From rock ’n’ roll to culture ‘n’ cuisine - AP Security shines (again) in Leeds and London
The most obvious proof of doing a job well is being asked back to do it again. And it’s a sign of AP Security’s peerless professionalism that the safety and crowd management company is a ‘regular’ at so many high profile events throughout the UK. Two (of many) examples in 2009 were the Leeds Festival and London Mela.
This year saw AP make it 11 in a row at the Leeds festival, the event which saw the company awarded the first ever Safeconcerts Award for Excellence last year.
AP quite rightly stresses that its visible presence at events is just the tip of the iceberg, many months of planning, liaison and staff training having gone into the event before the first artist or ticket holder goes anywhere near the site.
As usual, Leeds 2009 took place over three days and featured six stages. One change this year was the banning of flags, which meant that people had a better view of the main stage, but it was another responsibility for the safety and stewarding staff to politely but firmly inform those who had (inevitably) brought them along that they couldn’t take them on to the festival site.
“Despite advance publicity of changes which affect those attending, with any event you always get those who don’t see it - either by accident or by design,” says AP general manager, Andy Stevens.
“It falls to the safety and stewarding staff to ensure those changes are implemented, but in a way which doesn’t alienate the public. That again emphasises the importance we place on training in how to deal with the public and to maintain a friendly and proactive relationship with festival-goers.
“It was that approach which saw us rewarded with the Safeconcerts Award last year and we now consider it as the minimum benchmark of our service levels.” Meanwhile, AP was enjoying its seventh year at the London Mela, a free event in London’s Gunnersbury Park which fuses traditional and modern South Asian music, arts, culture and cuisine.
Attracting many thousands of people from a wide range of cultures, AP’s awareness of potential points of friction between different cultures and of dealing with all ages, from babes in arms to elderly pensioners, ensured that the event passed off without a hitch.
“Different people want to be treated in different ways,” says AP’s national sales manager, and head of security for the event, John Phillips.
“While it may be fine to have a good-natured laugh and a joke about something with a teenager from one culture, that same subject may inadvertently cause gross offence to a pensioner from a different culture. All of our staff have to be aware of how to react appropriately in what can be a very complex situation.”
Working closely with the festival organisers and Metropolitan Police, AP’s experienced management team ensured that any disruption to the local area was minimised and that the huge crowds enjoyed a remarkably diverse array of entertainment. In addition, with the event closing at a reasonably early 8pm, AP’s staff was there to ensure that people left in an orderly and safe manner.
“Building relationships, trust and a great deal of research and planning are incredibly important to successful safety and crowd management,” says John. “The Leeds festival and London Mela are just two examples of very different events which AP is asked to work at year after year, because we put in a vast amount of background work and understand that no two events are exactly alike. “The public may see our staff and think we’ve just turned up on the day, but it’s the fact that nothing could be further from the truth which makes their experience a safe and, hopefully, thoroughly enjoyable one. And if they go home thinking what a great day they’ve had, that’s our job done well.”
