Security concept for major events
Mass panic, outbreaks of violence, food poisoning and similar incidents at major events are rare, but can never be ruled out. Despite sophisticated security concepts, the organizers are challenged in the event of an incident and quickly come under media fire or even criminal suspicion.
Organizers of a major event must manage all security risks in the best possible way. However, how complex this task is and how many players are involved is often underestimated. For this reason, the term "security management" is rightly used for large events. This demanding task can no longer simply be delegated to a volunteer member of the organizing committee (OC): It requires appropriate knowledge and, in particular, leadership experience as well as a great deal of intuition in dealing with the partner organizations involved.
Include in all phases
Security management starts very early in the concept phase and continues through the planning, preparation and implementation phases. In the post-processing phase, too, attention must be paid to safety in the sense of a serious debriefing with the recording of the corresponding learnings.
A consistent safety management system takes the following aspects into account: Basically, the process to be followed for professional security management remains the same for all event forms. In terms of content, the security concepts, the organization of the crisis team and the operations center as well as the measures to be taken in the event of an incident differ greatly depending on the event. Factors such as the venue (indoor - outdoor, on the water, in the mountains, etc.), the type of event (concert, sport, city festival, exhibition, etc.) as well as the target audience and political framework conditions play a decisive role.
The detailed article by our author Fränk Hofer can be found in the current Issue of the SecurityForum can be read.
