Running risks: Security
consultant
John C. Villines says a failure
to protect is a failure to plan.
Convention centers are high-profile buildings
that connote civic pride and economic power. Often, centers host
massive events with a high media profile and VIP attendees from all
over the world. Unfortunately, what makes convention centers
exciting meccas for traders and travelers also makes them seductive
targets for terrorists, thieves, scammers, gate crashers and
troublemakers of all stripes.
In this new epoch of airtight post-9/11 security, planners
would be wise to master the ins and outs of center security
infrastructure and organize their events so as to keep attendees
and exhibitors as safe as possible.
Assessing threats
Event planners should work with security experts either the
center’s or an independent agency’s to formulate a threat
assessment for a specific event. A thorough threat assessment not
only accounts for the dangers involved in gathering people under
one roof in a particular place, but considers the history of an
event along with the potential political or criminal trouble it
might generate.
“Everything comes down to your risk assessment,” says Bob
Hayes, chief security officer with Framingham, Mass.-based CXO
Media and chairman of the CSO Executive Council, a professional
group for corporate security executives. “Information loss and
medical emergencies are the most common problems. Location brings
natural disaster risks. Is there a terrorism threat? But more
common risks to all conventions are criminal in nature, like theft
of materials, muggings or sexual assaults near the center.”
Hayes says certain events have different risks than others: “Is
it an industrial, corporate or consumer event? If it’s a convention
of biomedical research people, you may have animal rights activists
showing up. That’s very different than a Barbie doll convention,
although an event like that carries its own problems. Risks come in
different flavors.”
“The presence of celebrities or political figures or something
controversial on the agenda increases the level of risk,” adds John
C. Villines, founder of Atlanta-based security firm John C.
Villines Group. “There will be safety and security issues germane
to any convention, and other issues that are more specific to one
event. Failure to protect an event is failure to do adequate
research up front. For instance, at a rare coin and gem show, it’s
unlikely you’ll have as much threat inside the show as out in the
parking lot.”
Crime might not be limited to physical property or cash. In
assessing risks, experts say to pay attention to vulnerabilities
created by new technologies as well. For instance, does a given
convention center feature a Wi-Fi zone?
“Wireless tech opens up a new world of thievery,” says Kevin
White, CSEP, director of production with New York City-based Empire
Force Events. “Competitors of a pharmaceutical company could
intercept cellular messages or wireless messages being beamed. Do
checks on what other groups are in-house. Sweep every group that
might be sharing meeting space. Once, it was ‘shred all the paper!’
Now, meetings need a lockdown or a scrambling device.”
In addition, White says the environment around the convention
center should be taken into account, as threats vary between
suburbs and cities and different regions. “There are certain places
where assessing threats can be more challenging,” says the planner.
“New York City is an intense market for productions because events
are not very separate from the general public. There’s no driveway,
no high gates. There’s the venue, and right outside there’s a city
that doesn’t shut down. Anything can impede or come into your
event.”
TERROR TARGETS?
Bob Calderon
While odds are against any given event being targeted for a terrorist attack, convention centers have, in some cases, been singled out.
“If I were a terrorist, I’d be looking for a soft target, a building not conducting bomb sweeps,” says Bob Calderon, security manager of America’s Center in St. Louis. “Conventions are targets because the intent is to do as much damage and get as much publicity as possible.”
Several post-9/11 attacks have been aimed at convention centers abroad. On Feb. 9, 2005, a 66-pound car bomb blamed on Basque separatists exploded outside the convention center in Madrid, Spain, mere hours before the king and queen of Spain, along with Mexican president Vincente Fox, were to arrive for an art fair. None was killed, but 43 people were injured and 24 hospitalized.
Then, on May 7, a deadly blast ripped through the Yangon Convention Center in Myanmar, where a Thai trade fair was under way. The explosion killed three people, injured many others and caused a dangerous stampede of panicked attendees trying to escape the center. The hard-line military government of Myanmar blamed the blast on ethnic rebels, while the rebels blamed the government. -- B.M.L.
Planning for the worst
In any natural or man-made crisis, people panic. But a
secure event has an emergency plan that foresees any contingency
and serves as a rapid-action blueprint for emergency response. Most
major convention facilities in the country should have an
off-the-shelf crisis response plan for any number of possible
emergencies. If a facility lacks such a plan, find another venue
that has one.
Usually, a venue’s generic emergency plan needs to be
coordinated with an event’s procedures and personnel to form a
custom fit.
“As much as a convention center can have policies in place, if
they’re not streamlined, they won’t work,” notes Kevin White.
“Planners can even hamper efforts in a emergency situation. For
example, if four event staffers jump on phones and call 911, and
they’re not 100 percent sure of where the emergency is in a giant
convention facility, they could slow the response time.”
According to a recent white paper issued by the International
Association for Exhibition Management, a good, basic emergency plan
provides:
" A clear chain of command;
" On- and off-site command centers;
" Identification of the level of crisis and level of necessary
response; and
" A communications plan with phone numbers and backup in case
phones are not working.
Be aware that the facility’s standard plan might have holes. A
recent security survey by Travel Weekly Research found that while
91 percent of convention center emergency plans were designed to
handle a fire, only 64 percent included contingencies for a
terrorist attack.
Stealing the show
Conventions and trade shows are susceptible to pickpockets, crooks,
violent assailants, industrial spies and identity thieves. A
planner needs to assess the most likely threats to a particular
event and put preventative measures in place.
“In any facility, load-in and load-out are the most dangerous,”
says Greg Forehand, security and transportation manager at
Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center. “Folks love to steal
high-end electronics. We have Microsoft moving in right now a
high-end show with cutting-edge technology so we have undercover
people there. We put cameras up and we also have guys who are
visible. The show manager hired extra contract security to watch
gear. It’s a team effort.”
Most sources agree: Setup and tear-down times give the best
opportunity to slip away with valuables. That’s when the facility
is relatively open for personnel handling the packing, attendees
are gone and security is at a near stand-down.
“If it’s loose, it’ll walk,” says Kelvin D. Moore, CMP, general
manager of the Overland Park (Kan.) Convention Center. “For load-in
and load-out, you need to balance cost vs. benefit. Reduce the
number of entrances and pay to have security there. Also, use
materials release forms that say, ‘this piece of equipment is
mine.’ Yes, those can be cumbersome and exhibitors can complain.
But you want them to be secure.”
Sometimes, the threat of theft comes from an unexpected source,
says Moore. “One thing I’ve found interesting is that mom-and-pop
trade show and jewelry show exhibitors want to secure themselves
from other exhibitors.”
How does a planner deal with that? Know your exhibitors and how
much security they would like to see. “Some exhibitors will hire
their own overnight security for their booth,” Moore notes.
Closed-circuit video surveillance is another way convention
center security monitors show floors, hallways and parking areas.
Planners should ask about CCTV capabilities, including the ability
to digitally record and maintain long segments of footage.
Video monitoring also provides the added security of
deterrence. Would-be thieves will be hesitant to act if they know
they could be spotted on the convention center’s Candid
Camera.
Terrorism fears
Sept. 11 seared violent scenes of terrorism into our
collective consciousness, but terrorism remains a less-probable
threat to any given event than, say, theft of a laptop. That said,
center staff and planners always should seriously assess the risk
to their event, venue and host city.
“The last thing on your mind is the most important thing to
think about,” says planner Kevin White. “Sometimes the deadlines
and creative end happen so fast, you don’t think about something
like terrorism.”
“I would look for a venue that takes specific actions in
relation to Department of Homeland Security risk levels,” says Bob
Calderon, America’s Center security manager. “If the level goes to
orange, our facility adopts a different set of rules that are more
stringent. Also, look for a center that works with Homeland
Security. We pursued a grant from DHS to install bollards around
our building. They are available to all centers, and centers should
have them.”
Terrorists conduct surveillance and are more likely to hit
convention centers that present “soft targets.” These centers fail
to conduct bomb sweeps, install barriers or perform vigilant access
control. “I would look at the building and make sure there are
adequate buffer zones,” Calderon says. “A building surrounded by
highways would be a softer target than one surrounded by parking
lots.”
Useful countermeasures
Other precautions to deter terrorism and theft include badging that
thwarts counterfeiting, and running photo ID checks during
registration for an event.
“I’ve done a penetration study at a conference where a yellow
strip along the bottom of a badge determined if a person could be
in a high-security area,” recalls John Villines. “I took my badge
and and drew a line on it with a yellow highlighter. I got in
without any problem.”
Positive identification of a person via a government-issued ID
can cross-match an attendee with the actual person who registered.
And unique, high-tech badges can prevent duplication.
“Holograms help,” notes Villines. “And there are ID badges that
degrade, where the color will totally fade in 24 hours, so a person
who got in yesterday can’t get in today.”
Using magnetometers (“mags” in industry parlance) and
metal-detecting wands at a facility’s limited-access points also
help deter those bent on violence or theft. In addition, there
should be an armed response at the site where the mags are placed,
in case someone found to be carrying a weapon becomes violent.
Extra force
Such a scenario leads to perhaps the ultimate means to secure an
event: having extra security and guns. If a threat assessment
determines a convention center’s in-place security to be light,
uniformed officers from the local police department can be hired to
bolster security and provide a show of force. This is especially
true if the extra force should carry firearms.
“In general, VIPs and high-ranking officials could always be
sought out by terrorists or individuals who want attention,” says
Calderon. “In the average center, the presence of armed guards is
always good for deterrence. A simple uniformed police officer also
is useful.”
“We always recommend our client hire a local paid detail,” says
Kevin White. “The NYPD come in full uniform. They know how to
respond, and they have an officialness to them. They have the
ability to quell an emergency or make an arrest.”
However, for more discretion, a private security company might
be preferable. A security manager at a convention center should
provide a list of private security vendors, and the planner would
do well to work with the vendor with the most experience at the
center. One big advantage private security offers is the ability to
customize the force.
“It depends on what clients are looking for,” explains Jim
Granger, vice president of administration with North ridge,
Calif.-based Contemporary Services, which provides guards, ushers,
and ticket takers to convention centers. “We do a gem and jewelry
show in Tucson where they want a guard look, but a music event in
Nashville might prefer a coat and a tie.”
Welcome protesters
If a threat assessment includes the possibility of protesters, a
designated area for them promotes peaceful activity and gives
security a measure of control.
“We work with people to create free-speech zones,” says
Granger. “It is security’s job to protect the protesters. They have
a right to be there, and you have to take them into
consideration.”
“Everybody can protest.,” says the Orange County Convention
Center’s Greg Forehand. “We meet with them, we give them authorized
areas where they can protest. Most protesters want that. We’ll
provide Port-a-Potties, since they can’t go in the building. Also,
I talk to caterers and offer a little cart to them, to sell
refreshments.”