Planning an event, whether held indoors or outdoors, is no walk in the park. You need to choose the right suppliers and venue to hold a successful event. For example, you should consider hiring event rentals with years of experience in the industry. Whichever party rentals or staging and dance floor rentals you choose, it is important to do your research first before hiring one.
As event planners or organizers, it is also a responsibility to consider your guests’ welfare. More than hiring the best event rentals suppliers out there, you should include safety in your list as well. Unfortunately, this is often in the last part of any event planner’s lists.
Ensuring everyone’s safety
More often than not, safety may not receive as much event planning budget unlike others in the list (ex. venue, catering service, loot bags for attendees, tokens for special guests, etc.). However, safety should be of utmost importance no matter how big or small the event is.
With the recent reports of violence during public events and the threat of COVID-19, event security should definitely be on top of every event organizers’ list. For one thing, it can ensure thousands of attendees’ safety while the event is ongoing. From unfortunate events such as the Boston Marathon bombing, the Las Vegas shooting incident, and even natural disasters, safety should not be taken for granted.
However, it should not only pertain to the attendees’ safety but to the event staff as well. Planning a risk assessment plan can be a challenging task, but it should be done. However, it does not require complicated steps but leaning towards the conscientious side and basic common sense.
Considering major security risks
The level of security needed depends on the event’s theme and purpose. For example, a politics-related event (ex. a popular politician’s campaign event) is of higher-risk in terms of safety than a birthday event held indoors.
If you availed party tent rentals for an outdoor event, it is important to ensure your guests’ safety especially if there are children. For easier assessment of the level of security you need to implement, here are some things you need to consider.
- What type of event are you holding? (ex. a music concert with multiple performers, a politician’s campaign event, a sports event, etc.)
- Is/Are your special guest(s) prominent figures that might attract security threats? (ex. a prominent politician, a foreign guest, etc.)
- How many attendees do you expect to come to the event? (The more attendees, the higher the security risk).
- Where will the event be held? (Outdoor events can be of a higher security risk than ones held indoors)
Implementing security measures
First of all, event organizers should not implement security measures as a response to any safety threat. Rather, it should be more of avoiding it in the first place. In other words, it should be implemented as a pre-emptive measure rather than a response mechanism. Here are some tips to ensure better security and safety for everyone in the venue.
Ensure your security tools’ visibility.
The more visible your security tools are (ex. CCTV cameras, metal detectors, security guards, etc.), the more likely your guests will comply with the implemented security measures. At the same time, potential agitators might defer doing bad things that will compromise everyone’s safety during the event. Therefore, your guests will feel safer and more secure.
Identify your attendees.
A lot of events require their attendees to show an ID for identification purposes. This is also crucial especially if the event has an age requirement for the attendees. The security and the event organizers have all the right to deny entry of attendees who won’t comply with this security measure.
Consider cybersecurity as well.
Your guests’ digital data should be well-secured as well. Make sure to hire a cybersecurity expert to prevent malware from intruding on your guests’ devices. Share the Wi-Fi password exclusively for the attendees.
In case of an actual emergency
Anything can happen beyond our control, no matter how prepared we all are. What if an intruder manages to slip through security? What if a natural disaster such as an earthquake happens? This is where an emergency plan will come in handy.
For one, there should be a security team to handle such kinds of emergencies. Situations such as the presence of a violent shooter or how and where to evacuate attendees in case of a natural disaster should be planned accordingly.
At the end of the day, event organizers should not only plan on getting affordable corporate tent rentals and other suppliers. You can easily find staging and dance floor rentals in Maryland and other event suppliers if you are looking for one. More importantly, security should also be on top of the list to ensure an event’s safety and success.