About us and our Associates
The Showstop Procedure course was developed by internationally recognised crowd safety practitioners and academics, Steve Allen and Dr.Mark Hamilton who pioneered the Showstop Procedure in 1998. It draws on decades of international experience planning, delivering, and operating major events, combined with real-world implementation of this proven intervention framework.
Informed by extensive experience serving as Expert Witnesses in high-profile event safety cases, including the 2021 Astroworld Festival, the course addresses a recurring safety-critical failure pattern seen globally: unclear roles and authority, undefined life-safety thresholds, fragmented communication, and delayed or ineffective intervention. The Showstop Procedure directly mitigates these system failures through a clear, defensible approach to escalation, communication, and decisive action when life safety is threatened.
The training is endorsed by the Pink Bows Foundation, established following the loss of Madison Dubiski at Astroworld, reflecting support for meaningful, preventative change across the live events industry.
Internationally accredited and peer reviewed, the Showstop Procedure training equips safety-responsible personnel with a shared, standardised approach to emergency intervention, strengthening command, control, communication, and coordination; reducing response time; supporting duty-of-care obligations; and protecting both public safety and organisational reputation across sport and entertainment environments.
Working towards safer crowds in collaboration with
We collaborate with a trusted network of highly credible and unrivalled partners, selected for their proven expertise, professionalism, and consistent delivery in reducing risk across complex environments.
Each partner brings specialist capability and a demonstrable track record, working seamlessly alongside us to protect reputations, strengthen planning, enhance decision-making, and deliver proportionate, effective risk management solutions.
Pink Bows Foundation is a US based not for profit organisation which was established by the family of Madison Dubiski, a vibrant, kind-hearted young woman whose life was tragically cut short at the 2021 Astroworld Festival.
The Pink Bows Foundation® mission is to collaborate, raise awareness, and provide approved safety solutions that enhance a safer environment for event goers. Our focus is to prevent another tragedy, reduce risks and promote a positive safety culture in the event industry.
Pink Bows Foundation firmly believes that the safety of audiences, at the full spectrum of events, will benefit by being trained in Showstop Procedure as part of their overall event safety management strategy.
“I’m very happy to support Pink Bows Foundation and the great work they do for crowd safety.“
– Sir Paul McCartney
Crowd Safety is a specialist organisation dedicated to planning, advising on, and delivering crowd safety management consultancy for events and public gatherings, with a strong focus on risk reduction, safeguarding, and best-practice compliance.
Crowd Safety leadership has accrued decades of national and international experience assisting major event organisers and global brands.
Crowd Safety is formally appointed by the Pink Bows Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation, to lead the professional crowd safety expertise in support of the Foundation’s mission.
Steve Allen and Dr Mark Hamilton have served as Expert Witnesses in multiple high-profile cases.
Creative Safety is a trusted safety partner for global events and brands with over two decades experience supporting the delivery of spectacular live experiences involving some of the biggest artists and events in the world.
“Creative Safety and The Event Safety Shop (TESS) are delighted to be working alongside the Pink Bows Foundation to promote the safety and well-being of patrons at concerts, festivals and other public gatherings. Public safety should never be an after-thought or simply a tick-box exercise, instead it needs to be a core part of show planning and operational delivery. Creative Safety takes a holistic approach, seeking to head off issues as early as possible and advocating for customer well-being as a shared objective for the venue, promoter, production, and talent.” – Tim Roberts
Tim Roberts has served as an Expert Witness in high-profile cases.
Keith has over 36 years of consulting experience across a range of international crowd safety projects. He has advised on crowd behaviour, crowd risks, and crowd safety considerations for events ranging from 500 people to 3,000,000 (Hajj, Saudi Arabia) and has served as an Expert Witness in over 50 cases.
Keith teaches the principles and applications of crowd safety worldwide, from introductory courses to master’s programmes. One of his courses is mandatory training for all UK Public Event Commanders at the UK College of Policing.
“I strongly welcome the internationally accredited Showstop Procedure course. Steve Allen and Mark Hamilton bring exceptional and unrivalled expertise and credibility to this vital safety consideration for events, large and small.
“Repeated tragedies have shown the consequences of failing to plan for foreseeable threats to life-safety.
“Appropriate risk assessment, site planning and crowd management are essential safety requirements, and the Pink Bows Foundation Showstop Procedure provides a clear, practical standard for competence and reducing system failure, in a safety-critical role. As an expert witness, the inclusion of these elements demonstrates a level of competence I expect to see in a risk assessment and crowd management plan.”
Professor Keith Still
Keith has served as an Expert Witness in over fifty international cases.
Halo Solutions is a multi award-winning consultancy specialising in strategic security, risk management, and protective services for events, venues, and complex environments. With a proven track record of delivering innovative, proportionate, and intelligence-led solutions, Halo Solutions supports organisations in identifying risk, strengthening resilience, and implementing effective security frameworks without compromising the experience of audiences or stakeholders.
“The Showstop Procedure aligns perfectly with Halo’s New Tasking Module, turning agreed safety thresholds and decision-making authority into instant, auditable action.
By guiding teams through the same trusted procedures and capturing evidence faster than an SMS, Halo delivers the ideal balance of operational simplicity and robust ‘black box’ accountability.
When threats to life safety emerge, this seamless blend of clear process and reliable technology is exactly what’s needed, supporting the internationally accredited Showstop Procedures Course and the Pink Bows Foundation’s global mission to protect everyone involved.”
DCM (Dynamic Crowd Measurement) is a patented, advanced crowd analysis system designed to provide real-time insight into crowd density, movement, and behaviour within live environments.
Using dynamic data capture and intelligent measurement techniques, DCM transforms complex crowd data into clear, actionable intelligence, enabling event organisers, safety teams, and stakeholders to make informed, timely decisions that enhance crowd safety, operational efficiency, and audience experience.
By continuously monitoring crowd conditions against pre-defined safety thresholds, DCM supports proactive risk management and early intervention, forewarning event control rooms of emerging density risks and providing robust, evidence-based justification to alert, inform, and support decision makers where escalation or a Showstop Procedure directive may be required.
The Pink Bows Foundation, internationally accredited Showstop Procedure course, is an evolution in crowd safety enabling experienced personnel to evidence competency for this safety-critical role within the global events industry, which further enhances the safety of crowds attending events.
John Drury is professor of social psychology at the University of Sussex. He has been researching crowd behaviour for over 35 years, including collective behaviour in emergencies, live music events, and crowd conflict.
He has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles on collective behaviour, emergencies, and related topics. His research has informed the UK Civil Contingencies Secretariat’s National Risk Assessments, UK government guidance on communication in crises, UK Fire and Rescue Service training, and the training given to crowd safety managers and stewards around the world. As part of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, he participated in the UK government SAGE behavioural science subgroup SPI-B. He currently sits on the Cabinet Office Behavioural Science Expert Group.
John runs training programmes on the crowd psychology of crowd safety management.
He says, ‘The internationally accredited Showstop procedure aligns with what we know about the group psychology of live events. The different individuals and groups working and attending a live event must work from a common understanding and at some level see themselves as a single group for safe and effective Showshop.
I now use the term ‘Showstop’ in my writing and presentations, as the term ‘showpause’ implies a restart which is never guaranteed.