Why is it so important to have a plan in place?
A safe and happy crowd is the biggest indicator of a successful event. Ensuring you keep all pedestrians and attendees safe is crucial. Crowd control doesn’t have to be hard, if you’re willing to put the time into developing a plan prior to your event then everything should run smoothly on the day. We’ve compiled everything you need, beyond just the crowd control barriers, to plan for a safe and successful event.
First and foremost: Barriers
The most important and probably the biggest part of your crowd control plan, is the physical safety equipment you use. Barriers, barricades, bollards, fencing, and walkways, are the things that are ultimately going to ensure your crowd stays under control and safe. Work out well in advance what sort of equipment you’re going to need. Do your research, run the numbers on how many people will be attending, work out where your high traffic areas and where will need the most reinforcement. Plan for every single possibility well in advance so you have the time to find the barriers that work best for you. These are the foundations to any good safety plan, but it’s important to ensure you don’t stop there.
Expect the unexpected
Like the saying goes, failing to plan is simply planning to fail. If you don’t take the time to plan your strategies in the event of an emergency you’re putting yourself, your event, and most importantly your crowd’s safety at risk. Consider every possible emergency situation that could arise at your event, it’s not worth the risk of overlooking something and it being too little too late to act. Plan how you will get your crowd’s attention. Using speakers, lights, and alarms is usually the most effective way to alert a large group. Ensure you have multiple exits as well as emergency exits that are all easily accessible and spread around the event. Make sure any necessary signage is also present at your event, this includes wayfinding signs, exit signs, and any emergency aid signs. These need to be easily understood, well dispersed, and visible at all times.
Provide the right facilities… and enough of them
Keeping your crowd under control and happy means providing them with all the facilities they will need at your event. Always most importantly, is making sure all attendees have access to water at all times. If you’re serving drinks at an event you must ensure you provide adequate toilet facilities too. This also includes providing food, shelter and shade, and seating. If your attendees can easily access everything they need any risks will be lowered and your job of keeping crowds under control much easier. Ensure all your facilities match the capacity you’re expecting and be sure to place them around the event for ease of access and safety.
Cut wait times and queues
Wait times are usually inevitable at events, especially the larger ones. This is why you need to make sure you have enough facilities to cope with your crowd size. Unnecessary wait times and excessive queues will quickly make patrons stressed, anxious, and angry. This can then lead to further risks that could have been avoided with better planning. Ensure you have enough space, staff, and facilities to keep everyone safe.
