Having been invited by NCS⁴ to share details of the Showstop® Procedure, the only internationally accredited training and Showstop specific qualification, Pink Bows Foundation is proud to have partnered the 17th Annual Sports Safety and Security Conference, in Palm Springs, 23-25 June, 2026.
Sports and entertainment events, spanning World Series finals, FIFA World Cups and concerts are bringing joy to millions of people across the US this summer. It’s largely thanks to the company’s and 600 plus event and venue safety professionals gathered in Palm Springs for the NCS⁴ conference that those fans return home safely.
Dr. Stacey Hall, NCS4 Executive Director, stated:
“We are deeply grateful for the partnership and participation of the Pink Bows Foundation at our 17th Annual Conference. During the impactful opening keynote, the Foundation’s founder, Brian Dubiski, reminded our industry why we strive every day to ensure the highest standards of safety and security at events — to save lives and ensure participants, spectators, and staff return home safely. The NCS4 industry stakeholders are highly engaged in training, research, and outreach initiatives in pursuit of safety and security standards and benefit greatly from the Foundation’s resources.”
Pink Bows Foundation Co-Founder Brian Dubiski joined the Keynote session, opening the conference with an emotionally insightful talk, dedicated to his daughter, Madison Dubiski, one of the ten young people who lost their lives at the 2021 Astroworld Travis Scott concert. For the first time publicly, Brian recounted his personal experience of how the horror of November 5th, 2021, unfolded for him, as a father, and the family, through the ensuing years of pain and how they are coming out of that darkness with the Pink Bows Foundation, with a mission to reduce the likelihood of other families being devastated by events in the future.
This began by working with Steve Allen and Dr Mark Hamilton to establish a global Showstop® Procedure, launched in March 2025, which has trained over 850 event professionals to date, making events safer for audiences over 50 million. They have also established a Safe Spaces initiative, which has welcomed over 400,000 fans to its relocatable facilities across a range of US events.
Brian revealed that Pink Bows Foundation is strengthening its collaborative links with the global events safety community, announcing the formation of a Pink Bows Advisory Board, comprising a stunning array of 16 global event safety professionals, eight of who are expert witnesses.
The Pink Bows Advisory Board Members
Steve Allen – Expert Witness and Crowd Safety Management & Event Safety consultant
Dr Mark Hamilton – Expert Witness and Crowd Safety Management & Event Security consultant, Tour Security Director for Sir Paul McCartney
Anne-Marie Chebib – UKCMA Chair, Global Expertise in Operational Risk, Sustainability & Program Development
Professor John Drury – Expert Witness and Crowd Management expert
Professor Keith Stills – Expert witness and international Crowd Management expert
Lloyds Major: CEO Halo Solutions
Morten Therkildeson MSC – Roskilde Festival Director of Safety and Guest Relations
Dr Pascal Viot – Professor of Sociology, Event Safety and Security consultant
Dr Steve Frosdick – Expert Witness, Sport Safety Consultant
Tami Richter – VP Operations at SXSW, VP Event Safety Alliance
Tim Roberts – Expert Witness, CEO Tess and Creative Safety
Jim Gaffney – Expert Witness, stage and crowd barrier design
Doug Bruce – CSSP, Senior Director of Operations, Creative Safety Inc
Andrew Tatrai: Dynamic Crowd Measurement
Bryan Huneycutt – Event Safety Alliance Board Member, Mental health advisor
Colin Lish – Tour Security Professional & Crowd Management consultant
Brian summed up his keynote address with the following words, he received a heartfelt standing ovation from the audience:
“We are inspired by the support of these incredible people and excited by the vast experience and professional capability this highly respected and knowledgeable group adds to the progression of The Foundation to contribute to safer events.
“A huge thank you to the NCS⁴ board. We feel a strong bond with the conference organisers and delegates and admire their professionalism and devotion to prevent the likelihood of similar future incidents.”
Pink Bows Board President Stephanie Stegall also addressed the conference, outlining the importance of the strong bond being created with NCS⁴, with the common ethos to ‘Make Events Safer’, through training and driving positive progression
Steve Allen was the lead guest on a panel called Showstop Procedure: A proven Emergency Intervention Measure for the Sport and Entertainment Industry.ModeratorGraham Brown curated an educational, interactive discussion, with the audience engaged throughout.
Panelists Doug Bruce, CSSP, Senior Director of Operations, Creative Safety Inc, Donald Paisant, CSSP, Vice President, Security & Guest Services, Texas Rangers Baseball Club and Kevin Swope, Security Director, Illitch Sports & Entertainment (Tigers Baseball) contributed fabulously, sharing their experiences and insights having recently hosted Showstop® Procedure courses, commenting on the positive benefits:
Kevin: “A great course which has improved procedure with consistency across our venues, staff and stakeholders.”
Donald: “The best training course I have partaken. This has improved our emergency response protocols, which we have implemented at all of our events.”
Steve Allen also hosted two ‘Decision Making Under Pressure workshops across the conference program.
Delegates were encouraged to partake in one of Showstop® Procedure training courses being rolled across the US after the Fall, and take advantage of the Introduction to Showstop Procedure e-learning course. Details can be found HERE.
Author: Kizzy Allott
Kizzy Allott is Publisher at Event Industry News, where she has been a driving force behind the brand for over a decade. With a deep understanding of the events sector and a passion for storytelling, Kizzy leads the platform’s commercial and content strategy, connecting the industry through news, insights, and meaningful conversations. She is dedicated to championing innovation, amplifying industry voices, and ensuring event professionals stay informed, inspired, and future-focused.
