Hosting an event that runs smoothly requires a foolproof security plan made up of various elements that coordinate to ensure staff and attendees are safe throughout the entirety of the event. According to Meetings.skift.com, “safety standards are the most important venue selection criterion”. Event security is something that has rapidly evolved over the years and event hosts are prioritizing it more every year. When looking at how a successful security plan is formed the steps required are:
Pre-planning involves gathering information and knowledge on the venue and the event. A threat assessment also occurs where a proper risk, vulnerability, and threat analysis takes place. Every event is unique; therefore, it requires its own individual assessment. For instance, “risks, vulnerabilities and threats might be different for the same event, at the same venue, held in the daytime versus the night-time; outdoor versus indoor; private versus public; music versus boxing event, etc. Not one event is the same, neither should it ever be treated as such”, says InternationalSecurityJournal.com.
The goal of this phase is to identify risks and vulnerabilities and then prioritize them for the next phase to have direction, thus maximizing efficiency. A threat assessment helps to rank all possible threats on terms of the potential harm an incident could cause, the likelihood of it happening, and the cost of preventing the threat or lessening its impact. After the threats have been fully analyzed, then a security plan is developed that includes the specifics on what must happen, at what time, and what people are needed to enact any measures needed.
The planning phase helps to understand how to prevent and mitigate the threats identified in the pre-planning phase. Depending on the risks identified, certain technology or security/staff needs to be implemented. Asking the important questions during this phase is also necessary. Questions such as: Is the strategy going to be visible to attendees? How many attendees are there? What does traffic at the event look like? How will attendees enter and exit? These are just a few examples of what questions event planners must think through to prepare for possible threats.
A crisis management plan involves identifying the audience and vendors of the event and then assigning a point of contact to provide response to crisis if or when it occurs. Having attendees provide information prior to the event is a great way to ensure identification and establish a safe event. Security checkpoints are a great way to require attendees to pass through checks to gain access to the event. Cyber threats are also a concern that should be considered. Event planners must research which experts can be useful to have to monitor systems throughout the event.
The operations phase entails putting the plan into action with the strategies and organizations that have been put into place. Going through the necessary steps in the pre-planning and planning phase will ensure staff and security is prepared for any situations that arise.
Having the proper security team plays an important role in operations and security. A security team can be made up of federal or state law enforcement or private security companies depending on the type of event it is, with a blend of the two sometimes required. Properly screening and training these personnel is necessary to ensure they are properly equipped for the job at hand.
Controlling access or restricting certain items such as bags and cash is important for security purposes. Traffic can also be a major obstacle for ensuring safety at events so a plan on how to direct the flow of cars is important for medium to large sized events. Operational logistics should be implemented to ensure the security team knows what to do for their jobs. It is also important for all staff and attendees to be informed via communication before, during, and after the event to ensure that everything flows smoothly for all operations.
After the event comes the review phase, which attempts to uncover the source of any issues that might have occurred and figure out what should be done next time. It is important to debrief with the entire team and talk through what was effective and what was not. This helps ensure problems that may have arisen will not happen again so that each event hosted is even safer than the last.
SecurEvent Solutions provides event security design, planning, and management services to keep events of all types and sizes secure. With SecurEvent Solutions you can leave the event security planning and implementation to us and have peace of mind that your staff and safety will be safe throughout the entirety of the event.
Contact us at jfield@secureventsolutions.com to learn more about the services we offer!