London is regarded as the number one city in the UK for hosting an event. From the range of venues to the sheer number of people, not to mention the city’s vibrant culture, bustling corporate scene and links to the arts, it’s no wonder that people opt for the capitol as the setting for their events. But with any gathering of people comes the responsibility of being able to ensure their safety and comfort during their time spent as your guest. This is where event security becomes paramount.
If you’re in the dark when it comes to how event security companies operate and what hiring one entails, this blog will give you all of the information you need to make a confident decision.
What is event security?
The term event security covers a wide range of measures that can be put in place to safeguard an event. This includes protecting guests, staff, and assets. Trained security personnel are put in place to mitigate any potential risks, and use their training and technology to respond to any disturbances or threats that may occur. Crowd management, perimeter maintenance and surveillance all fall under the role of event security.
Why is it important?
Large gatherings present a wide range of opportunities for crime, dangerous activity and disorderly conduct to occur. This is especially true when there is alcohol involved. As an event organiser it is your responsibility to put appropriate security measures in place to protect your attendees, staff, and property. Doing so is not only beneficial for safety purposes, but also for the reputation and success of the event itself.
Common event threats and risks
Some common threats that can occur at London-based events include:
- Violence – under the right circumstances any kind of altercation can quickly escalate to involving bodily harm and pose a risk to anyone in the vicinity.
- Theft and vandalism – criminals may target your event to steal or vandalise property.
- Terrorism – unfortunately, any large event in London can become a target for terrorist attacks.
- Medical emergencies – ranging from crushing crowds to fainting guests, medical emergencies can occur no matter the size of your event and require a swift response.
How to plan for your security needs
You can’t hire the appropriate event security company without first understanding the exact security requirements of your event. Consider the following:
- Do you have a comprehensive risk assessment in place? This should outline any possible threats to your event, from the criminal to the environmental or accidental.
- Decide which security measures best suit the risks you have identified.
- Considering the scale of your event and the number of guests, what size security team would be required to effectively mitigate any of the potential risks.
- Develop an emergency response plan for yourself and your staff that can be communicated among your team and your eventual security team. If you have any difficult with this, your hired security personnel should be able to help you create one.
Hiring your event security
Finding the best fit for your event will come down to a wide variety of factors. There are plenty of event security companies to choose from in London, and it’s important that you find a company that understands the nature of your event and how you want it to be run.
Take into consideration a company’s reputation and reviews – if they have a proven track record of providing stellar security for events of a similar nature to yours, they could be a good match. What technologies and security solutions can they provide? Some companies are better equipped than others, and a good company should be able to tailor their offerings to suit your event.
Don’t be afraid to enter into discussions with multiple companies to get a good feel of what they are able to offer you. Ask to verify their certifications and licenses, request custom quotes, and see how responsive and open to collaboration they are.
Managing your security on the day
On the day of your event it’s quite likely that you will have a long list of things that require your attention. With the right preparation in place you should hopefully be able to leave anything security related to the experts you have hired.
In order to be able to relax when it comes to your security measures, make sure you do the following:
- Brief your security personnel and provide a detailed outline of their roles and responsibilities for the day, as well as any emergency procedures.
- Establish and maintain an open flow of communication between yourself and your security team.
- Decide how and when you would like information to be passed to you should anything suspicious take place; this is important not just for your peace of mind, but also that of the guests, who may not respond well to seeing security pull you aside.
Best practices for securing your event
Here are our top tips for maintaining event security in London and making it easier for security personnel to keep your event running smoothly and the people in your care safe.
- Limit the entry and exit points to your event. This gives security staff fewer places they need to monitor and helps to make ticketing and ID chests clearer.
- Make sure your event is well-lit, or if this is not possible, that security staff have ways of being able to maintain visibility.
- Encourage your guests to report any suspicious behaviour, and make sure that guests can identify security staff in order to be able to do this.
- After your event, take note of what worked well and what needs to be improved for your next booking.
Consider All Time Security
We wouldn’t be comfortable giving you this advice if we weren’t confident in our expertise. The experience and professionalism of All Time Security services mean that we are able to provide the highest standard of event security and allow our partners to focus on what has gone right instead of what might go wrong. For more information on the security services we can offer for your even in London, get in touch today.
