Security at Events

Security at events: Overkill or necessity?

A few months ago, I was attending a meeting at one of our client’s offices. As a large corporate organisation, their London offices are somewhat overwhelming. I was greeted by impeccably presented receptionists who smiled broadly from behind their massive desk. And then, it all went horribly wrong!

Despite arranging the meeting with my contact a week or two earlier, my name had not been added to the cleared security list and so I was not allowed access to the building. Hushed conversations and phone calls ensued until eventually, my contact burst into the reception area and vouched for me. Only after then was I given accreditation and allowed into the building. The security guards slid back into their default positions and awaited their next moment of excitement.

Inconsistent

Wind forward two weeks and I popped in to visit the same client at an event they were holding on Park Lane. It was a significant evening reception with all their senior staff present and hundreds of clients and contacts attending. Despite the numerous security guards present, I found that I could breeze straight into the heart of the event with little more than a suit and a smile.

Why would a company that spends significant sums restricting access to their office throw all that good practice out of the window when holding events and conferences outside of the office? Especially when some of the most significant individuals in the company are there, all in the same place at the same time? It baffled me that security at events of this nature could be so lacklustre.

Insecure

Having worked at so many different events, we really have seen it all: the journalist trying to sneak a look at quarterly results, a competitor hoping to hear about a new strategy or product and of course, people who just want a few drinks on your tab. Although of course, keeping the physical security at events in the know and present at all times is only one side of the coin. The flip side is that for those guests who should be there, registration, badging and entry should be efficient and pain-free.

Many events still print out badges in advance and lay them out on the table – allowing everyone to walk in, collect their badge and head into the event. The security at events like these is likely to be compromised, and also risks breaching GDPR policies. Whilst that is easy to manage for very small events where you might recognise everyone, as the numbers rise it becomes more difficult and much more susceptible to abuse. If a badge gains access and if anyone can pick up a badge, then how do you really know who is there?

Enhanced accreditation

There are a variety of ways to redress the imbalance of security at events by using in-house resources, external contractors or a blend of the two. At Event Connections for example, we have tailored many of our event registration solutions to ensure enhanced accreditation and security at events. As well as providing a high quality, high speed registration and badging service, we work with in-house security teams to ensure that corporate accreditation policies are applied to off-site activities.

Secure, consistent workflow

For some organisations, security at events can be showing a company security pass as sufficient proof of identity. For others, security at events could be classed as a full photo ID, along with a ticket and ticket confirmation. Whatever the protocols, we integrate them into our workflow so that it is straightforward for attendees but you have a robust entry criteria and full reporting on who came and when. Our live stats also mean that you have instant access to attendee data and nifty features like a black list can prevent people with key words in their data from registering at all.

Please do take time to consider the importance of security at events and at your offsite activities, and maybe next time I try to wander into your event, you’ll have something in place to stop me!

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Event Connections provide exceptional event registration and delegate management services to event, conference and exhibition organisers.

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