- July 6, 2020
- |Security Company
- | 0
It’s unfortunate but true that too many people think of security for a corporate event as something that comes after everything else has been planned. Security needs to be one of the first things considered.
When you’re organizing an important corporate event, you want your security team in on the ground floor. An experienced professional security company can help corporate event planners make good decisions that protect attendees and ensure a successful corporate event.
Whether your corporate event is a meeting only for your top executives, a retreat where employees may bring family or guests, or part of a larger conference, the safety and security of your attendees matter. Make choosing a corporate event security management team a priority before you make any major decisions about the event.
Security is especially important at events that include top company executives who may discuss important proprietary information. Depending upon the form of corporate event, high-level guests like celebrities may also be in attendance.
Leaving planning for security for any corporate event until the last second is asking for trouble. If you select your security team first, you can make smarter decisions about other parts of planning such as venue, transportation arrangements and day-of-event security procedures for all your guests.
How to Improve Security for Large Corporate Events
The reality of the world is that a large corporate event can attract the wrong kind of attention from the wrong people. Whether it’s disgruntled former employees who want to make a scene, current staff who are agitating for an increase in wages, protesters who object to a company’s product or policies looking to disrupt a meeting for publicity, or even terrorists looking for soft targets, not having your security prepared for any possible event may result in harm to important personnel as well as damage to your company’s image that may take years to restore.
Event security entails far more than just dotting the venue with security personnel. The process is quite complex and requires extensive coordination and communication.
With the right security practices, you’ll ensure the safety of your guests and staff — plus you’ll prevent damage to the venue and related property.
Day-of security
We cannot stress enough the importance of security at events. Security keeps you covered in case of :
- An injury to a guest
- Damage to property
- Crowd control
- Troublesome guests
- Unexpected situations
That’s why you must plan your security strategy during the planning process. The types of security you need will depend on the size, scope, location, and type of event you’re planning.
- Know the venue inside and out
You should also know how porous the venue is. “Porous” refers to any way someone could get inside without using actual entry points. This could be a back door for staff, or a window that can be opened from the outside.
Identify all venue entry points and make sure all personnel is aware of them. Creating a diagram you can share is an easy and effective way to give the team a visual understanding.
If the venue is outdoors, establish boundaries where the event perimeter begins and ends. Temporary fencing and barricades can help.
- Gauge attendee risk
Are there any attendees or guests that may pose a risk? You can’t do a background check for every ticket buyer, of course. But, you should identify potential risks.
For example, if a guest speaker represents a company with a controversial history, that may increase the risk of protests or attendees who want to cause a scene.
Be suspicious of guests that purchase event tickets in bulk. This may be an event protestor buying tickets for their fellow disruptors.
Although it may seem counterintuitive, one of the first steps in planning a corporate event is to think about everything that can go wrong and Stay Classy Transportation. When you work with an experienced professional security team, they can help you create a list of possible situations that could arise during your event. This then allows you to create a response plan for each potential problem. In most cases, you will never need to use these plans. But it’s much better to have a plan in place to deal with a potential crisis than to find yourself scrambling for a solution.
- Control the crowd
The larger the crowd, the more likely it is that something can go wrong. Staff needs to be comfortable with managing large groups and exerting authority when needed.
The security team may need to perform the following with respects to crowd management:
- Ask guests to move away if they’re blocking the exit.
- Monitor the registration line to keep it organized and prevent people from cutting. (Using cones, yellow tape, or stanchions is a great help here.)
- Ensure guests don’t stray into staff-only areas or areas reserved for VIP.
It’s also important that you ensure that the crowd in the venue never grows beyond the capacity limit. Remember to count all staff and security personnel when keeping track of total numbers. Going over capacity can result in fines from the venue administrator.
- Assess the potential for large-scale attacks
It’s unfortunate we have to mention this at all, but this is the reality. Big crowds are an easy and soft target, so armed security personnel are recommended for larger events.
All guests should also have their bags checked. A professional security team is trained to look for weapons or items that can be improvised as weapons.
Publicize ahead of your event that all personal bags will be inspected to ensure guest safety. You should also include a list of contraband items that will not be allowed in the venue. This includes all weapons and certain chemical materials.
Aside from bag checks and body scanners, personnel should also be on the lookout for suspicious behavior. Examples of abnormal behavior that should alert staff includes:
- Constantly staring at staff
- Lack of engagement or feigned interest in event activities
- Surveilling the venue layout
Monitoring for suspicious activity should also take place in the immediate vicinity of the venue exterior. Since bags won’t be checked until entry, perpetrators may find opportunities right outside the venue where attendees gather to register.
The possibility of a protest during your corporate event increases if your company makes a controversial product, has controversial corporate policies or if you’ve invited a controversial speaker to make a presentation. Often protest groups will try to disrupt meetings to embarrass the company or the speaker and gain media attention to publicize their cause.
When you work with a professional security company beforehand, they help you identify protesters who might try to interrupt the event. This will enable them to create the proper level of security. For instance, if the security team knows that the controversial speaker will be making a presentation on a particular day, they can ensure that there’s extra security for that event.
- Keep communication tight
Your staff needs to stay in constant communication. Be sure each staff member has a walkie-talkie.
If you hire a professional security detail, be sure they communicate back and forth with your own staff. Company staff and third-party security details tend to not communicate. The former should report all suspicious activity to the security team and refrain from direct confrontations.
Pro tip: Diagramming the event beforehand can be a great way to share a visual map of the security setup with your staff.
Event security really matters
Events generate a lot of ROI for planners, companies, and venues. However, with any live public gathering, there is always the risk of something going seriously wrong.
You and your team have to be prepared to respond at a moment’s notice. An organized and safe event ensures everyone leaves happy.
At Glovers Security Solutions, we are available to serve our customers with our 24/7 In-House Dispatch Center. 24/7 In-House Dispatch Center. Call Us Today 1-855-357-0413 Or Complete This Form.