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Showsec Helps Audiences Brave the Bestival Storm
Fans were able to enjoy a successful Bestival Weekend in the Isle of Wight this September, in spite of consistently wet weather before and during the event, with the help of crowd management company Showsec. The company played a significant role in helping to keep the 40,000 capacity audience safe and warm, while at the same time ensuring that its own team was well equipped to operate in harsh conditions.
With driving rain and soft ground affecting festival-goers and production teams from the outset, it was important that Showsec had systems in place to ensure its own team was able to rest and dry out after shifts in the wet weather. This way, they were best placed to offer advice and practical help to festival-goers who were working hard to keep their morale high in severely muddy conditions.
In the campsites and wider festival area, stewards were sensitive to customers' needs, staying alert for weather-related illnesses such as exposure and effectively directing crowds around boggy areas and bottlenecks. Front of stage, ground protection measures introduced by the production allowed audiences to enjoy the entertainment in safety, while crowd management teams worked effectively in wet conditions.
With over 450 personnel on site, Showsec's contingency plans included using cabins and vehicles as drying areas for uniforms, ensuring that every staff member had dry clothes for their next shift, as well as maintaining the infrastructure of the staff campsite to ensure off-duty teams were well rested.
Showsec area manager Steve Reynolds commented: "Our risk management procedures always allow for poor weather at festivals and Bestival put those plans to the toughest of tests. We're pleased to say that our staff performed superbly under the harshest of circumstances, that our contingency systems performed very well indeed and that customers were able to enjoy themselves as far as the weather allowed."
23rd September 2008
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