Coventry company's innovative idea for temporary barriers at events wins award
A Coventry company’s innovative idea of supplying temporary barriers designed to prevent vehicle-ramming attacks in crowded spaces has been recognised at the 2019 Midlands Business Awards
StadiumTM, which lends temporary hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) security barriers to organisers of all sorts of public events, won the ‘Midlands Innovation of the Year’ award at a ceremony in Leicester.
The company was also given a ‘highly commended’ award in the Midlands Service Provider £1m+ of the Year by the judges.
David McAtamney, managing director of StadiumTM, said the firm’s idea to buy different kinds of HVM solutions and then rent them out to clients was a natural extension to the firm’s event management specialist business.
He said: “We’re the first company to offer temporary HVM solutions for hire, rather than customers facing an option to buy permanent solutions which comes with a high price and a storage issue or simply not protecting a crowded space from potential vehicle attacks.
“Before us, clients would have to consider spending a fortune on buying barriers and gates outright for one event, and then have to keep them in storage for the rest of the year.
“With us, they can hire what they need for when they need it, reducing costs. In the 12 months we’ve offered this service, our HVMs have been used more than 300 times at events like the Godiva Festival and BBC Music’s Biggest Weekend in Coventry, as well as the Fever Tree Championships in London. “So we’re delighted the judges at the Midlands Business Awards recognised how we’ve led the market by giving us the Innovation of the Year award, as well as a highly commended award in the Service Provider of the Year category.
“We have won awards within the event management industry before, but never an award of this magnitude. “But we won’t rest on our laurels. We’re continuing to innovate by investing in new designs of HVMs to cater for all sorts of different needs for our clients.”
To win the two awards, StadiumTM was first assessed by judges from the Midlands Business Awards in the two categories and given a score in both based on a range of criteria.
Their scores meant they were eligible to be a finalist in both categories. Once they were named as a finalist, representatives from the company were the interviewed by the judges face-to-face. The judges then used the interview to decide overall winners in each category. And if the judges have to make difficult decisions on which company should win in a particular category, they can give out ‘highly commended’ awards to deserving companies.
Harj Sandher, managing director of the Midlands Business Awards, said: “Innovative companies like StadiumTM really make our economy thrive. “They have a real passion for what they do, and it’s no surprise our judges picked them for not one, but two awards. “StadiumTM is a credit to the region and we hope to see the business continue to grow and grow.”
StadiumTM is an event management specialist supplying traffic management, event services and training, both nationally and internationally. The business offers dedicated event management as well as facilities management through its StadiumFM division. Its services include temporary Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) security barriers, steward and Security Industry Authority (SIA) security, and training including tailored bespoke training and formal certificated industry courses. The company was established by owner and Managing Director David McAtamney in 2009 and now has more than 1,000 employees. It has a vast experience in sport and cultural events, ranging from those held on a local level to major international platforms. Its current clientele includes world-renowned football clubs, high-profile educational institutes and local authorities.
