Edmonton is known as the Festival City and this is for a good reason. Every month, there is a constant stream of events occurring in the city. Many of these are open space events like Edmonton Resilience Festival, Movie on the Square or Folk Music Festival. These events are not only difficult to manage, but most often have lax security too.
Any outdoor event in Edmonton has the chance of being attack by terrorists or criminals. You need to ensure that your open air event has a tight security.
Clearly State the Rules
From the moment you start marketing your event through social media, fliers, radio, etc, it is important that you create awareness about its rules too. People should be made aware that alcohol and drugs aren’t allowed.
Post the rules outside the event. Create separate fliers and posters just for the rules. It would be a good idea to make them attractive to read.
Create Boundaries
The reason why an open air event has lax security is because it does not have controlled access points. People can enter from anywhere. Boundaries can be made by using physical barriers like tape or rope. Additionally, you can use signs to direct the flow of people. These also play a big role for crowd control.
Loop in the Edmonton Police
Apart from taking permission from Edmonton Police for the event, you can loop them in to help with security. Ask them:
– To have police officers posted at the event
– A patrol car posted nearby
– Have a patrol car swing by every hour just to check the event
Hire Security Guards
Most probably the Edmonton police are strained so they won’t be able to provide police personnel at the event. In this case, it would be better to hire security guards. Onsite security guards can be very effective in maintaining security. A security guard will patrol the area and ensure every person sticks to the rules and boundaries you have set.
In addition, security guards are quite well trained in good communication and conflict management – two skills that are very handy in many scenarios.
Patrol Parking Lot
In an open space event, it may seem inconsequential to have a patrol at the parking lot, but it does help. A large number of people attending your event will park their cars there. This is a good way to spot the ones who may be a security threat.
Have an Emergency Plan
An emergency plan ensures that you are prepared for anything. Your emergency plan should include scenarios like health problems, injuries, a panicked crowd or criminal interference. With an emergency plan, your staff and security guards can react quickly and in an appropriate manner.
Once you have taken care of your security and hired security guards, you can complete focus on executing the event and ensuring it runs without a hitch.
