Thomas Gerdes

Background

About Thomas Gerdes

Experienced Crowd & Event Safety Specialist | 20+ Years in Football, Music & Live Events With over two decades of hands-on experience in football, music, and large-scale live events, I specialise in crowd management, event safety, and operational planning at the highest level. My career has been built around creating safe, seamless, and engaging experiences for tens of thousands of fans, working with top-tier organisations and venues across Scandinavia and beyond. I served as Security Manager, Senior Event Manager, and Match Manager at FC Copenhagen, Scandinavia’s largest football club, where I led the delivery of more than 270 domestic and international matches, including high-risk UEFA fixtures. I also held the role of Venue & Security Manager at PARKEN Sport & Entertainment A/S, Denmark’s national stadium and premier concert venue, where I was responsible for the planning, crowd flow, ingress/egress strategy, and security operations for major concerts and sports events. During UEFA EURO 2020, I was appointed Head of Security for the Danish national stadium, overseeing one of the most logistically complex and regulated events in recent Danish sports history. My core areas of expertise include: • Crowd management theory and practice • Risk and resilience planning • Venue and perimeter security • Event operations and emergency planning • Stakeholder coordination across police, fire, and medical services I hold a BA in Communications and English from Copenhagen Business School and a certificate in Security Management from the Danish Football Association. I am fluent in Danish, English and Swedish, understand German and remain deeply engaged in the evolving challenges of international event safety. My mission is clear: to apply my deep experience and strategic insight to help organisations plan smarter, react faster, and deliver safer experiences for all.