Ensure Event Security Management: Comprehensive Measures

You are planning to organize an event. This could be a seminar, conference, festival, or an exhibition.

And since it's a big event, event security is a key priority. During the entire lifecycle of the event, you will face security risks.

Starting from entry, you do not want unauthorized entries. With a little knowledge of Photoshop, it is easy to duplicate paper tickets. There are online tools that allow you to generate fake tickets. This is especially a risk in events without marked seating such as concerts and festivals.

Plus, you cannot monitor how well event coordinators are managing event security. And if you are using paper tickets, counting the huge pile of tickets is just not feasible.

Secondly, it's dangerous to have people with weapons to enter your event. It is a serious security threat and can lead to mishaps such as injuries and even deaths. For example, in May 2017, popular singer Ariana Grande's concert in Manchester witnessed suicide bombing which killed twenty two people and injured many. The incident was later declared as terrorist attack.

Thirdly, you also need to deal with troublesome guests who indulge in activities such as thefts or damage to property. There are others who create agitation during the event such as streakers or people who mess with or touch celebrities.

So how do you check efficiency and ensure that the event security is tight?

You are obviously looking for a solution to resolve all these challenges. In this article, we will present an exhaustive list of measures for event security management.

Keep reading.

A. Measures to ensure event security rigidly

To ensure hassle-free event, you need to be first very sure of what all threats your event is prone to. So here is step 1:

Step 1: Assess all the risks to your event

That is, make a tireless list of all the things that can hamper your event. Risk assessment will help you know the prominent threats facing your event.

For example, you can be extra cautious and take tight security measures if the topic of your event invites controversy. Or if your event is taking place any closer to a dangerous area (such as gangsters' dwellings and highways).

Once you know the risks, proceed to select appropriate measures that will ensure tight event security management.

Step 2: Take security measures

For every risk you potentially face, here is a possible solution:

1. Manage unauthorized entries

You can take the following measures to ensure genuine entries to your event:

a. Entry through identity verification

In order to tackle fake entries and ensure security, you can verify each registered attendee with their identity card. That is, ask every attendee to show a verification document such as passport or driving license at the entry gate. This will ensure identity verification during entrance.

Though it is an easy way to manage event security, the risk involved in this method is that people can easily duplicate identity cards and present it as their own. This practice can breach event security.

b. Use QR Code based tickets

QR Codes are 2D barcodes that are easily scannable via a smartphone. Each ticket has a QR Code with a unique ID or a serial code encoded in it. You can generate these tickets using an online ticket generator technology such as Ticket Generator.

Using this tool, the organizer can ensure proper organization, distribution, and management of the event tickets. Thus, simplifying the management of event entries.

Upon scanning through a mobile application such as Ticket Validator (Google Play, App Store), the coordinator can easily track fake, duplicate, and invalid tickets. You just need coordinators who can scan the tickets at the entry gate.

This way, you can easily make your event ticket secure. There is no installation cost. And you do not need a handheld scanner for scanning the tickets. Besides, you can also get analytical data and get an insight into how well your event performed. In case you'd like to know more about it, here's a detailed video:

2. Manage people with weapons/hazardous items

The least you would want is any harm/injury to your guests during the event. And to prevent this, you should take the following measures to ensure tight event security management:

a. Install X-ray baggage screening system

X-ray baggage systems can screen the items present in the bag. They can detect any unwanted/hazardous items such as knives, guns, and inflammable items. Plus, they also prevent other unwanted items such as food and drinks, which can cause loss in revenue.

This way you can easily detect suspicious items. And prevent the entry of people carrying them.

b. Use security wands

Security wands help identify unwanted items carried on person. These are handheld metal detectors that beep on detecting metal items hidden under clothing.

c. Install walk-away metal detectors

A metal detector is a panel on the sides, with a platform to walk over. Once a person steps on the platform, the detectors can sense whether there is any metal presence or not.

These metal detectors ring an alarm on items such as guns, knives, and tools. You can set the alarm level according to the density of metal.

d. Hire trained dogs

Police dogs, also known as K-9 unit, can help in detecting malicious items such as bombs and drugs. They are specially trained to sniff the odour of chemicals that is emitted from such items.

If your event invites popular personalities such as celebrities and politicians, you can hire these special dogs to ensure safety. Plus, getting the event premises sniffed with the help of these dogs before the start of the event can early detect the presence of malicious items.

e. Create checkpoints at various places

Ensure multi level security to actually prevent the intruders from entering the event. You can do this by creating security checkpoints way before your registration/ticket check desks.

With proper check-ups, you can prevent people from taking hazardous things to the event. And stop trespassers/harmful people way before they actually enter the event.

While slightly expensive, multi-layered security checks can deter trespassers.

3. Manage troublesome people during the event

There may be people such as agitators trying to harass or molest celebrities, women, and other invitees. To handle people with these malicious intentions, you can take these measures:

a. Install visible CCTV cameras

You do install CCTV cameras at the entry point and at various other spots of your event.

So when you go for this security measure, keep them visible. This will ensure to the outsiders that your event is fully protected. Your guests will feel comfortable. And agitators will think twice before trespassing your event.

The main idea is to prevent any threat from happening rather than letting it occur and then responding to it.

b. Hire outside human power

Security guards at various places in your event can be of great help. They are well-trained and can tackle agitators efficiently.

Plus, if it is an upscale event, you can consider hiring bouncers. They are professionals whose mere spectator can intimidate agitators and troublemakers.

You can also hire off-duty police officers. And for this, you need to contact your nearest local police department. They, too, are seasoned and are legally allowed to carry a firearm.

c. Utilize thermal sensing

With thermal security cameras, you can capture even minute details. These cameras have the capability to even detect heat signatures in darkness.

They use a combination of specialized sensors which can convert heat emissions coming from an object into visible light colors or shades. These different colors show temperature variances that are not visible to the human eye. And help to gain insight of the broad spectrum of the scene.

They can be installed at the entry or the dark spots of the event. And this way, can detect people practicing any illegal activity in that area.

Though this is an intensive security measure, it has a limitation. Thermal imaging sensors do not reproduce the scene as it is it does not capture the identity of the person. It just captures the scene in a challenging environment which other cameras fail to record.

So, these were the measures you can take up for tight event security management. A secure, threat-free event will help keep your guests comfortable and happy.

And now that you know which security measure(s) to consider for your event, let's move to the best practices you can follow to flawlessly ensure event security.

B. Event Security Best Practices

The key to good security is proper awareness and preparation of the security measures you are taking up. This will considerably reduce the risk of negligence from your team members. Hence here are some best practices that you can follow for appropriate event security management:

1. Know your team well

Any breach in security coming from within the team is not uncommon. It is very important to screen the event security management team.

And for this, you can do a quick background check on people who are working for you. This simple activity can ensure that nobody has malicious intentions.

And at the time of the event, give your team members an identifier. This could be a customized t-shirt or a wrist band. This is very important if your team is vast as it will help people recognize who is actually a part of the security management team.

2. Elaborate security measures to your team

Your team should clearly know about the event layout, logistics, schedule, and the personnel involved. That is, the number of entry gates, where they are located, size of the venue, special entries, and entry requirements should be clearly known. And most importantly, the security measure(s) you are taking and how it precisely works.

This way, security staff can resolve any issue that may arise during the event.

So, it is important to conduct regular sessions and train your team well about the event.

3. Maintain communication of security team with other teams

Assigning a security team representative will prove helpful. Members of other teams will know whom to report to if any issue arises. Keeping the staff and security members hand-to-hand will ensure proper communication.

This way, security issues during the event will be attended to feasibly.

4. Keep medical assistance handy

One of your foremost concerns is to keep your guests safe and comfortable. So, in case of any mishap or injury, it is important to provide medical help at the earliest.

This is especially important in music events, fests, or theatre related events where the crowd is large. And the chances of a stampede in situations of emergency are high.

So, you just read a tireless list of how you can ensure event security management. So take up the measure(s) wisely to eliminate the probability of any threat or risk to your event.