Events are exciting experiences that bring large crowds of people from all walks of life. In order to keep these events safe and enjoyable for everybody attending, it is important that you to deploy the proper event security services to protect the attendees, workers, talent, & assets.
What security threats are present at events?
While most people are generally well behaved, there are always individuals that may pose a threat to safety when attending an event. Due to large crowds, and bustling environments at events such as concerts and sports games, theft is a common occurrence. Pickpockets are known to discretely move through crowds stealing items from people’s pockets or bags as they go.
Whether the eventgoer is a passionate sports fan or just overindulged in alcohol, violence can quickly break out putting all the surrounding attendees in danger. An example of this type of crime occurred recently during the Toronto Maple Leafs devastating playoff loss earlier this year, when riled up fans engaged in physical altercations with each other as they flooded out of the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto(1).
Similar to the violence that can break out at events, vandalism is another damaging crime that occurs due to over excited, angry, or mischievous eventgoers. For example, in February 2021, individuals attended the Vancouver Mural Festival after hours and destroyed various art installments that were present(2).
Health & Safety of the event staff and attendees are a major concern when planning an event. Heat stroke, unsafe behavior – such as scaling rafters, and alcohol/drug abuse are all health and safety hazards that are commonly are seen at events such as outdoor sports games, festivals, and concerts. It is also important to keep individuals out of off-limits areas that pose a hazard for the trespasser, or the employees & talent. For example, tight security at music festivals is important to protect the artist from their often passionate fan base.
A Walkthrough of our Event Security Services:
Our event security services is inherently different from our other proactive security solutions that we offer at Construction Sites, Auto Dealerships, Commercial Properties, and many other applications. The aforementioned industries utilize remote video monitoring that predominately occurs during our standard monitoring hours of 6:00pm to 6:00am, when the sites are vacant. Event security differs by providing live monitoring during the event, when the venues are experiencing high amounts of traffic. Events that we have deployed video monitoring for include large scale music festivals, professional golf tournaments, and charity events.
1. Site Planning, Logistics, and Installation
When you require thorough security for your event, our team of professionals will develop with a venue specific security plan that can standalone, or integrate with your previously established security measures – such as physical guards. Utilizing our event security services will reduce the requirement for physical guards, which in turn will significantly reduce your overall security spend.
Once our team has designed an event specific security plan, our Logistics & Service specialists will install cameras to monitor the event, as well as build a monitoring station within a security trailer where a Video Monitoring Operator will be positioned. The operator will ensure that key locations are actively monitored at all times, and physical security can be immediately dispatched when a situation develops. Our security units are often installed on rafters, poles, or even on trees in order to gain the highest field of view possible.
Our high resolutions cameras are typically deployed in view of merchandise tents, concession stands, entry & exit points, equipment storage locations, and around the perimeter. Innovative Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras are used to zoom in on specific locations to gather crisp details that can be relayed to the on-site guards, the Police, as well as the Event Coordinators.
2. Incident Response & Reporting
When our Operators witness an incident occur at the event, they will coordinate with physical security guards or Police that are present, and provide them with key details such as suspect description, location, and behavior.
Once the guards are en route to the location, our video monitoring operators will continue to monitor the incident, gathering as many details as possible, whilst staying in close touch with the approaching guards & Police.
Once the threat is contained, an in-depth report is compiled, including a detailed timeline of the event, with corresponding images, and video. Incident reports are sent directly to you via email, and are also accessible through our security information reporting platform, syncroReports.
This platform is your access point to important event security related information such as in depth reports, robust analytics, and live security feeds streamed directly from your event.
3. Post Event Procedures
Once the event has concluded, our team follows strict procedures for providing the entirety of the event footage, which is mandated by event insurance providers to be stored for a minimum of 24 months.
The hard drive containing the event footage is safeguarded, labeled based on their respective unit & location on site, and are securely placed in storage casings for protection. These protective cases are then delivered directly to you and your team for safekeeping.
The purpose of storing this footage long-term: in the event that an incident occurred, the footage can be examined, and provide context to the incident whether it be for an insurance claim or a criminal investigations. For example, if an injury occurs at your event that results in a lawsuit, the footage from the corresponding hard drive can be accessed, and reviewed to provide additional & often critical details.
With the COVID-19 pandemic seemingly in decline, events and festivals are becoming a normal part of life once again. Due to the large amount of traffic events can get, it is important to deploy effective event security services & a proactive strategy to ensure the safety of all attendees, staff, talent, & assets.
Resources:
- “Brawl breaks out at Scotiabank Arena after Toronto Maple Leafs game” BlogTo, Jack Landau, May, 2022
- “Vancouver Mural Festival exhibits vandalized downtown” Jon Azpiri, Global News, February 26th, 2021