E-mail me with your comments on this section.handtohand22@hotmail.com

Witnness 2003

Stewarding a Multi Stage Festival

by

Ronnie Gamble (c) 2003

Return to Home Page

Introduction   This page will illustrate how some of the security staff are tasked at an annual outside venue. This particular venue is called Witnness and it has become one of the world's best two day multi stage music festivals.  Witness 2003 was held on the 12th and 13th of July at Punchestown Race Course, just outside Dublin, Ireland.. The impressive bill included over 50 popular groups for each day of the event. The groups utilised five stages that were spaced round the Race Course.  This area also included market stalls, food stalls and a fun fair. At least 20,000 people were expected to camp out on the first night. But, such was the popularity of this event, the second camp site was opened earlier than planned in order to cope with the influx of people.  I personally spoke to visitors from the Philippines, USA, Europe and even some friends from my hometown, a four hour drive away.  Overall, about 90,000 well behaved fans attended the two day event. The official web site for Witnness is here

General Information About The Venue

                                

 

 

The Preparation

Thursday

6.00pm  I finished packing all the kit I will need to keep me going for the next five days. I wear the gear that will keep me together for the next five days. Black water proofed boots, black vest, jeans, baseball hat and finally, a bum bag. This small bag holds the wet weather suit, some shortbread biscuits, chocolate and a half liter water bottle. I know that over the next 5 days there will be quite a few drops in my blood/sugar levels so this compact sweet food will stretch me out between the meal breaks. I also pack a notebook, a couple of pencils and a torch. 

My back pack contains; Sleeping Bag, Ground Mat, Wooly Hat for either sleeping in or night work,  Knife Fork and Spoon, Travel Clock, Camera, Spare shift of clothing, Toilet Roll, Washing Kit, Sun Cream, Hay Fever and Headache Tablets etc, Boot Polish and brush and plastic bags for laundry. 

7.30pm  The car, the driver, myself  and two other stewards leave on time.

11.00am  We are on the outskirts of Dublin city, at the entrance to Punchestown Race Course.

11.30pm  We drive to our designated accommodation and administration area. There was a choice between sleeping in our own tents or else using the communal marquee. The marquee has a wooden floor and accommodates at least 40 individuals. The softer ground and more privacy made the individual tents a better bet. The only problem was, in the heat of the day, the tents turned into ovens. This made sleeping impossible. The marquees proved to be a much cooler prospect in the heat of the day.  Notice the 'No Camp Fires' sign?  I saw all 3 x 2 Meters of it, from a distance, on Monday morning. It was being carried towards Dublin as a souvenir. 

 

Friday

7.00am  Woke up and immediately moved our 2 man tent to a more flat spot of ground. On Thursday night we had pitched the tent on slightly sloping ground. This caused me to constantly roll over onto my mate's sleeping area. He was starting to get nervous.

12.00pm  Before I was tasked, I scouted round the venue area to photograph areas I would not be working in for the next 3 days. There are at least 4 different security groups employed at major events. Unless you are clearly recognised or carry the appropriate passes, you will find it impossible to move with this much freedom.

 

The Security Tasking

I will not discuss or compromise in any great detail the operational policies, security procedures or anti drug measures taken. What follows is a personal description of the five days of hard work required to cover the two day event and make it a resounding success for all those attending. This work involved the meeting and greeting of the fans as well as security tasks within the camp site. The security of the artistes both on and off stage was the responsibility of another security company. The U2 page on this web site concentrated the security tasking to the front of the main stage and therefore compliments this current page. By reading both these pages you will gain  a basic understanding of how security staff are tasked at open air events.  

 

 

Search Procedures

At Witnness 2003 there were two types of search point, the Entrance Search Point and the Main Venue Search Point. The Entrance Search Points were  located at the main entrances to ensure that no weapons, fire hazards and other risk items were being carried into the camp. The Main Venue Search Points were located within the camp complex, at the entrances into the main venue. At these points, glass bottles and other illicit items were banned. This control helped to protect both the audience and artistes from glass hazards. 

In the interest of health and safety there must be two stages to the search procedures at both points. First, the patrons were made aware of  items that are not permitted into crowded areas.  Second, the patrons were channeled into a search area where it was confirmed that they are not attempting to carry in the banned items.  

Stewarding  tasks are confounded with rules of conduct that turn every task into a legal minefield. This is particularly true when you are tasked as a member of a search team. Unless you are fully trained in search procedures, you can  leave yourself open to litigation. For example, before you search anyone, you must ask their permission first and then inform them what you are going to do. If you fail to do this you may be liable to face an assault charge. Body searches were not permitted, the search used at Witnness 2003 was classed as a dress search. During a dress search, it is unprofessional to put your hands inside the persons clothing or property.  If you fail to observe this rule and find an illicit item, you can be accused of planting that item. 

In all search areas, males must search only males and females must only search females. Some patrons will be very eager to enter the venue and will not mind who searches them. This  state of mind that will leave some patrons open to sexual assault risks and stewards open to allegations of unprofessional conduct. For these reasons,  the same sex rules had to be enforced.  If any person refuses to be searched or to turn out their pockets for inspection, they must be denied access to the venue. This procedure helped  to protect the Health and Safety of all those who complied with the search procedures.

The banned items at Witnness 2003 included:

·         Any form of drug

·         Any form of weapon

·         Any item that can be used as a weapon

·         Umbrellas, (eye damage)

·         Glass bottles, (used as missiles, weapons, slip and trip hazards, the risk of breaking) These must be replaced with plastic cups.

·         Plastic bottles with caps on (remove the screw top and the bottle will not be filled with urine for throwing)

·         Cans of any description (used as missiles, slip or trip hazards)

·         Gas, paraffin, charcoal or any other form of stove, Bar-B-Q, candle or flaming torch.

These items have to be bagged and tagged at the Entrance Search for returning or else discarded into a waste bin. When someone arrives at the Main Venue Search Point, ideally there must be a drinking facility and plastic cups for carrying the drinks into the venue. 

 

 

Monday

 

 

 The Exit Route

When a large body of people are suddenly stopped from moving forward, those coming up behind may not be able to stop. This is a fact of life, even when the crowd are moving at a steady rate. When there is an emergency, the problem is much more serious. Sudden stoppages, bottle necks and crowd surges will result in crush injuries and death.

Irrespective of the venue or location, when crowds are on the move, they must be kept on the move in order to avoid crush injuries. For example, at the end of a performance, when someone exiting a venue stops on the stairwell to greet a friend, the forward momentum of the crowd is reduced. One person standing still on a stairwell can create crowd surges or else increase the time it takes for the crowd to exit the venue. When this obstructive behaviour is observed it must be corrected as politely and as fast as possible.

The campers had a 1Km trek up the hill to the bus pick up points. Some entrepreneurs thought that the top of the hill would be a good spot to sell bottles of drinking water. They were a joy to watch.... for ten seconds at least. "Get your fresh drinking water here"! they would shout. When a customer stopped to ask the price of the proffered bottle, the extortionate price was whispered. They did not want to frighten other customers away.  This bottle neck did present a serious Health and Safety problem.  By partially blocking the exit and inducing others to stop and buy one, they were interrupting the steady flow of campers off the site. There were 30,000 people using this exit. Halting their steady flow was a recipe for a large scale human disaster.

 

The Panorama

 

Looking After the Security Staff

Breakdown of  The Tasking

 

Conclusion...........   

Stewarding a two day event is, in reality, a very demanding five days of security work. Well before day four, you are physically and emotionally drained. So... What makes stewards volunteer for these events, again and again?

Money?   It's  not for the money. You are paid at the minimum rate for a job that demands the maximum effort.

Food?   It's not for the food. Two meal tickets issued every 24 hours is not adequate. This will not sustain you for the five days. You have to supplement these  tickets by bringing your own food or else buying extras from the overpriced food stalls.

Facilities?   It's not for the facilities set up for the stewards. The conditions are quite Spartan. Stewards are bottom of the pecking order at this type of event. This was made very obvious on day two. When the artistes and their entourage started to arrive, the security staff lost the use of the staff catering, toilets, showers and bathroom facilities.  The stewards had to use the same commercial catering stalls as the campers. Here the meal tickets were exchanged for the cheapest low quality meal. For washing facilities, we had to trek out and use the camp drinking water locations.

Treatment?   It's not for the fair treatment stewards received from the security firms.  There was a degree of dissatisfaction within one particular security firm. Apparently, security teams employed by this firm did not have parity. One team of 100 men were on a higher rate of pay, received money for travel time and, as a final insult to the other teams,  were issued with free uniforms.

So...why do we keep going back to this type of situation? There are many good reasons for stewarding. Any one of the following four reasons makes the experience worth while.

The Change in Pace   First, it's great to get away from the dull 9 -5 routine jobs some of us have. On some occasions, the change in pace will invigorate you. On most occasions you will be happy to get back to your mundane life style. This is because working this type of event will prove to be five days of physical and mental torture.  But at least you come out of the experience knowing you have pushed yourself to the limits and survived. 

"I hurt myself today,

 to see if I still feel, 

I focus on the pain, 

the only thing that's real".

(Johnny Cash)

Professional Pride   Second, after successfully policing an outside event of 90,000 people, you are left with a feeling of immense satisfaction at your professional skills. When parents, guardians and friends bid farewell to these young folks, it becomes your task to act as their temporary guardians. You are entrusted to keep them safe for the two day event and in turn, bid them farewell. There will be occasions when your skills will be needed to neutralise or avert dangerous situations and protect individuals from their own excesses. But, with good briefings, placement, support and experience, you will be successful in your role as temporary guardians.

Social Interaction   Third, stewards are gregarious individuals and enjoy social interaction. Engaging the patrons in conversation at these events is very rewarding. Not only do you build up a rapport with the campers on your patch, you also meet such a wide variety of fascinating people. You will find people that have traveled around the globe in order to see their favourite acts. They have plenty of time to kill between acts and they all have their own interesting stories to tell. So it is worthwhile to take time out and talk to the occasional camper.

Opportunity   Fourth, live venues are unique and sometimes newsworthy events. It is very satisfying (perhaps boring to the listener) to be able to say "I was there and saw....". As a steward you have the opportunity to see all the class performances, out takes, bum notes and bad days that any artiste can have.

Summary

Stewarding a two day event will push you to the limits of your physical and emotional endurance. It is a character building experience that you can reflect on for the  years that follow. Interacting with other people from all over the world and seeing the top acts performing live is a unique experience. I left the venue, totally wiped out saying "Never again, never again". Then someone said, "Bruce Springstein and Fleetwood Mac are coming over before Christmas". Before he had finished talking I shouted "Put my name down for that!"

Return to Home Page