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Event Security 101: How to Plan and Protect Your Next Big Event

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79% of business owners consider events to be an essential part of their business.

If you feel the same way, and want to host an event of your own, it’s vital you think about event security. After all, if you ignore security, people could get hurt, and the reputation of your business could be forever tarnished.

Read on to learn how you can ensure top-notch security for your next event. If you currently have no idea how to keep your event secure, this post will show you how to keep your attendees safe and sound.

Let’s begin!

Select a Venue That Meets Your Needs

The venue you select can have a big impact on how safe your event is going to be.

You want to make sure the venue is large enough so that lots of people aren’t crammed into a small space.

Having many people in a small area can make it difficult for you to take action if there’s ever a problem within the crowd. You’ll also find it difficult to manage the crowd if there’s an emergency that creates a sense of panic.

Now, you’ll find venues often have specific rules about how many people can fit in the area.

Yet, the venue could still be somewhat cramped, even if you stick to the rules provided by the location. Thus, if you think you’re going hit capacity for a particular venue, consider finding another place.

If you’re looking to use an indoor venue, make sure there is proper signage throughout the location. There should be signs above the fire exits, and these signs should be illuminated so people can easily spot them.

If you’re going to use an outdoor venue, there should be plenty of lighting. Before hosting the event, you may want to test the lighting to see how well it works.

You may also want to select a venue that has certain ’embedded’ security measures.

An example of this might include CCTV or a key card system. Though such measures aren’t vital, they can help you build upon any other steps you may take to ensure high levels of security.

Consider What Might Go Wrong

When it comes to managing event security, it can be a good idea to predict the kinds of things that might go wrong, so nothing catches you off guard.

You should spend some time thinking about the kinds of risks that might affect your event. You then need to figure out how you can prevent each risk from ever taking place.

You also want to create a plan that highlights what you’ll do if any of these risks affect your event.

You may do everything in your power to prevent a fire, but if one occurs, you need to know how you will handle it. Try to make your plan as detailed as possible, so you don’t need to rely on guesswork if the worst does happen.

Don’t Rely on the Venue

You may find the venue is willing to provide you with some staff to help maintain security at the event. While these people may be familiar with the location, it doesn’t mean they’re going to be the best option.

After all, they might not have the highest form of training. As a result, they may struggle to deal with certain kinds of issues. They may also be so familiar with the venue, that they cannot spot problems that would otherwise be quite obvious.

For this reason, it can be a good idea to work with an ‘external’ security team.

By using an outsourced security service, you can ensure the people protecting your event have the correct form of training. An outsourced security service will also look at your venue with a ‘fresh pair of eyes, ‘ and this will make it easier for them to spot potential issues.

Of course, you’ll only experience these benefits if you work with the right kind of company. Because of this, it’s critical you don’t rush through this process and hire the first security company you come across.

Ideally, you want to work with a security company that has dealt with an event similar to the one you plan to host.

A company with relevant experience will likely know about the kinds of problems that can affect your event. This means they’ll be able to plan for problems that you didn’t even think to consider.

Make It Easy to Monitor Guests

One of the most significant issues with event security is identifying who should actually be there. If uninvited people manage to get into your event, it’s a big security risk for several reasons.

At the most ‘innocent’ level, you just end up with a crowd that’s larger than anticipated. This, of course, is a problem if there’s ever an emergency and you need to evacuate the venue quickly.

The most troubling issue, though, is that someone with bad intentions might sneak through and cause some harm.

To help you tackle this problem, consider how you can create a system that makes it easy for you to identify guests that are supposed to be there. One option is to create some custom wristbands, such as the ones sold by makeyourwristbands.com.

You might even want to secure all entrances to the venue and make sure everyone has to check in at a single location. You could also give people a keycard that has their picture, so you can easily verify the identity of a guest.

Is Event Security Complicated?

Event security often comes down to identifying problems before they occur. If you can do this, you can take steps to ensure certain risks never materialize.

As mentioned, you can identify potential problems on your own, or you can enlist the services of a professional security company. If you have little experience with hosting events, using the help of a professional can be the better option.

Carrying out all this due diligence isn’t going to be much fun. But if you do everything that’s needed, you can be sure that your attendees are safe, when the event finally takes place.

Are you hosting an event to promote your startup? Read this post to learn what else you can do to give your startup a fighting chance.

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