The flagship conference of the United Kingdom Crowd Management Association (UKCMA) runs again in Middlesbrough on Tuesday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 4. The association will welcome three parents who lost children at live events, placing lived experience in the debate on crowd safety and public protection. Brian Dubiski, Figen Murray OBE, and Ken Johnson are speakers for the opening panel.
– Brian Dubiski lost his daughter, Madison, at the 2021 Travis Scott Astroworld concert. In response, Madison’s family established the Pink Bows Foundation, a charity for improving welfare, preparedness, and safety at live events worldwide, and among UKCMA sponsors.
–Figen Murray OBE is the pioneering force behind Martyn’s Law, the world’s first-of-its-kind counter terrorism legislation, following the death of her son Martyn Hett in the May 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack where 22 people lost their lives.
-Ken Johnson lost his son, Scott, a Radiohead drum technician, in the 2012 stage roof collapse at Toronto’s Downsview Park. He later founded the Events Safety Alliance Canada (ESAC) Safety Awards, championing excellence and accountability in live event safety.
Anne Marie Chebib, chair of the UKCMA, said: ‘This headline panel is central to the UKCMA’s mission. Learning from incidents and taking collective action is key to preventing future tragedies. We are deeply honoured to welcome three parents who have dedicated themselves to campaigning for safer crowds and venues worldwide. Our delegates and members work closely together on event sites, in the public realm, and in venues but seldom have the opportunity to learn together off site. Safer Crowds, Safer Venues brings the industry together to share knowledge, develop new skills, with the ultimate goal of saving lives.’
Meanwhile the venue and site security industry awaits details of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, also known as Martyn’s Law, which received Royal Assent in April 2025. The legislation is named in honour of Martyn Hett and introduces new duties aimed at protecting the public from terrorism at qualifying premises and events.
With the Home Office statutory guidance imminent, a session, “Prepared, Not Scared: A Practical Guide to Martyn’s Law Readiness,” will cover proportionate security planning, risk assessment, and preparedness. Speakers there include Anne Marie Chebib; and her predecessor as chair, Eric Stuart.
Figen Murray said: “UKMCA provides an opportunity to strengthen collaboration between sectors and key partners to improve awareness around Martyn’s Law, to share best practice, and to enhance security in venues across the UK.”
The two-day conference is aimed at policymakers, venue operators, event professionals, security specialists, and campaigners. Topics will include local authorities and Safety Advisory Groups (SAGs), the complexities of hosting large-scale touring events in sports venues, the importance of language and communication, crisis management, success stories, balancing cultural sensitivities with crowd safety, and the latest technology shaping the industry.
Brian Dubiski said: “I’m deeply honoured to be speaking alongside Figen Murray and Ken Johnson. The Pink Bows Foundation is driven by a simple but powerful belief—that every crowd deserves to return home safely. That belief sits at the very heart of the work being championed by the event safety and security professionals gathered at this UKCMA conference. We are passionately committed to supporting the sector as it continues to strengthen the protection of audiences, by sharing lessons learned from around the world and helping to embed best practice.”
And Ken Johnson said: ” I hope that I can highlight many of the issues that we all care about and share my experiences and positive steps taken. We enjoyed enormous support from the Ministry of Labour in Canada and after the inquest highlighted 28 gaps in procedure, have had the backing of the Events Safety Alliance Canada, who are still supporting and implementing change. My past involvement with Simian Risk a training organisation in the UK has seen their evolution of The Event Structures Industry Training Scheme (ESITS) provides specialist training, accreditation and competency assurance for those working on temporary demountable structures.”
For the full programme and to book to attend, visit https://www.ukcma.com/safer-crowds-safer-venues-conference-2026/.
Photo by Mark Rowe: security officer on duty at Manchester Victoria, next door to the Arena.
