27-10final

In the pit
of V Fest
We have a day at V Festival, one of
the UK’s largest and longest-running
outdoor summer music festivals.
We see the variety of security and
stewarding work that goes into
a weekend of happy customers,
whatever the weather. We begin at
the centre of the action: at the main
stage.
Let’s see you jumping up and
down! shouts a member of
Busted to the audience. The
band has only been on stage a few
minutes and already some of the
crowd are singing along. It’s just after
midday on the Sunday, the last day
proper, of V Festival at Weston Park,
the stately home on the border of
Staffordshire and Shropshire. Busted,
a reformed boy band, are the first act
of the day on the main stage and into
their second song. “Have you enjoyed
your weekend so far?” Busted ask.
“Thanks for coming and hanging out
with us.” About 20 stewards from the
event security contractor Showsec
can hear all this; but cannot see it,
because they are standing in the ‘pit’,
the area between the stage and the
Above and next page: pit stewards face the audience - note the giant footballs
in the air, knocked around by the good-natured crowd - and passed back by the
stewards when they land near them
Photos by Mark Rowe
crowd behind the barrier. Six medics
in green uniforms to the side of the pit
are watching Busted, but all Showsec
eyes are on the crowd, including a
‘spotter’ at stage height (pictured left).
They’re wearing a throat microphone,
and are watching for anything,
most commonly someone in need
of medical help. It’s a serious job,
but being so visible to the audience
does allow or might even demand
some light-hearted interaction with
the crowd, such as leading them in a
dance move.
Eyes on crowd
It’s a cool, cloudy August day - and
later it turns to rain - but from the start
Showsec staff are beside the water
standpipe on each side of the stage,
filling white plastic cups, handing
out water to whoever asks for it on
their side of the barrier - even if to
Professional Security it appears the
man asking for it just wants to wash
down his sandwich. Those at the front
took the trouble to queue and then
hurry to the stage, to bag the best
spot. They may stay there for hours,
and to go to the toilet would mean
they lost their place. But not to take
in water could leave them dehydrated.
The front of the crowd, then, far
from glamorous, can lead to medical
emergencies. At the side of the stage
is Simon Howard Showsec’s London
area manager, who’s working here at
V as front of stage manager. He talks
Professional Security through how
and why pit staff may pull audience
members over the barrier. Generally
at V, it’s when someone has fainted,
having been at the front too long. One
steward either side of the distressed
person: “We ask the crowd around
them to help pull them over.” If the
person isn’t well, Showsec give them
to the medics. Or, the person may be
OK, but just felt they had to get out -
it may be so crowded, there’s no way
you can slide towards the back and
the toilets, food stalls and so on. That
person is escorted back to the arena.
At some festivals - and V isn’t that
sort - there may be a fight. Showsec
will call in a ‘response team’, that
switch on their body cameras. If
Showsec deem someone should be
ejected, they are taken for processing.
At some festivals, they may be given
a ‘warning’ wristband, banning them
from the arena until the next day.
Or, they are ejected from the site
altogether; not tipped onto the kerb
as out of some Wild West saloon, but
taken to a bus station, for instance.
Right: On Sunday
morning, stage crew
test a wire for an artist
to fly over the crowd
36
OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSIONAL SECURITY
Customer care
Even there, customer care applies;
if the ejected person is under the
influence of drugs, or just hung over
or not thinking very straight after a
sleepless weekend, does the event
promoter want to risk someone
ejected getting run over on the A5?
www.professionalsecurity.co.uk