What Are The Duties of An Event Security Guard?

Summer is a busy season for event venues across Canada. From music festivals, to live performances, to city events, event security guards play a pivotal role in ensuring events run smoothly and safely. In addition to providing a safe and secure atmosphere, event security guards are a necessary investment to ensure a stress-free experience for organizers. In this blog, we’ll discuss how event security guards keep venues, guests, and staff safe during high-profile events.

Assisting With Event Setup

Typically the night before the event, venue and tour staff (in the case of concerts) will set up stage pieces, lights, and other equipment. Event security guards will oversee the setup process, ensuring only authorized personnel can access the venue. This helps protect valuable assets and provides a safe environment for the setup to take place.

Depending on the venue, event security guards may be needed to guard assets overnight, ensuring that unauthorized individuals or potential thieves don’t gain access to the venue.

Crowd Control

When guests start to arrive at events, long lineups typically form. Security guards will direct guests through lineups and patrol key areas of the lineups to ensure that rules are followed, keeping an eye out for suspicious behaviour. To learn more about this aspect of event security, read our blog, How Security Guards Control Crowds.

Access Control

A primary duty of event security guards is to manage access in and out of the event venue. This can involve checking tickets, verifying guest lists, and monitoring access points. Access control helps prevent overcrowding and ensures that the venue remains safe and orderly. During the event, a uniformed security guard will be present at all access points to ensure the venue’s security.

Bag Checks and Pat Downs

Events and music festivals typically require guests to undergo a bag check and pat down in order to verify that no weapons or prohibited items are brought into the venue. This is necessary to ensure a safe environment for guests and staff. Read more about bag checks in our blog, How Security Guards Perform Bag Checks At Events and Warehouses.

Patrolling Event Space

Security guards will patrol the event venue to monitor for suspicious activity or potential security threats. They are trained to be vigilant and observant, ensuring that any issues are identified and addressed swiftly. Areas of patrol may include hallways, VIP areas, secure areas housing valuable equipment, and the exterior of the event venue.

Emergency Response

Many events, such as music festivals, have medical staff present to assist with medical emergencies. Event security guards can assist venue staff with emergency medical response, provided they have the right training to do so. At Blackbird Security, our security guards receive standard first-aid training through Blackbird Academy, enabling them to provide assistance to individuals suffering medical incidents before first responders arrive at the venue.

In addition to medical incidents, security guards will respond to incidents such as fires and other emergencies, coordinating the swift, safe, and orderly evacuation of attendees.

Conflict Resolution and Peaceful De-Escalation

Event security guards are trained to handle conflicts and disputes that may arise during an event. Their goal is to de-escalate altercations before they become dangerous, ensuring that the event can continue without disruption. This requires strong communication skills and the ability to remain calm under pressure.

Blackbird Security guards receive peaceful de-escalation training, equipping them with the communication skills to diffuse high-tension scenarios safely.

Customer Service

In the event an event security guard is approached by a guest with a question or concern, security guards will provide assistance. This helps to ensure a positive guest experience for event attendees. Through Blackbird Academy, Blackbird Security guards receive customer service training, giving them the skills to facilitate positive interactions with guests and attendees.

Coordinating With Event Staff & Local Police

Event security guards work closely with event organizers, venue staff, local police, and other members of the security team to ensure that security measures and strategy changes are effectively implemented. This coordination is essential for maintaining a secure environment and addressing any issues that arise during the event.

Oftentimes, events may be held on public streets or parks where local police would also be present. Event security staff will coordinate with the local police, sharing patrol and coverage details, including patrol schedules, coverage maps, and communication protocols, to ensure comprehensive security for the event.

Assisting With Event Cleanup

After the event, security guards maintain a security presence throughout the venue area, ensuring that cleanups and disassembly can happen safely and without interruption.

Partner With Canada’s Number One High-Profile Event Security Provider

At Blackbird Security, we have experience safeguarding multiple high-profile events including concerts for Kid Laroi and Bryson Tiller at the UBC Thunderbird Stadium, as well as high-profile events in major Canadian cities such as Toronto, Calgary, and Edmonton. We’re intimately familiar with the process of event security and our clients trust us to provide the smoothest experience available for every event.

Ready to plan security for your upcoming large-scale event? Get in touch with us through the form below.

in addition to event security, we provide services in the following areas:

• Mobile Patrol Security
• Construction Security
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• Elite Suit & Tie Security
• Executive Protection
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• Event Security
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• Front Gate Security
• Factory Security
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• Transportation Security
• Overnight Security
• Logistic Security
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