Our Blogs
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The return of crowds
Ladies and gentlemen, today I will be covering our observations, some research on the return to crowded places and hopefully provide some information that allows you to leave us and continue your own research. Our first full year of being “back to normal” in 2022 is nearly passed, but was it normal or are we now experiencing the so-called “new normal”?
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The Queue
This blog focuses on what became a national phenomenon during the Lying-in state of Queen Elizabeth II. The formation and process of queuing to see the Queens coffin and pay one’splan respect.
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Raging and crowds, the new Punk?
Music is ever evolving as artists push the envelope to find their own styles and make themselves distinctive from the rest of the field.
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Fighting racism on the pitch and preparing for the reaction off.
As a practitioner working in crowded places, tasked with assisting in managing how crowds use the environment they occupy safely, we must pay attention when something is introduced to that environment that can change how the crowd will react. As we stated above, racism is brought into these stadium and sports environments. Recently at football we have seen a stance taken against racism, not in the stands, but on the pitch. If you are not aware of this, in short it is players reacting to racist abuse from other players.
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Trying to run before we can walk, from vaccination to live events.
Long-time no blog. What can we say, there has not been a lot to speak about over the past year. Pandemics, they put a crease in discussing live events. With that though or minds turn occasionally to those days where we are all back doing what we love doing in crowded places and people enjoying life.
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9 months later
9 months…….9 months……and no blogs, limited updates of the website, removal of news, a new look, a full 24hrs broken and a lot of time wondering what to do with 6 years worth of gathering.
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“When can we expect the nation to come out of lockdown?”
The nightly question by the media outlets that we should be relaying on to ask probing questions on what actions are been taken, what are the next steps and setting a tone of the country that lets the nation know we are either doing well, or all on an out of control bus trip through the flaming gates of hell.
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Going back to underpinning knowledge
Whilst studying in the past few months, we went right back to the A, B, C’s. To reestablish the building blocks of what we understand about Crowd Management, Crowd Dynamics and Crowd Behaviour. A refreshing guided trip, confirming somethings that are well used, pushing forward on newer thoughts and providing confidence in trying out new things.
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Putting Crowds First
Paul Foster
Founder of OnePlan
Senior executive with extensive experience of managing and leading complex projects in government and major global events. Recognised internationally as a leader in crowd management, operational planning and innovation for major events and urban environments.
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Francisco de Miranda Park in Caracas- Crowd deaths and injury
This update is a collection of information in regards to the death of Three teenagers and 30 injured people at a free concert at the Francisco de Miranda Park in Caracas, by the Venezuelan trap singer Netro Shorty.
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When is a mosh pit no longer a mosh pit?
Seems like there is a rather simple answer to this headline, when no one is moshing. Well, you’re not wrong there.
The use of the description “mosh pit” is being embraced by new musical genre though, other than the traditional heavy metal/thrash scene that embraced it and created what we now all believed to be our understanding of a “mosh pit”.
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Contemplation of toilet provision and service times at large scale events
Within the United Kingdom for the past couple of weeks, there have been a lot of queues being formed across the country following a tour, followed by a few tempers getting lost, a lot of crossed legs, dancing on the spot and followed by a good few moans and complaints.
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Cookstown Hotel Crowd Crush 2019
On a day of national celebration, 3 people lost their lives whilst attempting to gain entry to a nightclub in Northern Ireland (17th March 2019). The facts on this incident are unclear at the time we write this blog; so we will not assume anything and wait till the investigation is concluded.
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Review- International Crowd Safety Conference 2018
In 2016 we attended the first international crowd safety conference in Birmingham, after it we shared some thoughts. As we sit in a quiet room, post conference; there may be wine involved, don’t judge us, we are trying to collect our thoughts. The volume of information presented over the 2 days, spark thoughts that can be overwhelming.
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You may know your crowd, but how do you talk to them?
Over the years, we have seen many events, from bands, sports teams, community groups, street environments and corporations. During that time, I cannot recall a defined way I spoke to each grouping. As with everything, there are similarities, but never once have we used the same methods of communication with every group or individuals. We all receive information differently.
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A change of perspective- understanding the use of drones at crowded events
For the past couple of years we at working with crowds have expressed positive opinions on the use of drones at events. We are not talking about public use of drones, but professional and licensed providers.
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The Enemy Within (or is it you?)
We are pleased to share the the following blog by Sam, from Echo 3 Scotland Ltd. Sam has an extensive history in operational planning and delivery within the crowd management and security industry within the United Kingdom.
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Storm Preparedness: How to Get Your Family Ready for an Emergency
Across much of the U.S., warm weather often means a stronger possibility for heavy storms, flooding, and tornadoes, putting families at risk of injury and homes in danger of costly damage. It’s so important to be prepared for these events and other emergencies, especially if you have young children, so that you can keep your loved ones safe. Planning for bad weather often means knowing how to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice, including preparing an emergency exit plan and talking to your family about what to do if you’re separated during a bad storm.
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Don’t believe the hype!
Unfortunately, this is not about the sublime banger by Public Enemy, released in 1988 on Def Jam. This is a little tale about HYPE!!!! Now anyone that does not understand the meaning of this, the UrbanDictionary, describes this as:
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To catch a surfer?
As summer festivals see a rise in the need for front of stage staff across the country, a question has been asked of me a couple of times, “ What is the best way to catch crowd surfers? To get up on the step and lift them off, or, let them fall into your arms whilst standing on the ground?”.
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The importance of Screening Event and Security Staff
The following information is provided on the basis of providing assistance in gaining an understand the importance of screening staff that are being deployed on events. It should be noted that this information is based on the UK standards and vetting process. (if you have information in regards to other countries, please get in touch and we will share.)
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The delusion of egress planning- were plans do not match reality
In the past years, we spent a fair bit of time looking at the ingress process at events and attempted to bring a more realistic vision to the planning for this process. Our initial thoughts were to challenge what was already in place; stress test it and see what worked and what did not. The findings have assisted us during planning to provide a more representative calculation and more precise timeline.
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A day at the races
When you think of the races, the vast majority of people think about the champaign gardens, ladies in stunning dresses and gents in top hats and tails. The sun beating on immaculate lawns, sponsored by the Moet and Bentley. The playground of Lords and Ladies, that is broadcast around the world.
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The question of recharging battery packs at events.
In these times of risk, security is constantly being reviewed. A question had come to mind at a recent event. Smart phone, battery packs that recharge the phone. Are they a risk?
Are they a risk?
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The thought process and decision making in effective Queue Management Systems
As this is a blog and not an academic piece of writing, we are not looking to provide scientific facts and figures; although we may use a bit of basic number crunching to illustrate a point or two. We would advise you to explore this topic more in depth as it plays a massive role in crowd management.
Travel
Festival Campsites
In this blog we look at the process of customer use of music festival campsites and how this relates to crowd management.
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How to Prepare for a Hurricane or Tropical Storm
You can’t control a hurricane’s wrath, but you can control how you and your family prepare for the storm. And the sooner you prepare, the better. Scrambling hours before a hurricane and forgetting a vital safety measure is the last thing you want.
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Preparing for High Winds: How to Protect a Home from Damage
Wind can come in the form of hurricanes, tornadoes, cyclones, microbursts or downdrafts. There are high winds and gusts in some instances that last just a few minutes, and there are sustaining winds that may last for days. While wind can be a powerful asset, it can also pose a significant danger at times. On an individual basis, it can be valuable to understand the impact of high winds and how we can best protect our homes and personal property from wind damage. There are many ways to reinforce a home against wind damage — some are simple enough to DIY while others may require professional assistance.
