Case Studies

East Midlands operation

by Mark Rowe

A three year contract with Derby City Council’s arts and events arm, Derby Live, extending a ten-year association with the local authority has gone to Leicester-based Showsec. This comes after a similar contract with Nottingham City Council’s events department, where the company will also provide crowd management services at many of the city’s high-profile occasions.

Joe Milner, Showsec’s East Midlands Area Manager, said: “This is further reward for the hard work which has gone into building our East Midlands operation and we have enjoyed a long association with Derby City Council in that time .

“Our partnership with the council’s events team means we have a good understanding of their requirements, so our crowd management and security services contribute to the enjoyment and whole experience for event visitors.”

Meanwhile in Bolton a Victoria Square crowd saw former world lightweight boxing champion Amir Khan perform a Christmas lights switch-on which went out live on the BBC’s flagship TV show The One Show. Showsec worked alongside Bolton Council.

“We used our strong relationship with the experienced events team at Bolton Council to deliver an event that had never been done in the town before,” said Mark Wilcock, Showsec’s Area Manager for Manchester.

“This brought together a stage performance, a live television broadcast and a firework display into one spectacular event. One of the challenges which we faced was that the normal capacity for Victoria Square of 6,000 had to be reduced due to the footprint of The One Show stage. Admittance was therefore stopped at 4,700 and the public were then diverted to an additional viewing screen where a further 800 people watched the show.

“The measures that were implemented to control access to the site worked well and contributed to the success of the event.”

The Christmas Lights Switch-On, one of many at which Showsec will work over the coming weeks, was part of the countdown to the BBC’s Children in Need fundraiser.

And in Durham some 175,000 people flocked to the Durham Lumiere event over four nights when buildings, streets and public spaces were illuminated by local and international artists, and lighting designers.

“I think everyone would agree that the experience was much more relaxed this time,” said Nicky Webb, co-director of Lumiere producers Artichoke.

“The crowd management systems which we drew up and implemented in partnership with Showsec made it easier to enjoy the artworks in the city.”

And Councillor Neil Foster, cabinet member for economic regeneration at Durham County Council, said: “It was an absolute joy to see the smiles on people’s faces and hear the laughter of families delighting at the installations and marvelling at the wonder of the lights. Events like this have a vital role to place in boosting the local economy.”

Showsec’s Regional Manager Scott Anderson added: “Durham is a stunning, medieval city with many narrow, winding, cobbled streets. Unfortunately, they were not designed with crowd management in mind! To ensure a safe, enjoyable customer experience, it was crucially important that the crowd management service was comprehensive and robust.

“Working closely with MRL Safety Ltd, Tony Hume and Lee McNally invested a tremendous amount of time in the meticulous preparation phases. Operationally, Stephen Dyker, Steven McCafferty, Lee McNally, Carl Symes and Des Clarke delivered fantastic performances as sector managers and all our staff really bought into the event ethos.”

And in central London, at the London Eye, Red Bull Academy’s ‘Revolutions in Sound’ saw the 30 capsules become gig spaces, for a one-night festival seen on Channel 4. Showsec’s Head of Security Dayo Adelugba drew over 60 staff from the company’s London office to manage multiple elements of the event. Operations began the day prior to the event when a Showsec team managed security across the site for the production build, working alongside London Eye’s own security.

They not only secured the assets, as outside broadcast trucks and production equipment was brought on-site, but ensured the safety of the public, who continued to access the tourist attraction throughout the build period.

There were further challenges presented on the night itself, as Dayo Adelugba said: “Staff had to be alert from the start as we had two dedicated entrances: one for media/artists, the other for the 2,500 competition winners and guests going into the landscape silent disco. Opening times were phased to load the 400-plus guests onto 30 pods on the Eye first, then gates for attendees for the landscape could be opened.

“Once the guests had enjoyed the first 45 minute rotation of the eye in the pods, they joined the silent disco in the landscape and a second set of guests entered the pod for the next performances. We also had 220 artists and VIP guests on boats serving as dressing rooms moored alongside the London Eye. We were particularly attentive to planning, briefing and communications throughout the evening to get everyone in seamlessly with the relevant passes.”​

Related News

  • Case Studies

    Tone masking product

    by Mark Rowe

    A housing association, Great Places Housing Group, has procured payment collection firm allpay Limited’s DTMF tone masking product. The aim is to…

  • Case Studies

    Stafford system

    by Mark Rowe

    Stafford like other towns has lately seen its ageing public space cameras replaced, as the products now had a ‘high failure rate’…

Newsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay on top of security news and events.

© 2024 Professional Security Magazine. All rights reserved.

Website by MSEC Marketing