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When 496,000 people descend on a single port for Europe’s largest free family event, every call matters. We made sure every one of them went through. Aberdeen’s Port came alive in July 2025 as host to the Tall Ships Races – an international spectacle organised by Sail Training International that brings together crews of young people aged 15 to 25 from across the globe. Fifty vessels, ranging from towering Class A barques to nimble Class D yachts, filled the harbour for a four-day festival of sail training, live music, food, and celebrations that drew nearly half a million visitors. Behind the scenes, running an event of this scale is an enormous logistical undertaking. Aberdeen City Council won the bid to host the event and contracted Special Projects to manage operations on the ground. Special Projects selected 2CL to deliver a two-way radio communication system capable of keeping every team, from security and stewards to medics and event management, connected across the entire site, no matter the conditions. |
AT A GLANCE Industry: Maritime Events |
A coverage problem hiding in plain sight
Events of this size leave no room for communication failures. Stewards guiding crowds, medics responding to incidents, and operations teams coordinating logistics all depend on instant, reliable contact. So when the site survey team from 2CL arrived to assess the proposed communications infrastructure, what they found highlighted an issue.
The building originally identified to accommodate the radio repeaters – the backbone of the entire system – would not have provided adequate coverage across the operational footprint of the event. Dead zones would have left teams unable to communicate just at the moments when they needed to most.
The risk was clear: without action, security staff, stewards, and medics would face potential blackout areas across key parts of the site. At an event drawing nearly half a million visitors, that was not an option.
“Their team was proactive in identifying and resolving potential coverage challenges ahead of delivery, ensuring consistent performance across the full event footprint.”
— Liam Roberts, Projects Manager, Special Projects
Finding a solution
2CL took ownership of finding a solution for the client. Working from survey data, the team identified an alternative site: a residential council tower block that offered significantly better elevation and line of sight across the event site. The presence of an existing antenna on the building, albeit not for two-way radio communications, indicated it was structurally suited to the task.
2CL then negotiated directly with the local council and Special Projects to secure access, conducting a coverage test on the building before the event to validate its performance. With the test confirming the improvement in signal coverage, 2CL obtained the necessary permissions and made the new site suitable for the communications infrastructure.
The system delivered
At the heart of the deployment was a Motorola MOTOTRBO Capacity Plus (Cap+) digital trunking system – widely regarded as the gold standard for large-scale events. With four repeaters providing eight voice slots, the system was capable of supporting over 1,200 simultaneous users, enabling multiple teams to communicate concurrently without interference or congestion.
The repeaters and associated antenna system, installed on the residential tower block, delivered full site coverage with no dead zones.
The fleet of Motorola MOTOTRBO handsets deployed for the event included:
198 Motorola DP4400e UHF digital radios
50 Motorola DP4801e UHF digital radios
4 Motorola DM4600 UHF desktop radios for the control room
Each radio was paired with the appropriate accessories for its user, from noise-cancelling headsets for teams working in high-noise environments, to 2-wire kits with acoustic tubes for discreet communications, and remote speaker mics for general operational use.
In the Control Room, the four desktop radios ensured the operational hub remained in constant contact with teams across the site.
To keep everything running smoothly, a dedicated on-site support team from 2CL was present before, during and after the public event to provide real-time technical support and system monitoring throughout.
“2CL delivered a reliable communications system across a complex, multi zone site, supporting coordination between security, stewarding, medical and operations teams throughout the event. ”
— Liam Roberts, Projects Manager, Special Projects
Why 2CL
2CL was recommended to Special Projects by another satisfied customer based on our proven track record in delivering hire services that give event organisers confidence. That reputation, built on reliability, expertise, and the ability to handle the unexpected, was exactly what the Tall Ships event required.
The ability to move quickly from survey to solution, negotiate with third parties on behalf of the client, and deliver a tested, validated infrastructure before a single visitor arrived is what sets 2CL apart.
For event project managers already juggling hundreds of variables, having a communications partner that genuinely takes ownership is invaluable.
The result: seamless communications for half a million visitors
The radio communications at the Tall Ships Races in Aberdeen 2025 ran flawlessly. Every team across the event from security, stewarding, medical, and operations remained connected throughout, enabling the smooth coordination of crowds across a complex, multi-zone harbour site for the duration of the four-day festival.
What could have been a communications issue was resolved entirely in advance. That is exactly how effective communications support should work.
Planning a maritime event or large-scale outdoor festival?
Call us on 0800 389 2278 or email contact@2cl.co.uk to speak with our events team.