- Conducting a Risk Assessment
- Develop a Security Plan
- Implement Security Measures
- Effective Communication
- Post-Event Evaluation
Event security planning has become essential in recent years. Hosts are now expected to actively safeguard attendees, vendors, staff, and their property. Built-in venue security measures like access control and surveillance cameras are an excellent start, but modern liability issues demand uniformed, on-site security personnel to mitigate risk during events. For an event to be held safely and successfully in 2020s America, hosts must develop an event security plan that includes security personnel.
The Guard Alliance is in the security business. Since we’re not event planners, there’s much that goes on behind the scenes that is beyond our scope. Nonetheless, our armed, unarmed, and fire watch security guards have provided coverage for many events over the years, picking up quite a bit of insight that we’ve compiled into this event security planning guide. By avoiding common pitfalls and following best practices, you can ensure the security and safety of your event, regardless of venue.
Conduct a Risk Assessment
This is the first and most crucial step in developing your event’s safety and security plan. All subsequent steps in this event security planning guide depend on the data you collect in your initial risk assessment. For this reason, it is essential to be as thorough as possible – appreciating the risks associated with your specific event type and venue.
Security risk assessments for events start with a comprehensive tour of the venue and any neighboring facilities your event depends on (parking lots, for example). Identify all access points and note any existing security infrastructure, such as entrance metal detectors, security cameras, and fob entry points. It can be useful, once you’ve reached out to your security provider, to have an experienced guard patrol the property and note any apparent risks in the perimeter security.
Consider the nature of your event, the logistics involved, and who will be attending. Corporate events often have minimal stage production but attract many prominent attendees whose vehicles or personal items may be a tempting target for thieves. Events with more complex logistics – concerts and festivals, for example – may have days or weeks of setup where loading docks or staging areas are the most vulnerable parts of the venue. Understand where wrongdoing most likely occurs, and scale your security response accordingly.
Wider context should also be taken into account. Regardless of the event or venue, you’ll likely have to deal with crowd control, medical emergencies, extreme weather, or active terror threats. Factor these into your initial risk assessment, and deploy guards where they will be most effective. Depending on the layout and specific threats at your event, you may want to concentrate or disperse your security team to facilitate swift action when needed.
Develop a Security Plan
After completing your risk assessment, you’ll need to develop a security plan before measures can be implemented on-site. Consider your budget, vendor commitments, and the capabilities you will need from the security guards at your venue. For example, your risk assessment may reveal vulnerabilities that demand armed guards, or conversely, your event may be attended by folks who would react negatively to an armed security presence.
The data from your risk assessment will inform your security plan, and should address:
- The number and capabilities of on-site guards
- Access control, entry protocols, and ticketing systems
- Protocols for medical and other emergencies
- Data security and reliability of remote access (for remote/hybrid events)
By developing a comprehensive security plan, you’ll be better equipped to source reliable security companies that can scale to your needs. With advanced access to your security plan, guards will arrive already familiar with your venue’s security requirements. Be sure to train all on-site personnel in emergency procedures and communication protocols to ensure the safety of your event.
Implement Security Measures
If we can stress one thing in this event security planning guide, it would be to assess and address security risks before your event gets underway. If you’ve followed our prescriptions in the previous sections, you should now be ready to implement venue security measures.
Double-check all of your venue’s built-in security features, lighting, barriers, and crowd control equipment. Any materials included in your event safety planning should be reassessed before attendees arrive to reduce liability and ensure safety. Once guards arrive, make sure they understand the on-site equipment and how they’ll be expected to use it during their deployment.
If you’ve sourced experienced security guards, they may be able to offer insight before your event begins. Allow your on-site guards to assess the venue in the hours before the doors open to attendees. Guards with years of experience can often spot last-minute vulnerabilities that go unnoticed by event staff. Be sure to allow enough time so that guards’ recommendations can be enacted before the event begins.
Communicate Effectively
All of the advanced planning in the world won’t do you much good if your team members can’t communicate effectively in a crisis. Be sure to establish explicit communication channels for staff on-site and procedures for delivering critical information to attendees. This includes clear signage and working PA systems throughout the venue. Taking these steps will ensure on-site safety and help avoid potential PR issues.
Power outages and other large-scale emergencies may be out of your control, but you can still mitigate their risks. If your venue’s built-in systems fail, it helps to include redundant communication tools in your event safety planning. For example, equipping security and venue personnel with two-way radios will help keep communication channels open during a power outage. Guards trained in emergency procedures can also be fitted with bullhorns to help guide attendees during evacuations.
Most importantly, everyone on-site will need to know the chain of command. Ensure guards and event staff know who their on-site supervisors are and how to report to decision-makers if an incident occurs. Partnering with a security company that live-tracks and documents their guards’ activity will come in handy for this aspect of your on-site communications.
Evaluate Post-Event
Odds are, you’ll be hosting more events in the future. By evaluating each event once it ends, you can improve security and safety outcomes for your team over time. It can be useful to begin this post-game assessment while staff and vendors are still on-site. Giving team members time to report their initial feedback can help catch valuable data that would be forgotten after the fact. Collecting feedback from attendees can be beneficial as well.
Since you’ve followed the advice in our event security planning guide, you should already have a risk assessment and security plan for this event. Use these documents as a framework for your post-event evaluation: What plans worked? What can be improved? Did your risk assessment miss any major vulnerabilities? How will your next risk assessment and security plan be improved by this event?
Contact The Guard Alliance
Use this event security planning guide to help with your next conference, festival, or concert. As we’ve said, American event attendees now expect uniformed security guards in most contexts. To reduce liabilities and ensure peace of mind on-site, be sure to prioritize security in your event safety planning and conduct a thorough security risk assessment before your event.
Risk assessments help inform your pre-event planning and vendor sourcing, facilitating smooth event rollouts and effective post-event assessments. By planning ahead, you can ensure the best outcomes on event day and long-term success for any events you may host in the future. Be sure to refer back to this event security planning guide when your next event approaches, and contact The Guard Alliance for reliable on-site security experts.