Organizing events can sometimes be a piece of cake and sometimes really stressful. That depends on the type of event. Hence, private parties and family gatherings are easy to organize and manage because there will be around 20-30 people, not more. But, concerts, seminars, and sports events require thorough planning, impeccable organization, and crowd control techniques. It's because they attract a lot of people and managing the crowd can be quite complicated since you don't know who is there and what might happen.
Therefore, crowd management is of crucial importance when organizing big events. So, having things like rope dividers, a lot of signs, enough stuff, and security, it's of great importance for having all things under control. If there isn't a good organization and plan, there may be unwanted consequences, such as destruction of property, harmed people, and rebellion. In order to help you out with this, here's a short guide for crowd control management.
Plan Everything Ahead
The first thing to do is to be prepared in advance. It's because a great organization requires a lot of planning. Planning everything ahead will ensure you didn't miss a thing. Therefore, once you know the exact place where the event is going to be held, you can start planning how people will move around.
When planning, make sure you also come up with an emergency plan. It's because you cannot predict what might happen though you have taken care of everything. Hence, you should have a plan for worst-case scenarios, such as bad weather, fire, fights, robbery, panic. It will help you have things under control.
Know The Audience
One of the factors that dictate the crowd control management is the audience. It's because different events have a different type of people. For example, a business conference will gather serious entrepreneurs and businessmen. And, you wouldn't expect any fight or improper behaviour from their side. But, when there's a sport or political event, you know that there will be many fans on fire who will probably cause a fight. In such a case, you would also need to make a risk assessment by identifying potential dangers and plan how to protect the people.
Inform All Relevant Bodies
Once you know the type of event, date, and place, you can call all institutions, agencies, and services that need to be notified or will be part of the event. This includes local authorities, emergency services, venue management, and other similar bodies. This is important because they will be able to help your pout with controlling the crowds.
Have A Lot Of Signs Around The Venue
Signs are very important for managing crowds because they help attendees get around easily. Therefore, you should put a lot of big signs that are easy to see and read. Also, make sure there are signs for entrance, exit (including emergency exit), restrooms, stuff-only rooms, smoking areas, hazards, and similar.
Make Sure There's Enough Staff
A big event requires a lot of staff in order to maximize the efficiency of the services provided. This includes waiters, hosts, guest service agents, and ticket sellers. It also includes security. In fact, having security is a must-have to every big event because they will make sure everything is OK. They will do that by screening the attendees, stopping fights, taking out the rebels, and calling the emergency services. In order to have everything under control, make sure the staff knows the venue well and communicates with each other either by using a special line, walkie-talkies or their phones. In that way, they will be able to report any problem or something suspicious.
Mark The Different Areas
Another very important factor for controlling the crowd is marking the different areas. This refers to separating each area with dividers, such as ropes, barricades, cones and similar. In this way, you will make sure they know where is the ticket line, the registration line, and the area that's off-limits.
Speed Up The Check-in
Waiting in long lines just to check-in is probably the most nerve-breaking thing when going to an event. It's actually one of the most common reasons people become irritated and angry. In order to avoid that, you need to ensure the checking in runs smoothly and fast. You can do this by having multiple check-in points, barcode scanners, several people the stuff to handle the crowd or a ticketing app.
Once you have done with planning and doing all the things mentioned above, you need to check your crowd control plan. So, double-check if everything is as it should be and make sure everyone sticks to the plan. And, when the event is over, review your strategy. Talk to the staff to see whether your plan worked and if there's something to be improved.
