When you’re looking to
hold a concert or public event, the truth is that you can’t possibly
plan for every contingency. That said by carefully analysing your
event, what you can do is to get the right balance of security that
makes for safe attendance, without having an overloaded security
presence which may otherwise antagonise your guests. With this in
mind, exactly what do you need to consider in order to make sure that
your event goes without a hitch? Here are some pointers.
Firstly consider the
location
If it’s a relatively
small event held in the grounds of a hotel with little advertising
and admittance by invite only, then the security threat levels are
likely to be low and therefore the number of security guards you need
might want to reflect this. Conversely, if your event is held in a
public place or large park where people can come and go as they wish,
then you might want to ramp up your security accordingly.
Consider your client
base
There are no hard and
fast rules as to how many security guards you need per percentage of
people so instead you might want to consider your client base. For
example, a church gathering or prayer breakfast for a few hundred
people, is likely to be different from a thrash metal concert where
alcohol is on sale for the same number of people.
Consider blending in
You might want to
consider having a mix of uniformed and non-uniformed security at your
event. Although uniformed guards are a welcoming deterrent at
entrances and exit points, too many visible uniforms in and around
the event area might leave people feeling antagonised and on edge.
Clearly that’s what you don’t want to happen. After all, if you’re
planning to do it all again the following year, then you’ll need
people to spread the word in a good way. Instead, how about placing a
number of non-uniformed security in and around the event if needed,
so that they blend in with the crowd?
Consider access and
exit points
If it’s a large scale
event and you have particularly difficult access points, then you may
also want to beef up your security. For example if your event is to
be held in a large park or field and the entrance is off a main road,
the last thing you need is for festival goers to start queuing up
along that main road to get in. As well as causing chaos, it might
also get you into trouble with the authorities.
Consider planning
While it’s agreed that
you can’t plan for every contingency you can plan for a large number
of them. When you’ve agreed on the number and type of security you
need, then go over the event beforehand (several times if necessary)
so that everyone knows exactly what they’re doing. Remember, the more
work goes into the planning stage the less work it’s likely to be
come the event itself. So plan, plan, and plan some more.
As you can see, getting
your event security right isn’t easy, but it can be achieved if you
follow these five considerations. Alternatively you can of course let
an experienced security company handle everything.
At MA Services Group we
can either supply seasoned event security guards for you, or you can
let us plan the whole thing for you so that you can concentrate on
other areas of your business. Why not contact us on1300 020 406
for a free no-obligation quote, or to arrange a meeting.
