Corps Security renews partnership with iconic Royal Opera House

Established as the Covent Garden Opera Company back in 1946, the Royal Opera House brings together world-class performers and trailblazing creative teams to share unforgettable performances with audiences near and far.

Today, with His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales serving as its patron, the site requires expert security services across the entire year while delivering circa 96 performances per season.

Corps Security will provide a broad range of security service lines at the Royal Opera House. An estate of dedicated full-time and support operatives – comprising a head of security, a security operations manager, Front of House personnel, Control Room staff, duty shift managers, patrolling and fire officers and loading bay staff – will be on site.

Corps Security personnel will continue to be part of the journey for all visitors to the Royal Opera House. They will meet and greet artists and contractors at the stage door and perform vital operations. Part of this involves working alongside the in-house visitor experience teams to provide a seamless, joined-up customer service offer for staff, artists and members of the public alike.

Balance of culture and security

The Royal Opera House is open to the public all year and, as such, the challenge has always been to protect visitors using bar and restaurant facilities as well as ensure the security of all auditoria and performance spaces.

The goal of this renewed partnership is to train personnel to deliver sector-specific security, ensuring that the Royal Opera House can continue to deliver the outstanding artist and audience experiences for which it is renowned.

The renewed relationship, which begins on Thursday 1 September, is set to run for an initial three-year term with the potential for extensions to reach a combined seven-year partnership.

Gabriela Gandolfini, head of visitor services and site operations at the Royal Opera House, commented: “We’re delighted that Corps Security, our current security services partner, has successfully retained the contract for security and stage door services following a rigorous tender process. We are now looking forward to continuing to work with the business over the coming years.”

Innovative security

Corps Security has already begun a programme to introduce its award-winning virtual reality training capabilities for the Royal Opera House. This will enable operatives to receive training in immersive scenarios within familiar environments based on site-specific standards of operation, policies and procedures. Virtual reality training has been shown to increase information retention by up to 75%, while in tandem reducing associated training costs by as much as 64%.

With Protect Duty legislation currently under review, venues will be required to hold sole responsibility for ensuring the safety of their guests on site. With little Government guidance available on this issue, it’s essential for public venues to have expertly prepared personnel on site who understand the audience they serve.

Paul Lotter, managing director at Corps Security, concluded: “We’re delighted to have the opportunity to continue our relationship with the Royal Opera House. As we introduce our innovative security capabilities, including virtual reality and behaviour detection-focused training, to this iconic venue, we very much look forward to continuing to build on our already special relationship.”