Whether you're planning a small concert or large parade, crowd management and crowd control play an essential role in the event's success. In fact, a thorough crowd management plan can not only enhance the logistics of your event, but also provide you and your team with peace of mind. Here are some crowd control tips to keep in mind as you're planning your next event.
What type of event are you planning? What are the expected turnout numbers? Knowing the answers to these questions can help you accurately identify your crowd control needs like the type of barriers you should have on hand. An event like a concert or music festival could benefit from a variety of barricade styles, and in some cases it's required. If alcohol is being sold, many municipalities around the country require some form of barricade to control the entrances of the event. Additionally, the city of Raleigh and many others require events that are closing city streets to have "safety barricades" or Type III Traffic control barriers.
High capacity events require a wide array of barriers and barricade:
• road closure barricades & cones can help you control traffic around and inside your event. As previously mentioned, many cities require these barriers for any event closing public streets!
• Stage barricade can provide top-notch security for your event personnel, production equipment, and most importantly, the crowd. This is typically seen between the stage of a concert and the pit area or front row of the crowd.
• Bike rack barrier is the most simple crowd control solution. This style of barricade allows for the easiest setup and transportation, but it's not for high-stress areas like the front of stages. The ability to easily disassemble these barriers makes them a great tool for smaller events, around emergency exit areas, or queue lines leading into your event.
• Temporary Fence can be one of the most effective means of crowd control. 6 feet tall, and 12 feet long, these fence panels provide the tallest and most obvious barrier for crowds to observe. With flexibile installation options, such as sandbags or reusable weights, we also offer post-driven temporary fence. Our fence rentals are the perfect option for perimeter security, as well as protecting sensitive areas such as artist housing, generator locations, and many other areas.
Identify and keep in mind where the essential equipment is at your event. These are the areas you need to protect with barricade. In doing so, you ensure that attendees won't be able to tamper with equipment, and the chance of disruption at the event is minimized.
During the planning phase of your event, identify possible pinch points at your venue. These are the places where congestion are most likely to occur. Plan with local government officials on how to reduce the effects of these pinch points, either through redirection of attendees through barricade, or removing that area from the event grounds.
North Carolina requires certified crowd control managers at any event where there are over 1,000 attendees. For every 250 attendees at an event, there should be one certified crowd manager on duty. To get someone at your event certified today, visit the North Carolina Department of Insurance website. Understanding correct barricade placement at your event creates a better experience for attendees, performers, and staff alike.
One of the most important aspects when creating a crowd management plan is emergency exits. While planning your event, you should always account for emergency exit locations and determine the number of emergency exits you must have based on attendance and space. Going hand in hand with emergency exits are emergency vehicle entrances. These entrances are another key component of your crowd management plan. Your government officials will have information on local requirements for this aspect of event planning.
As any experienced professional in the industry can tell you, unpredictability is commonplace in event planning. However, you can take steps to prevent unnecessary safety issues with proper crowd and traffic control planning. At TAP Barricade Rentals, we're here to help make your next event run as smoothly as possible with strategic crowd control planning and placement.
About TAP Barricade Rentals
TAP Barricade Rentals is a crowd management solutions company based in Raleigh, NC. TAP provides a variety of crowd control and traffic control solutions to events and venues across the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. For your retail and rental barricade needs, visit www.tap-nc.com or call (919) 889-9699.
