Meetings & Conventions - Playing It Safe -
December1
December 2001
Closed-door policy: Patrick Hynes has implemented new,
tighter security measures at the Washington (D.C.) Convention
Center.
Playing It Safe
After a shocking lesson in vulnerability, now is the time to
ramp up security
Until Sept. 11, security was the issue people in the meetings
industry didn’t want to talk about,” says Darryl Hartley-Leonard,
CEO of PGI, an Arlington, Va.-based trade show, production and
destination management firm. “Planners were not willing to embrace
it in the past, thinking it was a negative issue and treating it,
subsequently, as an afterthought.”
Of course, all that has changed. Now, security is a daily
concern and a critical part of the planning process. Research
conducted in mid-October by M&C found 89 percent of planners
are at least somewhat concerned about the security of their
meetings, conventions and events; 36 percent plan to increase
safety measures at functions in the coming months. (click here for
detailed survey results)
Many insiders agree security needs to be addressed and improved
at all levels, even when it comes to the standards of personnel
hired to protect others. “Some states, including Alabama, Colorado,
Michigan and Nebraska, don’t have basic requirements for people to
become security guards,” says Rick Werth, president of
Nashville-based Event & Meeting Security Service. “We need
national training and education standards for all the different
categories of security.”
While some of the more serious concerns will take time to
resolve, others have been readily addressed by suppliers and
planners. M&C presents a roundup of measures available now or
under development to ensure safer meetings, both in the United
States and abroad.
Center stage
At convention centers across the country, security is anything but
business as usual. Planners should find a sweeping number of
changes aimed at tightening entrance policies, safety procedures
and evacuation plans. Measures range from limiting dockyard and
building access to no-parking zones and new ID requirements.
But the burden on the center only goes so far. Responsibility
for the show itself, facility managers say, still rests with
planners. They must be willing to increase their security budgets
and develop detailed plans that directly address their show’s
particulars.
“A convention center is not an airport. You can’t lock down the
facility,” says Tom Smith, vice president of the Las Vegas
Convention & Visitors Authority and manager of the Las Vegas
Convention Center. “You can put five officers on a loading dock,
but if none of the crates being unloaded is examined, what’s the
point?”
Following are some areas of significant importance to
consider.
• Pre-con meetings. “It is now mandatory that
senior show management meets with me,” says Patrick Hynes, director
of facility operations for the Washington (D.C.) Convention Center
and former deputy director of the federal Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms. “They will be given a copy of the emergency
response plan, and we will go through it page by page.”
The meeting, says Hynes, is designed not only to let planners
know what the center’s security personnel will be doing, but also
what is expected of show management. The meeting culminates with a
walk-through of the center’s evacuation routes and established
safety zones.
At the San Diego Convention Center, pre-cons include not only
the facility’s security, but also local law enforcement. “When
clients come in, we coordinate with off-duty police and include
them in our meetings,” says Carol Wallace, president and chief
operating officer.
• Marshaling yards. The Georgia World Congress
Center in Atlanta has increased patrols at marshaling yards, the
areas where trucks park before being unloaded at the facility, says
John Smith, general manager.
The Washington Convention Center has instituted even tighter
restrictions. Trucks at the center’s marshaling yards are inspected
by security, then sealed with the center’s official seal. “When
they arrive at our loading dock, they have to have an unbroken
seal,” says Hynes.
• Loading docks. As of Oct. 3, the Dallas
Convention Center requires event producers to hire two uniformed
police officers to supplement security at the loading dock. In
addition, any private vehicles requiring entry into the area will
be searched. “We are not going to have all those 18-wheelers on the
dock without someone questioning them and asking what they are
doing there,” says Tom Geer, supervisor of security operations.
• Truck and worker searches. The Ernest N.
Morial Convention Center in New Orleans has increased its scrutiny
of workers and trucks entering the premises. “We already had random
searches in place, but we have now stepped them up,” says Sam
Lamar, public safety director. “We did that as a deterrent, to
protect clients and customer merchandise.”
• Inside access. Controls are heightened during
exhibit setup, too. For instance, “No one is going to be allowed
onto our catwalks indiscriminately,” says the Las Vegas center’s
Tom Smith, who adds that exhibitors intending to hang elaborate
banners and displays will have to rethink their designs.
• Phone systems. San Diego installed more house
phones throughout the center in order to reduce the access time to
reach security, should anyone have a concern, says Wallace.
The Washington Convention Center changed its security number to
3333. “It is much easier to remember a repetitive number in an
emergency situation,” says Hynes, who made the change in October.
He also added more phones in the facility’s security command center
to avoid the chance of busy signals.
• Perimeter controls. Police patrols of
convention center perimeters have been increased around the clock
at most major facilities. Las Vegas even tightened security on the
center’s roof.
• Parking rules. “We often used to look the
other way at cars in no-parking zones, but no more,” says John
Smith in Atlanta. “Now that is being strictly enforced, and we are
prohibiting parking in front of the center altogether.”
• ID requirements. “We are now requiring all
our people to wear their ID badges around the building,” says San
Diego’s Wallace. “And when we have a client in-house, we are asking
what their registration process is, because anyone without show ID
will be challenged.”
• Exhibitor requirements. Some convention
centers, like Dallas, are tightening up scrutiny on load-in and
load-out days. “All show managers and exhibitors will have to wear
a different color armband every day. That way we can account for
everyone,” says Geer. “Anyone without an armband will be asked to
leave the building immediately.”
Planners’ part
For the new security measures at convention centers to really make
a difference, planners will have to pull their weight. Some
advice:
• Budget the dollars. Good security does not
come without a price. Unfortunately, say security experts, it is
the last thing planners spend money on. “You can’t protect people
in convention centers properly without a good heavy budget,” says
Daniel Simmons, owner of Bowie, Md.-based Simmons Security, which
annually handles 350 events nationwide. “Meeting planners always
have asked for the cheapest price. Well, a local off-duty police
officer won’t work for less than $25 an hour.”
Nearly one-third (31 percent) of meeting planners surveyed by
M&C said they do plan to devote more budget dollars to security
in the coming months.
• Go for visibility. Two uniformed police
officers guarding the entrance to a million-square-foot convention
center realistically provide just a small measure of security.
Still, their presence might deter unwanted guests, and it will go a
long way in soothing jittery attendees. “Visibility gives attendees
a greater comfort level,” says Don Ahl, director of safety and
security for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
• Spend wisely. Police dogs might look
impressive, but are they really necessary? “A greater security
presence does make convention-goers feel a little more secure,”
says Lt. Curtis Williams of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police’s
Special Events Division. “But arbitrarily ordering 10
explosive-sniffing dogs is not feasible or cost-effective.”
Williams suggests planners first let the police make
recommendations before presenting specific requests. “We know how
to assess a show’s needs,” he says. “That’s our business. And we
know our city and our resources.”
• Communicate and cooperate. “The playing field
and the rules have changed,” says Jason Chudnofsky, vice chairman
of Key3Media Events, a Needham, Mass.-based firm that runs the
Comdex and JavaOne technology trade shows. “Security is now a
partnership. It is no longer a matter of who pays for what.”
Chudnofsky, who strives for “Olympic-type security” for Comdex
shows, says trade show managers and convention center staff will
have to change how they operate and do a better job of working
together. “We are both in the business of moving people, and we
have a responsibility to give attendees a safe environment,” he
says.
• Insist on IDs. Convention centers
increasingly are mandating that their personnel display photo ID at
all times. “Since we are requiring our staff to carry credentials,
we encourage show managers to adopt the same monitoring level with
their attendees and exhibitors,” says John Smith.
Only 15 percent of planners surveyed by M&C were requiring
photo ID before Sept. 11; another 17 percent expected to introduce
that policy at future events.
• Respect the greeters. The first line of
defense at any convention center is the doorkeepers, lobby staff
and those stationed at the foot of elevator banks, says San Diego’s
Carol Wallace. “They are the eyes and ears of the convention center
and can radio for uniformed backup if they feel there is a need.”
She encourages planners to appreciate the role these ground-level
workers play in the overall security of the convention center and
suggests they introduce themselves and share a little information
about their group before the start of the event.
On the hotel front
Security varies from hotel to hotel and even within chains. The two
factors that determine the level of security a hotel delivers are
the property’s location and the type of clientele it attracts. As
such, what works for Wichita, Kan., will not suffice in downtown
Chicago. And what can be expected at a hotel with a large casino
operation would not be realistic for a small, upscale boutique
property.
“Hotels treat security as a necessary but unwelcome overhead
cost,” according to PGI’s Darryl Hartley-Leonard, who was formerly
president, CEO and COO of Hyatt Hotels Corp. “At this point,
security is as important as F&B and convention services. Those
chains that demonstrate security is important to them are
smart.”
Following Sept. 11, chains and independent properties have
responded to security concerns in a number of ways.
• Staff on alert. “The biggest thing and the
most visible is that I have increased the awareness of the rest of
the hotel’s staff,” says Tom Snell, director of safety and security
for the 770-room Crowne Plaza Manhattan, in Times Square. “Instead
of just the 30 people who directly work for me, I now have 500 pair
of eyes on the lookout.”
• Beefed-up patrols.“We have increased security
patrols of parking lots and the inside of the hotels,” says Chad
Callaghan, vice president of loss prevention for Bethesda,
Md.-based Marriott International.
• Car and baggage inspections. At some of
Marriott’s properties, guests can expect to have their bags and the
trunks of their cars inspected when they park on the hotel’s
premises.
“These are hotels we have designated a ‘condition-red’ threat,
either because they are dealing with a high-profile group or they
are adjacent to an area that we believe holds a greater level of
threat,” says Callaghan. Hotels hosting military groups, for
instance, would be moved to a red status for the duration of the
meeting. “The status we give a hotel is ever-changing,” Callaghan
says.
• Retrained security. “We have gone over all
security and evacuation procedures with our staff. We have
refreshed everyone,” says Linda Florence, assistant director of
security for The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. The
hotel has a full-time security staff of 180.
• X-ray machines. The upscale Waldorf=Astoria
Hotel on Manhattan’s Upper East Side is taking great pains to make
sure nothing passes through its doors unchecked. Everything from
housekeeping supplies to alcohol deliveries is scanned.
• ID required. “You can’t get into this
building without a picture ID and workplace identification and they
have to match,” says Tom Snell. Likewise, guests must show a room
key to be allowed into elevators that access guest floors at the
Crowne Plaza Manhattan.
According to Callaghan, Marriott is considering allowing only
registered guests in its hotel lobbies, but the rule can be
difficult to enforce chainwide. “It is a lot easier to do something
like that if there are a limited number of access points at a
particular hotel, such as city hotels,” he says. “It just will not
be possible for every hotel.”Staff photo IDs are mandatory at any
hotel with a condition-red status, adds Callaghan.
• Restricted deliveries. At the 731-room Le
Parker Méridien on New York City’s West Side, special attention is
being given to mail arriving via messenger. “We won’t accept
anything without a return address, and the messenger delivering the
envelope or package must have photo ID,” says Brendon McDonough,
director of security, who manages a staff of 22.
“We also are telling meeting attendees they will have to come
down and identify the deliverer and claim the package themselves,
or it will not be accepted” a process, Mcdonough admits, that can
be very time-consuming but has become an important security mandate
of the hotel.
• Emergency plans revisited. According to
Callaghan, managers at all Marriott hotels have been asked to open
the lines of communication with local uniformed agencies. “We want
the police and fire departments to take another look at our
properties’ evacuation and fire plans,” he says.
Going abroad
While terrorism is top of mind today, areas of reasonable concern
are much broader than issues related to current events. During an
incentive program to Venezuela last year, two participants and a
guide, while fishing near the border of Colombia, were kidnapped by
local guerrillas.
Thankfully, the hostages were released after their firm paid a
huge ransom. However, “If a modicum of research had been done, the
situation could have been avoided,” says Chris Marquet, senior
managing director for Kroll Inc., a global risk consulting firm
headquartered in New York City.
The following precautions can help minimize risks associated
with international meetings. Many of these same precautions apply
to domestic security as well.
• Ask questions. Planners should consult with
relevant departments within their own firms, such as security,
legal, risk management, corporate travel and human resources, to
discuss potential problems, advises Marquet.
• Do the research. Quick and inexpensive ways
to research a country’s safety include contacting the U.S. State
Department’s hotline and Web site (202-647-5225; www.state.gov), which
contain travel warnings and advisories on global hot spots. Kroll
creates custom advisories of global destinations for companies. The
firm also publishes two-page security updates for 300 cities around
the world ($19.95 each; 800-824-7502).
• Hire help. Private security consultants can
be enlisted to conduct risk assessments when companies don’t have
internal expertise. Such services generally are billed on a
per-meeting or per-task fee. Consultants also can create evacuation
and contingency plans for groups.
• Share information. It’s imperative that
companies provide everyone involved in the security of the group or
event (airline, hotel, facility, security consultant, etc.) a
profile of their firm, including any factors that could attract
trouble, says security expert Rick Werth. “I want to know the type
of business it is, things like if they’ve recently had layoffs,
whether they do animal testing, etc.,” he says. “We have a whole
checklist we go through with clients to make sure we know the
potential risks, so we can recommend and provide the proper level
of security.”
• Keep a low profile. When traveling outside
the United States, the lower the profile a group keeps, the better,
says Marquet. That means no welcome banners at airports and no
company logo shirts, hats or signs at the property or on buses.
“They’re not a problem in the U.S., but in countries that may
harbor terrorists, such items might draw unwelcome attention to the
group and their nationality,” he says.
• Brief attendees. Make sure they are aware of
any sections of town they should avoid or any behaviors they should
not display in that country. Hiring an escort or guide who speaks
the local language and knows the local customs can be invaluable,
says Marquet.
• Chose safer bets. While no destination is 100
percent safe, Werth says some are outstanding in terms of security
awareness and the quality of security professionals. He gives high
marks in this regard to both the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
“In both countries, contract security guards are paid real living
wages $18 to $30 per hour and they approach their jobs as career
professionals,” he says.
• Consider comfort level. Some companies are
going so far as to hire bodyguards to accompany groups on flights,
says Werth. “One firm had staff who wouldn’t travel to Europe and
Thailand in the aftermath of Sept. 11. They called me and said, ‘We
want our people to travel, and we want them to feel safe. This is
what we need to do right now.’”
Into the air
Historically, airlines have bragged that flying is the safest way
to travel. That statistic hasn’t changed since the crash of four
aircraft on Sept. 11 and another on Nov. 12, but the image of
airlines as a safe and quick alternative to driving has been
radically marred.
With terrorist threats still in the public radar, the airline
industry is facing a myriad of security concerns, and logical
solutions, some argue, are hampered by bureaucracy.
“It’s a problem in the way we’re organized,” says Dr. Tom
Hartwick, a Seattle-based government adviser on airport security.
“We have airport authorities, security companies, local
authorities. Congress allocates money 10 cents at a time, and so
they’re involved, too. It’s a ghastly mess.”
It’s a mess that is likely to take some time to correct as the
government renews its push for centralization. In late November,
Congress passed a bill that requires the federal government to hire
28,000 employees within the next year to screen travelers and
baggage at the nation’s airports. The decision followed criticism
over security lapses, including an incident at Chicago’s O’Hare
International Airport, where a man passed through security checks
with seven knives and a stun gun stowed in his bag.
While other improvements are yet to be determined, some new
security measures were implemented almost immediately after Sept.
11, and many more are in the works.
• Bag and ID checks. Carry-on luggage has been
limited to one bag. Bags are inspected at greater frequency
(causing longer lines at airports). Box cutters and knives, among
other potential weapons, have been banned from the cabin.
Passengers also have been prevented from taking aboard items less
likely to be weapons, such as fingernail clippers and scissors.
Identification, already required at check-in, is now checked at
several stages before boarding the plane.
• Reinforced cockpit doors. As of November,
most carriers had finished reinforcing cockpit doors with deadbolts
or crossbars.
• Armed and watching. The National Guard has
deployed 6,000 service members in 366 of the nation’s 422 airports.
In mid-November, the government pledged to increase that number by
25 percent during the holiday season.
• Along for the ride. The Federal Aviation
Administration has actively recruited for its Federal Air Marshal
program, which puts armed, plainclothes agents aboard commercial
flights. Though the Administration has been reluctant to name the
number of such operatives currently in service, reports of marshals
diverting flights confirm their presence aboard.
• Armed and flying. Two domestic carriers,
United Airlines and Phoenix-based regional carrier Mesa Air, have
announced plans to arm their pilots with taser stun guns, which can
incapacitate an attacker without damaging the plane, although
federal regulations currently specify that no weapons can be taken
onboard by anyone other than FAA-certified air marshals. Both
carriers expected to get FAA approval to utilize the tasers, but
the agency remained noncommittal on the issue as of late
November.
Not all carriers want to go the taser route. “We feel that
weapons add another element of risk,” says a spokesperson for
Continental Airlines, adding, “So, we are working with our crews
and the FAA on different training.”
• Only you. The FAA is examining other new
security measures. As part of that effort, Secretary of
Transportation Norman Mineta created a $20 million grant program
specifically to “develop new technologies for heightened airport
security.” Among the changes in store for airports are new
detection and identification devices, particularly biometric
devices, which measure biological “inalterables,” like a
fingerprint or retina. Face-recognition technology, which scans
video footage for the faces of suspected criminals, is one of the
more controversial biometric devices being considered. Already some
cities have installed the systems on selected street corners and in
stadiums, public parks and, most recently, airports.
Proponents argue such devices might have stopped at least some
of the hijackers from boarding planes on Sept. 11.
“Our technology does not rely on the superficial features of
your face,” explains Dr. Joseph Atick, the Chairman and CEO of
Minnetonka, Minn.-based Visionics. “You can put on a beard, but
that won’t change how far your eyes are apart from your cheekbone.”
Yet, face-recognition is not 100 percent accurate, Atick admits.
The technology received negative press prior to Sept. 11 from civil
liberties groups after at least one person was wrongly identified
by a Visionics competitor.
• Revealing all. Equally controversial though
less imminent is Billerica, Mass.-based American Science and
Engineering’s BodySearch scanner, which can see through clothing to
reveal weapons such as ceramic knives and plastic guns. As Hartwick
notes, “The major issue here is going to be civil liberties,
because these machines basically undress you.”
• ID and beyond. Numerous other ideas,
including the issuance of a voluntary national ID card, have been
thrown into the pot; civil liberties groups, including the American
Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Privacy Information
Center, have expressed serious concerns about such measures as
well.
• Accepting inconvenience. Finding a line
between the sufficient and the intrusive to deter terrorist acts is
one of the bigger challenges facing the FAA, as airlines seek to
reassure the public of their safety without making boarding a plane
the equivalent of running a gauntlet. According to recent research
by J.D. Power & Associates and Yahoo!, 83 percent of flyers are
willing to extend the check-in process at airports if they feel
that their overall safety is increased. Half of the travelers
polled are willing to accept a security tax on each ticket. Indeed,
some passengers already have begun to pay an additional cost for
safety.
A security charge for domestic flights, hastily approved by
Congress in November, is uniform: $2.50 to a maximum of $5 per
trip. Foreign carriers, including Air Canada, Alitalia and
Lufthansa, levy surcharges ranging between $2 and $8 for each
carrier taken en route.
HIRING LINE
What is important when selecting security to work
an event? fGus Kontopuls, chairman of San Diego-based
Elite Show Services and a lecturer at the Center for Police
Organizational Studies, offers the following advice.
Local connections. Security should be
familiar with the facility and have a working relationship with the
local law enforcement and fire departments. It is critical to know
the chain of command in an emergency.”
Common sense. “At the very least, you
need people who can remain calm and direct others not people who
will yell ‘fire’ and incite panic.”
Basic training. “They need to know how
to use the necessary equipment, like metal detectors, hand wands,
two-way radios and rolling mirrors for checking under cars. They
should also be trained in safety awareness they have to know you
don’t shake a ticking package.”
Ready resources. “Catastrophes don’t
give warning. Can the company send in retired police, ex-CIA and
FBI agents or fire marshals on short notice if needed?”
The right price. “Expect to pay $14 to
$18 per hour for an unarmed, entry-level guard; $18 to $24 for an
unarmed guard with supervisory training; $30 or more for
weapons-licensed ex-law enforcement or ex-military personnel. You
don’t want just anyone guarding your attendees simply because they
have a license to carry a gun.”
CHERYL-ANNE STURKEN
ASK FIRST, SPY LATER
Sizing up a hotel’s security operation is
“like going on an intelligence mission,” says Richard Hudak,
director of security for New York City-based Loews Hotels. Hudak, a
former FBI agent and founder of Resort Security International (
www.resortsecurity.com),
advises planners to ask questions, then do some sleuthing to
confirm the answers. Areas to address:
What is covered in the hotel’s written
security plan? Review the plan with the director of
security.
What type of ID do employees
wear?
Will the hotel provide a two-way radio
for communication with the security command center during the
event?
Are all hotel entrance and exit points
monitored by security officers or via closed-circuit
television?
Is the employee entrance monitored, and
are access controls enforced?
How many security officers are on duty
between midnight and 7:00 a.m.?
Are fire stairwells well lighted, well
marked and clutter-free?
Is an “emergency response team” in
place, giving all hotel staff members a specific responsibility in
a crisis?
Are parking areas well lighted,
patrolled by uniformed guards and equipped with an intercom
system?
Are guest floors patrolled?
Is an evacuation plan in place? At what
point it is implemented?
Do house phones prohibit direct dialing
to guest rooms? All calls should go through the
operator.
Can locks to meeting rooms be rekeyed or
changed?
Is access through all meeting room back
entrances restricted?
Is lobby security visible at all
times?
Cheryl-Anne Sturken
GUARDING THE MAGIC
Disney’s theme parks are synonymous with magic,
escapism and increasingly safety and security. Perhaps it’s a sign
of the times that Disney officials are for the first time talking
openly about ensuring the well-being of visitors.
Security measures at all Disney facilities have
been heightened in the aftermath of Sept. 11, according to George
Aguel, senior vice president and general manager, resort/park sales
and services, Walt Disney World. Visitors will notice an increased
presence of uniformed security at the gates, and all bags are
checked before guests enter the parks. Plainclothes security guards
are stationed at resorts.
At the Florida facilities, in addition to the
in-house security force, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office
stations 20 sheriff’s deputies on-site at all times. For meetings,
planners may choose to hire a third-party company or bring their
own security personnel to work with the Disney team.
“We have had comprehensive evacuation plans in
place for many years,” says Aguel. In fact, Walt Disney World’s
theme parks were evacuated on Sept. 11, as well as on two earlier
occasions due to approaching hurricanes.
Disney also conducts background checks on all
potential “cast members” (employees) before they are hired, a
policy that existed prior to Sept. 11, says Aguel.
LISA GRIMALDI
Making Changes for Safety's
Sake
An M&C survey conducted Oct. 16-22 found that 89 percent of
corporate and association planners are “somewhat” or “very”
concerned about security at their meetings and conventions. Of the
525 respondents to the e-mail poll, 36 percent plan to step up
security at events within the next six months. Slightly fewer, 31
percent, expect to increase their budgets for security purposes.
Among specific safety measures planners will introduce at future
events, 17 percent will require attendees to show photo ID. Another
15 percent of respondents were already checking photo IDs at events
prior to Sept. 11.
Stepping Up
Security
Security measures implemented after Sept. 11
Revised or developed an
emergency evacuation plan
27%
Changed location of a
meeting due to security concerns
17%
Actions planners expect to take in the next six months
Increase security at
meetings or conventions
36%
Increase budget for
security
31%
Taking
Precautions
Security measures planners were using prior to Sept. 11 or now plan
to implement at future events
Already
UsePlan to
IntroduceHire uniformed
security
43%
5%
Require photo
ID
15%
17%
Hire plainclothes
officers
14%
10%
Hire uniformed
police
12%
10%
Employ police
dogs
1%
6%
Install metal detectors
or use wands
1%
6%
New Site-Selection
Criteria
Actions planners expect to take when selecting meeting sites in the
coming months
Avoid international
locations
37%
Choose sites accessible
by ground transit
27%
Plan virtual
meetings
22%
Avoid major
cities
11%
Source:
Survey of 525 planners conducted Oct. 16-22 by Meetings &
Conventions
SECURITY, U.K.- STYLE
Due to
long-running tensions associated with Northern Ireland,
the United Kingdom is a country familiar with terrorist attacks.
Thus, security was a top priority in the 1987 design of London’s
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, where many high-level
government meetings, as well as corporate functions, are staged.
The building is surrounded by a “dry moat” or
ditch designed for protection against car or truck bombs. Many
rooms and function spaces feature bulletproof glass windows, and
the building’s exterior is considered bomb-proof. Airport-style
X-ray units can be used to screen anyone entering the facility,
along with their belongings. Loading facilities are patrolled by
security guards round-the-clock.
In-house security personnel wear uniforms, but
they generally are not armed, says Stephen Norcliffe, the QEII’s
commercial director. “If clients want to hire additional security
guards they can, but they must work with one of the security firms
we have approved,” says Norcliffe.
The QEII also notifies Scotland Yard (the
U.K.’s FBI) of all upcoming meetings and events. If anything seems
high-risk, the Yard sends its own personnel on-site, whether or not
the planner requests their presence.
Even with these measures in place, no facility
is completely safe. “We can make sure no one brings in weapons, but
we can’t scan the minds of every person who comes in here,”
Norcliffe says. “If they want to cause harm, they will. That’s the
reality of what we’re dealing with in these times.”
LISA GRIMALDI
EMERGENCY RESOURCES
A wealth of material is available online to planners
looking to bolster their security efforts. Some helpful sites to
visit:
www.boma.org
The Building Owners and Management Association International
offers an online resource center with plans for how a facility
should handle airplane collisions, fire threats and terrorist
bombings.
www.nsc.org
The National Safety Council also has detailed emergency response
plans on its Web site.
www.firstgov.gov
This site has extensive government links offering suggested
protective measures against terrorist attacks.
www.asisonline.org
The American Society for Industrial Security offers safety tips,
including how to handle biohazard threats.
www.faa.gov
The Federal Aviation Administration posts regular updates on the
airline industry and new security measures.
www.natca.org
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association site displays
real-time updates on flight delays.
BRIAN ORSAK
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