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“Concert venue security has significantly changed”

Guardian Zone's Sheryl Pinckney-Maas gives five reasons to adopt crowdsourced incident reporting technologies at concerts

16 Mar 2023

Now that the event industry has rebounded from Covid-related lulls, the landscape of concert venue security has significantly changed. Especially as ticket sales continue to rise, the question is not if security threats to concert attendees will present themselves but how security teams will address them when they inevitably do.

To maintain faith in concert venue security teams, it is more important than ever that live music venues address potential gaps in their security protocol. Rising concert attendance and security complications tend to directly correlate with each other.

The fact is, as more and more fans are packed into a venue, it becomes exponentially more difficult for security staff to respond appropriately to potential threats. Not only are evacuation routes complicated by crowds, but so is the ability for security teams to receive notification of an ongoing issue, coordinate a response, and address the problem.

In a recent survey conducted by The National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4), respondents voiced a need for more actionable and real-time intelligence during
events, indicating that lack of communication between the patrons and event security had become a persistent problem.

In instances of fights, theft, alcohol or drug overuse, crowd surges, sexual assault, etc – if security do not have the tools to communicate directly with fans in real-time, it will be effectively impossible for them to intervene in a timely manner. Many concert venues still suffer from fundamental problems related to limited security staff and uncoordinated crisis response.

Rising concert attendance and security complications tend to directly correlate with each other

For example, concert venues deploying surveillance cameras as a stand-alone solution still find themselves unprepared to address events in real-time, as many surveillance systems are not always continuously manned. Regardless of the number of cameras a venue may deploy, without the ability to verify reports, communicate with attendees, and disseminate mass alerts – event security will remain underequipped.

To address ongoing emergencies in real-time, it is critical that concert venues integrate crowdsourced intelligence software to allow all patrons the ability to independently share
information directly with security personnel, permitting event security to gather data from multiple sources and gain a complete picture of a security event or incident.

Five Reasons to Adopt Crowdsourced Incident Reporting Technologies at Concerts:
1 Integrating real-time, two-way communication capabilities between security personnel and fans acts as a force multiplier for onsite event security – without requiring additional personnel. Since it is already common for fans to document events, attendees can download a free, easy-to-use app, allowing security to take advantage of users’ smartphones.

2 Using crowdsourced intelligence to bridge the ever-widening communication gap between fans and security personnel takes the guesswork out of keeping fans safe, putting power
in the hands of the people who need it most, and equipping security personnel with the one thing they often lack: actionable intelligence.

Many concert venues still suffer from fundamental problems related to limited security staff and uncoordinated crisis response

3 Because crowdsourced intelligence platforms rely on cloud-based software, integrating them into existing security systems does not require an overhaul of physical security infrastructure. For event security already accustomed to operating traditional systems, folding in crowdsourced intelligence into an Emergency Operations Plan only better equips them to do
their jobs.

4 Implementing crowdsourced intelligence is as easy as it sounds. Easy for security staff and even easier for fans. Statistically, at least nine out of ten fans have the tools they need to
report incidents to onsite safety and security personnel – all they need to do so is an app to facilitate it.

5 Using agnostic, customisable geofencing technology enables event security to extend their perimeter into surrounding parking lots and communities, not only expanding a security team’s footprint but also protecting patrons well before they arrive and offering community members and fans peace of mind.

Key Takeaways
Much like Waze revolutionised directions by crowdsourcing feedback, concert venues can do the same by connecting fans to onsite security using crowdsourced intelligence. Equipped
with crowdsourced intelligence, concert venue event security can rest assured that they are prepared for every possible scenario – putting safety in every hand and proving to fans that security is a top priority.

 


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