About Us

Maximising the potential for further growth, Showsec restructured their Northern and Scottish Operations at the end of 2017 and Tom Bailey was promoted to the position of Regional Manager.

Tom began his career with Showsec in 2005 whilst studying at university. With the drive and passion for operations and security, Tom began to climb the ladder as he became a Supervisor within two years of joining the company. Following this, he progressed to Operations Executive in 2011, before becoming Area Manager for operations in Central Manchester in 2015.

Always striving for excellence, Tom also became a graduate of the company’s own Management Development Programme and was Head of Security at Manchester Arena for a number of years. A savvy project manager, Tom managed major events which include; the Athletes Parade following the 2012 Olympics, the Paralympic marathon in London in the same year, Creamfields and Parklife festivals, the recent Rolling Stones stadium tour and homecoming parades for Manchester City and Manchester United.

Now Regional Manager for the North East, Tom looks after Newcastle, Leeds, and Sheffield and their surrounding areas, as well as Abderdeen and Inverness.

Craig Bennett is Regional Manager for the North West. His management responsibilities encompass Showsec’s security operations across the North West of the country, including Manchester and Liverpool, as well as Glasgow, Edinburgh and surrounding areas.

Craig’s Showsec journey began whilst he studied to become a sports coach at Sheffield Hallam University. Working as a Steward in Sheffield in 2007, Craig progressed to a Supervisor and went on to graduate from Showsec’s Management Development Programme in 2011 and has held the position of Area Manager in both Sheffield and Greater Manchester before stepping up to Regional Manager.

Craig also holds an impressive festival portfolio as he has worked at nearly every major festival in the UK and has also been the Project Manager for Parklife Festival.

Since joining Showsec as a casual worker in 2005, Ieuan has progressed through the company to Regional Manager for the South West in 2017.

Becoming Area Manager of Cardiff in 2009, Ieuan worked with Cardiff Student Union and Motorpoint Arena, and was a key player in the acquisition of the Cardiff City Council contract.

Relocating to the West Midlands as Area Manager in 2010, Ieuan was once again involved in winning the Birmingham City Council contract which positioned Showsec as a preferred security provider. In 2012, he project managed the 24/7 security and crowd management for Birmingham’s German Christmas market for a 60-day duration.

Other notable events with the growth of the area included the delivery of services to V Festival North between 2013-2017, and ongoing contracts with Ricoh Arena and Silverstone.

During his time in the West Midlands, Ieuan acted as head of security for many large events including Silverstone British Grand Prix, Birmingham Olympic torch relay and Godiva Festival.

In 2017, Ieuan became Regional Manager for the South West overseeing the South Central and Wales and the South West areas. Ieuan also takes an active role delivering parts of the Showsec Management Development Program too.

When Showsec restructured their operation in the Southern region, Paul Legge stepped up to a new position of Regional Manager for London and the South East.

The restructure involved dividing the South of the country into two better-proportioned regions which allowed Paul to focus specifically on the growth and potential achievements of the South East.

Paul started at Showsec as an Operations Executive in 2006 before being quickly promoted to the role of Area Manager for London two years later. Operations in London expanded rapidly, and Paul worked through the growth as a key player for seven years.

His experience and knowledge of the area and security meant that Paul possessed all the credentials to make the move up to the position of Regional Manager when the opportunity arose.

Over the years, Paul has worked with many multi-purpose, entertainment venues in the capital including Earls Court, the Eventim Apollo Hammersmith and the Roundhouse which all hold both busy and exciting schedules. Paul has also managed at major events such as Wireless, Field Day, Wilderness and Lovebox along with an impressive collection of high profile London events.

Stephen’s Showsec journey started in April 2010 when the company won the contract to operate the security at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC). Stephen was asked by Showsec to transfer to the Scottish Highlands as Area Manager as he held a wealth of experience in previously managing the security in the leading venue and around the Aberdeen area.

Stephen started off in the security world as a Casual Event Steward way back in 1994, and since then he has worked his way up through the ranks to a Supervisor position, and then to a Senior Supervisor role. Since 1998, Stephen has held managerial positions at Showsec.

Maintaining excellent client relationships are important to Stephen: since joining Showsec with just the one venue, he has influenced an impressive range and portfolio of clients in the area including Aberdeen Football Club, Music Hall, Lemon Tree, Beach Ballroom, and Aberdeen City Council events, along with clients in Inverness and Dundee.

Stephen is no stranger to major events either and over the years he has worked on the Paralympic Athletes Parade in London, Download Festival, V Festival, Parklife and Creamfields to name a few. He was also part of the security Management Team in Saudi Arabia for the history-making concert installation as part of the Formula E racing programme.

With experience in working in the Showsec Operations team, and successful completion of Showsec’s bespoke Management Development Programme, Gary became Area Manager for Central Scotland in 2017.

It all began for Gary in 2007, when his friend “dragged him” to an interview to become a Steward, and now the rest is history. Gary worked his way to Area Manager through involvement in some of Scotland’s largest and most prominent venues, sporting stadiums and at major events and festivals nationwide.

To pursue his passion, Gary temporarily put Showsec on hold as he studied Event Management. His new-found qualification gave him experience in Site Management at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, allowed him to be part of the Events Team at the University of Strathclyde’s Students’ Union, and worked as the Corporate Events & Sponsorship Manager at The Arches. With a wealth of practice before the age of 25, Gary returned to Showsec.

In 2017, Showsec exceeded expectations at the Royal Highland Show, resulting in a 3-year contract extension, with Gary at the helm as Project Manager. He also successfully managed the Belladrum Tartan Heart Music festival, Rewind Scotland and HSBC City Rides in Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as managing accounts for the O2 Academy and O2 ABC Glasgow, The Ironworks. In 2018, he secured two new contracts at SWG3 Glasgow and the Royal Highland Centre.

Starting his career as an event steward in 2005, Tony frequently worked at venues across Newcastle including the O2 Academy. With the will to develop, he gained his SIA license in 2006 before his exceptional communication and natural management skills led him to continue in his progression to a Supervisor role.

When Showsec successfully won the contract for Northumbria Students Union in 2007, Tony was offered an operations executive position. In his role, he became Venue Manager.

With 6 years of experience in crowd management, security and operations; Tony was promoted to Newcastle Area Manager in 2011. He continued to grow the business within the North East of England, nurturing an impressive portfolio of clients including; Metro Radio Arena, the Boiler Shop, the City Hall, Theatre Royal, Northumbria Students Union, Durham County Council, SSD Concerts, Sunderland Association Football Club and Northumbria Sports Central.

From securing a string of won contracts and building strong relationships with clients and stakeholders, Tony’s career highlights include successfully project managing and planning; Live from Times Square Events, Freedom on the Tyne Parade, Durham Lumiere, The Royal Highland Show and many more.

Sam Hodkin joined Showsec in 2008 as a steward at Sheffield Arena where his Showsec career began. Progressing through the company, Sam graduated from the Management Development Programme in 2010 and relocated to Nottingham.

Working as an Operations Executive in Nottingham from 2011-2014, he was also Head of Security at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena, the Engine Shed in Lincoln and at the O2 Academy Leicester.

2014 moved Sam to Leeds as he continued his role as Leeds Operation Executive and Head of Security at First Direct Arena. Once promoted to Leeds Area Manager, Sam used his knowledge and experience of the events industry to win new business such as Leeds City Council, Leeds University Union, the Piece Hall, Belgrave Music Hall, Headrow House and University of Bradford Students Union.

Sam is also a dedicated and driven Events Management graduate which has lead him to Head of Security roles at Slam Dunk Festival, ITU World Triathlon Series – UK, and OnRoundhay Festival. He has also been Project Manager for Download, V Festival, Creamfields and Y-Not Festival.

Away from the North, Sam’s experience has taken his work internationally: working on the MTV European Music Awards, Annie Mac Presents: Lost and Found Festival in Malta and Isle of MTV too. In 2019, Sam will lead a team of 15 consultants, acting as Head of Security in Croatia for Hideout Festival.

Chris Banks started his Showsec journey externally in the February of 2017 with 17 years security experience in the night-time economy. He worked as an Operational Associate for the Liverpool and North West area, taking the lead on Burnley FC as a new client, increasing work at Wigan FC and managing security at Warrington Wolves.

During this time, Chris also graduated with a Level 4 Foundation Degree in Crowd Safety and Management from Showsec’s Management Development Programme. With a collection of skills developed, experience had, and knowledge obtained, Chris became Operations Executive for the area. With an appetite for personal growth and career progression, 18 months later he was rightly promoted to the regions Area Manager.

Chris also holds a first-class Accounting Degree from the University of Central Lancashire, making him a key player in managing commercials and nurturing client accounts. His well-rounded skills have allowed Chris to become Project Manager for Creamfields and manage projects for Cuffe and Taylor, promoters of music, theatre and festivals throughout the UK.

Adding to his extensive experience, Chris also worked alongside the MTV team for the 2018 European Music Awards hosted at the Bizkaia Arena in Spain.

Tom Rigby started his Showsec journey in August 2007 as a Casual Event Steward in Manchester. With a love for Manchester, and a passion for live events, his career grew in the area, gaining his SIA licence and then taking on a Supervisor role. Withholding the skills and knowledge of the industry, Tom successfully completed the Management Development Programme in 2010 and ventured to Newcastle where he took on a security and operations role at Utilitia Arena (formerly Metro Radio Arena). Tom then travelled back to Manchester and has been Area Manager for Central Manchester since 2017.

With unrivalled festival experience, Tom has worked in security roles for Parklife Festival ever since it was Mad Ferret Festival at Platt Fields Park in Manchester. He has also worked on Download, Bestival, Camp Bestival, LoveBox, Wireless, V-Fest, and Radio 1 Big Weekend, as well as taking on the responsibility of Project Manager and Gates Manager for Creamfields.

Tom manages security at the famous Manchester Arena which is the country’s largest arena with a capacity of 21,000 people. Whether it’s sold-out shows, the Tour de France in London, coordinating crowd management at the 2012 Olympics, Paralympics and Athletes Parade, or the Queens Diamond Jubilee celebration – Tom is the expert of security.

Kayley Grieves took the Area Manager for South and East Yorkshire position in December 2017 and looks after the FlyDSA Arena, O2 Academy, York Barbican and Rotherham United among many others.

Kayley became a Showsec Supervisor at Lincoln’s Engine Shed in 2011 after graduating with a degree in Criminology from the University of Lincoln. For over a year, Kayley worked as a Door Supervisor at venues across the East Midlands and developed a passion for the crowd management and security industry.
After working at Download Festival in 2012, she gained a unique insight into the operational and project managing side of event security and having not received this with other security companies, Kayley placed her loyalty in Showsec. She embarked on and successfully graduated from Showsec’s bespoke Management Development Programme.
Kayley progressed to Leeds Operations Executive and for a number of years, she managed the area’s largest clients which included the Harrogate Conference Centre, Leeds City Council, and first direct Arena. She is also working towards a Foundation Degree in Crowd Management.

Kayley’s career highlights include project managing Leeds Sky Ride (2014-2016), assistant project managing Creamfields (2014-2016) and taking on Head of Security for the MOBO awards hosted at the First Direct Arena in 2017. Kayley is also Head of Security at Tramlines Festival.

Beginning his career in 2008 as a Steward in Nottingham, Joe went on to not only hold a degree in Biology, but Crowd Safety Management and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education too. Using his knowledge of venue operations and leadership, Joe rapidly progressed to Venue Manager of Nottingham Arena before landing his current position of East Midlands Area Manager in 2011.

With transferable skills from his vast qualifications, Joe is exceptional at management and maintains strong client and stakeholder relationships. Joe works alongside Nottingham City Council, Derby City Council, Leicester City Council, and other local authorities. Joe’s expertise in serving football club shines as he delivers to; LCFC, SCFC, DCFC, BAFC, NFFC, NCFC, amongst other lower league sides.

Joe is Head of Security for Bloodstock Festival, Splendour, and for Leicester’s Diwali celebrations too. His familiarity with major events has left him in senior roles at leading festivals across the country. Joe also took on significant responsibilities at BT London Live; operating entrances to Hyde Park during the 2012 London Olympics.

Career highlights include project managing the security for the Pope’s 2010 visit and Download Festival from 2009 to 2016; Security Manager roles at the homecoming parades for Leicester City FC, the reinternment of King Richard III, and on the Queens visit to Leicester and Leicester Cathedral.

Mike Poole rapidly rose to the role of Area Manager West Midlands after starting work for Showsec in May 2015. Originally working as a Steward, Mike held 12 years’ experience in Account Management for Lloyds Bank and 13 years as a Teacher. He soon gained his Door Supervisor licence and had the opportunity to work in roles at several major events and festivals.

In February 2016, Mike became a Supervisor and was involved in the operations at the International Paddock at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix and supervised the Front of Stage Pit for MTV Crashes. He also managed the pit for Rihanna’s Anti Tour and the stage for Bruce Springsteen.

Mike became an Operations Supervisor in August 2016 and took over responsibility for project management of the Ricoh Arena for all Wasps Rugby home fixtures and major events including sold out stadium shows.

Having completed the first year of his MDP programme Mike took charge on project managing Silverstone, along with a major role at V Festival 2017 before becoming Area Manager for the West Midlands that year.

Mike has experience in many leadership roles and has worked alongside major clients including Birmingham City Council, Silverstone Circuits, Ricoh Arena, BBC Events and MTV.

Michael Asimonye is West London’s Area Manager and started his Showsec journey in 2011 as an external entrant on Showsec’s Management Development Programme in the Capital city. Whilst gaining his qualification in Crowd Safety Management, Michael worked as a Showsec Supervisor and in Head of Security roles across venues in the Oxford, Reading and London whilst progressing to an Operations Executive.

With a degree in Business Management, Michael understands the importance of maintaining client and stakeholder relationships and is exceptional at managing commercials. As a forward-thinker with an analytical mind, he holds crucial knowledge and experience in the events industry, holding skills in CCTV operations, Door Supervision and is qualified in the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health.

Holding crucial organisation skills, Michael is an impressive project manager and was the Project and Security Manager for the MTV EMA’s 2018 and has been the Project & International Protected persons liaison manager for the inaugural Invictus Games ceremonies in 2014, Senior Zone Security Manager & Project Co-ordinator for the Paralympic Marathon Event 2012, Our Greatest Team GB Parade 2012 and the Tour de France 2014.

He has also worked in high-level security roles for a collection of popular festivals in Backstage Security, Incident Response and Head of Security positions including; Lovebox, Wireless, Download, Bestival and V-Festival.

Taking his experience overseas, Michael also works on various MTV EMA’s throughout Europe, MTV Isle of Malta from 2016-2018 and Annie Mac’s Lost and found festival in Malta from 2016 – Present.

Simon lives and breathes the events industry. Starting his career in event management before moving into operations, Simon is an expert in security and crowd control, project management, hospitality and logistics.

Starting his Showsec career in 2008, Simon went on to graduate from our dedicated Management Development Programme a year later. As he became Operations Executive in London, Simon used his experience of staff, client and account management, and knowledge of live events to quickly progress within the London team. He is now Area Manager for East London.

Working as the 2012 Olympic Operations Coordinator, Simon worked alongside key stakeholders including the Greater London Authority, the Metropolitan Police, and Transport for London to ensure the safety of over 1.2 million visitors over 18 days.

Simon project manages large scale events including Wireless Festival, and has also worked on the Diamond Jubilee, Hard Rock Calling, the Patrons Lunch Celebrations (HM the Queens 90th Birthday on the Mall) and the Paralympic Marathon.

Overseeing security operations across East London, Simon works with an impressive portfolio of clients consisting of Festival Republic, Live Nation, Wembley Stadium, Eventim Apollo Hammersmith, the Camden Roundhouse, the Garage Islington and a number of smaller music venues and theatres.

Andrew Edwards started his Showsec journey back in 2008. Working as a casual SIA in Bournemouth, he quickly progressed to Head of Security at Bournemouth Student Union. Deciding that he wanted to make a career in crowd management and security after discovering a love for the sector, he joined Showsec’s Management Development Programme in 2009 and graduated with a FdA in Crowd Safety and Management.

Appointed as the Project Manager for Bournemouth Student Union and O2 Academy Bournemouth, Andrew utilised his skills and gained valuable experience in the industry. Andrew was then promoted to Area Manager for South Central following an expansion within the Southern area: he now looks after the Oxford, Southampton and Bournemouth surrounding areas, working operationally with important stakeholders and meeting client demands.

The first large contract win for Andrew was world-class Bournemouth Sevens Festival which attracts professional and amateur rugby, netball, dodgeball and hockey players to the bank holiday event.

Andrew has also held Senior Management roles at Wilderness, Truckfest, Rod Stewart Tour, Creamfields, U2 at Twickenham, Jockey Club Live, and at Southampton and Bournemouth Council. He has also worked as part of the MTV European Music Awards Management Team and was the 2012 Hyde Park and Tour de France Zone Manager.

With a passion for the industry, Andrew is looking forward to developing and expanding the South-Central area with his professional and dedicated team.

Working as a casual steward, Richard Church began his career with Showsec in 1997. Accumulating over 20 years’ of experience in crowd safety and the security industry, Richard is now Regional Manager for the Midlands.

Richard progressed his career within the company: from Venue Security Manager of Sheffield Hallam Students Union to Area Manager of Nottingham, and then into his current position. His role involves overseeing many high profile and significant event security operations across the East and West Midlands.

Richard’s confident style, ability and approach has contributed to business growth as Showsec have contractual control of most major music venues, alongside five football clubs and seven local authorities in the Midlands region. The strong client relationship he has formed has gained him an excellent reputation as an operational leader.

From Download Festival to V Festival and Silverstone Circuit, Richard has led some of the Midland’s largest operations. With considerable proven experience in all aspects of crowd safety management, Richard has provided security consultancy services to MTV for events across Europe too.

Richard has undertaken and completed an FdA in Crowd and Safety Management and has more recently graduated from the University of Derby with a BA in the same subject.