Summer is approaching fast!!! You know what that means, time for summer activities, concerts, and other events. We want to ensure that you and your family members can feel safe and be able to enjoy and participate in these summer festivities.

Here are six event security tips from security professionals that will help ensure that your events and staff are prepared.

1. Assess your event’s security risk upfront
Not all events carry the same security risk, and so you should first assess if your event is a high, medium or low risk. The things to consider when assessing event security risk include the organization that is hosting or promoting the event; the content or context of the event; the key individuals speaking at or attending the event; and the exhibitors or sponsors related to the event.

You should also take into account potential vulnerabilities of the venue you choose. For example, outdoor venues are often harder to secure than indoor spaces, but indoor spaces may also have fewer escape routes. And then there are always the force majeure “Acts of God” like tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes that must be accounted for.

2. Create an emergency response plan
Planning for a disaster can mitigate risk, and so it’s important to sit down and create an event emergency response plan ahead of time. And, if your event is large enough, you can hire an event security service to help you draw one up.

Building out such a plan requires close work with your venue and speaking with them about their procedures for mass evacuations, active shooter situations and moving people into safe areas or rooms. You should also work closely with your venue to map out evacuation routes and ensure that all routes are marked clearly on event day.

The event security plan should also include a crisis communication plan that outlines how you will communicate with attendees and the general public if disaster does strike. This would include creating a list of potential crises, naming your crisis communications team/point people and identifying your communication channels in advance.

3. Focus first on people and context, then on technology and tools
Getting the right people on the ground with the right training and experience is your first step, and this can include not only hiring the right event security firm but also supplementing event security guards with off-duty policemen, who are licensed to carry a firearm at events.

4. Create a visible security presence
According to event security experts, hiding your security force or putting them undercover may do more harm than good, mainly because attendees now rely more than ever on event security staff to direct them in time of emergency and distress.

The reason for this is that attendees simply don’t pay as much attention to their environment as they used to. As such, they are not prepared mentally when someone instantly poses a threat to them.

5. Lock down the event Wi-Fi
Not all event security threats pose a physical threat, with cyber-attacks and data theft being two emerging threats that event planners need to address now and in the coming years. One way to minimize these threats is to take some basic steps with regard to the event Wi-Fi.

First of all, your event Wi-Fi should ALWAYS be password protected, and you should share this password discretely. This means you really should not announce the password from the stage or post it throughout the venue. Instead, share it through the registration materials and the event app if you offer one.

6. Screen all staff, including venue staff
Security threats can come from places where you least expect them, including from event and venue staff. In fact, this may happen much more often than you think.

Now maybe you’re the event attendee, and that’s when your personal safety starts with common sense and being alert.

These tips below are often said, but forgotten. Keep these in mind to ensure you will be prepared if anything happens at an event you are at.

1. Familiarize yourself with the surroundings

2. If you are with a group have a plan should you get separated from your group.  Plan a check in time and place.

3. Take care of your valuables, wallets, credit cards, purses, cell phones.  You don’t want to make yourself a target for a pick pocket.

4. Stay hydrated and watch for sunburn.

5. If you find yourself in a threatening situation, walk away.  Let the authorities handle the situation.  Don’t be afraid to speak up to them.  “If you see something, say something.”

Blue Star Security has an experienced team of professionals to provide everyone involved with a safe and relaxed environment. We do this with expert planning and organization right down to the most minute detail. To find out more information on how to hire our event security team for your events, contact us today!