Danielle invites UK crowd safety specialists Eric Stuart and Miriam Stone to discuss the role of steward in the field of crowd management and trace the lines between volunteers, stewards, and licensed security. Eric lays out a five-tier crowd-management hierarchy -- volunteers, stewards, security, police, military -- with stewards sitting just above volunteers: paid, unlicensed, responsible for wayfinding and soft enforcement. Miriam adds that in the UK anything above steward requires a license and training. The conversation also covers volunteer management, noting that fans of the event rarely no-show while general volunteers need clear expectations and something meaningful in return for their time. The group debates whether stewards should face the crowd outright or monitor at a 45-degree angle, and argues for briefing them to spot behavioral outliers -- heat illness, crowd distress, demographic mismatches.
Danielle invites UK crowd safety specialists Eric Stuart and Miriam Stone to discuss the role of steward in the field of crowd management and trace the lines between volunteers, stewards, and licensed security.
Eric lays out a five-tier crowd-management hierarchy -- volunteers, stewards, security, police, military -- with stewards sitting just above volunteers: paid, unlicensed, responsible for wayfinding and soft enforcement. Miriam adds that in the UK anything above steward requires a license and training. The conversation also covers volunteer management, noting that fans of the event rarely no-show while general volunteers need clear expectations and something meaningful in return for their time. The group debates whether stewards should face the crowd outright or monitor at a 45-degree angle, and argues for briefing them to spot behavioral outliers -- heat illness, crowd distress, demographic mismatches.
Guests:
Miriam Stone | Operations Consultant, Arena and Venue Industry
Eric Stuart | Owner and Director, Gentian Events
Hosts: Danielle Hernandez