Showsec

Infobox Company
name = Showsec

type = Private
genre = Security services
foundation =
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location_city = Leicester
location_country = United Kingdom
location =
locations =
area_served = United Kingdom
key_people = Mark Harding (Managing Director), Simon Battersby (Operations Director), Mark Logan (Operations Director), Roy Wise (Training and Development Manager).
industry =
products =
services = Crowd control, venue safety
market c

revenue =
operating_income =
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assets =
equity =
owner =
num_employees = 3,500
parent =
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homepage = http://sites.stocksphere.com/showsec/
footnotes =
intl =

Showsec is a United Kingdom based supplier of crowd management and security services. It is part of the International Crowd Management and Security Group, with its sister organisation, The Security Company, being based in the Netherlands.

Company profile

Showsec in the UK operates out of nine regional offices, with its head office being based in Leicester. With over 3,500 members of staff currently on its books, Showsec is the largest supplier of crowd management solutions in Europe. Recently, Showsec has been a major supplier of staff to large scale events such as Download Festival, Creamfields, and Hyde Park. [cite web|url=http://www.info4security.com/story.asp?storyCode=4120301&sectioncode=10|title=Showsec secures prestige Hyde Park gig series|publisher=Info4Security]

The company's main activity is that of venue crowd management. With contracts throughout the UK at venues such as Earls Court Exhibition Centre, [cite web|url=http://www.eco.co.uk/aboutus/mediaroom/venuenews/2002/apr/showsec/|title=Showsec appointed to handle all seated events at Earls Court|publisher=EC&O Venues] the Manchester Evening News Arena, the Liverpool Echo Arena and London's Roundhouse, Showsec hold a considerable share of the market.

The current managing director is Mark Harding, who began working for Showsec in 1989 and became the MD in 2001. He is supported by a 50 strong team of full time administrative staff based at Showsec's headquarters and regional offices, as well as over 200 supervisors and a strong team of experienced managers.

The company is committed to training its staff, with a dedicated training department assigned to this task. All staff are trained to receive the NCFE level 2 in stewarding upon joining the company, and experienced staff can undertake further training, such as pit and supervisor training. [cite web|url=http://www.securitypark.co.uk/security_article261609.html|title=Showsec develops qualification course for restraining and ejecting unruly customers at events|publisher=SecurityPark.net]

In March 2008, the Showsec Academy was launched, with the aim of training new junior managers. Upon successful completion of the training programme, candidates are offered permanent, full-time junior management positions within the company.

Showsec was recently involved in the controversial Body Worlds 4 exhibition in Manchester by anatomist Dr Gunther von Hagens where they supplied security solutions for the entirety of the exhibit.

Criticism

Showsec have come under fire in the past from event and festival goers for being too heavy handed in their tasks. The managing director, Mark Harding, responded to these allegations by giving an interview to the Safe Concerts website. [cite web|url=http://www.safeconcerts.com/showsecinterview.asp|title=The Safeconcerts Showsec interview - July 2004|publisher=Safeconcerts.com]

References

External links

* [http://sites.stocksphere.com/showsec/ Showsec Homepage]
* [http://crowd-management.com International Crowd Management and Security Group]
* [http://www.showsecacademy.co.uk Showsec Academy]