Do you have a big event coming up? You should think about crowd control security as soon as you finalise the attendees’ count. It is essential for everyone’s safety at the event.
Crowd control is the efficient management of large crowds to avoid the outbreak of unforeseen situations such as riots and conflicts.
We have many Crowd Control Security Services in Melbourne, and all you need to do is run research and get on board with the best one. They will take care of everything as professionally as possible.
However, for your understanding, let’s see some crowd control tactics.
1. Conduct risk assessment
Your first duty, as far as crowd control is concerned, is to do a risk assessment. This assessment’s goal is to identify the potential problems that may arise during the event. You may start with the venue, audience, and event type.
To sum it all up:
- Identify any dangers that may occur as a result of the venue’s design. For example, steep steps or poorly lit areas may cause slipping accidents.
- Once the hazards have been determined, you may opt to close off such risky areas of the venue to the public.
- As per the event type, you should assess if the programmes are likely to work up the crowd. For example, a political rally may raise more security concerns than a corporate convention.
- Who is your target audience?
- Can you count on your guests to be well-behaved?
Once you’ve asked yourself these questions and recognised any potential hazards, make sure you come up with suitable safety precautions.
2. Use signage to make navigation easier
A venue is the most important part of an event. So, you should ensure that the venue is prepped with signage for participants’ convenience.
Navigating a large-scale event can be tricky as it’ll be teeming with crowds and possibly dark. So, place signs all over the venue, and this will direct guests to the appropriate route to ensure they know their way around.
You may place signs for:
- The restrooms
- Registration area
- Staff-only areas
- Designated smoking zones
- And other important sections of your event.
Signs should be printed in a simple font that is easy to read from a distance. Having signage posted aids in organising the venue area and ensures that people find their way around the event.
3. Set up a security system
On the day of the event, security will safeguard you from external dangers. It must be at all stages — outside the venue, entrances, food kiosks, and the principal viewing area.
You may add several measures to your event’s security system, such as:
- Setting up security checkpoints away from important entrances
- Installing metal detectors to identify hazardous materials.
- Placing security cameras strategically throughout the arena to assist your team in keeping track of what’s happening.
4. Provide plenty of security and ushers
A significant staff presence is expected for huge events. Apart from the event employees, the staff includes event security professionals provided by the venue or contracted by a third-party agency.
Firstly, you should understand that ushers’ duties are different from security. In the case of conflicts, ushers don’t deal with unruly guests. It is a job of security personnel. Also, security staff is in charge of screening baggage during check-in for guns and other prohibited items.
Crowd control security professionals know how to bring such unexpected situations back under control.
Ushers, on the other hand, can be employed near the check-in lines to guide people appropriately. This is one area where things can quickly turn chaotic, so ushers need to be on their toes while working here.
Overall, ushers handle customer service, and security handles customer safety-related service. So, you should employ more than enough crowd control security at the event.
5. Make an emergency backup plan
You should constantly prepare for the worst-case situation. Any misstep can quickly turn things sour in large-scale events. Some issues even get so serious that they necessitate an immediate and orderly evacuation. For example, a fire breaking out or a riot in the audience.
Attendees may be required to leave the site until police enforcement, or firemen arrive in any of these instances.
Event/venue managers should be familiar with the layout of the venue as well as the location of all exits. It is the staff’s responsibility to keep order and guarantee that guests depart safely. Thus, staff should be the last to go.
These scenarios may be rare, but they can occur at any moment. So, it’s crucial to have an emergency backup plan in place.
Conclusion
Having a huge crowd turn up at your event is a special feeling. However, it is as much a responsibility as it is a proud moment.
So, it’s essential you hire competent crowd control security services. And this ensures everybody has a good time without risking safety.
