BEHIND THE BARRICADE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW, EVEN IF YOU DON'T WORK THERE
October 18, 2026 | Halifax, Nova Scotia
OVERVIEW
Do you work in the live music event world? Want to know more about what happens in the pit?
Bands and performers (and their Tour Management) from around the world can have quite different expectations from a security/ crowd management team. Having been managing stage security and delivering pit training for over 14 years, we've realised that this little-understood space sometimes appears mysterious and unimportant for those that don't directly work there. However if this space is overlooked it can end in tragedy.
Some of the topics covered in this interactive workshop are:
- What initial and ongoing safety checks should be carried out of the barrier system to ensure it stays the way it should until the end of the event?
- What exactly do spotters do?
- What does good look like? Pros and cons of different lifting techniques to keep your audience (and workers) safe.
- How do crowds differ with different genres? From fairly static mature crowds, through to the sometimes complex movement of a metal crowd. It's not just about crowd surfers and mosh pits!
- What impact does event specifics and barrier design have on a pit layout? Considerations from number and age of attendees, topography of the site, through to anticipated weather.
- Integrating Show Stop protocols - planning for interruptions small and large
- And more!
Designed for medical, safety, welfare, Police, licensing, and production teams, or anyone who works in and around the front of stage barrier (or who just wants to know it’s being done right!).
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Understand the importance of the Front of Stage barrier on all aspects of an event
- Be able to identify good management and working practice in this area
- Anticipate the impact of different variables (such as crowd demographics, or weather conditions) on the safety of both the barrier and the audience/workforce
TRAINER BIOGRAPHIES
Carl Sonnen
Managing Director, Invictus Professional Training Ltd
| Carl is Managing Director of Invictus Professional Training Ltd which he runs with his wife KT. Their expertise covers conflict reduction, advanced security practices, incident response, mechanical restraint, and Front‑of‑Stage operations, delivering training, consultancy and operational support wherever their clients need – training room or greenfield throughout the UK and overseas. He personally specializes in Crowd Management and Security training. Based in the south coast of England, he has been teaching forms of protection training for over 30 years and, Pit (barricade training) for over 15 years. Carl continues to work operationally in the events industry alongside training, from small venues with a capacity of 1,200+ through to festivals of 80,000+ Roles vary from crowd manager, specialist security manager and safety advisor. Taking his interest in front of stage safety further Carl and the Invictus team are undertaking research into improving safety for all and reducing liability for those running events. |
KT Sonnen
PhD Researcher, Coventry University
| KT Sonnen is a multidisciplinary safety and security specialist whose operational career spans crowd management, event medical provision, traffic operations, health and safety, and control rooms across the UK and internationally. Currently completing her doctorate, she coruns Invictus Pro Training Ltd with her husband Carl, delivering immersive exercising, consultancy, and high engagement training renowned for its realism and impact. Through Coventry University’s Centre for Peace and Security, KT’s PhD research uses innovative methods to examine crime, unwanted behaviour, and the psychological effects of security measures, aiming to strengthen operational decision making and help events maximise both safety and profitability. |
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