Background
Alliance proudly marked its second year supporting IMG at the Big Feastival in the Cotswolds over the August Bank Holiday 2024. With nearly 25,000 attendees camping over five days, the weekend brought challenges, particularly due to Storm Lilian. Despite these conditions, Alliance’s team of over 90 security staff and stewards contributed positively, bringing enthusiasm and energy to the event, which enhanced the experience for all attendees.
Our services:
Security manager, security supervisors, SIA & Steward provision
Security management
Security control
Event control support
Entrance search lanes
Wayfinding Stewards
Patrol teams
Response teams
Static Guards
Fire Exit coverage
Crowd management
Egress crowd management
Access Control
Challenges
Weather - Storm Lilian
Frequent missing children reports
Our Solution
Supporting customers: Due to Storm Lilian, the camping arrival days were very wet and windy! To support customers as they arrived, our welfare and patrol teams assisted putting up tents and carrying camping gear to their camps! This simple act, lifted the spirits of our team and contributed to the incredible customer service that the Big Feastival provides!
Employee welfare: Whilst our team focus on the safety and welfare of the customers, it is vital for us to focus on our own teams welfare. To support our brilliant team, we ensured we had Alliance waterproofs, spare kit including hats, jackets & boots. Alongside this, it is important to have welfare points dotted around site for our team to have breaks in the warms with facilities. Our operational welfare unit played a significant role in the delivery of our welfare provision to staff and our welfare management team.
Robust polices & procedures: It was vital that our team understood and followed the specific requirements of the events policies and processes of missing and found children throughout the event. With several meeting pre event and comprehensive briefings throughout, our teams reunited families throughout the weekend effectually and safely working with the safeguarding teams onsite.
Effective communication: With several missing child reports at the same time, alongside the rest of the festival, our security control and on the ground patrol teams needed to maintain strong and clear communication about ongoing incidents. Through disciplined radio etiquette and clear information, our teams effectively worked with safeguarding leads to reunite all lost child in a safe, comforting and efficient manor.
Key Learnings
Importance of briefings: Throughout the weekend, it was vital for staff to follow policies and procedures when dealing with lost or missing children. Without strong leadership and comprehensive briefings, the impacts on these incidents worsen and become more worrying for both the parents and children. Our team, working with onsite safeguarding, created a safe environment and successfully reunited families over the weekend!
Create a positive working environment: It is vital to ensure a positive, safe and supportive culture and team energy at every event, but the benefits of this are shown during times of challenging weather. As seen at the Big Feastival, having a team who look after one another, really supports the delivery of an event and ensures that we lift the spirits of other contractors and customers onsite.
The success of Alliance's work at the Big Feastival in 2023 and 2024 has further strengthen our partnership with IMG events division. We look forward to supporting them into the future and at the 2025 Big Feastival!