Frequently Asked Questions
Please find below answers to questions you might have regarding our courses and services.
01 Courses
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The Showstop Verification Register is an independent record of individuals who have evidenced a minimum of three years’ operational experience in a relevant supervisory or management role within the event industry, verified by an independent referee. Only once this experience has been validated are candidates eligible to sit the Showstop examination.
Candidates who successfully pass the exam are added to the verification register, providing venues, event organisers and local authorities with a clear due diligence tool when selecting a suitably qualified and third-party assessed Showstop professional.
However, event-specific suitability must still be confirmed by the appointing organisation to ensure the certificate holder has credible experience, relevant to the event type and audience profile required.
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Yes. The online platform is fully accessible on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
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The course is self-paced. Most learners complete it within a few hours depending on experience, learning pace and their own available time.
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No. Completion of the Online Introduction Course is required before attending the APL Pathway, in addition to meeting the experience criteria.
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No, the e-learning Introduction to Showstop Procedure Course is a foundation proramme to provide a cohesive understanding of the Showstop Procedure. It aligns all departments and is suitable for new staff, inductions or experienced staff, seeking structured, internationally accredited and structured continuing professional development (CPD).
02 Training
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Yes, you can re-sit the examination for a fee of £250 + VAT. Please email [email protected] for more information. Re-sits can be completed via the APL Pathway course or at any face-to-face training, with further details provided directly.
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Full in-person training starts at 09:00hrs and finishes at approximately 16:15hrs. This is followed by the formal examination, for eligible participant’s, which has a 75 minute allowance and is completed online using your own machines. (Laptop/Ipad/tablet).
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Yes, we have provided this training to multiple national and international clients where we tailor the workshop scenarios to your event/venue specific profiles and needs. Please contact us here
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Yes. CPD hours are available across courses and support professional development and organisational governance requirements.
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Yes. Our courses are internationally accredited by Highfield. Full details are available on the Accreditation & CPD page.
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Yes. The Showstop Procedure is an emergency intervention measure applicable across a wide range of events and venues, including: stadia, arenas, amphitheatres, festivals, sporting events, theatres, conferences, nightclubs, student unions, and other mass-attendance environments.
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Showstop Procedure training is suitable for professionals involved in the planning, management, delivery, and regulation of events particularly those responsible for operational control, safety-critical decisions, risk management and duty-of-care outcomes.
Typical roles include:
- Venue Operators and Promoters
- Production/Stage/Tour Managers
- Tour Security
- Crowd Safety Consultants
- Event Fire and Medical teams
- Event Fire Safety Consultant’s
- Event Managers and Safety Advisors
- Event Control Room and Operations Teams
- Event Security, Managers, Supervisors
- Police event commanders
- Local Authorities and Safety Advisory Groups
Emergency Planning and Multi-agency Partners
03 Certificates
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Yes. Participants receive certificates as follows:
- CPD Certificate: Confirms attendance and full course participation
- Certificate of Attendance: Issued to those who complete the course but do not sit, or pass, the examination
- Professional Certificate: Issued to those who successfully pass the examination, having completed the training. This is available for those that sit the APL Pathway and the full day training courses
- Online Introduction Course Certificate: Issued immediately upon completion of all modules, with CPD (single combined certificate)
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No, for those attending the Attendance or Professional Certificate (In-Person) courses, your certificate will be sent directly from CPD Certification Service. Each participant will always receive a separate CPD Certificate within a few days after the course. A separate certificate will be sent based on if you Attended the course, Passed or Failed the examination.
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Professional Certification demonstrates that the learner has:
The Professional Certificate in Showstop Procedure demonstrates that the holder has successfully completed internationally accredited training evidencing the ‘training’ element of competence.
The certificate provides assurance to employers, regulators, and stakeholders that the individual is trained to operate effectively in safety-critical Showstop roles, supports duty-of-care obligations, and can contribute to consistent, coordinated decision-making under pressure across venues, events, and organisations.
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Certification can be gained in two ways:
- Complete the Online Introduction to Showstop Procedure Course, then attend the APL Pathway to Professional Certification Course, which includes a summary of what you have learnt, scenario-based workshops and the formal exam.
- Alternatively, book a full-day face-to-face course that includes the examination.
Note: Participants must be able to evidence a minimum of three years’ supervisory or management experience, within the event industry, to attend either course.
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A Certificate of Attendance is issued upon completion of the full-day course and confirms that all learning modules have been completed. The Certificate of Attendance course is attendance only with out an examination. Professional Certification is awarded to participants who successfully pass the examination. Participants who do not pass will still receive the Certificate of Attendance and have the opportunity to resit the examination.
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Yes, the examination is assessed on a pass/fail basis.
04 Consultancy
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Yes. We support local authorities in reviewing and strengthening event safety frameworks, ensuring that intervention and escalation arrangements are robust, consistent and aligned with public safety responsibilities.
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Yes. We deliver table-top exercises and scenario-based workshops to test decision-making, escalation and coordination without disrupting live operations. These exercises build confidence, improve team performance and validate procedures.
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Yes. We provide risk assessment training that specifically supports Showstop decision-making, including how to identify if a Showstop Manager is required, why this is important to have recorded in a risk assessment, escalation triggers and application of proportionate intervention thresholds in real time.
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Yes. We can develop a complete Showstop Procedure tailored to your venue, event type, risk profile and operational model, ensuring it is practical, proportionate and aligned with duty of care.
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Yes. Peer review is one of our core services. We provide independent, expert scrutiny of your Showstop Procedure and supporting documentation, including escalation thresholds, decision-making authority, communications and command structure.
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Yes. We provide structured reviews of existing Showstop Procedures to identify gaps, ambiguity and operational weaknesses. We assess your arrangements against recognised real-world event conditions and legal expectations.
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We pioneered the Showstop Procedure and have successfully implemented it more than 32 times worldwide. Our consultancy is unrivalled and is also informed by our experience as expert witnesses in multiple high-profile cases, giving us a clear understanding of what regulators, investigators and legal teams scrutinise following serious incidents.
05 General
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Because serious incidents rarely allow time for debate. A robust Showstop Procedure ensures that safety-critical decisions can be made quickly, confidently and defensibly, while meeting duty of care obligations and reducing organisational, legal and reputational risk.
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Yes. We will travel anywhere to deliver this service. We regularly support venues and event organisers worldwide.
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No. While the Showstop Procedure is essential for large-scale events, it is equally relevant for venues, festivals, public gatherings, sporting events, civic events and high-footfall environments of all sizes, including nightclubs and conferences.
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Showstop Procedure is a formal, pre-agreed process that enables rapid and decisive intervention to stop an event where there is an emerging threat to life, or other significant public safety risk. It ensures clear authority, communication and accountability under pressure.
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Trademark protection safeguards authenticity, maintains consistent training standards, and protects learners and employers from non-approved imitations. It ensures that certification reflects approved standards and quality assurance.
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Certification assessments use structured criteria and are delivered by authorised instructors using approved training and evaluation standards. All courses are independently reviewed and quality-assured.
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Trainers are selected on their extensive first-hand international event experience, in-depth knowledge of the Showstop Procedure, teaching qualifications and ability to impart knowledge.
Course evaluation forms provide overwhelmingly positive feedback on our course trainers.