Event Security Takes on Fresh Importance for Meeting Planners
Photo Credit: A crowd outside Comic Con with protestors in the distance. Meeting planners are paying more attention to safety and security in an uncertain world. Flickr / Nathan Rupert
Skift Take
The meetings and events industry is still working to figure out a better approach to security. For the time being, safety should be the priority for planners as they look to stage new events, even if a destination doesn't seem particularly risky.
Meeting planners face a number of challenges in 2018 but given growing safety threats across the world, event security has taken on a newfound importance across the industry.
Safety and security risks come from natural disasters, data security breaches, and even food safety issues. The most dramatic threats, however, can come from domestic and international terrorism, according to experts.
The recent shooting of concert goers on the Las Vegas strip, which left 58 people dead, and the Florida school shooting last month, in which 17 died, once again make the vulnerability of large groups all too clear. It is the unpredictability of these incidents when compared to things like adverse weather or digital hacking that poses a major challenge.
“Safety and security rank number one [in importance for events]; unless people
