The Pink Bows Foundation progressed its aim of making events safer, with another positive step towards establishing an international standard.
The first courses in the Middle East, in Riyadh and Jeddah, were hosted by ESM Operations, whose own staff were joined by invited attendees from members of The Royal Guard, the Government’s General Entertainment Authority, Onyx Arena, MDLBEAST, F1 Jeddah and Conference Organisers from the World Defence Show.
Steve Coleman, Managing Director of ESM Operations, became aware of the introduction of the new Showstop Procedure course, online. When he realised that his former employer and mentor, Dr Mark Hamilton, was one of the course instigators, he was confident that it would be a valuable addition to his company’s skill set.
“I applaud and welcome anything the industry can do to improve our safety procedures, and I was seeing many top professionals endorsing this course,” he commented. “The two days training with Steve Allen exceeded my expectations, along with everyone else on the courses. His knowledge, vast experience, and enthusiasm engaged everyone, and he opened our minds to appreciate the moral, legal and financial benefits this procedure adds.
“We [ESM] work with all sorts of events. I expected this to be only for music events, but I can see this framework being applied to sports, cultural and commercial events; there are so many applications.
“Having an internationally standardised Showstop Procedure would be a significant positive step to improving safety at all mass gatherings. It would be great to see this universally adopted, which is why I hope to be working with Steve and Mark to arrange more courses in the region soon.”
The Showstop Procedure course was introduced in March 2025, supported by the Pink Bows Foundation, and has been endorsed by the International Institute of Risk & Safety Management (iiRSM), with support from the UK Crowd Management Association (UKCMA), Event Safety Alliance Canada, and global event insurers WTW. The one-day course culminates in a 75-minute exam, which is internationally accredited by CPD and Highfield.
The Middle East joins previous courses that have taken place in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and mainland Europe, with over 400 event professionals already undertaking the training course.
Steve Allen commented: “I’m proud and delighted to have delivered the first Showstop Procedure courses in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, alongside Steve [Coleman] and a great team at ESM Operations. It’s abundantly clear that everyone attending these courses take their responsibility to deliver safe events seriously. Pink Bows Foundation are enhancing safety at events to reduce the risk of tragic outcomes. I look forward to returning to the region in 2026 to deliver more training alongside Steve Coleman and ESM Operations.”
Photo: Pink Bows Foundation
