Operational Updates
After a cancelled 2020 Wimbledon Championships , it was refreshing to deliver an event with crowds, and for CSP expanded operation, in 2021 with Wimbledon also being allowed to fill Centre Court for the Semis and Final as a 'test event'. This year, we supported with off-site trade vehicle and on-site searches with trained X-ray scanning teams, delivered SIA staff to support hospitality and external operations, and managed our normal traffic and crossing management.
The Epsom Derby 2020 was a strange affair, being run with no crowds whatsoever..... this from an event that has generated over 150,000 attendances previously. We hoped never to have to repeat this, but the COVID pandemic had other ideas. Whilst we are on the road to recovery, we were not quite there in time for The Cazoo Derby this year, and so were only permitted a crowd of 8,000 over the two days, however, a crowd nevertheless and, yet another year with no Royal visit.
After over a year of silence in The O2 Arena, due to the COVID19 pandemic, it was fantastic news that AEG would be hosting The Brit Awards 2021 as a live event. An audience of 4,000, of which 2,500 were keyworkers plus a guest, saw a show that included Coldplay, Dua Lipa, Elton John, Olly Aexander.and hosted by Jack Whitehall.
Whilst we cant wait for crowds to return and get back to business as normal, it was interesting to reflect back over the Easter weekend and compare it to the same weekend before COVID in 2019. Surprisingly, we actually put out more shifts this year than we did in 2019. Strange times indeed.
As with racing, football and rugby have also continued behind closed doors, with a short respite with small crowd numbers, it must have been incredibly disheartening and costly for both football and rugby to have conducted so much preparation and planning to allow crowds back, only to find those plans dashed. Whilst we await Boris Johnson's road map back, we are sure that these plans will be put to good use before full return.
Horse Racing, under BHA guidelines, has managed to continue since last summer when it was re-introduced behind closed doors, went to limited and controlled crowds and then back to behind closed doors.
30 April 2025
26 March 2025
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