Event Security – How to Get it Right

If you are hosting an event, there will be a long list of things that need organising, of which security is one. But what kind of event security do you need? What level of event security does your event need?

Why event security is essential?

There are many things that can ‘go wrong’ at an event;

• Injury to a guest, performer or member of staff
• Damage to property or equipment
• Crowd management issues
• Troublesome guests including unwanted and uninvited guests
• Unexpected situations

And this is why you need an event security strategy. But what should it include?

#1 Know the venue inside and out

Event security staff will need to get to know the venue inside and out, including areas which are considered porous – in other words, where people could get in without being detected. This important information needs to be shared across the security team.

#2 Know your guests (and the risks)

Every event poses different security risks, one of which can be the people who attend. This isn’t about profiling or doing background checks on everyone but if a controversial speaker is on the podium, for example, there could be people intent on disruption.

#3 Crowd management

As event organiser, you want everyone to enjoy themselves but you also want everyone to be safe. And so event security will need to manage the crowd. This could be as simple as checking emergency exits are not crowded, any queues are managed well or that people do not stray into staff-only areas and so on.

#4 Thinking bigger

No one likes to think of a large scale attack on an event. In fact, it can feel such a far fetch theory, that it is possible to be of the mind “who would want to attack my event?”. But they see the bigger picture.

And this means being prepared in case of a large scale attack, whether that is a terrorist incident or something similar.

SIA licenced event security staff will be up to date with their training and surveillance techniques at events. Body language and behaviour are giveaways when it comes to spotting someone with intent to cause trouble, no matter how they intend to do it. Event security staff can spot these signs.

#5 Communication

Event security staff keep people safe in various ways but behind every successful event is a key component: communication.

Constant communication between security personnel and event organisers will see suspicious behaviour shared and dealt with, changes to the event facilitated but, more importantly, ensure that everyone leaves the event with a lasting impression of just how great it was.

Why event security really matters?

Event security is about trained people responding rather than reacting to sudden changes in an event. With a heightened sense of awareness, security staff really do ‘nip things in the bud’ so that you and your guests can get on with enjoying the event and all that it has to offer.