The Challenge
Inaugural events bring their own particular character.
There’s no precedent to lean on, no last year’s template to refine, no inherited operational model to start from.
The European Motor Show was being delivered in Ireland in 2026 for the first time, and the operational model had to be built from the ground up.
The ambition was significant.
Christian Horner CBE making his first public appearance since stepping away from Red Bull Racing. The Cannonball showcase. Live motorsport demonstrations including cars driven from behind stage through the centre of the hall. Static brand displays. A family programme. Future mobility and tech exhibits. An Autism-Friendly Hour and dedicated Sensory Rooms woven through it all. Two days at the RDS, one safety regime, the standard every future edition would be measured against.
The Solution
We took the inaugural-event brief as exactly that: an opportunity to build something properly from the ground up rather than retrofit a one-size-fits-all model.
We developed the full Event Safety suite from scratch, including the Event Management Plan, the Risk Assessment set, Show Stop Procedure and Evacuation Plan, each peer-reviewed and built to the shape of the European Motor Show rather than lifted from a template.
The live car movements were the central design problem. Cars were driven by professional drivers from Mondello, on a defined route from behind the main stage to a closed-to-public display area, with stewarding and timing built around the stage programme so the audience and a moving vehicle never had to share the same space. The vehicle mix carried a real fire-safety question too, with EVs and combustion cars indoors together, and we worked it through directly with Dublin Fire Brigade ahead of show week.
We deployed our Digital Operations programme for live inductions, vendor and exhibitor document review, and operational tracking across build, show and break, alongside sustained engagement with AGS, DFB and HSE Emergency Management.
The Result
More than 10,000 visitors came through the RDS gates across the inaugural weekend, and the event landed firmly on Europe’s motoring calendar from day one.
No incidents were recorded during build, show or break. The car cat walk was delivered as designed, and the children’s attractions and entertainment programme was a particular hit, drawing the family audiences in across both days. The Autism-Friendly Hour and dedicated Sensory Rooms were genuinely well received by the parents and carers who used them.
The organisers have already confirmed the European Motor Show will return to the RDS in 2027, with expanded content and major international speakers in development.
For us, year one of an event like this is always a privilege to be part of. The team got to set the operational standard that every future edition of the European Motor Show in Dublin will be measured against.
Our Part
Inaugural events are some of the most rewarding ones to work on.
There’s an energy to them that established events don’t always carry, and the European Motor Show was no exception.
Services we provided include:
- Event Management Plan, Risk Assessments, Show Stop Procedure and Evacuation Plan
- Capacity calculations and crowd flow planning
- Live vehicle movement safety planning and choreography
- EV and combustion vehicle fire-safety consultation with Dublin Fire Brigade
- Statutory agency engagement (AGS, DFB, HSE Emergency Management)
- Digital Operations: live inductions, document control, incident reporting
- Event Control function and personnel across the live weekend
- Safety Advisors deployed across multiple exhibition halls
- Vendor and exhibitor compliance review
- Operational support for the Autism-Friendly Hour and Sensory Room initiatives
- Build, show and break safety management
