Drones have been a somewhat common fixture at many large gatherings for a few years now, taking aerial-view pictures and videos for cool post-event marketing promos. But there are other uses for these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) that are gaining traction among planners and brands. One clever use of drones, if you're Amazon Prime Video, is for delivering gifts—but another that's becoming popular in the world of COVID-19 is for event safety purposes.
Here are a few other reasons a drone may be the next item to add to your event tech checklist.
Crowd Control
While many venues are slowly reopening and large-scale events like concerts are making a comeback, the risk of COVID-19 is still prevalent in many markets, especially those outside of the U.S. Even with reduced crowds, drones can be a tremendous help to locate and disperse areas where too many people are gathering. This can help reduce the risk of an attendee contracting COVID-19 while also keeping an eye on any other potential dangers that can develop in a large crowd, ultimately allowing event organizers to be proactive on solutions for potential problems.
Situational Awareness
According to Jon Gaster, CEO of KSI Data Sciences, the most critical use of this drone technology is “situational awareness and collaboration." KSI Data Sciences provides software for UAVs that allows for multiple livestreams in the same platform, so security guards or first responders can monitor entire events deploying various UAVs. In case of an emergency, drones can film the scene, allowing first responders to get a better idea of the situation.
“Depending on the technology, they can even alert first responders without any eyes looking at a screen,” adds Jack Wu, CEO and co-founder of Nightingale Security. “If there is, for example, an active shooter, drones could not only alert security but provide instant situational awareness of how many active shooters, where they are heading, etcetera."
Constant Surveillance
Drones can see where human eyes can’t reach. Their constant monitoring can also get to places where guards may not usually patrol, like parking lots or secluded areas, where people shouldn’t gather. “This in itself doesn’t have to be a danger for the crowd at the event, but maybe organizers don’t want people congregating in certain places,” Wu says, “so they can send a human to disperse these people.” An example of this surveillance for non-threats could be people trying to sneak into a concert or similar event.
Cost-Effectiveness
Having a few drones flying over people’s heads during a large event can sometimes be more cost-effective than hiring multiple security guards, Wu notes. Depending on the size of the gathering, a security guard fleet for one event can set you back a few thousand dollars, whereas renting drone equipment can be more economical—depending on the nature of the event, of course.
Extra Peace of Mind
Having an added layer of security to any event adds extra peace of mind to eventgoers and organizers. This can be an extra boost in confidence for attendees first returning to live events post-COVID, offering a reason to attend and enjoy the event without added concern.
