About Us
EventWatch was established specifically to service the needs of the outdoor event industry. We recognised how drone technology could be used to increase visibility and real-time information to event control rooms to aid the deployment of personnel across a site.
Tackling the common issues faced by event organisers, we provide a solutions-led approach to enhance your event safety and security.
Meet the Team
Chris Hurdle
Chris has more than thirty years of experience in the outdoor events industry, working as an independent contractor covering site and production management, music promotion, and merchandise. His clients have included English Heritage, IMG, The Natural History Museum, Marks and Spencer, Waitrose and the RHS. Most recently, he founded and built a business supplying carbon neutral site vehicles to the events industry, which he sold in 2023.
Kevin Collins
Kevin is a seasoned Satellite Television Broadcast Engineer managing start-ups and operations for Direct to Home satellite TV platforms in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
He’s also an experienced Engineering and Operations consultant providing services within the broadcasting industry.
Chris and Kevin are CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) accredited drone pilots and manage the business and its operations. Chris also holds the SIA Level 2 CCTV operator’s certification. They are supported by a small team of qualified drone pilots who will be contracted to your event based on individual specialisms and the needs of your site.
Our pilots and equipment
Qualified commercial drone operators
Every event we undertake will have at least two pilots in attendance on site, one to coordinate communications and operate the camera systems, and the other to pilot the RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aerial System). Our pilots hold both the A2 CofC and GVC qualifications for drone pilots, which are the ‘gold standard’, and approved by the Civil Aviation Authority. At least one pilot on every deployment will also have the SIA Level 2 CCTV operator’s certification.
Our hardware
Our pilots use DJI M30T model drones, used by emergency services around the world for their advanced safety features. This equipment includes proximity sensors to avoid collision, emergency landing, and automatic base return in the event of low battery or loss of control signal.
The M30T also benefits from a 200x zoom lens in addition to two wide-angle lenses, a 20 x thermal imaging camera and a laser range finder.
Our drones are dual control machines, reducing the workload on an individual pilot and adding extra levels of safety to our operation.
A complete duplicate set of hardware is brought to site for every event so that we can continue to operate safely in the event of an equipment malfunction.
Our safety standards
Safety is paramount when working on your event. Our Operations Manual has Operational Authorisation by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and we produce bespoke site-specific plans and risk assessments for each event that integrate all other systems and plans required to stage large public events.
Pre-defined safe flight corridors are geofenced to avoid or minimise overflight of people and vehicles while maintaining our ability to deliver an exceptional standard during flight.
Each of our pilots carries out regular and frequent training, and flies training tasks of a minimum of two hours each month, which is well in excess of the CAA mandated minimum requirements.
Our equipment is maintained to the highest standards, regardless of cost.