Do you have a big event coming up? Have you spent hours contacting vendors, marketing your event, and planning out the itinerary?
While there's a lot that goes into planning a successful event, there's one thing you absolutely can't forget about in your planning- safety! In order for your event to be fun, it also needs to be safe.
How do you make sure your event is as safe and secure as possible?
Check out this event security tips to learn everything you need to do.
Find a Venue That Prioritizes Safety
If you're still in the planning stages, then it's very important that you look for a venue that will prioritize the safety of your attendees.
When visiting venues in person, check to make sure that the building has the appropriate number of safety exists, and that the building maintenance staff is doing their duty to keep the venue safe.
Additionally, you should ask vendors what they do specifically to keep their venue safe. You should also ask them what plans they have in place in the event of an emergency. A reputable venue will be able to give you a detailed answer about their safety measures and procedures.
Set Up an Attendee Screening Strategy
How you screen your attendees will depend on the size of your event as well as your budget, but this is a very important thing to do to ensure event safety.
One of the most important (and easiest) things you can do to screen attendees is to match everyone's IDs with their registration information. Ideally, you should get every attendee to send a copy of their ID so it can be matched at the entrance.
This is the best way to confirm identities, but just make sure that you make it clear that attendees need to bring IDs in order to be let into the event.
If your event doesn't require registration, then the best way to screen attendees is to check everyone's belongings before permitting them entrance. You can hire security guards who can do this for you. Oftentimes, however, venues have their own security staff in place who you can make use of.
It's also a good idea to have your attendees wear name tags so it's easier to keep track of everyone.
Know the Venue Inside and Out
It's very important that you, as well as anyone else who is helping you run the event, know the venue inside and out.
When studying the venue, you should know how porous it is. Porous refers to any way in which someone could get inside through an undesignated entry point. This could be anything from a window that opens from the outside to a back door that's just supposed to be used by staff.
Once you've identified these entry points, make sure all personnel is aware of them. To give your team a visual understanding of where they are, we suggest creating a diagram.
If your event is outdoors, you should establish boundaries that dictate where the event begins and ends. This will make it easier to keep an eye on areas that may be susceptible to unwanted intruders.
Control the Crowd
The larger your event is, the higher chance it is that something will go wrong. Therefore, you need event security to be comfortable with managing big groups of people and exerting authority when necessary.
The security team you hire may need to take on the following responsibilities in terms of crowd management:
- Ask attendees to move if they're blocking the exit
- Ensure guests don't wander off into staff only or VIP-only areas
- Monitor the registration line and keep it organized to prevent people from cutting the line or sneaking in
Going over capacity can be dangerous, and it can also result in fines from the venue manager.
Develop an Emergency Response Plan
Before the event kicks off, you'll want to take the time to sit down with your team and develop an emergency response plan. The purpose of this plan is to create a procedure that everyone will follow in the event of a disaster.
Your emergency response plan should include:
- The different ways to evacuate your event
- What to do if there's a fire
- What to do if there's an active shooter
- Where staff should meet during an emergency
- How staff members should communicate during an emergency
- How you'll direct attendees during an emergency
- What signage and notifications you'll provide for attendees in regards to how to respond
Establish a Chain of Command
In the event that something does go wrong, you need to make sure you have a chain of command in place.
From event managers to brand ambassadors, everyone should have a crystal clear picture of what their role is in each type of emergency. Most importantly, everyone should know who is in charge when it comes to emergency decision-making.
Screen Your Risks
It's important to remember that security risks can also come from the inside. Therefore, it's very important to screen your staff before an event.
Run background checks and credit checks on everyone who will be working the event. If the event staff doesn't work together often, make sure you introduce everyone before the event starts. This way, it'll be easier for everyone to spot posing staff members.
It's also a good idea to give all of your staff members some sort of identifier, such as name tags, badges, shirts, or lanyards.
Are You Ready to Step Up Your Event Security?
Now that you know these business event security tips, it's time to put them into action. Doing so will create the best environment for you and your attendees.
Be sure to check back in with our blog for more security-related tips and tricks beyond event security. Visit the Tech section of our Bootstrap Business Blog right now for tips on company cyber-security and data protection.
