Hosting corporate events is vital to your business. Whether you’re doing so for your partners and vendors, recognizing employees for their achievements, or just getting large amounts of team members together, these events are critical to your organization’s success.
Large-scale events require event security, especially when they take place outside of your usual place of business. Large gatherings are desirable targets for malicious actors, and it’s up to you to create a safe environment for everyone in attendance.
Here are some of the most important ways to make sure your next corporate event is fun, safe, and successful.
1. Access Control
Did you know the events and meeting space was projected to grow 33% by 2022? That means keeping yours safe is more important than ever. Whether your corporate event is taking place on your property or at another venue, access control is the number one way to make it safer. This is a fundamental security technique that restricts access to a place or other resource to authorized individuals. In the context of your event, this means :
- Restricting who can attend
- Creating controls for who can access private, staff-only, or VIP areas.
For example, yours might have a staging area for guest speakers to prepare for their presentations. You’ll want to be sure access is only granted to those authorized to use it.
Physical access control is achieved in a variety of ways, including locking doors, hiring security personnel to manage it, and providing it through a physical or digital access control system. How you decide to handle access control at your corporate event will depend on many factors, but having a plan to restrict access is critical to hosting a safe and successful one.
2. Video Surveillance
Video surveillance equipment helps keep an eye on a large area with relatively few personnel needed to monitor the cameras. The few required personnel makes it a cost-effective solution to make corporate events safer. Unfortunately, unless your event is taking place on your property, it can be challenging to set up security cameras and monitoring stations.
Thankfully, mobile security systems like Mobile Video Guard make it possible to set up a robust surveillance system almost anywhere. Systems like this mount surveillance cameras onto poles attached to a mobile trailer. If your event takes place in a large outdoor area, consider getting a mobile video surveillance system to cover your event.
3. Mobile & Static Security
Corporate events of any considerable size need security personnel to keep the event running safely and smoothly. To create the safest security environment, you’ll rely on two different types of security teams: mobile and static.
Mobile Security
A mobile security team consists of one or more security officers whose job is to patrol areas of your event. These guards will patrol on a strategic schedule to provide efficient security coverage over a large area. They’ll be looking for risks like uninvited guests, fire hazards, and other dangers, and can provide additional services like key-holding for controlled access points, escorting high-profile team members or guests, traffic control, and more. These officers will likely be the first to respond in the event of a crisis, so it’s critical that you hire highly trained and experienced security guards for your event.
Static Security
Unlike mobile security, static event security stations one or more security officers at a fixed location to monitor that specific area. For example, static security personnel will usually be stationed at critical access points or nearby critical assets. They might also be in charge of monitoring surveillance cameras and coordinating with mobile security units to respond to potential security hazards.
When planning your corporate event, consider how mobile and static security personnel can play a role in your plan. Working with a security solutions provider can help you decide which elements will be right for your situation.
Emergency Action Plan
Having a plan for when things go wrong is essential to hosting a significant event. This corporate security plan will usually be a written document that identifies potential emergency events that could occur at the site and lays out procedures to minimize risk and prevent loss of life or damage to property. A good emergency action plan will include:
- Event Leadership Contact Information
- Local Emergency Services Contact Information
- The Event Schedule
- A Communications Plan
- Weather Information
- A Description of Roles and Responsibilities for Event Leadership
- A Map of the Event Site Including Emergency Exit Locations
- Shelter-in-Place Gathering Points
- A Pre-Event Briefing
- A Description of all On-Site Emergency Personnel
It would be best if you also briefed your guests on certain emergency response information. This briefing doesn’t have to take up a significant portion of the event, just give them basic info like the locations of the emergency exits and shelter-in-place points. It’s also wise to post maps showing these locations around the venue if possible.
Planning is the number one way to achieve the best outcome from an emergency scenario. By having an emergency action plan, you can make your event safer for everyone involved.
The Key to a Safe and Successful Corporate Event
Security is all about identifying potential risks and minimizing them to the greatest extent possible. If you are hosting a large corporate event, you can use security measures like access control, video surveillance, security guards, and emergency planning to achieve the safest environment possible.
If you need help with security planning or need access to high-quality security personnel or equipment, get in touch with SMART Security Pros today. We’d be happy to help you create a rock-solid security environment for your next corporate event.
