6 Tips to Improve Your Event Security

When holding a special event, one of the key most important things to focus on is security. You need to be very cautious about the safety of your attendees, and this means more than just hiring a security guard or placing cameras around the event.

Event security needs to be well-planned, and a few tips to boost security include:

1. Gauge the Risk-Based on Attendees

Attendees need to be assessed so that you can properly gauge the risk of the event. If you’re holding a political rally, emotions can soar causing violence to break out quickly. You may want to identify the risks of all speakers and the crowds that they bring in.

If you notice a bulk purchase of tickets, you may want to investigate the source so that you can ensure protestors are not bulk-purchasing tickets.

2. Active Shooter Plans

After the Las Vegas massacre, it’s more important than ever for venues to have a plan in place for active shooters. All event managers should inquire about the plan that the venue has in place.

Security teams should also have an active shooter plan that you can follow in the event that a shooting does occur.

3. Consider Fire Safety, Too

Whether pyrotechnics or a person in the crowd starts a fire, you need to have fire safety measures in place. You can hire fire watch guards to help. Fast Fire Watch Guards are emergency trained to identify hazards, and they work closely with local 911 authorities.

These licensed guards work to protect the event’s assets, which may include buildings, movie sets, booths or other key items.

4. Crowd Control Measures

The crowd can be the biggest security threat. When a crowd is not able to be controlled, they can rush the stage, breach security personnel or hurt event speakers. A few of the key measures to take are:

• Manage capacity limits
• Place watchers at the entry
• Monitor crowd members for violence or escalation
• Utilize barricades to keep guests separated from the stage
• Monitor all exits to keep exits clear of audience members

5. Proper Communication Practices

Communication is key to keeping an event secure. You need to maintain constant, clear communication and this is often done with walkie-talkies. Using smartphones or Internet-connected devices puts the line’s signal at risk and should be avoided.

Security teams should not be on the same line as company staff.

6. Provide Security with Visual Diagrams and Maps

Security members should be outfitted with maps and diagrams of the venue. These maps and diagrams will allow security personnel to visualize key areas of threat and the easiest ways to deescalate a crowd.

If the diagrams are provided, they will further help security if attendees need to exit in an emergency situation.

Planning for event security is key to keeping the crowd safe. The more planning that you conduct, the better. It takes security personnel and event managers working together to keep an event truly secure.

Security should do their best to deescalate issues before an attack or violence occurs so that all attendees can enjoy the event.