Case Studies

Bestival 2014

by Mark Rowe

Showsec rounded off another summer of festivals with a traditional finale on the Isle of Wight . . . and a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

The crowd management and event security contract company played a role again in the Bestival, which can now claim to have featured the world’s largest disco ball.

It continued Showsec’s long association with Bestival and its sister event Camp Bestival, one that began 11 years ago.
As well as an experienced management team heading up a workforce of 850 staff, Showsec took responsibility for overseeing some 1500 Oxfam volunteers who provided stewarding services.

The growth of Bestival over the years presents one of the biggest challenges, the contract company says. owing to the fact that the arena and numerous campsites now cover the picturesque Robin Hill Country Park on the Isle of Wight.

Steve Reynolds, Showsec’s Regional Manager (South), acted as the festival’s Security Manager. He said: “To cover such a large area requires meticulous planning and attention to detail in executing the whole security operation. In many respects though, we have grown up with Bestival due to this long association and so our familiarity with the venue helps.

“Indeed, many of our staff look forward to working on this occasion and the organisers see the benefit of having so many friendly faces back, especially when they are looking for a high level of customer service from us. It was apparent to us this year that there was a much younger audience and so it was a new experience for many.
“Therefore, it was important for our staff to be aware of this in helping to create a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone.”

Like so many other festivals this summer, Showsec placed emphasis on their work with local police on crime reduction.

Reynolds said: “We had a good working relationship with Hampshire Police, which had an impact upon the level of crime, and we took on the role of drugs searches from the Police, just as we have done at other festivals.”

While Reynolds was Security Manager, Director Mark Logan oversaw the operation at Robin Hill Country Park as Head of Security for the festival and one of his responsibilities was the co-ordination of the Oxfam operation.

They were backed by Richard Church, Regional Manager (Midlands) and many of the company’s Area Managers.

“It does give you reassurance that we can deliver a safe and secure event where everyone can enjoy themselves,” said Dave Grindle, the Festival Manager from Loudsound Productions.

“We’ve got a longstanding working relationship with Showsec and it is very important to us to have the support of such a strong team of managers and supervisors. It’s good to see the same faces back each year. That continuity certainly helps us as we strive to offer an even better festival experience for our customers. That is something we feel we have accomplished once again this time.”

Bestival 2014 ended as the record-breaking, 10.3-metre wide disco ball was hoisted by crane above Magic Meadow before Chic, featuring Nile Rodgers, closed four days of entertainment in glorious weather.

Visit www.showsec.co.uk.

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