The eyes of the world were firmly on the stage of Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena recently, as the Licensing SAVI accredited venue hosted the final of Eurovision 2023.
M&S Bank Arena
While 11 million people tuned in to watch top music acts from across Europe (and Australia) from the comfort of their homes, in cinemas and in the countless venues screening the event, over 6000 fans were lucky enough to see Swedish act Loreen’s winning performance in person, live from the M&S Bank Arena.
The arena, part of the ACC Liverpool Group, recently undertook the Licensing Security and Vulnerability Initiative (Licensing SAVI) assessment, receiving a 5-star rating after a review of its safety and security procedures.
Available to licensees as an on-line self-assessment, Licensing SAVI covers topics including responsible drinking, drugs misuse, preventing violent behaviour and safeguarding vulnerable customers through to preventing opportunist theft and improving physical security, such as lighting and CCTV systems.
While thousands of people cheered on their favourite acts, the team at M&S Bank Arena were busy behind the scenes ensuring all customers had a safe and enjoyable visit to the venue.
Eddie dos Santos, Assistant Director of Operations and Facilities Management at ACC Liverpool Group, said: “Security is our number one priority and for every event we ensure the necessary measures are in place so that we can keep all our visitors and staff safe.
“Eurovision was no exception and we worked with a number of partners in the run-up to this high-profile event to ensure all procedures and measures were in order and adhered to.
“Eurovision was a great operational success due to the exceptional planning, and my thanks go to everyone involved including the Licensing SAVI team for its continued support.”
Mark Morgan, Business Manager, Licensing SAVI, commented: “Having previously worked with the team at the arena and their wider delivery partners for Eurovision, I’m not at all surprised with the success of the event. I know first-hand the operating practices in place and how professional and committed the staff are to the safety of all attending or working at the venue. I’m absolutely delighted with their success and significant amount of positive feedback received – well done to all involved.”
Mark Morgan of Licensing SAVI presents the award to Eddie dos Santos of ACC Liverpool Group
Safety and Security
One of the safety elements in place for the event was the presence of Paramount Stewarding and Security, who provided stewards and traffic management for necessary road closures. Paramount’s experienced team of stewards have all achieved the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) certification, which requires all employees of a CSAS accredited company to be vetted and approved by the Chief Police Officer of the area they work in, and successfully complete the required training.
CSAS, like Licensing SAVI, is a scheme from Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (Police CPI) aimed at reducing crime and the fear of crime, through assessment, training and implementation of safety and security practices.
Traffic management around the M&S Bank Arena was a major aspect in the planning for Eurovision. Paramount deployed 90 staff on various shifts, 24 hours a day for a 3-week period, in order to plan and build physical traffic management systems, manage the roads during Eurovision, and return the area to normal post-event.
Access to the city for the opening ceremony at St George’s Hall involved numerous diversions while keeping local business, residents, car parks and the extremely busy Lime Street Station operational and accessible. This transport system for the city was a massive success.
Paramount also staffed Merseyside Police’s hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) in key areas throughout the city.
Paramount controlled access to nearby Pier Head, where ‘Eurovision Village 2023’ was located for fans to watch the live screening of the event. Part of the management of this included changing a single one-way route into a stop-and-go to allow access both ways - a difficult task with the busy flow of traffic and pedestrians, used for accessing the event site, a residential block with underground car park and the famous Albert Dock.
Sean Fletcher, Director of Paramount Stewarding & Security, commented: “Planning was key for the traffic management of Eurovision – working alongside Liverpool City Council’s Traffic Management Team and Traffic Direct TM as always is another great example of teamwork and delivery.”
Security stewards around the M&S Bank Arena were provided by Carlisle Support Services, who are also accredited members of CSAS.
To find out more about Licensing SAVI, visit https://www.licensingsavi.com/
To find out more about CSAS, visit https://www.policecsas.com/
About Police CPI
Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (Police CPI) is a police-owned, not-for-profit organisation which delivers a wide range of innovative and ground-breaking crime prevention and demand reduction initiatives to support the UK Police Service, Government and the public. Senior police officers control and direct the work Police CPI carries out on behalf of the Police Service.
Visit: https://www.policecpi.com