Concert security summit calls for new global standard to protect acts, music fans

Audience and artist expectations over security at concerts have changed drastically in the last few years, the inaugural Event Safety & Security Summit in London has heard.

Organised by peak UK and European music security associations, it was attended by 250 delegates from 22 countries.

They represented venues, festivals, promoters, sports professionals, trade associations and security experts.

Early instances of terrorism prevention have already included wider bans on items and the introduction of airport-style screenings.

More venues were starting to bring crowds in earlier and to get them in and out of screening as soon as possible.

This meant that more patrons are buying drinks at the venue, rather than in nearby pubs, and this increased revenue could be used by the venue to pay for greater safety measures.

Artists are starting to get terrorism insurance as routine, rather than just when they play at political hotspots. Policies are being rewritten to include threats on band members and venues that have previously been targeted.

Phil Bowdery, Executive President of Touring at Live Nation, made the point during one of the panels that “[m]ost international acts bringing a bigger security detail, and are quite detailed on what they want and how they want it, which we haven’t really seen before”.

Many artists, he said, are asking for armed police in their riders.

This causes more issues, especially for the audience, and stressed these heightened security expectations needed to be “managed”.

“It’s about understanding their reasons for it, and showing them, yes, we are aware [of their concerns], but that we have to protect our customers – the people who are buying tickets – too,”Bowdery explained.

Other promoters noted that they also needed to explain clearly to both fans and artists that expensive security measures would mean more costs.

However such costs should not be borne by the venue alone, but by the promoter and concert patrons as well.

The theme for the event – that new security measures be the issue of the live music industry across the board as well as individual governments – was set up in the opening address by the British Minister of State For Security, Ben Wallace.

A former army officer, he warned that while it is “very unlikely” that there would be a WMD attack on a concert, an attack is still likely

He told delegates that threat is “pointing in your direction” and that event staff were at the vanguard” of counter-terrorism” following attacks at music events in Manchester and Las Vegas.

“We all have a role to play – be it your customers or my constituents sharing information upwards to the police and security services, or them sharing with you as much as they can about threats and issues.

“The best way for us to help you is to give you the most information we can on the day and help you think through what you can do to keep people safer.

“It’s about coming together, sharing the threat and sharing best practice.”

Information needed to be shared, he stressed, so that attacks would be stopped before they happened.

The live music industry agreed that one major challenge was that security staff are not adequately trained for terrorism. They aren’t even sure what they are looking for while searching bags and vehicles.

This needed to be addressed on a global level.

To assuage artists fears, a suggestion was that an international guide be introduced so that acts “come into the country to play knowing the venue should be set up the same way wherever they’re going,” according to MOM Consulting’s Chris Kemp.

This should also incorporate a star ratings system where venues would be assessed on the level of their security.

New security measures should also incorporate the entire site rather than just outside the front doors.

And they should not work against each other. “If your security policy is causing queues outside the venue, you’ve got your screening process wrong,” said a security adviser to the British Government.