Case Studies
We are proud to work with a variety of clients providing safety and security both locally and nationally demonstrating our good practice.
Festibelly '09, '10 and '11
Tucked away in the New Forest in Hampshire is an outstanding small festival with big ambitions. Festibelly is an inclusive event with the feeling of a boutique festival.
Owned and operated by a youthful, passionate team, Festibelly is growing in strength and reputation year on year. 2009 saw Festibelly contact Vespasian to provide crowd management and security services. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Vespasian was contacted with very little notice prior to the event and still delivered a high quality service tailored to the organisers’ requirements.
2010 saw Festibelly grow in size and capacity. The festival attracts a varied demographic with its music selection but, with cameo appearances from Radio 1 DJs such as Rob da Bank, crowd movement and migration still poses a challenge. The festival site encompasses arena, backstage and a camping area. Vespasian was responsible for all aspects of security and crowd management on site including search gates, backstage, front of stage pit barrier, perimeter staff, campsites, response teams and cash escorting.
Drawing upon Vespasian’s experience of partnering with independent festivals, the team deployed were briefed to be as flexible as possible. During the 2010 event the unpredicted need for a security patrol vehicle was identified. Vespasian called upon one of their company 4x4s to fill the requirement and the event continued seamlessly.
Vespasian Director, Keith Gardiner was part of the management and supervisory team at Festibelly 2009 and 2010. Keith had this to say,
“Festibelly is a delight to work. There’s a great team spirit which links production, security staff, concession holders and festival goers. Many of the Vespasian team requested to work Festibelly the next year as they were signing out in 2009 and again in 2010 because they enjoyed the event so much.”
Having already been contracted by the Festibelly production team to supply our services to the event again in 2011, Vespasian is poised for another great event with Andy and Tom. Check back with our news section later on this year to see how Festibelly 2011 went.
Vespasian gives freezing conditions the cold shoulder...
The in-house crowd management companies at Earls Court and Olympia called upon Vespasian to assist with four large events in November and December.
One of the main challenges facing the Vespasian team was moving staff safely and confidently through the forecasted blizzard conditions. It was vital that Vespasian could deliver our usual high standard of staff and guarantee their presence regardless of the testing conditions.
The Vespasian teams were collected in Hampshire and West Sussex by minibuses that were issued with full snow kits including shovels, snow chains, extra water and staff welfare packs.
During the most difficult weekend of 17th and 18th of December 2010, Vespasian’s Managing Director Ollie Gardiner personally led the convoy of staff vehicles and minibuses. Speaking after the very cold return trip Ollie said,
“I wanted to personally ensure the safety of all of the Vespasian team as well as the delivery of our service that I had guaranteed to our clients. It was an early start and a very late finish but our industry is all about adapting and achieving what sometimes feels like the impossible.”
All of the four events were a pleasure to work at for the Vespasian crowd management staff deployed. Posing different challenges, each event brought audience demographics that were extremely different from the last. Ollie commented,
“The varied demographics throughout the events really keeps the staff on their toes. It requires them to always be assessing the best way to deal with situations. I find that moving from a Ska crowd, to a dance audience having already seen a military event a few weeks prior gives the deployed teams a sense of achievement at the end of the series. Staff feel they have learnt from the experiences as well as having enjoyed their time at work.”
Deploying over 115 staff across the series of four events to assist the in-house teams, Vespasian management team would like to thank all those who worked so hard to make it happen.
Manager Glenn Robertson - Taking on a Challenge
Having spent a decade at the operational end of the security and crowd management industry, Vespasian Event Operations Manager Glenn Robertson was looking for a new challenge.
When Glenn was offered the opportunity to enrol on the Foundation Degree in Crowd Management and Safety at Bucks New University he jumped at chance. Glenn’s operational abilities are outstanding but the challenge of an academic course studying the crowd management industry was just what he needed to progress to the next level.
Glenn commented, “It’s refreshing to be able to look at our industry from a different angle. The staff and lecturers at Bucks New Uni and the International Centre for Crowd Management give me the tools I need to take a fresh look at all aspects of what I do on a day-to-day basis. The course is quickly turning into one of the highlights of my career so far.”
Glenn is now in his second year of the course and in the middle of his research project focusing on staff welfare and fatigue at large festivals. All at the Vespasian team are eagerly awaiting the finished report.
Lake of Stars – Team returns home
After five flights and a return trip of over 10,000 miles, Vespasian’s four strong crowd management team returns home.
2010 is the second consecutive year Vespasian has delivered a team of Crowd Managers to Lake of Stars Festival in Mangochi, Malawi in “the warm heart of Africa”.
Lake of Stars was as challenging as ever. The two newest members of the Vespasian team, Edward Chapman and Metkel Yohannes threw themselves into the task. Oliver Gardiner, Managing Director personally led the team and was appointed head of security for the festival for the second year. Splitting into teams of two, Vespasian ensured the efficient deployment of four separate security providers plus a large detachment of Malawian Police.
Ollie said, “I’m really proud of our team. They have encountered a range of challenges from language barriers to cultural considerations and passed each test with flying colours.”
Tom Branston, Festival Production manager said, “Working with Oliver and the guys from Vespasian made Lake of Stars 2010 a substantially easier prospect for me as Production Manager, knowing I could rely on their professionalism, expertise and prowess in both dealing with various security issues, and liaising with the local security agencies.”
Edwina Fitzpatrick, Assistant Production Manager commented, “Working on Lake of Stars is no easy task, both physically and professionally but Ollie's intuitive ability to constantly reevaluate systems, procedures and to manage security situations in a foreign country with a lack of resources, trained staff and an absence of large event production demonstrates his considerable skills.
Working alongside and training Malawian police and private security firms in crowd control/event security, managing large teams of staff who's primary language is not English whilst being respectful of another countries' social etiquette is a difficult job which requires considerable resolve, sense of humour and tact. Lake of Stars would trust no-one but Vespasian to do this task, and Ollie to lead them. His staff are equally personable, professional and considerate in the service they provide which is testament to his management of them. I'd wholeheartedly recommend Ollie and Vespasian to anyone, and I look forward to working with him again very soon.”
Vespasian’s work with Lake of Stars is swiftly becoming a highlight in the calendar for many of our staff. We look forward to working with Lake of Stars for a long time to come.
Vespasian raise the FA Cup!
Portsmouth Football Club’s 2-0 victory over Spurs on 11th April won them a place in this year’s FA cup final against Chelsea. This was a real boost for the city as Pompey fans already knew their team was facing probable relegation.
In late April Portsmouth City Council (PCC) promised the city a free, live screening of the cup match on Southsea Common. The game was to be held on Saturday 15th May leaving only a three week deadline to complete the entire planning process. Right from the beginning the Vespasian team assisted PCC with all aspects of the event from site layout and fencing types to capacities and emergency plans.
Working closely with officials from PCC, Police and local ambulance service, Vespasian delivered advice on industry best practice, crowd management tactics and planning methods. Vespasian’s Managing Director, Oliver Gardiner, assisted PCC officials almost on a daily basis throughout the planning stages, through the event itself and into the post-event wash-up meetings.
On the day of the match Vespasian deployed over 120 staff to the screening on Southsea Common. The team included Crowd Managers, Supervisors, Response Teams, Gate Search Teams, Crowd Safety Stewards and Radio Control Operators. Our staff were excellently cared for by our logistics team which was located on site throughout the two day build and break along with the event itself.
The event plan called for a 15,000 capacity fenced area in front of the screen which was to be kept as an alcohol free zone. The plan was to allow those attendees who wished to drink alcohol to watch the screen from outside the fenced area. This created the need for Vespasian to secure and manage the fenced site as well as monitor and liaise with Police regarding the open area outside the compound.
The expected audience demographics in the two areas of the event were poles apart. Vespasian responded by supplying extra female staff to assist with families in the fenced zone and a robust set of response teams for the external area. Our Response teams were led by our Specialist Unit Supervisor Paul Collingwood. All of the Response Teams received extra training for the event from Paul. (An article relating to Paul’s ground breaking training course can be found in the case studies section of the website.)
Throughout the event day Vespasian management requested updates from the city wide CCTV network regarding migrations of people toward the event site. Using a direct radio link to the Police Gold Command centre located several miles away, Vespasian were able to plan accurately for peaks in ingress rates along with redeployment of staff from the gates to other areas of the site.
The unique event make-up posed challenges during the day but the Vespasian team passed all tests with flying colours. Pompey lost to Chelsea 1-0 but team Vespasian and Portsmouth City Council came out on top.
Eastleigh Music Festival - Hampshire
Described as "a bit of a gem" the Eastleigh Music Festival (EMF) attracts over 15,000 people from the local borough.
Vespasian were contacted by the organisers in February 2010 to develop a robust crowd management plan and quote for the event. EMF organisers expressed a wish for the Vespasian team to provide an overt presence on site, whilst maintaining a customer focused approach.
Shortly after, the Vespasian team were contracted to provide full crowd management and security services including, build and break. The team was led by one of our Event Operations Managers, Glenn Robertson.
Glenn was present on site throughout the project, ensuring the highest levels of customers service, client liaison and staff welfare. Glenn said,
"It's great to be involved with such a lively event that includes so many sections of the community. Our team were excellent and kept their cool, even under the baking Sun during Saturday. I would like to thank the EMF team for making us feel welcome."
EMF organiser had this to say,
"I wanted to say how impressed I was by you and your team and how professional they were in their approach. Their attention and amiability helped me relax and made the whole weekend run smoothly"
All the Vespasian team expressed how much enjoyed the event and how they are looking forward to 2011.
Vespasian by Royal Appointment
Thursday, 30th April 2009 saw Vespasian Security joining forces with the police, Special Branch and Royal Protection Officers to ensure the Queen’s visit to Portsmouth ran as smoothly as possible.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were visiting Portsmouth in celebration of the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings and Vespasian staff were deployed accordingly in the D-Day Museum, the D-Day car park, the Guildhall and the Guildhall Square.
Vespasian staff were honoured to be chosen for this role knowing how prestigious the visit was for the city.
Drusilla Moody, the Events Manager for Portsmouth City Council, contacted Vespasian straight after the event to say, "I would just like to thank you and your team for an excellent job today, the professionalism of your team shone through and the excellent manner they dealt with guests in the D-Day museum and the operation in the Guildhall was exemplary."
New Year’s Eve 2008 - Central London
Working as a subcontractor for Show and Event, one of the foremost crowd management companies in Britain, Vespasian provided a strong team of 15 SIA and 63 crowd safety stewards to form part of a 1300 strong crowd management presence for the New Year’s Eve 2008 fireworks display in Central London.
The event attracted over a third of a million people presenting a unique challenge to those constructing the crowd management plan including considerations for transportation to and from the event.
Vespasian attended an initial planning meeting where instructions were given to each of the participating subcontractors. Vespasian was assigned what was recognised as one of the most crucial parts of the crowd management plan involving the queue management system around Villiers Street facilitating the egress of spectators from the event into Embankment Station.
Throughout the event Vespasian recognised the importance of a team approach including close liaison with several high ranking police officers. The event was a success for Show and Event and Vespasian was proud to be part of it.
Vespasian subsequently received a letter of commendation from the Police Inspector in charge of the immediate area for the implementation of our part of the crowd management plan.
"your stewards were very proactive, well briefed and managed.
..your stewards made a significant contribution to the safe policing of this event and were a credit to your company."
Serial Commander for Embankment Tube Station
2nd January 2009
Little Johnny Russells - Southsea
The Little Johnny Russells (LJR) is a relatively new licensed premises based in a thriving night time economy area on the South coast of England. In its previous incarnations the venue had been dogged by licensing issues and the new owners were mindful to avoid this in order to ensure success.
The LJR concept is that of an all-age, inclusive community based premises focussing on live music with specialist high profile DJ sets and performances whilst also providing a relaxed daytime atmosphere.
Vespasian has been involved with the LJR from the very outset and recognised early in the venues development that the style of venue and ethos which was emerging was unique and not present anywhere else in the city. This therefore warranted a tailored approach to security and sensitive crowd management.
From the beginning flexibility of service was key. Because of the different artists attracting differing audience demographics, each event’s risk assessment and service provision is different.
The provision of crowd safety stewards to support the regular SIA door team, stronger search procedures, ticket sales on the door and the monitoring of wristband policies are just some examples of the services provided as recommended by Vespasian’s risk assessments.
"Vespasian has been with us from the start and we work well together as a team. We meet regularly to discuss service provision and they are flexible enough to meet our changing needs. Their expertise and experience of the industry have been invaluable to us and to the success of our venue."
Ben Miles
LJR ManagementTeam
www.littlejohnnyrussells.com
Love Albert Road Day - Portsmouth
Love Albert Road Day (LARD) is a community-led all day event with live music stages, food, bars and street theatre. It celebrates the town’s most bohemian street profiling the diversity of the community and its independent traders.
The first Love Albert Road Day in 2007 attracted an unexpected high attendance of approximately 20,000 people. Consequently, the LARD team recognised there was a requirement for a greater emphasis on crowd safety management for the 2008 event.
Vespasian was involved from the beginning in the 2008 planning sessions attending meetings with the Council and advising the LARD Team on crowd safety management and control together with emergency plans and procedures.
On the day an estimated 40,000 people attended. Vespasian ensured all security personnel had detailed briefing sheets. We provided and staffed the control room, the response teams, the stage security, traffic marshals and licensed premises and retail security resulting in a well-managed, enjoyable event. Vespasian also attended the post-event wash-up meeting with the Local Authority.
Vespasian is committed to working hard with the LARD Team for the foreseeable future and wishes them every success.
"It was a pleasure to work with such a professional group of people. Vespasian helped and advised us right from the early planning stages and the day itself, although hugely well-attended, was trouble free and very enjoyable thanks to their proactive organisation."
Tim Hobbs
Love Albert Road Day Management Team
House Party Security Service - Surrey
Responding to numerous stories in the news about gatecrashers at home parties causing untold damage, Vespasian Security has, since 2008, provided a security service to ensure trouble-free celebrations. One of our house party clients said the following....
“Holding an 18th birthday party in these days of Facebook and all the horror stories you hear about its impact is nerve wracking no matter how sensible your own son and his friends so we decided to err on the side of caution and engage security guards from Vespasian for the night. We had no trouble at all but it was very reassuring knowing that support was on hand if we needed it. We had two guys and a woman on duty. They were very unobtrusive but took so much pressure off both us and our son. They had guest lists and didn’t let in anyone whose name was not on these and we didn’t have to worry about letting guests in and out. We had the party in the garden and they patrolled discreetly to ensure that nothing untoward was going on and that nobody was getting into difficulty. I would happily recommend this company to anyone.”
JW Richmond, July 2010
