Major event security: how to improve it with smart tools?

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Concerts, festivals, sports competitions, cultural events or fairs... As soon as an event attracts several thousand participants, safety becomes a central issue. Organizers must think of everything: crowd movements, risks of incidents, rapid evacuation in case of emergency... all without affecting the visitor experience.

What types of events require special preparation? How to ensure the protection of people when they travel and avoid possible accidents? What are the risks to be anticipated? How to secure them as much as possible?

In this article, we explore the challenges of event security and the technologies that can effectively address them.

What do we mean by “major events”?

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Major events or large gatherings refer to events in High attendance taking place in risky environments. More precisely:” major events and large gatherings of persons intended to attend the broadcast of events exposed to a risk of terrorist acts because of their nature and the extent of their attendance.” as specified in Article L211-11-1 of the Internal Security Code.

In practice, we are talking about big event onwards 5000 people gathered. This applies to open-air festivals as well as stadium matches, major trade shows or even indoor concerts. In the context of large gatherings, organizers must put in place measures to reinforced security, in proportion to the nature of the event organized.

What are the risks associated with major events?

The safety of large gatherings is a major challenge given the risks to which participants are exposed. Here are the main risks that organizers should anticipate:

• Crowd movements and panics: La crowd management is imperative during a large-scale event. Panic movements can lead to dramatic stampedes and accidents.
• Terrorism: The risks of attacks must be taken into consideration during large gatherings. Certain types of events also require the deployment of Plan Vigipirate with the aim of ensuring a high level of security to prevent any threat of terrorist action throughout the event.
• Fires: The use of electrical equipment can sometimes cause fires. Provide emergency exit plans and unobstructed access to emergency vehicles should be provided if intervention is required.
• Medical emergencies: Depending on the event, participants may be exposed to extreme weather conditions or congestion situations that can cause discomfort. Anticipating the interventions of medical teams on site is therefore also crucial for the organizers.

The fundamentals of event security

Control of people and accesses

The greater the number of participants, the more important it is to strengthen the control of people and accesses. It is therefore necessary to set up checkpoints to secure the entrances and exits of the site, both for participants and for organizers.

The use of digital badges facilitates check-in operations (check-ins), while solutions to track participants' movements also contribute to increased security.

In addition, it is essential to maximize entry controls and to carry out searches in order to detect any dangerous or prohibited object.

Finally, the establishment of personnel accreditation and identification systems makes it possible to clarify the status of each person involved in the event.

Markings and traffic

To ensure effective and secure management of an event, it is essential to accurately control and monitor the traffic flows of participants. The prior definition of clear and well-identified paths is essential. Thus, the creation of a detailed trip plan not only makes it possible to optimize the movement of people but also to prevent risks associated with crowd movements, such as congestion or panic situations.

In addition, the establishment and appropriate management of specific grouping areas (waiting areas, activity areas, rest areas, emergency exits, etc.) facilitate the task of organizers by offering them better control of space and by allowing them to act quickly in case of emergency.

To complement these devices, clear and visible signage, combined with appropriate lighting, must be installed along the routes. This makes it possible to guide participants effectively, to avoid confusion or orientation errors, and to streamline traffic, especially in conditions of low visibility or in case of high traffic. These measures also reinforce the feeling of safety among participants, which contributes to the overall smooth running of the event.

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How does technology improve the safety of major events?

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Thanks to technological tools, crowd management during major events is simplified.

Les counting technologies allow, for example, to monitor the attendance of a place in real time. They also make it possible to detect peak traffic and to anticipate the risks of overflow.

Smart cameras and sensors, on the other hand, make it possible to analyze crowd behavior and detect critical movements. Operational in both indoor and outdoor spaces, these solutions allow organizers to be reactive in the event of a situation that endangers participants.

In addition, the data analysis software are the key to dealing with multiple risk factors in real time: number of people on site, congestion zones, traffic flow. This precise data makes it possible to issue automatic alerts to indicate if the place is overcrowded, that simplifies the security of the event.

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Anticipate, manage and secure through innovation

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The security of a major event cannot be improvised. It is based on a careful planning, a rigorous team training... and more and more on the tech.

Smart solutions like those offered by Technis allow organizers to:

• Accurately count the participants, zone by zone.
  
  
• Follow the flows to optimize traffic and prevent risks.
  
  
• Analyzing behaviors to anticipate incidents.
  
  

By combining human expertise and technological innovation, it is now possible to guarantee a high level of security, without compromising the comfort of the participants.

Preserving the security of an event means protecting the people, the infrastructures and the image of the organizers. Thanks to digital tools, this mission becomes more precise, more responsive and more effective.

At a time when attendance at events is constantly increasing, invest in flow counting and analysis solutions is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.