Get matchday ready with Halo at
KICKOFF//26
8th July | Watford FC | 10am-4pm
The new must-attend pre-season conference for sports grounds operators
Join Halo Solutions and industry peers for our first ever KICKOFF//26 for a practical pre-season readiness event jam packed with guidance, insights and action for football and sports ground operators and managers.
Hear form industry experts on Martyn’s Law, Hillsborough Law, ShowStop® training and guidance, and SAG reporting best practice. Plus, hear directly from the Halo team and make sure your system set-up is ready before matchday pressure comes back around.
This single-day event is designed to help football, rugby and cricket clubs prepare their people, plans, systems and processes before the 2026/27 season begins.
Meet our Speakers
What to expect on the day
Expect a mix of short practical sessions, open discussion, interesting talks, networking and time with the Halo team.
Some sessions will be aimed at helping existing customers get more from the system. Some will focus on the wider football safety and stewarding picture. Some will be about what’s changing, what’ clubs are asking for’s being asked of clubs across the UK, and where Halo can support you better.
There will also be time to speak to other clubs, ask questions, share feedback and have proper conversations over lunch.
The aim is for you to leave with useful operative guidance, a clearer pre-season action list and a better sense of how Halo can support your team this season.
Get your Halo set-up matchday ready
Review the bits that matter before the first fixture: dashboards, users, locations, incident types, tasks, forms and reports.
Compare notes with other clubs
Hear how other sporting club teams are approaching stewarding, control room workflows, reporting and pre-season prep.
Get the industry intel before kick-off
Hear from guest speakers and sector specialists on the topics shaping club operations right now, from new legislation to matchday expectations.
KICKOFF//26 Agenda
Subject to change
Coffee, badges, hellos and a chance to catch up.
A quick intro from Halo and what we want this day to actually do: help clubs get ready for the new season.
Steve Laws from Taylor Bridges joins us for a practical workshop on the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act and the role of training for in-scope clubs and venues.
Steve is an experienced Director with a demonstrated history of working in the events services industry. As COO of Taylor Bridges he applies his skills in crisis management, training programme design, operations management, coaching, and training needs analysis.
Steve Allen joins us to introduce Showstop®, the now world-renowned course helping event and venue teams prepare and practice their Showstop® Procedure. Learn how sports and football clubs can apply Showstop® across matchdays and non-matchday stadium activity.
Meet the Speaker
Steve is the pioneer of the Showstop® procedure, which he has implemented at over 30 shows worldwide, where tragedy has been averted. He is a member of The International Institute of Risk & Safety Management, a member of The Institute of Fire Engineers, the UKCMA, Global Crowd Management Alliance and a registered Safety Consultant on the Safety and Health Consultants Register.
A quick break for coffee refills and comparing notes
An information session exploring what a legal duty of candour could mean in practice for football clubs and matchday operations.
Speaker TBC
Buffet lunch, networking and time to speak to the Halo team, other clubs and speakers.
This session will cover what Safety Advisory Groups look for from clubs, where reporting can help or hinder, and how teams can work more effectively with SAG partners throughout the season.
Speaker Notes
We’ll be joined by a representative of Watford FCs own SAG as well as a member of the local Police Constabulary.
Presented by the founder and CEO of Halo, Lloyd Major, this practical session is for Halo customers getting ready for the season ahead. Lloyd will cover best practice for pre-season set-up, matchday management and day-to-day use, as well as spotlighting the latest feature releases and system uplifts that can help clubs up their IMS game.
Meet the Speaker
Lloyd founded Halo in 2017 after 20+ years of experience in policing, national counter-terror policing and major incident response.
Main event closes. Optional demos, Halo Health Check bookings and one-to-one chats available afterwards.
Start the season with your people, plans, tasks and evidence in one place
Join us at Watford FC for KICKOFF//26 and give your team a head start before the season begins.
Event details
Wednesday 8 July 2026
Watford FC Stadium, Elton John Suite
Arrival from 9:30am
“Pre-season is when clubs actually have a bit of breathing room to fix the things that become painful once fixtures start. KICKOFF//26 is about getting the right people in the room, sharing what works, and helping clubs feel ready before matchday pressure kicks back in.”
Lloyd Major, Founder & CEO of Halo Solutions