5. Anticipate Crowd Reactions
Once the facility operator, university planning team, police commander and campus promoter evaluate the expected crowd, they must plan accordingly. Anticipated crowd reactions should include normal behaviors for a specific artist or event, panic and craze reactions.

Panic in a group is the flight from a real or perceived threat from which escape appears to be the only effective response. What appears to be panic is usually the result of poor inputs (especially communications or the lack thereof) and previous knowledge and experience. Craze in a group is the temporary, short-lived competitive rush by a group toward some person, place or object. A craze tends to occur on entering an event and may be exacerbated by the lack of information or cancellation of the event.

When the event will have standing room areas, always consider personal space conflicts. At approximately three square feet per person, involuntary contact and brushing against others occurs. This is a behavioral threshold generally avoided by the public, except in crowded elevators and buses.

Below two square feet per person, potentially dangerous crowd forces and psychological pressures begin to develop. Plan for any circumstances that can cause an unplanned movement of a crowd.

RELATED PODCAST: Crowd Control and Event Security Tips

6. Plan for Emergency Evacuations or Cancellations
From time to time, an event may need to be canceled, postponed or interrupted. If a crowd has already gathered, these actions have the potential to create dangerous crowd reactions. Have plans in place to manage an angry crowd appropriately and to address the possible readmission of patrons to the venue.

One major aspect to consider is who has the authority to cancel or postpone an event. During the planning phase, the promoter and the planning team must discuss this contingency. Who has the authority to cancel or postpone an event? When and under what conditions can the event be postponed or canceled?

Emergency evacuation or cancellations planning must take place before the event begins, and everyone must know who has the authority to order it.

7. Use the Incident Command System
The Incident Command System (ICS) is a management system designed through the use of best practices that enable effective and efficient incident management by integrating a combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures and communications operating within a common organizational structure. It is normally structured to facilitate activities in five major functional areas: command, operations, planning, logistics, finance and administration.

RELATED: A Brief Overview of the ICS Structure

8. Conduct a Pre-Event Planning Meeting
All events that include major conferences, that involve high profile participants or that will draw media attention, require complex contracts from an outside vendor a
nd involve minors (anyone 17 years old or younger) need to be preplanned.  It should be held as soon as possible once the event has been booked. This type of meeting may be deemed necessary if any of the following circumstances are met:

• The event is of a complex nature and needs extra attention
• The event will draw a large attendance
• The event has attractions, rides or a large stage
• The event is a first time event
• The renter, group or type of event has a negative history
• The organization is a new renter
• If the organization is under new leadership

ICS, planning and training are the keys that will make your event successful, safe and secure.

Dennis Terpin, Ph.D., O.S.H.T., is the senior industrial hygienist for the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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