By Swain Thorne
It is your job as the host of an event to ensure your guests are safe. That means you should set a reasonable budget for security. You will never know a person’s intentions, especially when holding a huge crowd. There have been numerous catastrophes in events that leave hundreds of people dead and others injured. So, if you don’t want to be part of this, security should be at the top of your priority list. Here are tips to help you protect your guests from potential harm.
- Create Several Checkpoints
After assessing the risk, make sure you have several security checkpoints where the people attending the event will pass through before they get inside. It could be a good idea to hire a portable guard shack as a passing booth. This way, the agitators can be put in check before they cause damages. A guard booth keeps uninvited guests away from your event.
- Assess the Risks
Events do have different levels of risks. Therefore, you need to assess the type of risk you might be facing, based on your event. Assess who is hosting your event, the target individuals in the group, the attendees, the context of the event, the speaker, the location of the event, and more. While at it, don’t forget to check cyber vulnerabilities.
- Make the Security Measure Obvious
You need to let everyone know that you are keeping an eye on everything happening in the event. Remember, the aim of security is not to respond to intimidations but to prevent them from happening. So, let the agitators know that you have installed security measures. That means no hidden cameras or undercover security agents.
- Private Events Should Remain Private
If you are holding a private event, let it remain private, many people have a tendency of announcing private events on websites, TVs, and social media platforms. Letting the public know about a private event raises a security risk. So, unless you are holding a public event, let everything remain private, only available to the guests.
- Have an Emergency Plan
Even with maximum security, you might still not be able to avert a disaster. The best way to deal with this is using your emergency plan. So, sit with your security team and develop a plan you will use in the event of a catastrophe.
- Hire Security Experts
If you feel like the event is facing a huge threat, consider hiring security experts. Having a trained eye on the security sector will give you peace of mind. Trained security professionals can identify loopholes in your plan that you and your team might not see. They have mastered the behavior of agitators and can easily identify them from a distance.
- Screen your Staff
Your concern may be focused on the outside such that you forget that most security threats always come from the inside. Don’t trust your staff easily. You need to ensure that everyone working in the event is thoroughly screened before they can work for you.
The Bottom Line
You cannot eliminate all the risks, but you can reduce their chances of happening. The key to this is proper preparation and a good plan for dealing with disasters.
