Summer is the perfect opportunity to soak up the sun (when it comes out) and enjoy live concerts and sporting events. This year, the A Quality Service (AQS) team has been busier than ever, ensuring visitors enjoy memorable experiences at iconic venues across Wales.

While audiences are having a blast at live concerts at the Principality Stadium or cheering on the Glamorgan cricket team at Sophia Gardens Cricket Ground, our dedicated team is working tirelessly behind the scenes. Their commitment ensures visitors enjoy these events in an immaculate setting, and the quality of our service contributes to the overall customer experience.

Here, we look back at some of the highlights of the summer:

Live concerts at the Principality

We’ve been providing our services at the Principality Stadium for many years, cleaning up after millions of visitors at some of the most iconic events. This year proved to be no different, with a stellar lineup this summer.

On June 11th, P!nk got the party started at the Principality Stadium, entertaining the crowd with her famous acrobatic performance during the Summer Carnival show. A week later, Taylor Swift entertained the audience with her latest show, and the Foo Fighters performed their first Welsh gig in 17 years on June 26th.

Each performance presented its own set of challenges. Across a single event, over 200 AQS staff are committed to maintaining a clean and tidy stadium, with each team member playing a vital role and adept at handling their responsibilities at these events. The team ensured the venue remained in top condition for the tens of thousands of people in attendance across all live shows, supporting with kitchen portering, lift operation, litter picking and carrying out a swift clean-up after the event.

An eye for detail

Meticulous planning is essential to ensure a high level of service is maintained during an event. For instance, the Taylor Swift concert had an audience of 70,000, which requires additional considerations. Often, many people are waiting outside the stadium in queues before the doors open. Chris Williams, Event Operations Manager at AQS explains how this is managed by the team:

“Not only is it vital to keep the stadium clean inside, but we must also keep the outside well maintained before and after the event too. It is our job to ensure portaloos are supplied and monitored regularly, that bins are emptied, and that an AQS team member is on hand to swiftly clean up afterwards once all visitors are inside the stadium.”

Once the events have finished, our team gets to work: all litter must be collected, toilets are cleaned, and empty plastic, glass and metal cans are sorted for recycling, preparing the venue to host the next event.

Going above and beyond on adrenaline-pumped race days

Following the concerts, the venue was transformed to accommodate racing. On July 6th, we welcomed Monster Jam, where the world's best drivers perform stunts and race in Monster trucks.

During this event, the team played a proactive role in its overall success - we helped prepare the pitch by providing labourers, and ensured the stadium was clean and tidy throughout for thousands of visitors. A special team of Brand Ambassadors, who work alongside the Monster Jam team to support the brand with its other activities, provided support on the pitch side during children's activities, including remote control cars and colouring stations. This further highlights how our team goes the extra mile to support the overall success of an event.

On August 7th, Round 7 of the FIM Speedway GP 2024 took place at the Principality Stadium. In addition to our cleaning duties, the team played a crucial role in setting up the racetrack by providing telehandlers and forklift drivers to move material around and prepare the track for racing.

Supporting other events across Wales

Our hard work isn’t limited to the Principality Stadium. Throughout the summer, we help with cleaning during horse racing days at Chepstow—a contract we’ve been involved in for many years—and at Glamorgan’s County Cricket Ground, Sophia Gardens. We are used to adapting to the unique needs of each venue, and our experience and expertise during each event this summer contributed to their success.

The hard work doesn’t stop there

As the summer draws to a close, our team's work doesn’t stop. We have many more events in the pipeline, including cricket in September and rugby internationals in the Autumn. Regardless of the event, our team is committed to providing the highest quality service.

Choosing an experienced event cleaning team with an eye for detail can make the difference between a successful event, and one that visitors will remember for the wrong reasons. We understand the vital role we play in making sure these events are enjoyable and look forward to providing the same high level of service for the final events of the year.

 If you’d like to know more about how our cleaning team can add value to your event, please get in touch on 01443 217000 or email info@aqualityservice.co.uk