Securing Summer Festivals and Public Events: Insights From SIA’s Perimeter Security Subcommittee

As warm weather arrives, many people are looking forward to summer festivals and outdoor events coming up this season. It’s important for festival and event organizers to keep security top of mind when planning for these events – one of the issues that will be addressed at Perimeter PREVENT, the premier perimeter security event, taking place in Washington, D.C., June 18.

As the Security Industry Association (SIA) and its Perimeter Security Subcommittee prepare for Perimeter PREVENT, SIA spoke with experts and subcommittee members Sean A. Ahrens, security market group leader at Affiliated Engineers; Essam Choudhary, chief operating officer at Perimeter Security Solutions; Shanna L. Gray, CEO of Gate Logic Security; and Joseph Hauss, president of Gibraltar Perimeter Security – about the security challenges related to outdoor festivals and events and key considerations for organizers when doing security reviews for summertime events.

Here are their tips:

Educate yourself and your team regarding recent attacks and events

Gray recommended staying informed and up to date on recent incidents regarding vehicles intruding on large groups of people or events like the ones you are planning – such as recent attacks in New Orleans, Louisiana; Vancouver, Canada; and Laurel, Maryland.

“This is happening more, not less,” said Gray. “Vehicle mitigation, including hostile vehicle mitigation, should be a consideration and included as a life safety measure even though it is outdoors.”

Choudhary said one takeaway from the New Year’s Eve incident in New Orleans was that a simple communication breakdown allowed a known vulnerability to be exploited.

“You want to catch those things before someone else does,” said Choudhary.

Go beyond the obvious

The experts urged thinking outside the box when making security plans for summer events.

“We have all seen saw horses, jersey barriers, etc., to control traffic, and maybe they do,” said Gray,” but if someone was impaired or had intent to hurt or commit an act of terror at your event and you want to protect people attending, you want vehicle mitigation, not just traffic control.”

Ahrens suggests developing an integrated response and crisis management plan that “hope[s] for the best” but is prepared for the worst.

Choudhary encouraged planners to go beyond just keeping out people without tickets and “consider scenarios that can quickly break your crowd management plans” including active shooters, vehicle attacks and even extreme weather.

“Summers’s the best time to be outside, but it’s also such a dynamic environment, so keep your plans just as agile,” he said.

Consult with experts

After identifying potential breakdowns, the experts recommended pulling in the right partners, rather than going solo.

Gray suggested contacting a professional who has knowledge of a wide range of vehicle mitigation products that can be permanently put in place or used temporarily, while Choudhary encouraged consulting with weather experts, bringing local police and first responders into planning meetings and engaging with nearby businesses and hotels, whose “cameras, staff and communications can extend your situational awareness well beyond the venue.”

Choudhary recommends planning your perimeter with perimeter security specialist who can evaluate your event layout and help you design a thorough plan.

“Think beyond chain-link fences … use anti-climb [and] anti-cut fencing and integrate tech like mobile surveillance towers with solar power and AI-assisted monitoring,” he said. “Combine that with tools to boost cellular signals at your site – because in an emergency, bad cell reception can cost lives. These solutions not only enhance safety … they also give you live insight into what’s happening across your venue, helping you stay in control as things shift throughout the day.”

Prioritize active and proactive communication

“One of the most overlooked aspects of event security is the coordination of communication across all teams,” said Choudhary. “I always recommend building out a detailed schedule with your event management team – specifically outlining when barriers, fencing and access control points are being deployed, opened and secured.”

Once a schedule is built, event organizers should share it with local police, private security teams and core staff so that everyone is on the same page when it comes to access points and day-of changes.

Key questions for organizers to ask in the planning process:

• What is the threat vehicle? Hauss encourages planners to determine what they are attempting to stop, such as a medium-duty 15,000-pound vehicle (“terrorist attack scenario”), or a 5,000-pound vehicle, usually an SUV drunk driver or pedal error.
• What is the standoff distance do you have? According to Hauss, this distance determines the “penetration of product and how quickly the vehicle needs to be mitigated or stopped.” He also recommends considering what direct paths and speeds a vehicle can get to from the outside of the event perimeter, which determines the speed rating of products.
• What are the access points? Ahrens encourages identifying access points for 1) vendors, 2) the public and 3) emergencies.
• What protections are in place? If an event needs a permit, Gray suggests asking the city or jurisdiction what it has in place to protect attendees from hostile or impaired drivers who could drive into the space.
• Have you contacted the right experts? Gray recommends consulting a professional “who has knowledge of a wide range of vehicle mitigation products that can be permanently [put] in place or used temporarily.”

“Conduct a detailed security assessment, consider threats [and vulnerabilities] but ultimately harden [the] perimeter like the president will be there,” said Ahrens.

Want to hear more on this topic? Join us June 18 in Washington, D.C., for Perimeter PREVENT to engage on the critical issues related to perimeter defense for physical environments, including government and commercial facilities, critical infrastructure, events and more. Learn more and register here.