California hosts various events, which can range from large public crowds to small private occasions. And so, event organizers must protect attendees because crowds have become targets for terrorists and persons with ill intentions, which attendees may not comprehend. And so, the moment you decide on an event, the first consideration should be protecting human life and property or assets.

Unfortunately, one might assume that hiring any security personnel suffices, without considering the specific skills required. Nevertheless, this is not true. You should not take shortcuts when planning an event’s security because it could lead to violence, chaos, and criminal activities. You must hire event security guards with the essential skills to make your event successful.

Reasons You Should Hire Event Security Guards

When organizing an event, you must take caution by putting in the appropriate security measures depending on the venue. Venues like concert halls and stadiums have structures that safeguard the crowd, but you must deploy event security guards. It is your responsibility as the organizer to hire the proper security guards for the occasion. These security personnel play a critical role, such as:

Risk Evaluation

Competent event security guards will conduct a risk analysis of the event to craft a plan customized to meet the specific needs of the occasion and address the vulnerabilities identified. The security plan covers all possible security incidents that could arise, along with solutions for addressing these problems. Whatever event you are hosting, you should plan for all potential risks.

Crowd Control

Emergency evacuation could be necessary when there is a large gathering of people. Thankfully, when you partner with a security company whose guards have training and skills in event security, you will have peace of mind knowing the trained guards will control the crowd when exiting the venue to prevent chaos. Competent security guards will help the crowd exit the venue safely during emergencies.

The main challenge people face in an event, public or private, is finding exit doors from the venue during distress. Your team of security guards will identify these exits in advance and plan the best way to evacuate attendees fast and safely. When you enlist the services of these professionals, you can rest easy knowing any panic or distress will not lead to a disaster because of the ability of your team to manage crowds and conduct a safe emergency evacuation.

Safe Escort of Guests

Many events, particularly music ones, continue until late at night. You should find a security company that can escort these individuals to their vehicles and ensure they leave safely, depending on the event’s nature. Besides, the guards will inspect the bags of guests accessing the venue to ensure no weapons or explosives that could harm the crowd enter the venue. The guards have training to identify objects that could be deemed to threaten the safety of event attendees.

Handling Crimes and Accidents

Event security experts have the training to deal with crime threats like robbery, shooting, fire, or attempted terrorism at an event and will know the action to take to keep the crowd safe.

When the individual who threatens security is caught, they will call the local law enforcement to conduct interrogations. Besides, they will deal with the law enforcement on your behalf.

If an accident or fire happens, the professionals will conduct an evacuation and perform first aid on the injured ones before helping them seek medical treatment.

Keep Uninvited Guests Out of the Event

Your security officers will ensure the only people that access the venue are those invited or the ones you were expecting. If uninvited guests show up, the security will ensure these people are removed discreetly without creating attention or awkward situations.

Offer A Sense of Security

Ensuring all guests feel secure at your event is paramount. The best way to do this is to have security professionals present. Your event will become more prestigious and enjoyable to the guests when you try to hire a reputable event security company. These professionals will position the guards in key places like entries and exits. Additionally, the guards will remain in their positions the entire time, creating the sense of security guests need to feel comfortable.

Types of Events and the Roles of Security Guards

Different events require unique security measures. Therefore, when hiring, you must find security experts with the skills to address the security needs of your events. The common events are:

  1. Music Festivals and Concerts

Live music events and concerts are exciting for the guests and performers. Music fans can meet their preferred artists and enjoy live music performances. Attendees are free to interact and have fun.

Nevertheless, just because people interact freely for fun does not mean all those attending have good intentions. Some music fans become unruly after drinking, while others are criminals whose goal of attending is to steal and cause chaos.

As a music concert planner, you want your guests and artists to feel safe by enlisting the services of reputable event security firms. The security measures you will take are unique.

You will require security personnel with crowd management or control skills to keep the crowd in check by giving directions, breaking up fights, and conducting emergency evacuations if there is a panic.

Also, you will require guards with skills to conduct thorough gate searches to ensure only invited or eligible guests access the venue and that no illegal weapons make their way inside it.

Lastly, your security company must provide bodyguards to keep the artists safe during the live performances. The personal guards for these artists must have special training to spot any threats that could be targeted at the protected performer. Besides, the bodyguards must be armed if excessive force is necessary to neutralize a threat.

  1. Sporting Events

     

A sporting event is another kind of event for which you will require security. If the world were perfect, every person would attend a sporting event without being concerned for safety. Unfortunately, sporting events attract huge crowds and uncontrollable fans in stadiums. Also, alcohol is sold to the fans, with some drinking excessively and becoming unruly or disorderly. This, coupled with sports rivalry, can increase the risk of fights. Other security threats in sporting events are terrorism and theft offenses.

Therefore, even if planning a significant sporting event like the Super Bowl or a small school game, you must prioritize the security of the players, officials, and fans. Having the appropriate security measures helps prevent or neutralize any security threats, making the event enjoyable.

The type of security you will require for a sporting event hinges on the size. Significant events require sophisticated security measures. First, the guards must conduct a security sweep at the entrance to keep firearms and other illegal weapons out of the stadium. Besides, security sweeps will prevent those without tickets from entering the venue.

Similarly, the guards must use metal detectors to identify explosives or dangerous weapons that endanger lives.

Additionally, the security personnel must provide uninterrupted surveillance before the game starts, during the game, and after the event. The company must position some guards to monitor surveillance footage to identify security threats and inform other guards.

You could be forced to pick between armed and unarmed guards depending on the event. Extreme security threats can happen for large sporting events, requiring armed guards. However, you will require unarmed security experts for a school sports day event.

  1. Corporate Events

Corporate events are deemed the safest private occasions, as high-profile officials and executives attend them. Attendees typically conduct themselves professionally and are less likely to indulge in excessive alcohol if it is being served. People feel safe in these events. Nevertheless, they fail to recognize that these high-profile people could be targets for criminal activities and that events could be the right place for the criminals to execute their malicious motives.

Therefore, you must invest in security for your corporate event. You must hire a company with security professionals trained for these specific occasions. Those attending the event have expectations, and you can portray professionalism by having trained security professionals.

  1. Private Events

Even when hosting a private event like a wedding, VIP party, or birthday party, it is crucial to invest in security by hiring a reliable security company. The security measures the company will implement depend on the type of private event.

Many private parties serve alcohol. Combining alcoholic beverages and large crowds could be disastrous, as some people could become unruly because of the intoxication. Event security experts have the training to handle unruly individuals professionally without harming them or being disrespectful.

In VIP parties where attendees are important people in society, your security company will offer protection. These experts keep the paparazzi and stalkers away to ensure the guests enjoy the party without drawing unwelcome attention.

Uninvited guests, also called gatecrashers, will attempt to enter the party venue. Luckily, your security team will position some guards at the entrance to inspect those entering and ensure that only guests have access. That way, people with ill motives, like criminals, will not make their way to the venue, enabling your guests to have fun safely.

When planning an event, security must be prioritized to achieve success. Your security firm will conduct a risk assessment and identify guards with different skills and training for various roles.

Essential Skills Events Security Officials Must Possess

The security company you hire for your event must have guards with skills and training to improve the chances of a safe and successful event. The skills the security personnel must possess are:

Physical and Mental Fitness

Event security is an active assignment, requiring guards who are physically fit with optimal strength, performance, and endurance. A security job is a physical one, encompassing long-standing hours and walking around large venues like stadiums. Sometimes, a guard could be required to chase after someone who poses a security threat or breaches the rules. The guard must be physically fit to perform these tasks.

Mental fitness is also a requirement. Events can change quickly, and you want professionals who are alert and attentive to details. So, the company must assign your mentally agile event officers to ensure they are proactive and will report accurate information.

Crowd Control Training

Events, private or public, attract large gatherings. Controlling these crowds is not a simple task. Leaving the assignment to a professional with no training in crowd control could easily turn the event into chaos. You want officers with knowledge of techniques to manage foot traffic or evacuate people safely during an emergency without causing a stampede that could lead to property loss, injuries, and deaths.

Adequately trained guards will know how to identify distress or panic in a crowd and take the necessary measures before distress spreads. The professionals will also evaluate the entry and exits of the venue before the event and plan the best evacuation technique, depending on the number of attendees.

Conflict Resolution

Where people are gathered in large numbers, disagreements are bound to happen, and they could quickly escalate into a physical fight if not resolved. So, you must find a security company that employs event security professionals with conflict resolution skills. Depending on the type of event, attendees could have some rivalry, while others become excessively drunk and unruly, leading to conflicts. Your guards must know how to resolve the differences between the conflicting parties and prevent a fight.

The guards may use reasonable force when necessary to prevent harm or repel security threats, depending on the circumstances. You will require professionals with clear communication to help the conflicting parties calm down. The guards should use body language that shows authority without physical force or aggression.

Emergency Preparedness

Event security professionals must undergo special training on emergency response. When an incident like an accident or a fire breaks out, the first responders are the guards on site. Therefore, these experts must have the skills to administer first aid to the injured parties before the emergency response team arrives. The experts must have basic first aid skills because these will save lives in an emergency.

Besides, they must understand evacuation protocols and have a detailed evacuation plan when a fire breaks out. The guards must know where all the exits are and must have contact with the local emergency responders.

Prepping The Security Experts for Your Events

Even though the guards the security company will assign for your event have the proper training and expertise, you must brief them on your expectations. How you handle guests at one event differs from another, and you must prepare the security experts to ensure they meet the safety needs of your guests and make the event a success.

Start by briefing the guards on the event you are hosting, its purpose, and the venue layout. Details of the venue layout, like designated areas, entries and exits, and restrooms, will be crucial in managing the crowd to prevent overcrowding. Also, the experts should understand emergency exits and the number of guests expected to create an emergency evacuation plan before the event.

Also, explain the type of guests you will expect at your event. If you expect large crowds and will be serving alcohol, the guards will expect violence and will know how to de-escalate the situation. You should explain what the guards should do with drunk and unruly guests, including removing them from the venue.

If it is a private party, you do not want guests who drink excessively, particularly if they are your friends, to be thrown out of the venue. Instead, you should train the guards to monitor those guests they identify as extremely drunk and ensure they do not disrupt others or cause violence. However, when you fail to brief them, they will not be adequately prepared and might fail to respond correctly to various security threats, making the event a failure.

When hosting a VIP party, inform the security company because you will require specialized event security experts. Many VIPs want to have fun privately without drawing unwanted attention. Therefore, you should inform the guards that you expect discretion and that unauthorized persons like obsessed fans and paparazzi should stay at a distance. The company will assign you guards with specialized training to identify threats and neutralize them.

You must set up clear communication and reporting channels. Exchange of information is key to adequate security at an event. There must be clear communication between the guards and the crowd. You should have loudspeakers and microphones that guards can use to make security-related announcements, depending on the type of event and size of the crowd.

The security guards should also have remote communication with police officers in case an incident requires reporting. You should ensure that reporting systems are known to all and emphasize the need for accurate information documentation. If you have guards with excellent communication skills, you will not have problems passing messages to the guests or reporting incidents.

Find a Reputable Event Security Guard Service Near Me

You should prioritize people, assets, and property security when planning an event. With the right security measures, you will hold a successful event. Event attendees expect a sense of security and a professional look. Partnering with event security professionals gives your event a professional look and makes your guests feel safe. However, you must hire a security company that will meet the specific security needs of your occasion. At Green Knight Security, we have trained and competent security guards who will keep the crowd and property safe. Call us at 844-457-8326 to talk to our representative about your event in Los Angeles.