In summer 2022, we had the honour of being the Official Stewarding Provider for the Commonwealth Games, a multi-sport event featuring athletes from the Commonwealth. Hosted in the city of Birmingham, the event became one of the biggest events in our 2022 calendar.

We started planning and recruiting for the 11 day deployment in December 2021. The preparation included several meetings with the organising committee, planning transport, accommodation and logistics, as well as a mass recruitment of an additional 550 stewards in and around Birmingham. Training was also an important part of the preparation process both leading up to and during the Games as we trained a total of 600 people on Level 2 Spectator Safety.

Our main responsibilities were providing stewarding and SIA response teams across 9 venues within the West Midlands, with a daily deployment of up to 650 employees. This included Alexander Stadium, with a 31,000 spectator capacity;  Smithfield Markets, the 6000 spectator capacity venue for the 3×3 basketball and volleyball; the University of Birmingham, which hosted squash and hockey; and multiple large festival sites.

Overall, the Games were a great success, providing us with TV exposure, an increase in our number of Level 2 Spectator Safety qualified team members, as well as opening the door for us to provide management support in Australia for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games.