Crowd Safety training launched in response to Astroworld crowd crush

Pink Bows Foundation is launching a first-of-its-kind global crowd safety training and certification for large-scale events. The foundation is proud to announce its support by Sir Paul McCartney and event safety alliances globally.

The Showstop® Procedure training was created by world-renowned experts in crowd safety and management and aims to facilitate collaboration with the event industry and help prevent event-related fatalities and injuries, such as those that occurred during the Astroworld crowd crush in 2021.

“All ten deaths and injuries sustained at the 2021 Astroworld Festival could have been prevented,” according to the Houston Police Department investigation.

“Pink Bows Foundation is on a mission to collaborate with the event industry, raise awareness and create a global standard for crowd safety and management at large-scale events,” said Brian Dubiski and Michelle Dubiski, parents of Madison Dubiski and Pink Bows Foundation Co-Founders. “We have world-renowned crowd safety experts, and we are thankful for the support from global alliances, event organisers, families and the wider community we have received so far. Most importantly – we have the memory of our daughter Madison that will continue to motivate our work with the event industry.”

“I’m very happy to support Pink Bows Foundation and the great work they do for crowd safety,” said Sir Paul McCartney.

“Our industry cares deeply about the safety of audiences. It is fantastic that the Pink Bows Foundation is driving safety initiatives that will further enhance crowd safety at events. The aim of a global standard for the Showstop Procedure is to significantly reduce the risk of preventable deaths and injuries,” said Steve Allen, Founder of Crowd Safety and consultant for Pink Bows Foundation. 

“The Showstop Procedure is a proven and decisive emergency procedure that has been successfully implemented multiple times, worldwide. The Showstop Procedure rapidly focuses the audience’s attention to reduce the risk of incident escalation, injury or worse. The work of the Pink Bows Foundation will reduce safety risks for audiences during undesirable occurrences and save lives. We are honored and proud to be involved with this positive safety initiative,” added Dr Mark Hamilton, crowd safety consultant. 

Event Safety Alliance, Event Safety Alliance Canada, Global Crowd Management Alliance and the United Kingdom Crowd Management Association have expressed their support for the work of the Pink Bows Foundation.

Pink Bows Foundation was founded by the Dubiski family following the tragic death of Madison Alexis Dubiski who was 23 when she was killed in a crowd crush at the Astroworld Festival in Houston in 2021. The outpouring of local and national support inspired the Dubiski family to create the foundation with a firm belief that every crowd deserves to return home, which became the organisation’s ethos. The name comes from the pink bows that were placed across Houston in Madison’s memory.

The organisation appointed Steve and Mark of Crowd Safety to conduct Showstop Procedure training and certification. They have world-renowned expertise in strategic, tactical and operational implementation of crowd safety management and event security training. The Showstop Procedure course was developed by Steve, Mark and Professor Chris Kemp and approved by IIRSM and certified by The CPD Certification Service. 

The inaugural Showstop Procedure training and certification will take place on 26 March in Houston, Texas. The Houston event has already received tremendous interest from festivals, stadium management, venue management, safety alliances, risk managers, insurers and other large-scale event organisers. The Houston course is fully booked with more courses set to be announced this year.

Read the Crowd Safety article in The Sentinel magazine.