Events attract all kinds of people for various reasons. It might be a festival, sports, concert, or conference. And while people love to attend them, their main concern is security besides fun and experience. Thus, as the event organizer, your job is to ensure that all your audiences are having the best experience in a safe experience.
You must prioritize thorough security measures that can alleviate any potential threat. Here, we will look at 10 best practices in event security. Read on:
1. Hiring Security Experts
If security needs in your event are crucial, then you don’t have to take chances. In this case, you should consider the help from security experts. You may need a separate budget for this, but it will be worth it. While you believe in your in-house staff, the help of a security expert can be handy.
They’ve got experience in mitigating threats in all types of events. And if you are dealing with a large crowd, they can easily spot security threats and neutralize them. Not to mention, they are experts in dealing with emergencies in case one arises.
When you bring on board security experts, give them room to deploy their expertise. They can help you identify flaws in your security plan and how to deal with them. Talking of security experts, check out Winnipeg Security Company, they are the best in this field.
2. Staff Screening
There are times when a security threat comes from within. Thus, as much as you trust your staff, it’s still important to screen them for safety purposes. You can vet them individually to identify anyone with malicious intentions. Not to mention, you should conduct a background check on each one just to be sure.
Additionally, credit checks can help you identify those with suspicious sums of money. And if your staff doesn’t know each other, consider a unique identifier. Uniforms, stamps, and wrists band can help them identify each other.
Also, you can give them time to know each other before the event. And most importantly, the identifiers must remain confidential until the day of the event. Do not allow anyone to access them before that day.
3. Have an Emergency Plan
You never know when a disaster strikes. And in an event with a large gathering, having an emergency plan is vital. In this case, you need to sit down with your security team and draft an emergency plan. They can deploy this in case a safety threat or disaster occurs during the event. In your plan, include:
- Notice or signage on how to respond to emergencies for your guests
- How to manage the attendees in case of an emergency
- How your team will communicatein case of an emergency
- Safe room points or locations
- How to act when there’s an active shooter
- How to evacuate your guests in masses
4. Consider Virtual Threat
In some cases, the security threat is not physical, it’s virtual. In that case, you need a virtual security system in place to safeguard your guest’s identities, data, and devices. For starters, protect your wireless networks with passwords. While it’s not practical during large events, it still locks out unwanted guests from your network.
5. Private Events Should Remain Private
While announcing the event to the public event when it’s public is a common practice among some organizations, it’s not safe. It creates an opportunity for security threats. Thus, if it’s a private event consider keeping it private and that includes the announcements. For example, if the upper management is having dinner, there’s no need to make it public. Agitators won’t cause harm if they don’t know about it.
6. Cross Checking Registration Information with IDs
If the event is exclusive, have your team at the gate cross-check the invitation card with the attendee IDs. It’s important to confirm that anyone attending the event was invited. During the registration before the event, you can collect several data like address, date of birth, and name. This will make it hard for intruders to steal someone else identity.
7. Install Security Checkpoints
Having security checkpoints can help you identify the threat before it gets into the event. It forces them to face the security personnel before entering the venue. To utilize this strategy well, place the security checkpoints hundreds of feet away from the venue lobby. It leaves no room for intruders to sneak in.
8. Make Sure Your Safety Measures are Open
There’s more to security than responding to threats. The target is to neutralize the threat before it strikes. When a potential threat identifies your safety measure, they might panic and go away. Thus, having all your security measures undercover during the event is more harmful and less beneficial. If you need to put undercover operatives in place, ensure there are also visible ones in the venue.
9. Security Risk Assessment
When it comes to security, events have different security needs. There are no one-fit safety measures for all events. Thus, you will need a custom security plan for each event you host. For instance, a political event has a bigger safety threat than an ordinary birthday party. That being said, you should first assess the type of threat you will deal with before drafting your security plan. Consider:
- The host of the event
- The attendees of the event
- The context of the event
- The location of the event
- The speaker of the event
- Whether protests against the event might arise
- Among others
Getting Started
When you prioritize security in an event, you are simply guaranteeing the safety and well-being of your audience. And when you deploy the above 10 best practices in event security, you can proactively alleviate any potential threat. But most importantly, you will ensure that the attendees have the best time and event is a success.
While your in-house security team can handle some of these measures, you need a professional security company. Winnipeg Security Company is the best pick if you are looking for successful event security. They’ve got a comprehensive security plan, access control measures, trained personnel, emergency preparedness, and surveillance systems. With their help, you can rest assured that your event will be safe.