CST’s simple, effective ‘StewardCall’ communications system enhances crowd safety at The O2
The O2 has become one of the world’s greatest entertainment centres, attracting crowds, top brands and the biggest showbiz names, Michael Jackson amongst them, of course.
The O2 is much more than an arena. It’s a complex site with a variety of venues – restaurants, bars, exhibition spaces, cinemas and nightclubs, plus the world’s most popular arena. All of which adds up to a major operation when it comes to crowd management, safety and security.
“The biggest safety issue we had was communications,” says Steve Gotkine, Head of Venue Operations. “Two-way radio just wasn’t working as well as we’d like. We had hundreds of users, with eighteen or so groups on eight frequencies. That generated a huge amount of radio traffic, so people couldn’t actually use the radios properly because there wasn’t enough frequency space for them. This created management issues and caused hiccups with our VIPs and clients, whose problems we couldn’t react to quickly enough.”
What was required was a practical and efficient way for the steward, security, cleaning, medical and management teams to stay in contact with each other. Gotkine found the answer in StewardCall, the wireless messaging system from Call-Systems Technology (CST).
“Before we opened The O2 we toured Arsenal’s Emirates stadium to see how they tackled some of the issues of running a major stadium, which was when the guys there showed us StewardCall. Later, when the communications issues came up, it became clear that the system could give us exactly what we needed.”
StewardCall went ‘live’ at The O2 in March 2009 and it has made an immediate impact. “Communications have improved dramatically,” says Gotkine. “As well as enhancing crowd management, it has helped in several other areas, too – from lone worker safety to improved service for customers and VIPs.”
At The O2 stewards carry a pager, which can be used to send important messages, along with a StewardCall transmitter which has four buttons – pressing a button sends an instant alert to pagers carried by the relevant personnel, to summon a supervisor, medical help or a cleaner, and to inform management when the cleaning has been completed.
Supervisors also carry a four-button transmitter with customised allocation buttons – including ones for management and security and an acknowledge button, which is used to check that everyone is ready and in position, for example before opening doors to a major show.
At the heart of CST’s system is the Genesis software. This logs all the calls and gives Gotkine and his colleagues instant knowledge of every situation. It also allows personnel to access and send messages to staff with pagers, via PC terminals based around the venue.
“With cleaning, we can show when a call was logged and when the job was done. Usually it only takes a few minutes. So if someone claims to have slipped in a puddle at, say, 18.45, we can check to see if there was a clean-up operation logged. If there was, and it was completed by 18.35, then we know we’ve complied with due diligence,” says Gotkine.
With such a complex venue, StewardCall is set up so each four-button unit is designated to a specific location. “That means the system tells us precisely where any problem occurs, so we can react instantly,” explains Gotkine. If a member of staff changes location, they simply swap their unit.
“One of the great things about the system is it’s so straightforward,” says Gotkine. “The first day one or two of the older members of staff were very sceptical. The next day, when some other staff had to be trained, these same sceptics offered to brief them, saying it was a great system and dead simple to use. Overnight converts! Everyone bought in to StewardCall right away.”
Simplicity is at the heart of the StewardCall system. “The guys from CST came to hold our hands for the first few events, but pretty soon they weren’t really required. Now we use the system all the time.”
One important extra benefit is that each and every steward can be much more visible at a big event. “Before, stewards would have to wait outside the auditorium, on the concourses, so that they could be easily contacted. Often, with the problems of radio traffic, we’d use the tannoy to alert them to any issues. But with StewardCall, they can be in the event itself, since we can contact them easily by pager. Customers are safer, because they can see stewards and can get hold of them quickly if they need to.”
Another issue for The O2 is the mix of events that are staged, and the different types of audience they attract. “We can do seven diverse events in one week,” says Gotkine. “Each one may attract audiences with very different profiles – sport, pop, rock, family shows, and so on. That means we have to be able to adapt, because a crowd of rockers will not behave like a crowd of families with young kids, for example.
“The log provides useful data for many areas in terms of future planning of events, including risk assessment.
“StewardCall helps all our event planning, because we can look at all previous event logs to plan upcoming ones. For example, I might have scheduled, say, five security response teams for a rock show. Checking the StewardCall log of security incidents for previous rock shows will tell me if that’s enough, too few or too many, and I can adjust my plans accordingly.”
The StewardCall log also allows Gotkine to see the ‘live’ situation throughout The O2. “I have information flowing on screen to show me how many people are in the building, what incidents are occurring, everything.
“The system does everything that CST said it would, and more,” says Gotkine. “And CST has made the whole experience a very straightforward process, from surveying the site to installation and training. Plus, they kept it to budget.
“StewardCall is now making a huge contribution to our safety management.”
For details freephone Call-Systems Technology on 0800 389 5642, email the company at sales@call-systems.com or visit the CST website www.call-systems.com
Call-Systems Technology (CST) supplies an award-winning range of specialist communications and software products. The company has introduced many technology innovations which have enhanced safety and service and improved efficiency, helping UK businesses to satisfy their customers and increase their profitability.
The CST portfolio ranges from simple pager systems through event management software to sophisticated packages for improved facilities management. New arrivals include the ConnectSmart portfolio of restaurant automation products, developed and proven in the USA by QSR Automations.