5 Reasons to Hire an Expert Event Security Team for Your Next Event

Your event security team can make the difference between a positive attendee experience and a negative one. Even the seemingly most minor interactions can have a significant impact on an attendee’s memory of an event. In an industry where a guest’s experience reflects on not only the security company but also the venue and performers, event security is something organizers must get right. In this blog, we’ll outline our top five reasons why a great event security company is a key part of any successful event. 

1. Improved Attendee, Venue Staff, and Performer Safety

Event security guards improve the safety of attendees, staff members, performers, and special guests alike. Across all areas of an event, from entry lines to front row barricades, event security guards are nearby to ensure everyone’s safety and monitor for suspicious or troubling behaviour. 

Here is a brief overview of how event security guards monitor key locations throughout event venues:

• Perimeter patrols: Security guards patrol and monitor the venue’s perimeter, ensuring that unauthorized individuals are not gaining access to the event and that any exterior equipment or storage spaces (such as touring buses or generators) are not tampered with.

• Crowd control and monitoring: Guards closely monitor crowds for disruptive behaviour and unsafe actions. They also direct lines and traffic flow to ensure foot traffic can move smoothly.

• Barriers: In areas with barriers, such as in front of stages and around VIP sections, security guards stand close by to ensure that crowd members do not breach or cross into any restricted zones.

• Secure area static presence: Security guards stand at the entrances to any locked, storage, or backstage areas, ensuring individuals do not gain unauthorized access.

Unequipped security teams or venues that forego security teams altogether are far less prepared to handle unauthorized access. Venue staff may quickly become overwhelmed, leading to a chaotic event experience and safety issues.

2. Smooth, Fast, Respectful Bag Checks and Pat-Downs

Two critical elements of a safe event are bag checks and pat-downs. Guards facilitate these security checks to ensure that attendees do not bring weapons, hazardous items, or prohibited substances into events. Rather than relying on a reactive approach when or if a prohibited item is spotted in a crowd, these proactive measures significantly reduce the potential for injuries and unsafe behaviour before it becomes a threat.

The right security team will facilitate smooth, thorough, and swift back checks and pat-downs, ensuring each guest feels respected while professionally managing disappointed or frustrated attendees. Read about how security guards provide a safe bag check process in our previous blog. 

3. Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution and de-escalation are key soft skills used by event security guards. Emotions are likely to run high during exciting and crowded events, especially at 19+ events where attendees are likely to be under the influence. Guards closely monitor crowds for raised voices and aggressive body language, intervening and resolving conflicts as necessary. Security guards are trained to manage fights, but will prioritize de-escalation and physically step in only when required for self-defence or in defence of others. 

Additionally, guests may experience moments of emotional distress, such as panic attacks. A well-trained event security team has the knowledge and skills to successfully calm guests and get them help. 

4. Emergency Assistance

Event security guards are crucial during emergencies, including fires, evacuations, and medical emergencies. High-quality event security guards are trained to assist with emergencies, evacuate crowds swiftly and in an orderly fashion, and can provide lifesaving first aid to injured attendees before first responders arrive. Find out how event security guards assist emergency medical services during events in our previous blog.

At Blackbird Security, all of our security guards receive advanced training in first aid, enabling them to quickly and accurately assess situations and provide assistance during critical moments before paramedics arrive at the scene. Our guards also undergo crisis intervention training, giving them knowledge, perspective, and compassion when assisting individuals in crisis.

Our training is proudly provided through our in-house training program in partnership with accredited institutions, including the Crisis Prevention Institute, Lifeguarding Academy, and St. John’s Ambulance. 

5. Attendee Happiness

At first glance, event security may seem like a minor factor in influencing attendee happiness. However, security guards are among the staff members with whom guests are most likely to have a personal, face-to-face interaction at an event, due to their role in conducting mandatory bag checks, pat-downs, and ticket checks. 

Ultimately, providing a positive experience for guests is key, second only to a safe environment. When guests feel positive about your event, they’re more likely to return to your venue and share their positive experiences. Conversely, when guests have a negative experience, they are likely to share that feedback with others, which can damage the reputation of both your event and venue. 

Partnering with a security company that goes above and beyond for organizers, venue staff, and attendees alike provides peace of mind for all involved and ensures attendees walk away with a positive impression of your event. 

De-Escalation and Customer Service: Advanced Training Where it Matters

Blackbird Security guards prioritize peaceful de-escalation in all scenarios. The best intervention is prevention, and our security guards are trained to recognize the signs of conflict or distress and intervene before it escalates into something more harmful. 

We provide comprehensive in-house training in collaboration with the Crisis Prevention Institute surrounding peaceful de-escalation. Through our course, guards learn key skills including verbal judo, emotional management, and active listening. All of the above promote respectful, nuanced, and thoughtful communication and help diffuse tense and stressful interactions. 

Customer service is another key element at the forefront of our services. Our security guards across every customer-facing industry, from retail security to event security, receive customer service training to equip them with the skills they need to provide excellent, positive interactions with your guests. Our guards function as an extension of your team, providing optimal service and representing your brand in the best possible light. 

Partner With Canada’s Top Event Security Company

As an event organizer, choosing the right event security company to partner with is crucial for the safety and success of your event. Whether you’re hosting a concert, sporting event, neighbourhood festival, or performance, your chosen security partner should be well-equipped to handle any situation that arises throughout the day or night. Our event security team has safeguarded major events in major Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto, across retail events like the Aritzia Warehouse Sale in Vancouver, Circles for Reconciliation in Winnipeg, and concerts at the UBC Thunderbird Arena. 

Get in touch with us and find out how we can safeguard your next major event. 

Curious to know more about our approach to event security? Check out our previous blogs on the topic:

• Event and Concert Security Pat-Down Protocols

• How Event Security Guards Confiscate Prohibited Items

• How Event Security Guards Control Concert Barriers

• 5 Ways Security Guards Safeguard Sporting Events