Crowd Management in a Sporting Events - Case Study Example

? SPECTATOR MANAGEMENT PLAN  By Presented Spectator Management Plan  According to Oxford Dictionary 8th edn (2010 p.p 902) management is the act of running or controlling a business or an organization. An event is defined as something that happens, especially something that is important. Crowd management is not so recent. Doukas (2006) narrates how Crowd Management started long time ago during the orientation of Olympics where by women were prohibited to enter into the sports arenas with the men. It was believed that Olympic grounds were sacred places and only the men were to enter. Women would watch the games from a far of which still was wrong and if they were found they paid dearly for disobeying. This in real sense was a way of managing the spectators. The Type of Event and the Venue of the Event The type of event that we are going to deal with is a sport event taking place at the National Stadium at 4: 00pm in the evening till 9:00pm.This stadium has a capacity of holding more than five thousand spectators. We considered the national stadium because there are few potential hazards that can take place there. This venue is near the general hospital where we can get medical help whenever we need it. The area is not so crowded and there is a super highway which will check traffic jams and overcrowding of people. The venue is also well installed with fire extinguishers which will help in case of fire outbreak. It is also well lit to provide light at the dark hours of the night. According to Labtrobe Council. (www.latrobe.tas.gov.au), the stadium has well sheltered areas for the patrons, staffs and the volunteers incase weather conditions are harsh. These areas that have been set up include transport pick up and set down joints, spectator and official viewing points, seating and eating areas, first aid areas and event management areas, entrance and ticketing areas and competitor and official viewing areas. Task and Roles to the Stake Holders. We have made sure that every stake holder does his responsibility honorably. Our stake holders include the insurance, the first aid experts, the fire department, water providers, sanitation department, security, local councils and the police, the promoter, technology department, e.t.c. As we move forward we are going to discuss on how each stake holder is going to take up his role in spectator management. Crowd Management Strategies (1997-2000) To plan effectively for an event there are several things that a facility management must take into account. Technology and Equipment. Technology and equipment includes surveillance cameras, onsite monitoring and effective communication. Surveillance cameras are going to be installed at every entrance of the stadium. These cameras will help in monitoring the proceedings of the event at hand. Communication radios will be a vital need for ever officer and they should be in good condition with no disappointments. This will make it easy to track any risk. Obtainance of Permits. This was done at the local council where we were issued with a written document to show the time, venue, activity and laws that are to be followed during the running of the event. Obtainance of road closures and permits to sell alcohol was given to us by the local authority. First aid is not an exception especially in this stadium where the event is going to take place. Not only did we need a first aid kit, but we also needed experienced people as well in the field of the same and we got them. Emergency outs are available in case there is an incident and the spectators need to escape through another outlet. For example, in case of a fire break out. Behavior Of The Crowd Involved. Three important categories of personnel are involved here. We have the operator, security (in this case the police force) and the event promoter. These people will know the behavior of the crowd at the stadium so that they can plan well. Crowd Management Strategies (1997-2000) we noted four types of conditions that can create crowd management problems: 1) Problems created by a crowd from within; 2) Problems created for a crowd from outside; 3) Environmental catastrophe; and 4) Rumor. The psychology of the crowd is a determinant when it comes to the spectators’ behavior. It is a very crucial part to plan for during this event. The crowd has two aspects that influence their behavior; flight and craze. The craze behaved individual always wants to be noticed by doing things that will draw the attention of many towards him, e.g. moving closer to the celebrity or the entertainer. We have put several patrols around the stadium to make sure that no spectator comes closer the area where the sports men and women are. We are going to do various activities that will help the crowd to know the dos and don’ts during the event. This will help the crowd to know how to behave be calm during the event. Public Education Our schools, our agencies dealing with social service, and other involved institutions including the media have passed knowledge to the public to help the spectators deal with challenges that may arise that are a threat to their lives whenever they arise. They have been through numerous courses like driving that promote safe driving, how to deal with fire outbreaks, and even saving lives during first aid administration. Our country has put up strategies that can be used to educate the public about crowd management. These programs have been taken into account not only by the government but by educational and public service agencies. The way people react to some changes and the role of how some individual in crowds is an education that has not been taken for granted and has been taught throughout the nation. The media has provided special features, programs, and announcements that help the public to be aware of their safety and their responsibilities. Drugs and Alcohol Abuse Drugs and alcohol abuse is a challenge all round the world. To mange this at the stadium which is a big event, laws have been set which do not interfere with individuals rights. Law keepers have directed their concentration on drug peddlers and not on drug users. Selling of alcohol will only be allowed to certain individuals at a particular age. The ushers and the patrols will make sure that no one over uses alcohol because it might cause situations like rowdiness, over excitement and much other unfriendly behavior. Roles and Responsibilities All specified roles and responsibilities will be assigned to involved individuals before the day of the event. Every individual is expected to know the role that he is to play in the stadium. The allocation of these responsibilities will be done by our event promoter. He is to plan on - How communication will be done, -the starting of the event, -equipment to be used, -the procedures to be followed, -the size of the crowd we are expecting which is more that 5000 spectator and their characteristics. Crowd Management Strategies (1997-2000) notes that, the core responsibilities of planning an event include planning, organizing and controlling events and these three individuals should be at a consensus on how they will implement their plan, “anticipate potential sources of danger in public gatherings, 2) take steps to prevent trouble when and where possible, and 3) be prepared to respond to trouble quickly and effectively when, and if, necessary.” Local Government Through the implementation of bylaws, the characters of events have been affected. The local government has codes that will help in the safety of the spectators. These codes dictate the type of facility, the sitting arrangement e.t.c. The sporting activity will be influenced by the government in the way it involves itself in controlling traffic jams, collection of garbage and administration of police. Police In this event the main responsibility of the police is to unsure that laws are respected and spectators are controlled .This is done with the support of our facility operator and our event promoter. Fire Safety and Health Promotion. The fire department is to run necessary inspection to make sure that the stadium is free from fire outbreaks. The fire department will also have a responsibility to cite any violation of any safety measure ignored and enforce safety measures. This department is involved in the planning of the event. Glass containers will not be allowed into the stadium, bags will be searched, public transport will be available and foods and snacks will be available. Useful Contact Numbers We have made an effort to advertise useful numbers for example, police hotlines, ambulance hotlines, hospital hotlines e.t.c The Promoter He will be our main broker between the two parties that we have, i.e., the entertainer. He got the desired stadium, ensured that contracts were signed between the entertainer and the facility, he paid the tax, security, he is to provide meals and snacks for the entertainers. He is to coordinate collectively the aspects of this event in all directions by providing responsibilities and the timetable to be followed by the staff .He is to maintain high team work spirit. The Entertainers Entertainers should have extreme influence in promoting and executing his performance. We are dealing with very popular sports men and women, and this determines the sitting arrangement. Remember the seating arrangement is determined by the facility’s legal capacity, the prices of the tickets, and the promoter’s arrangement and when the doors will be opened before the starting of the show. With the support of these sports men and women, because of their influence on the crowd, the facility will be able to discourage dangerous scenarios which might cause alarm like open fires, blocking the aisles using dangerous fireworks, and usage of drugs and alcohol by the spectators. If incase these entertainers encourage bad behavior opposite to the mentioned above and in their performance they encourage rowdiness, fighting and vandalism then they should be held responsible and should compensate where damages can be proved. Road Closures. A permit has been sought from the local council and we will close the main road which runs from the main estate into the city stadium for 6 hours that the event is scheduled to take place. This has been advertised in the media for the last 6 months. The users of this route have been advised to use the other alternative route to avoid jam at the stadium area. We would like to inform the citizens that this will only affected the selected areas only. To effect this barricading of the road, warning signs, warning lights and traffic management plan has been submitted to the local government. Drinking Water Points Drinking water taps have been provided every after 200 patrons apart. This is to make drinking water more available in the stadium for the spectators. Private Police and Security The promoter will work hand in hand with the law officials. The police chief has ordered police officers to an event and they have been employed by the stadium. These law officers have undergone extensive training; have more authority and responsibility unlike the public law officers. They will be responsible for crowd control Lost Children and Property This will be reported to the responsible authorities and will be recorded as per the following. Name of the event:…………………………………………………………………………….. Event manger:………………………………………………………………………………… Date and time of the incident. Description of the incident. Persons involved.name, address and phone numbers Action taken The Ushers, Peer Patrons and the Patrons Mallen, C. Adams J, L. (2008) Ushers with the help of the seating patrons will have a responsibility of making sure that the house rules are followed and there is maintenance of law and order. The ushers will report any security problem to the right personnel and will keep the crowd from blocking the aisles. They will make sure that challenges like open fires and smoking regulations are safely dealt with. When an event starts, ushers, patron and peer patrons will be given specific posts that they are to usher and patrol during the event. These posts will be maintained until the event is done. Peer patrons will be given tee shirts that that they will put on for easy identification. They also have a responsibility of screening contrabands. The patrons will have a specific responsibility of protecting fans from self inflicted harm. The patrons will research local news and the house rules which will help them to detect a threat to safety of the spectators. Pushing, fighting, spreading rumors, and use of fires which might cause bad injuries to the crowd .It is the duty of these patrons to report such abusive behavior to the facility management. Tickets and Queuing Tickets will be sold through a computerized system with it outlets in popular stores and shopping malls and centers. Computerizing the selling of tickets will promote convenience. Selling tickets at the entrance may result to overcrowding prior to the event. The spectators come early enough and are overwhelmed so that they position themselves strategically and this can cause dangerous problems to the safety of the crowd especially like the one we have of handling more than five thousand people. Computerized ticket selling will help curb up the problem because; 1. It is announced, when, how, what time, where the tickets are to be purchased before the release of the tickets to the market (Aass 2009). 2. It can detect when the demand of tickets is higher than the seating capacity of a facility to be used and a mail order is sent to stop the ticket sales (Aass 2009) Appearance of the Tickets. All Ticketron tickets have the same appearance in color and size. If the rate of patron is low, it may be difficult to identify the fake ones .Different formats of the tickets that will be used would certainly help in the identification of these fake tickets .A tickets will identify the ticket holder. Purchasing the Tickets To determine the number of ticket to be sold, a ratio of 1:1000 tickets has been done but this ratio varies because it depends on the size of the crowd, how contrabands are to be searched, the type of entertainment and the design of the building. As the tickets are purchased we should put in mind efficient movement of the crowd to prevent overcrowding at a particular point. There should be no limiting of entrance points in the name of controlling spectators because it can cause dangerous repercussions. It increases the crowds’ anxiety and it is very difficult to control anxious fans. Contraband Screening Contraband screening is very important as it will reduces the danger of dangerous items like guns, alcohol, drugs, weapons, and dangerous objects from finding their way into the stadium. Private security is the one that will perform contraband screening and not public law enforcers. Crowd Management Planning Prior to the event, safety aspects will be inspected by the fire division and the building department. They should meet city codes in providing safety to the public. A formal crowd management plan is very important. It should be written and taken to the local government for filing. The crowd too should be aware of the type of crowd management to expect at the event in the stadium. Doukas (2006) explains why crowds have to be managed. -He states that big crowds of people can be very dangerous when not properly managed. -He also states that when in a crowd, individuals assume that the other people have the responsibility -In a big crowd of people making changes and communication is slower and complicated to handle. These big crowds of people raise a huge number of injured victims. Harm can be caused either by the individual himself or other individuals or the facility itself. To avoid this we have - A signage, -An efficient communication model -Services for the handicapped -Good staffing and well equipped with trained skills, -Reliable procedures Doukas (2006), Spiro’s interest in the field of crowd management was articulated by aggressive fans at an NBA game in 2004.All year round in stadiums, arenas and in theatres, thousands of deaths are a result of stage falls, fires, bombs, rushing of crowds, overcrowding, and rioting. Managing the crowd is much easier than controlling them. An individual is aggressive when he is in a crowd than when he is alone. Site Plan Our site plan check list is designed as below. Accessed from Labtrob Council (www.latrobe.tas.gov.au) Event and incident coordination centre First aid posts Main power, water, gas control Non alcoholic areas Licensed liquor consumption centers Picnic/quiet areas. Entertainment sites Toilets and blocks which will be mobile Stage location Entrances and exits Information center Taxi and bus stops. Pedestrian routes including egress routes Restricted areas Liquor outlets Lost kids and property Public telephones Rubbish bins Security locations seating Drainage pits Food vendors and stalls media Sharps containers Drinking water sites Vehicle access routes Emergency access and egress routes and emergency parking. Fire fighting equipments including fire extinguishers, fire blankets hose reels, e.t.c. This plan will be distributed to the event patrons and the ushers so that they know exactly what is going on at a particular place. Risks and Hazards Risks can to occur in any planned event. We have evaluated the risks on the basis of how likely they are to occur in the stadium. We used the risk matrix to determine the likelihood and intensity of the risks taking place. Hazards that may occur include -slip, trips and falls -small holes that can twist ankles -wildlife: snakes and dangerous insects -fires All these hazards have been looked into by the event manager and have guaranteed safety. Insurance. Insurance is a must for the staff involved in the effectiveness of the event. This includes the volunteers, the organizers, human resource manager, just to mention but a few. In our case, it is a must that comprehensive public liability and property and equipment should be insured. Risk Control Stage We have taken safety measures according to the results of the risk matrix. If the intensity of the risk occurring is high, a complex procedure in handling the risk has been considered and vice versa. Conclusion All the above stakeholders are going to work as a team to ensure that our spectators are obeying the rules, comfortable, safe and enjoying the event. This will in the end facilitate a successful event. It is important that every aspect be adhered to. 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