The 7 Ps of Event Security Planning

Known for their organization, poise and planning, the British military has long used an acronym consisting of seven P’s to describe their preparations for conflict:

Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Particularly Poor Performance.

You may be thinking – what does this have to do with event security? Well, at Blackbird Security, we’re huge fans of this acronym. We’ve even gone so far as to adapt these 7 Ps to create our own unique version for event security.

With 2022 already filling up with awesome, large-scale events, have you considered your own event security plan yet? As we continue our return to normal life, event security services will be in high demand in the coming months. Reach out and learn how our industry leading event security services can help you secure an awesome event. For now, let’s start by taking a look at our Seven Ps of Event Security Planning.

Past Performance

Past performance is not indicative of future results but it does give us an incredibly useful baseline for event security planning. When we create an event security plan we look back at previous instances of the event. In particular, we look at aspects of the security plan that worked, and ones that didn’t. The goal for us is to find learning points, and remove as much uncertainty as we can from the event. 

Pondering Areas to Improve

What didn’t work so well last time out? Where did service fall below expectations? What would have been nice to have? Figuring out the problems that prevented success in previous instances is a proven roadmap towards a successful event. Health and safety are still a priority for many people, so events held in 2022 should also carefully consider the steps they’re taking to keep staff and attendees as safe as possible.

Purpose

From an event security standpoint, understanding the purpose of the event is critical to delivering a positive and safe event security experience for all attendees. It allows security to be tailored to the type of attendee that’s expected. Is a light touch, non-uniform security guard required? Will the audience be served better by visible uniformed security guards?

Parameters

Event security planning is always impacted by some degree to factors inside and outside the event. Understanding these parameters is critical for success. For example, if an event is a large-scale outdoor concert, how likely is fence jumping likely to be an issue? Will alcohol be served at the event? If so, additional event security will be required. These parameters must not be considered in isolation, they usually interact with each other and require holistic solutions.

Positive Outcomes

What does success look like from an event security standpoint? What are the goals? Writing down the positive outcomes reinforces the goals the team hope to achieve. Where possible, ensure each of these outcomes has a form of measurement.

Periodic Check-ins

Event day is the part of event security planning that the vast majority of people see, but it hides the mountains of preparation that occur in advance. Event security planning should always involve periodic check-ins to ensure the team is on the same trajectory and pulling for the same goals. These check-ins can spot issues early, preventing them from manifesting during the event. The more effort that’s put into this planning and check-in process, the higher the chances of event success.

Practice

A huge part of security is proper planning and preparation. Our goal is to prepare our event security guards to handle any scenario thrown their way during the course of an event. We achieve this goal via our industry leading Blackbird Academy training school. Alongside the usual modules one would expect from a security training program, graduates of Blackbird Academy undergo rigorous training in customer service, incident de-escalation, conflict resolution, and occupational first aid (OFA Level 1). This accounts for the fact that most interactions they’ll have during an event will be customer service oriented with members of the general public.

Work with the Event Security Experts

Having professional security staff on site during the event - or before the event in order to undertake an audit and create a plan - is a great way to mitigate risk and focus more on the event itself. Blackbird Security are Canada’s event security specialists. Contact us and we will be happy to help.


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