Event Security: Key Considerations and Practices for Ensuring Safety

Ensuring successful security at events is crucial for the safety of both attendees and event personnel. Event organisers should collaborate with stakeholders to develop robust protocols that prevent disturbances and challenges. When done correctly, security measures will be discreet, allowing attendees to enjoy the event without any interruptions. Effective security requires thorough planning and the proper implementation of specific practices, which will be detailed in this guide.

Pre-event Planning: Setting the Foundation for Security

Identifying potential hazards and vulnerabilities for an event is a crucial stage of the pre-event planning process. Event organisers can collaborate with local authorities to understand the specific security requirements and regulations applicable to the venue or area. For large scale events, planners should consider contacting:
•    City officials.
•    Transport officials.
•    Blue lights teams.
•    Higher security bodies.
•    Local accommodation bureaux.
•    The venue and all their security teams.

Establishing clear lines of communication between event organisers, security teams and local authorities allows for swift co-ordination in the case of emergencies. Ensuring clear communication methods that are functional and fast should be a requirement before events start. In general, proactive approaches to safety and security help prevent unforeseen hindrances at events. It is highly preferable to prevent rather than to react to such circumstances.

Gauging and Mitigating Risks: Identifying Potential Threats

Risks and threats will always present themselves at events. Identifying, gauging and mitigating such threats is the way to deal with them. Whether they are highly impactful or negligible is not important, each threat must be considered and prepared for. Examples of such threats are:
•    Attempts by unauthorised attendees to gain access to the event.
•    Emergency health concerns (e.g. attendee injuries).
•    External disruptions (e.g. protests).
•    External factors (e.g. extreme weather).
•    Venue related emergencies (e.g. fire hazards).

For each example, a protocol should be created, learnt and understood by the event organisers and the security team to prevent such threats from arising. Once combined these protocols can be used to create a crisis management plan.

Crisis Management Plan: Planning for Emergencies

A Crisis Management Plan outlines essential functions and procedures to ensure safety and continuity during emergencies. It should include forming a Crisis Management Team, maintaining confidentiality, and detailing actions for communication, evacuation, and risk assessment. The plan aims to protect lives, manage crises, and swiftly return to normal operations.

This plan should include:
•    A list of essential functions
•    A description of the Crisis Management Team
•    Stakeholder Communication Plans
•    Emergency situation Actions
•    Emergency Action Plan
•    Staff Onsite Listing
•    Evacuation Floorplan
•    Protestor Guidance
•    Risk Assessment Report

Let’s look at two of the most important aspects of the plan in more detail:

i)    Essential Functions:

This addresses what is needed to keep operations running at a basic level in case of an emergency including the functions that must be carried out to avoid endangering the lives, well-being and safety of all attendees. Therefore it:
•    Protects human life
•    Manages the crisis
•    Maintains event continuity by securing infrastructure and facilities
•    Protects the reputation of the managing organisations, key sponsors and speakers.
•    Returns the event to normal business operations as soon as possible

ii)    Crisis Management Team:

A crisis team should be formed by the event organisers. In a crisis the full responsibility of responding should not fall to any one individual. Prior to the event, the project lead should work with the venue and host client to identify the key personnel who will collaborate in the event of an emergency. Note that different countries will have different protocols which should be considered. Typically, the Team should include:
•    Event lead
•    Nominated client representative
•    Venue event manager
•    Venue security manager (if different from above)

Confidentiality:

In an emergency, it is imperative that all key personnel observe the rules of confidentiality regarding security and contact with attendees and exhibitors. Therefore, key personnel should not:
•    Speculate about the crisis.
•    Discuss any details in public areas.
•    Allow unauthorised personnel to release information.
•    Provide false information.
•    Place blame for the incident.

Selecting a Secure Venue: Key Considerations for Safety

Selecting a secure venue is a fundamental step in ensuring the safety of an event. Key considerations include the venue’s location, accessibility, and existing security infrastructure. It’s essential to choose a location that is easily accessible for emergency services. The venue should also have robust security measures in place, such as surveillance cameras, secure entry points, and trained security personnel. Additionally, the layout of the venue should allow for efficient crowd management and emergency evacuation if necessary. By carefully evaluating these factors, event organisers can significantly enhance the overall security and safety of their events.

Planning for Possible Protests: Have a Back-up Plan

In the rare case there is a protest at the venue the event is being held at, a back-up plan is needed to resolve the disturbance that protesters can inflict upon attendees. Liaising with the venue on the local legal position when it comes to protests can be very helpful. This helps organisers learn how to handle safety, emergency responses, disruptions and protests at events that they are hosting. If these problems escalate, decisions will largely be driven by the venue, local authorities and blue light services, despite protocols that may be in place. As important as attendee safety is, security measures to prevent or deal with protests should be discreet, meaning attendees feel more comfortable and their experience is improved.

In some cases, it the presence of protesters may be foreseeable by organisers and news sources in which case preparation should be more rigorous. In this context, senior personnel such as company presidents, CEOs and event chairs should be prepped with talking points and relevant information to help them deal with difficult questions that they are likely to be faced with. This can be highly beneficial as disturbances can be calmed down and concerns from attendees can be addressed.

Health & Safety: Medical Assistance and First Aid Readiness

In the rare event that an attendee is medically compromised, a first aider should be onsite to ensure they can be looked after. Pre-event, the planning team should have access to the local emergency services contact details and if it a particularly large event, they should alert them about the event. Onsite events personnel should be cautious about calling blue light services immediately, as their arrival can cause a large disturbance to the event. Incidents should be evaluated by a first aider and acted upon based on their judgement.
Therefore, they can respond quickly and ensure attendees are safely cared for. It is imperative that health related incidents are reported immediately after its occurrence to ensure details are accurate and precise.

Conclusion

The practices and protocols mentioned throughout this guide, outline some of the steps event organisers can take to establish sufficient security levels to guarantee safety for attendees. Collaboration and rigorous planning are needed to ensure effective security that is also discreet. Planning for unforeseen circumstances is crucial and if done correctly, will mean onsite personnel can adapt and resolve issues successfully. Overall, not every situation can be accounted for, however, onsite personnel should remain vigilant and ready to identify and resolve challenges before they become disturbances or safety threats.