Safety Survey—5 Qs With 7 Security Pros: Donovan, Friedman, Gelfand, Herrera, Pickett, Spoerndle, Squires

Founder and Managing Partner Stratoscope

JEFFREY FRIEDMAN
CEO, Building Intelligence

ALAN GELFAND
CEO and Founder, Fair Ticket Solutions

MARK HERRERA
Director of Education and Life Safety,  International Association of Venue Managers

JEROME PICKETT
SVP and GM, Sports & Entertainment Clear

JEFF SPOERNDLE
Vice President, Best

BILL SQUIRES
MetLife Stadium Operations Consultant, New York Giants

What’s one new practice or technology that every venue should be using? 

Touchless guest screening. Fans will be less inclined and have a heightened sensitivity to interact with unnecessary touchpoints when on site. The latest technology provides operators with the ability to do just this while maintaining a thorough search and the overall security posture.
– Dan Donovan

Every building should work to capture the identity of individuals on site for a variety of reasons. From contact tracing to terrorism, knowing who is allowed where matters. Allowing an unknown person or vehicle into the building during any hour, whether during an event or on off days is unacceptable. Surrounding buildings with a Safety Act certified concept of operation serves many purposes including lowering insurance costs, as well as operational costs.
– Jeffrey Friedman

Pre-clearance of identity and health status prior to the event and tied to the ticket using biometrics.
– Alan Gelfand

Improving attendee experience and confidence by using mobile event apps offering features such as geofencing and GPS tracking could be one of many technologies used to enforce proper distancing. The importance of also using digital signage to communicate and enforce safety and security procedures.
– Mark Herrera

Every venue should be deploying technology that makes the fan journey frictionless while delivering experiences to fans in where they spend the most time —  their mobile devices.  Even while attending an event fans want engagement through their devices and venues who reach fans where they are and anticipate where fans will want to go next will gain optimal engagement with fans.
– Jerome Pickett

During the pandemic, following the CDC guidelines and incorporating them into your event operations plan is important to ensure the safety of the guests visiting a venue.
– Jeff Spoerndle

Thorough sanitization of the venue and contactless technology, for example, security screening at the gates, ticket scanning, cashless transactions (concessions and merchandise).
– Bill Squires

How hard a line should be taken when enforcing mask wearing, distancing and other COVID-19-related protocols?

–
Jeffrey Friedman

Every building must do mask enforcement where possible. Temperature checks are very challenging in terms of accuracy and value. A person who travels two or three hours to deliver something, fix something or engage with people who gets turned away at the door will lead to arguments and potentially a highly disruptive operation. Better to notify people before arrival about the protocol, require them to acknowledge the requirements by agreement and survey, and have the capacity to trace back the violators of the policy. This gets back to the first must, which is identify everyone on site. Contractors, sub-contractors, suppliers, families; the goal is to always know who is there, what condition they are in, and that they followed protocols.
– Jeffrey Friedman

Until a vaccine is widely distributed, and the risk of infection basically disappears, it’s imperative to follow whatever protocols are current with government orders or recommendations.
– Alan Gelfand

We know limiting face-to-face contact with others is the best way to reduce the spread of the virus and any communicable disease and in order to allow others to enjoy events where crowds assemble, we must assure we do what is reasonable to protect those attending an event. Therefore, venues should assure compliance in both social distancing and face coverings.
— Mark Herrera

When enforcing any protocols there needs to be a balance between enforcement and guest experience.  Health and safety protocols should be well communicated and event staff need to understand appropriate escalation and deconfliction steps.  Attendees deserve a healthy and safe environment, so enforcement should be consistent and decisive.
– Jerome Pickett

It is a proven fact that following the CDC guidelines of mask wearing, social distancing and other protocols are effective with slowing the transmission of the virus. As the event industry reopens, it’s important to have strict safety measures to rebuild the public’s confidence in mass gatherings. Training the event day staff to properly educate guests about mask wearing and social distancing will prevent an event from turning into a COVID hotspot. Enforcement of the policies are critical and having an escalation process in place to handle non-compliant guests is important to operating a successful enforcement plan.
– Jeff Spoerndle

As a survivor of a severe battle with COVID-19, I am a big proponent of the three basic protocols (washing hands, wearing face coverings and social distancing).  Asking someone to cover their nose and mouth is not too much to ask.  I think a guest should be warned once if they are violating this protocol and informed that they will be asked to leave the venue if they violate this simple policy again.
— Bill Squires

Every venue should be enforcing their local, county or state guidelines related to masks.
Dan Donovan

Will there be changes in the way general admission is handled?

–
Alan Gelfan

Absolutely. Identity and health status requirements without sacrificing the customer experience or restricting their options need to be adopted.
-Alan Gelfand

There will be quick and efficient registration process with accelerated check-ins. Paperless forms and managing small to large crowds with proper spacing and distancing.
– Mark Herrera

Many venues have changed how ingress works and have reduced based on local guidance general admission areas.  Mask wearing, physical distancing and health insights for entry will be with us for some time.  Venues have deployed technologies to help manage COVID/health clearance, created staggered entry times to manage crowd flow and have blocked off seating areas to promote distancing.
– Jerome Pickett

Redesigning the entry procedure to comply with COVID-19 protocols is part of the reopening plan for venues across the country. Adjusting the mindset of a crowd arriving 30 minutes before the start of an event is now an operational requirement and not a desire. Many venues have assigned specific times for ticket holders to enter or require the ticket holder to enter a specific gate to assist with social distancing on the ingress of the facility. Looking at restructuring the queue lines and metal detecting process to allow for proper social distancing and limiting contact points between individuals is required.
– Jeff Spoerndle

I don’t think general admission events are advisable in the foreseeable future.
– Bill Squires

General admission in a physical distancing environment may need to be reimagined in more of a group setting through seating pods and dedicated areas for individuals arriving to the venue together. Additional resources from a staffing and infrastructure standpoint will be required to maintain distancing guidelines. This will be a regional issue as each state, county and city’s restrictions will need to be complied with.
-Dan Donvan

Should venue operators know names and contact information of everyone in attendance, as airlines know who is in the seats of their aircraft?

Obviously, understanding the attendee journey is an integral part of increasing your event ROI and having more intelligence and information of those attending would be ideal. Event mobile apps tracking attendees registered with assigned seating would allow venue operators to track attendees.
– Mark Herrera

Proper contact tracing is an important element to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Venue operators having the names and contact information of everyone in attendance assists with conducting contract tracing if a COVID-19 case were to occur with an event attendee.
– Jeff Spoerndle

Having the contact information for ticket holders would be nice to have, but I think ticket holders would object to this.  Airlines need to maintain a manifest of passengers in the event of a crash.
– Bill Squires

Names and contact information would help event and venue operators in a number of facets. From a safety and security standpoint, this information will aid operators with incident response and investigation should issues arise. From a pandemic perspective, this information is crucial to contact tracing efforts in the event of infection. Contact information also could aid in ensuring a safe environment even before doors open to the event, similar to a “No Fly” list, staying with the airline analogy. Beyond the security realm, this information can help guest services departments with providing their guests with targeted, consistent communication to deliver the best experience possible.
– Dan Donvan

Privacy is important and there are many techniques to ensure the privacy of the individual. You don’t have to necessarily know the individual or maintain a record of their private information. What most venues really need is the ability to get the information if necessary, know that the person meets specific risk standards and agrees to provide their identity if required. Facilities may not want all of that data and be responsible for determining how long to retain it. What matters is that a trusted identity is available if required, and that the understanding between the individual and the operator is that their identity may be required. And that requirement, to turn over the information, is at the sole discretion of the operator.
– Jeffrey Friedman

One hundred percent. The fact that a person is known to a venue encourages, if nothing more, that attendee to be well mannered and appropriately behaved. That gives other attendees more comfort in attending.
-Alan Gelfand

How serious a threat to live events is domestic terrorism?

–
Bill Squires

Domestic terrorism continues to be a major threat to live events.
– Jerome Pickett

Domestic terrorism is one of many threats to large scale public gatherings that is taken into consideration when creating the security program for a specific event or venue
– Jeff Spoerndle

Active shooters are a concern to venue managers and security professionals.  It can be a lone wolf or multiple domestic terrorists.
– Bill Squires

The “lone wolf” domestic threat is the most difficult challenge for the industry. This has been the No. 1 topic for the industry prior to COVID and will remain a significant topic as venues reopen and balance their security posture with “safety” guidelines. Now more than ever, event safety and security have to be completely integrated and working together.
-Dan Donvan

Safety is the most important amenity. The events over the last few years have emboldened many groups within our country to take up actions and arms against institutions. The targets are not just federal buildings or landmarks, I think it’s safe to say that the risk of domestic terrorism at any location is higher at a wider variety of locations. That threat has been there for years; however, it would seem that the public is more aware of it now. Not only do we have to do the little things that make us safe. We have to let the audiences know we are making it safe with better operations and technologies. The threat goes well beyond the actual risk, but (to) the perception of the risk. We all must be vigilant to balance the pride in what we do without highlighting what we do, and at the same time we make people safe, ensure that they feel safe.
-Jeffrey Friedman

For the last 20 years our biggest concern was international terrorism however, domestic terrorism has superseded the threat of international terrorism. Extremists motivated by political, racial, ethnic, economic, health, and other grievances will remain the most persistent and lethal threat in the Homeland.  Targeting mass gatherings at events especially during times when facilities are most vulnerable in the midst of crisis continues to be a focus for all venue operators.
– Mark Herrera