According to the Events Industry Council, the importance of safety and security topped the list of the most important trends in the industry. Whether your event is a fair, festival, concert, political gathering, conference or fundraiser, in today’s uneasy times, heighten security measures are a must. To help create an event security budget, you must first answer two important questions.

What are the risks? Depending on the type and size of the event, risks can include petty theft, injury to guests, property damage or extreme situations such as an active shooter or terrorist attack.

What level of security is needed? If you contract with an event security company, meet with its representative to walk the event location, go over security issues such as pre-event/set-up security, security at entry points, in parking lots, inside the event, backstage and where money is collected/counted. Discussion should also include security camera monitoring, crowd control and how to respond and coordinate security in the case of a natural or manmade emergency.

Hiring An Event Security Company. After determining your security needs, an event security company will provide a proposal outlining the number of security personnel needed and the services the company will provide. Hourly rates for security guards vary depending on the level of security service required.

Select a guard company that has experience managing security for events the same size and type as yours. Check their references.  Event security costs are going up due to new city and county regulations across the country. Event security costs can be a big part of an event’s budget and organizers are often tempted to higher fewer guards than recommended. Trust the judgement of an experienced, reputable, event security firm.

The security guard company’s ultimate goal is for your attendees have a safe, worry-free experience.