First event cancelled due to UK riots – ISC ensures smooth running of subsequent event
The all new 'Vauxhall Fanzone' event took place prior to England's European qualifying game against Wales at Wembley Stadium this September, requiring the knowledge of experienced and well trained security personnel to ensure the safety of attending fans, performers and equipment.
The Fanzone celebrations took place on the Powerleague complex just outside the Stadium, with a capacity of 2900. The entertainment consisted of celebrity look-a-likes, sponsors' areas, penalty shoot-out, table football, beat boxers, football freestylers and a number of competitions. The aim was to provide an exciting and interesting prelude to the match for the fans that had obtained complimentary tickets via the FA website.
ISC's reputation once again proved the determining factor in obtaining the contract, which required its staff to secure an event catering for thousands of football fans. Having worked previously with event organisers Ignite on the NFL tailgate and fan rally events, ISC were once again selected.
The event required careful planning and consideration of factors relating to the rioting that struck London in August. As a result of this civil unrest the first planned Fanzone event was cancelled after the decision was made to cancel the main game
It was therefore of utmost importance that the event was fully secured, whilst maintaining the excellence in customer service on which ISC prides itself. According to ISC's Senior Operations Manager, Robert Webster; "Fans responded very positively to the event and were in good spirits."
The role of ISC was to provide visual security and stewarding to assist with fans' queries, whilst acting as a deterrent against visitors contemplating unruly behaviour. Webster commented; "An important aspect was to manage the queues and control the crowd, keeping them safe within the complex and surrounding areas. This required ISC personnel to keep a special eye on the hazards brought about by poor weather conditions, including potentially dangerous slippery surfaces and buffeting caused by high winds."
He added; "ISC has earned a reputation with the stadium, the local authority and its clients for ensuring that these types of events are run successfully and without incident. Our teams are carefully selected for their proactive approach and friendly demeanour which all helps to diffuse potential problems on the day."
The company's extensive knowledge of the Wembley site and its surrounding areas, coupled with its unrivalled expertise of organising and running large and small events of this nature, made them ideally placed to provide the level of security required for such a high-profile event. With stewards and SIA-licensed security officers on site – all operating under the watchful eye of dedicated Operations Manager, Lee Boddington - the event ran smoothly and was a great success.
