Since it’s formation Specialized Security has developed into one of the UK’s leading Crowd Management Companies, with a wealth of experience, particularly in dealing with the unique problems of large-scale music festivals and mass gatherings.

The vision of it’s founders in creating a unique model of how to deal with the operational difficulties of such events has served the business well since their first appointment at the Glastonbury Festival in 1990.

The personal involvement of Specialized’s directors at every level of every event they stage, from strategic planning to operational leadership, has fostered a sense of loyalty from both staff and clients, with an enviable record of retention of both.

For example, an involvement in the event security & crowd management of every outdoor event staged by the Mean Fiddler Music Group since 1991, has given Specialized and it’s management an incredible depth of experience in virtually every aspect of outdoor music festivals.

The commitment to staff welfare that sees Specialized Security build entire villages for accommodation, catering, and administration, and arrange mass transportation for staff has been admired and emulated throughout the events Industry and helps maintain staff morale, discipline and standards during often hectic periods of activity.

Contributors to many works including the Event Safety Guide and the British Standard for Event Stewards, Specialized has always treated these guidelines as the minimum required, and strives to innovate and develop best practice; early examples included the use of clearly identifiable numbering of uniforms, the recruitment of large numbers of female staff, and the direct employment of all it’s workforce, without using sub-contractors.

An early realisation of the importance of the need for a credible and verifiable staff training programme led to Specialized developing the UK’s first independently audited training for Event Stewards, pre-dating the requirements of the SIA by over half a decade.

In a business increasingly driven by market forces and profit margins, the determination of Specialized’s directors to stick to their personal vision of how an event stewarding and security business should operate has won them many admirers including Glastonbury Festival, Radio 1 and the Greater London Authority and has secured long standing professional relationships with stakeholders including the Metropolitan Police, Hampshire Constabulary and Haringey Council.

These policies, coupled with a highly focussed recruitment process, have fostered a unique sense of team work and pride amongst Specialized’s people, and in an industry where high turnover levels and a lack of staff engagement are the norm, the sheer consistency and commitment of Specialized’s staff is what really sets them apart.

Looking forward, and the challenges created by a new regulatory framework, Specialized has invested in a new training facility and developed partnerships with education providers, to assist in delivering the new training requirements and continues to engage with the statutory authorities through involvement with organisations such as the Cabinet Office Emergency Planning College, the Scottish Police College and through trade associations such as NOEA.