Crowd Management Is the Technical Term
While you may have heard it called crowd control or crowd flow, the technical term for what security teams and event security do is crowd management. The distinction between the terms is necessary when you’re planning an event or high-risk gathering and want to make sure that everyone working it understands the services that your security team will be providing. Crowd management ensures that your event will be safe, fire hazards will be eliminated, crowds will pass through areas calmly and safely, and there is no danger of a stampede or fights.
What Is Crowd Management?
Crowd management is a public security service used in event security to ensure that large groups of people remain safe and orderly. As part of crowd management, a security and events team will make every effort to safely limit the movement and behavior of attendees so that traffic flows smoothly, there is no risk of stampedes or crowd crushes, and everyone remains calm. When you hire an events security team for crowd management at a large event, the team will plan and direct the flow of traffic in and around the event to maintain order, calm, and safety.
Types of Crowd Management
There are five primary types of crowd management, and your events security team may use some or all of these to manage the crowd at your large event.
- Wayfinding optimization – utilizing signage, barricades, turnstiles, maps, and more to ensure guests can easily and quickly find their way around. Reduces confusion, aimlessness, frustration, and anxiety.
- Queue management – effective queue management limits the amount of time guests will spend in line, reducing frustration that can lead to fights or unruliness.
- Temporary closures – reduce movement and limit guests’ access to areas that are staff only or may be dangerous.
- Rapid deployment – utilizing effective communication tools to quickly dispatch staff to areas of most need or block access to areas that have become dangerous or unusable.
- Customer flow management – combination of tools to handle crowd flow and get people to calmly and safely go where you want them, when you want them to.
The Goal of Crowd Management
The goal of crowd management at high-risk events or large gatherings is to manage a steady flow of crowds and prevent excessively dense crowds. This creates a manageable flow of traffic and minimizes risks such as fights, stampedes, and crowd crushes. This also mitigates the number of first-aid incidents, injuries, and violent offenses.
Equipment and Strategies Used in Crowd Management
When you hire an events securities team for crowd management at your large event or gathering, they will regulate and direct the event set up and crowd flow to maximize efficiency and minimize risk. This includes vehicle and foot traffic, utilizing crowd control barriers including turnstiles, barricades, and signposts, and posting security guards and other staff to act as guides. Other techniques include:
- Communicating rules and regulations throughout event staff and employees
- Creating and communicating an emergency and disaster plan
- Making predictions for crowd flow and behavior based on data and statistics
- Providing guests with protection from weather
- Coordinating with the placement and set up of catering or food trucks, toilets, cloakrooms, and parking
- Limiting guest wait times and time spent searching for what they need
Contact A-Team Security for Security and Event Services
If you’re planning a large or high-risk event or gathering in Tucson, AZ, our experienced, professional team at A-Team Security and Event Services can ensure it goes off without a hitch. Our crowd management techniques, years of experience, and combination of exceptional customer service and first-class security mean that you can worry about other things while we worry about managing the crowd. For more information about our rates and security and events services in Tucson, AZ, call us today at (520) 306-9551 or contact us online.