw all staff administration, which included coordinating the criminal record and licensing checks for every member of staff from across all three security providers; as well as maintaining staff well-being, ensuring they had appropriate uniforms, 2-way radios, accommodation and food throughout the event; and of course the sun cream and rain capes required at any UK festival! 

Simon continues;
“Download Festival 2010 was a historic year for Showsec as well as the festival itself. Our new management infrastructure successfully executed a huge, complex security and crowd management operation, meeting the demands of every stakeholder and improving the standards of safety of everyone on site.”

Showsec has been selected as the in-house venue security provider for Portsmouth Guildhall, a 2228 capacity concert hall and multi purpose venue.

South Coast Area Manager Tracey McCarthy will lead the team of Showsec licensed security professionals, who will deliver a modern service combining robust security with welcoming customer service, focused on the venues customers and guests.

Tracey says:
“We are very proud to have been selected as the in-house security partner at this prestigious South Coast venue. We are already in close liaison with the venue to introduce new ideas and fresh procedures to improve the experience of everyone visiting and working at the venue.”

Portsmouth Guildhall is steeped in tradition and history, yet welcoming and flexible to the modern demands of the biggest event teams, theatrical producers, concert promoters, conference organisers and associations. Welcoming the appointment, the venue general manager Danny Green says:

“This appointment underlines our commitment to being a premier venue in the region. Showsec’s systems, attitude and capabilities impressed us and give us confidence that the venue will make the progress it needs to operate even more successfully in a changing marketplace.”

As part of the company’s ongoing pro-active programme to ensure good employee health and wellbeing, Showsec is holding stress management courses for staff. In a joint venture between the HR department, Health and Safety team and the Showsec Academy, these new courses will explore the causes for, impact and effective management of stress on a personal and business level.

The course will be run by Showsec Academy Manager Keith Hackett, with support from Head of Human Resources Debbie Atherton, HR Manager Katie Farmer and Health and Safety Manager Phil Cobourne. Debbie explains:
“Stress is a concern in many workplaces, and this can often be attributed to a manager’s ability to successfully manage those suffering from stress. Employee satisfaction is very important at Showsec, and the course will provide the team with the skills to ensure they are able to spot signs of stress, developing tools and techniques to manage them appropriately.

“This course will encourage people to stop and think about how their behaviour may affect other staff. We need to make more time to sit down and talk, even when we are busy, be more empathetic of each other’s demands and be prepared to re-evaluate communication methods.”

The course involves a participative workshop, designed to suit all staff from directors through to operations executives. The first workshop was held for southern-based employees in Leicester in late April, and was attended by a range of management.

With a further session planned in Manchester in August, and more to be confirmed shortly, this course is one of the many ways in which Showsec maintain a healthy work environment to ensure employee happiness and ongoing business productivity.

Showsec worked with BBC Radio 1 and newly appointed organisers Live Nation to deliver a spectacular event in Bangor, North Wales, May 2010. 40,000 visitors enjoyed the sunshine and artists including Rhianna, JLS, Paolo Nutini, Florence and the Machine, Cheryl Cole and many more.

John Probyn, Chief Operating Officer says:
“BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend is the first large outdoor music event of the summer season for 2010 and has set a high benchmark for others to aspire to. I believe the partnership between the BBC and Live Nation has worked very well in delivering an event that appealed very well to the Radio 1 audience. Bringing Showsec back into the production fold was a key element in achieving that, they have provided a robust security service that belied the experience and innovation within the company.”
 
Having worked on Big Weekends with the BBC in previous years, Showsec were brought back by the BBC this year to ensure a high quality service that was aligned with the demands of all stakeholders, and protected the integrity of the BBC brand, with a robust security and crowd management programme that met the high standards that both Live Nation and the BBC demand.

Following extensive planning, the Showsec team carried out a comprehensive security programme that saw to the safety of high profile artists, production staff and members of the public alike. In the months of planning leading up to the event, Showsec worked with the organisers and key stakeholders including the local council and police to ensure their strategy was perfectly suited to the nature of the event, which differs from the traditional festival model.

Radio One’s Big Weekend events are hosted in areas not traditionally used to hosting large scale festivals, and as such have a large, enthusiastic local audience keen to visit them. The Big Weekend is an incredibly popular event, which this year saw 500,000 people apply for tickets with only 40,000 tickets available. As a result, Showsec maintained a robust door policy, had an extensive perimeter security operation with dog patrols, statics and mobile response units around the 11 mile perimeter of the site, and worked closely with local representatives to draw on their expertise and advice on the area, to minimise non-ticket holders attempting to get on to the site.

Alan Wallace, Showsec’s newly appointed Northern Regional Manager, explains:
 “The Big Weekend has been a fantastic opportunity for us to demonstrate the strength and depth of our combined experience, which has been enhanced by the recent management restructure at Showsec. We are passionate about constantly raising standards and improving skills in our industry, and it has been great to work with clients who share this ethos. Radio One and Live Nation demand the highest levels of service to ensure the safety of their audiences, and our fresh approach and new structure means we are able to deliver this service on a larger scale than ever before.”

Operations Director Simon Battersby provided support to Alan and his team, whose key managers were Julian Kumah, managing the project, Mark Wilcock managing the event entrances, and Robbie Jarvis running the arena section.

Alan continues:
“Location has been a key factor with this event. We had a number of Welsh speakers on the event team to ensure language barrier was never an issue, and during the planning since December 2009, and build up on site in the three weeks before the event, we adapted our systems to fit the site and style of the event, drawing on local insight and putting together a malleable team that had the experience and flexibility to move around the site as required. We also had to bear in mind that with the Big Weekends a significant proportion of the audience are not regular festival-goers, and as such the crowd’s behaviour is more unpredictable.”

Pictured: Showsec's Alan Wallace and Simon Battersby

Showsec’s health, safety and human resources management team has recently launched a new one day minibus driver training course.

Health and safety manager Phil Cobourne, who created the bespoke course content, says:

“The company is constantly introducing fresh initiatives to ensure that appropriate training is available for staff to ensure the well being, health and safety and well as competency is ensured in all areas of employee’s roles.
“It is important that we consider job functions away from the direct customer focused aspects of working for Showsec and through our on-going 2-way communications with staff feedback indicated this was an area staff felt needed support in.
“There are obvious risks and legislation that apply to driving mini busses and the response from workers has been extremely encouraging, with good course attendance levels and high pass rates. This clearly demonstrates the company’s commitment to the health and safety of its workforce and to the quality of service we offer to our customers.”

Training courses were recently held at their Manchester and Leicester offices and were extremely well received by the attendees, focussing on:–

•    Driving regulations
•    Drivers hours
•    Licensing
•    Roadworthiness
•    Documented safe system of work procedures
•    Journey planning
•    Safety checks
•    The Highway Code

All candidates are required to pass a written examination at the end of the course before they are awarded their company certificate. Further driver training courses are planned later in the year, with driver refresher courses are planned at regular intervals from January 2011.

Pictured: Phil Cobourne delivers course

Showsec joined Trent FM Arena in Nottingham this April to celebrate their ten year anniversary. Since the venue’s opening in 2000, Showsec has provided the security and crowd management for all events hosted at the East Midlands’ premier indoor sports, entertainment and conference facility.

Twenty two Showsec staff, who have all been with Showsec at Trent FM Arena since it’s very first Simply Red concert in the venue’s opening month ten years ago, were invited to celebrate this landmark occasion in acknowledgment of their consistently high levels of service and dedication.

Showsec’s managing director Mark Harding, Midlands area manager Richard Church and operations director Simon Battersby hosted the evening, joining Trent FM Arena to toast their successful partnership over the last decade. The evening began with a champagne reception, in which the Showsec team were praised for their continued hard work in shaping the company’s growth and development in the Midlands area.

Richard Church says:
“Our ten successful years with Trent FM Arena highlights the huge importance Showsec places on ongoing client relationships. We are delighted to celebrate the last decade with the venue, and look forward to continuing to support the Arena and other venues in the Midlands.”

Pictured: The Showsec team celebrate

 

Showsec has been selected as the new venue security supplier at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC), building on the company’s success in Scotland, where it is offering clients a fresh alternative for venue and event security services.

Mark Logan says:
“We are delighted to be appointed as the AECC’s ongoing security partner. The venue indicated they were looking for improvements in their customer service and security delivery. Showsec’s Scottish team proved to the venue’s management that they could achieve the consistency and customer based approach synonymous with the company’s operating ethos.”

AECC Managing Director, Brian Horsburgh comments:
“As one of Scotland’s leading event venues our decision to appoint Showsec as our security provider will ensure the AECC continues to offer our clients the highest standards of customer service, security and safety.”

AECC undertook a stringent evaluation process to satisfy themselves that Showsec met their high standards. Since opening the company’s Edinburgh office in 2009 Showsec has supplied a range of events and venues and has established a new team of security professionals in Scotland. Showsec’s Northern regional manager Alan Wallace is responsible for the venue, with key support from Scott Anderson, Senior Operations Executive. Steve Dyker has been appointed as the new Aberdeen area Operations Executive and Philip Nurse, based in Edinburgh, is a Scottish based Academy Associate, proficient in the most up-to date events security procedures.

Fiona Duguid, Director of Operations and Safety at AECC says:
“We were aware of Showsec’s reputation and our due diligence as part of this selection process has been extremely thorough to match their abilities with our needs. Our research verified that Showsec were uniquely positioned to help us implement fresh operational procedures that will improve efficiency and customer services, which is particularly important with our high-profile energy industry customers as well as our live music audiences. We are looking forward to working with them.”

Pictured: Showsec's Alan Wallace and AECC Managing Director Brian Horsburgh

Showsec teams in Sheffield and Manchester demonstrated the value of planning coupled with operational expertise as they safely saw thousands of brave participants around the courses of the Sheffield Half Marathon and the Shine 26 Mile Walk in Manchester this April.

In Sheffield, Showsec area manager Julian Kumah oversaw 135 staff positioned across the 13.1 mile course as over 5,000 runners took the streets on Sunday 25 April. Large scale public events such as these present unique challenges, as Julian explains:

“Local knowledge is key with an event like this. Our team is responsible for directing runners around the course, ensuring road closures are adhered to, traffic is redirected when necessary, and keeping spectators safely in the right place. We have to check that all signs and road marking cones are visible and properly placed, and staff need to be approachable and friendly, encouraging and assisting those who require help.

“Effective planning, briefing and communication during the event is essential in these circumstances. The key to the operations’ success was to ensure every member of the team was confident in implementing their roles within the overall security plan, and understood the course. Staff were thoroughly briefed before the marathon began, which involved setting up five separate briefing points in the area.”

In Manchester, Rachel Evans managed the security operation for the Shine charity walk, an overnight event that involved over 7,500 people walking 26 miles in aid of Cancer Research UK. Rachel and her team devised a strategy for the organisers that helped to reduce the cost of the event, in order to ensure as much money as possible could go to the charity. To achieve this, instead of having staff along the full 26 mile course they employed a system of deployment which meant that as walkers at the rear of the group passed certain points, Showsec staff were re-deployed to new stations ahead of the participants as they moved around the course.

Rachel says:
“This operational plan for this event was complex, with 250 staff in position and then moving along the course as required. It was a midnight walk, so the wellbeing and safety of not only the walkers but our own team was a priority. The logistical experience of the Showsec team was highlighted at this event, and we were delighted to be able to deliver fantastic value to the organiser, in aid of such a great cause.”

Pictured: Showsec at the Sheffield Half Marathon

Scott Anderson has been appointed as Senior Operations Executive for Showsec’s Scotland Area Office. Responsible for the overall operational management of the area, he will also focus on the continued expansion of Showsec’s Scottish client base, developing new and existing relationships.

Scott understands the company’s core business and values, having worked there from 1997 to 2002. Since then, he has worked exclusively in business development and client relationship management, and will use this valuable experience within the recently restructured management team.
 
Scott says:
“I am over the moon to be back with Showsec. The company and the industry has progressed massively and I am returning to a far more professional, customer focused organisation already enjoying success in Scotland. I look forward to being part of the team that builds on the huge potential for a security company with Showsec’s values and operational excellence.”

Pictured: Scott Anderson

Showsec achieved a record rating in retaining its status as a member of the Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) with the Security Industry Authority (SIA).  Following rigorous fourth year checks, the company was awarded its highest ever score by the inspector, who praised all aspects of the company that fell under his scrutiny.

The SIA is an independent organisation that was set up by the government with the aim of providing an effective, fair and efficient regulation of the private security industry. To create a recognised hallmark of quality for companies looking to engage security providers, the SIA created the Approved Contractor Scheme. Showsec was one of the first to adopt the scheme upon its introduction, encouraging and driving the progression of standards across the wider industry.

Since being awarded ACS accreditation in the categories of door supervision and man guarding, Showsec has undergone regular annual checks to maintain the standards and procedures that the SIA requires. This fourth year saw a much more

The findings of their inspection acknowledged that the company’s considerable investments in training underpin the success of ongoing initiatives for improvement and allow them to achieve higher standards and levels of customer satisfaction.

Showsec’s training manager Roy Wise managed this process.  He says:
“Achieving a score over 100 puts us in the top percentile of the 650 companies in the ACS scheme. We’re very proud of that score and that Showsec has consistently supported and worked closely with the SIA in raising standards and supporting the ACS as a benchmark for best practice across the security industry. We always aim for best practice rather than achieving minimum required standards and this score reflects that.”

Pictured: Showsec holds SIA approved contractor status for the provision of door supervision and man guarding.

publishing/news/v/h/q/File/SIA logo for web.jpg

The Showsec Academy moves to a new level as it partners with the University of Derby Corporate and welcomes its third intake of students in March 2010.

Keith Hackett, Showsec’s Academy Manager, explains:
“This is a very exciting time to join the Academy as we embark on an updated programme in partnership with the University of Derby Corporate. It will stretch and challenge our associates academically whilst using work-based learning as its foundation, something that Derby is renowned for. In addition, this year we have strengthened the operational support and guidance by allocating each associate to an office and a mentor at the beginning of the programme. They also have a tutor from Derby to help with the transfer of learning from classroom to work place.”

The focus on work-based learning has also enabled Showsec to offer the programme, which leads to a Foundation Degree, to all their existing junior managers. Keith said he was very pleased to see such a high take up and a very positive and enthusiastic group, who met recently in Derby for an Induction Session.

Showsec’s Academy continues to provide an innovative education programme which still leads the industry in creating a structured career path from steward level into junior management and beyond, through a focused work-based curriculum.

Ends

Pictured: Academy Manager Keith Hackett (far right) and the new Showsec Academy students

Showsec delivered a professional, complex security and crowd management operation at the Brit Awards 2010, where international artists and music industry VIPs gathered for the prestigious ceremony under the glare of the world’s media.

Earls Court welcomed Lady Gaga, Dizzee Rascal, JLS, Robbie Williams and other high profile award winners to the Brits spectacular 30th anniversary show on Tuesday night.

Showsec’s team of 290 security and crowd management professionals were selected from across the Southern region and had thorough briefings prior to the event. Presentations were made to the client, venue managers, ticketing agents and other stakeholders to ensure everyone involved in the event understood the complexities of the project and their potential contribution to its overall success.

Project manager Steve Reynolds organised and ran the multi-faceted and highly sensitive operation with key support from Showsec London area manager Paul Legge, Paul Joy (MEN venue manager), training manager Roy Wise, East Midlands area manager Richard Church and senior operations executive Dayo Adelugba. Under constant media attention, the Brits demand consistent attention to detail and exceptionally high standards, with the audience varying from VIP performers, A-list celebrities and high profile music industry executives to the public guests and press on site, as well as crowds of fans and media outside the venue.

Steve says:
“It was a fantastic night.  There has been a consistent Showsec management team at the Brits over the last three years whose knowledge was invaluable developing our long term relationship with the Brits and Earls Court; combined with staff who have more recently joined us the team successfully handled the challenges that the event presented. It was particularly valuable for our recent third tranche of the Showsec Academy students who were located on the VIP arrivals area, gaining essential on-site skills to begin their education over the coming months.”

Pictured: Host Peter Kay (photograph courtesy of John Marshall / JM Enternational)

Showsec has been awarded a three year contract to supply a comprehensive security and crowd management service to Bloodstock Festival.

Bloodstock organiser Paul Gregory says:
“We are delighted to confirm Showsec will manage all elements of the festival security, ensuring the health and safety of everyone on site, moving forwards from this landmark 10th anniversary festival. We are proud of our independent status which drives our commitment to produce the best event for our ‘festival family’ of audience, artists and staff.” 

“We were aware that Showsec was the industry leader, but to be sure they suited our event, prior to making our decision we (the organisers) went undercover to various gigs in Showsec’s portfolio, where the company’s consistent customer service and extensive experience confirmed our beliefs.

Bloodstock will be held on 13th to 15th August at Catton Hall in Derby, the festival has grown substantially in the ten years since its conception. Paul continues:
“From its humble beginning in 2001, when we hosted a crowd of 800, the festival has seen 30 to 40% growth year on year, and in 2010 we are expecting 12,000 people per day over 3 days.  As a result we have invested in our strongest ever line-up, with our first arena tour bands such as Heaven and Hell & Twisted Sister. This increase in size makes it imperative we engage professional suppliers to help us improve the festival experience. Showsec is the perfect partner to assist us in taking Bloodstock to the next level.”

Richard Church, Showsec East Midlands area manager, will project manage the festival this year. He says:
“There is a perception in the industry that we only supply the larger festivals, but in truth we have a flexible service that can be adapted to deliver results in any environment. It’s great for us to be involved with a growing independent festival, applying the knowledge and the high levels of service that Showsec is synonymous with, as Bloodstock establishes itself as a major player on the UK circuit.”