AP Security Is Up, Up And Away At Bristol International Balloon Fiesta

AP Security’s reputation for its quality safety and stewarding services is reaching an ever-wider audience, with more of the UK’s highest profile events inviting the company to work with them. One of the latest is Bristol International Balloon Fiesta.

Four days in mid-August saw the Fiesta’s 32nd year, with 500,000 visitors enjoying the spectacle of over 100 hot air balloons of all different shapes and sizes, the legendary RAF Red Arrows and a range of complementary ground-based attractions.

Brought in by Richmond Event Management, it was AP’s first time at the event and something rather different from the live music circuit which tends to dominate the company’s summer workload.

“We were really looking forward to the new challenges that the Fiesta presented,” says AP’s northern regional manager Simon Miller. “As always we started planning well in advance, in this case in April, and attended monthly meetings in Bristol where all the partners would meet and discuss the event and their roles within it.”

AP’s staff was covering the entire site except the car parks, including all staff gates and public entrances.

“It is a festival of gates, so to speak,” Simon continues. “Making sure each gate works in tandem with the others is the real key to smooth operation.”

One major difference to AP’s experience at live music events is that there’s no real focal point on the ground.

“The public treats this differently because all the action takes place in the sky,” he continues. “It’s a very family focused, picnic audience, with the ground based attractions an aside to the main show going on as the balloons are inflated and take off above them.

“The fact that everything takes place in the air does alter things for us. There’s no real crowd movement for any of the different elements. The site is also very weather dependant and it’s easy for the balloons to be grounded. So if you have a couple of bad days weather-wise and then a nice one, the site will have three days worth of attendance at once.

“This is almost the exact scenario that we faced on the Sunday of the event, but the advance planning worked and everything went very smoothly.”

That’s not to say that unexpected things don’t crop up. One occurrence that the AP staff had to help with was helicopters blowing away the Fiesta staff tents – while people were sleeping in them!

“It would be all too easy to take a job at face value and believe it will be easy. This was no exception and highlights why the months of planning that we put in for every event are so necessary,” Simon adds.

With 32 staff on duty during the day and 13 keeping an eye on things at night, this may have been a ‘different’ event for AP, but one which was another major success, thanks to the company’s diligent approach.

“The client has said we did far better than previous safety and stewarding companies, but we’re not resting on our laurels,” Simon says. “We know there is always room for a few improvements and we hope we can take the success of this year to make succeeding events even better.”

“When organising a complex event like the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, it is crucial to ensure you’ve got the right team around you,” says Ben Hardy of the event’s organising committee. “Providing access control and stewarding at the Fiesta is a crucial part of the mix – checking accreditation and assisting our visitors might seem a simple task, but the manner in which its done is important.

“AP Security has the right blend of a personnel to enable us to check pass holders and assist the public with a smile on their face and, most importantly, a bit of common sense when required.”

Tags: Event industry, Event Magazine, Event Security, Festival Security, SIA Security Events

Category: Event Security