:SEC420 Major Event Protection

Major Event

SEC420 Major Event Protection

Name

Class

Date

Professor

Major Event Protection

At a major concert being held at an outdoor venue security vulnerabilities must be first assessed before the artist can perform as well as to ensure the safety of concert goers and concert staff. A major concert is a large venue that requires adequate security be present to police the thousands of people in an attendance but other smaller security details must also be addressed. Before an effective security plan can be developed a security assessment must first be conducted. The security assessment will identify the security needs for the major outdoor concert event and identify security weaknesses and gaps that must be addressed.

In this case the major concert will involve a country superstar and will be held at the local outdoor amphitheatre. The amphitheatre is large and will hold up to 20,000 concert goers. The outdoor amphitheatre includes a large stage with underground offices, dressing rooms, and security stations that hold concert staff, artists and crew, and security personnel. There are eight different potential entry points into the venue wit tow of these points being off limits to concert goers. These areas are restricted and only accessible to artists, their entourage, and security personnel as well as concert staffers. One entrance is used for suppliers and retailers.

Preplanning Stage

At a major concert venue, that will be held outside there are many potential security risks that will present themselves requiring an effective assessment in order to develop a comprehensive security plan. The security assessment of the concert venue begins with assessment planning that involves determining who, what, and where the assessment will be conducted (Bickel, 2007). When an event, such as a major concert, will be occurring planning should begin months before the event. There are many small and large details that must first be addressed and assessed before the concert can occur.

The planning stage also involves determining the budget including available resources and cost of properly securing the venue as well as the logistics of ensuring every aspect of the security are addressed. If every detail of the security plan is not preplanned the security plan cannot be effective. For example if the security plan included security all gates entrances but failed to secure the area where the artist prepare the security plan is ineffective. The planning stage also involves conducting the risk and threat assessments. The risk assessment provides answers on potential security risks while the threat assessment identifies potential security threats.

The risk and threat assessments will assist security staff in identifying potential threats, such as the regular crimes committed that could occur at the concert venue that include theft, gang activity, and vandalism or potential threats due to disasters out of the control of the security staff, such as fires or severe and dangerous weather. Understanding the risks will allow the security staff to budget properly by identifying necessary resources and ensure the appropriate measures are in place to prevent the potential threat. Threat and risk assessment cover the categories of harm to people, harm to property, and liability to concert venue.

Security Plan

The security plan will involve many different aspects that will need to be addressed. First is securing the outer perimeter of the amphitheatres. This means preventing people that have not paid for the concert from entering the venue as well as controlling traffic into the concert venue. With a venue that holds well over 20,000 concert goers there will be a definite need to ensure all parking and traffic issues have been preplanned for and addressed. This includes employing the services of local law enforcement to ensure that there are not traffic issues and that concert goers can park without any challenges or accidents. The Security chief will run security operations from the security operations center which includes the video surveillance center.

Security the outer perimeter means ensuring that no unauthorized personnel enter the area. This will include placing security gates at each entrance that contain security personnel that are charged with providing assistance to law enforcement directing traffic and preventing any unwanted guest from entering the area (Shuster, 2003). Barricades will be used to ensure traffic does not enter any unauthorized areas. Other responding personnel that will be present at the concert venue include medical personnel in the event there is a medical emergency as well as the local fire department t respond to fires or any other potential catastrophe.

The parking areas of the concert venue will also need to be secured. The security plan will ensure that the parking areas are well lit and that security members are present to deter any potential theft or damage coming to the vehicles of con cert goers. Concert goers are also required to pay for parking at the concert venue if they want to leave their vehicle in a secured parking lot. Security guards will be in place in order to charge customers and to deter any potential conflicts. Separate parking lots will be available for artist, security personnel, and concert staff.

The next security concern that must be addressed involves the entrance gates. Due to the large population of concert goers there will need to be security in place to ensure concert goers enter the building in a uniform and orderly manner. Concert goers will also need to be checked for weapons, drugs, or alcohol. Security will be placed at one of the five entrances that will be used by concert goers to ensure there is no chaos or conflict and to ensure that no one enter with contraband. Each door will contain a security guard that will take the concert goers ticket and scan it to authentic its genuineness before the concert goers will stop at a station to have bags checked.

Once concert goers enter into the amphitheatre they can be seated on the outdoor bleachers or sit on the grass down by the stage area. Due to the large size of the venue and the large population of concert goers’ security will be placed in strategic points all throughout the venue. Some security officers will be stationary while other security officers will patrol the concert area to deter any criminal or offensive behavior. Security within the concert venue also includes placing video cameras strategically throughout the venue to be alerted of any disturbances or crimes as well as having security guards to monitor the surveillance network. Security personnel with keep in touch using walkie-talkies

Under the concert stage is the security personnel offices, concert staff offices, and a private area for the artists and their entourage. An essential aspect of the security plan is securing this area in order to ensure there are no intrusions. The country music star playing at the concert is one of the most important people at the concert. Their security is essential. The first steps that will be taken to secure the artist are placing two bodyguards with the artist at all times. The bodyguards will meet the artist at the entrance after they reach the parking lot and will be responsible for securing the artists the entire time they are present in the building. The artist’s band will be escorted by security staff to a secured area where they can prepare for the concert.

The artist will be escorted to their dressing rooms by their personal bodyguards while other security guards placed at the entrances of the venue will ensure that no unauthorized personnel enter the underground area. Door at the entrances will only be opened through a keyless entry system. Authorized personnel will have cards that will give them access to areas that are secured. Once the country artist is ready to travel to the stage they will be escorted by their bodyguards and other security personnel to ensure they reach the stage safely and without incident.

Once the concert begins security staff will be stationed around the edge of the stage to prevent concert goers from hurling their bodies onto the stage and causing harm to the artist or their band. The security staff will also patrol the concert venue as well as stationary security will police entrances and exits until the concert is over. Once the concert ends the artists and band members will be escorted to the downstairs offices and escorted to the dressing rooms. The artist bodyguards will remain with the artist until they leave the venue in the transportation they arrived in. The rest of the artist entourage will also be escorted from the building and securely placed in leaving transportation.

Once the concert stops the concert goers will begin exiting the concert venue. The security staff will be responsible for policing exits to ensure concert goers leave the building in an orderly fashion and if any conflicts security staff will be present to address these issues. Security staff in parking lots will police exiting concert goers while law enforcement will be responsible for monitoring the high rate of traffic that will be occurring as tens of thousands of concert goers exit the venue.

Security staff within the venue will be responsible for ensuring all concert goers have left the venue and it has been properly secured. Security staff will need to check all of the bleacher, bathrooms, and any other possible places that unauthorized concert goers may still be present. Security personnel will also need to secure the perimeter of the concert venue by ensuring all persons have left the area and all vehicles have been removed from the concert venue parking lots.

When working with VIPs at a concert event it is essential to ensure security is heightened. Fans can be dangerous and will go to any length to come into contact with the country music artist. By security the area in which the artist is contained and placing person security guards with the country artist will ensure their security. Once the artist is on stage they are once again vulnerable and will need comprehensive security in place. If the artist cannot be properly secured the concert venue would have difficulty booking further artist and will lose money. Security for the concert venue and the VIP artist ensure everyone’s safety.

References

Bickel, K. (2007). Planning and Managing Security for Major Special Events: Best Practices for

Law Enforcement Administrators. Retrieved March 10, 2013 from

http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article

Shuster, R. (2003). Security Strategies for Special Events. Retrieved March 10, 2013 from

http://specialevents.com/mag/meetings_security_strategies_special