1. Check their papers
Ask for proof that security companies you're considering are licensed, bonded and insured. "Any reputable company in New York City has [proof] and will provide it readily," Craig Gardella, detective sergeant at the N.Y.P.D. and senior security consultant at Global Security Services, told attendees at a recent International Special Events Society meeting. He warns of cops promoting their own private event security companies on the side. "Our brothers in the New York Police Department are entrepreneurs, and they're out there with 500 business cards and a pack of stationery, with no license, no insurance and no bond."
2. Let them help plan the layout
Bring security in early--if not before choosing the venue, then certainly before you lay out your floorplan. "Security has to be an integral part of the development stage," says Bill Haire of the International Protective Services Agency. "Often people will set up the flowers and tables and then say, 'Oh, we want to put in metal detectors,' after they've determined the set-up." Consulting a security pro early ensures the event is laid out well, and everything else-décor, catering, table configurations-should come later.
3. Keep guests' names private
A table covered with name badges in alphabetical order makes it easy for invited guests to grab their tags and go, but it also helps uninvited guests sneak in. Tony Poveromo, president of 21st Century Security, says: "Neither the list of attendees nor name badges should be facing the people who are attending the event, so someone who's not authorized to be in the event can't grab the badge and say, 'Oh, I'm Joe Smith,' or 'That's my name right there on the list, I'm Mary Jane.'"
4. Know who's responsible for what
Almost all hotels have their own security staff, but planners are responsible for the safety of their guests. "Hotel security does the job when it affects their hotel, not when it affects the clients of their hotel," Gardella says. Hiring a security company for your event will also cut your losses, as long as you specify each detail in the contract. If anything goes wrong with what the security company is directly responsible for--if production equipment is stolen, say, or a drunken guest is thrown out and injured--the company is liable for damages, according to Gardella. Guards assigned to watch guests in the second-floor ballroom aren't responsible for equipment in the basement storage locker.
5. Call the police
If you do an event without security, at the very least call the community affairs officer at the local precinct (the venue should have the number) and tell them the date and time of your event. "If [the officer] is available, he will come in a suit and tie and hobnob and network, and if he can't be there, he will give the desk officer a written 'special attention' form that notifies the foot cop and sector car assigned to the area, and they'll drop in if they have time," Gardella says. "You can cut down [risk] by having a uniformed cop there."
—Suzanne Ito
Posted 02.26.04
Ask for proof that security companies you're considering are licensed, bonded and insured. "Any reputable company in New York City has [proof] and will provide it readily," Craig Gardella, detective sergeant at the N.Y.P.D. and senior security consultant at Global Security Services, told attendees at a recent International Special Events Society meeting. He warns of cops promoting their own private event security companies on the side. "Our brothers in the New York Police Department are entrepreneurs, and they're out there with 500 business cards and a pack of stationery, with no license, no insurance and no bond."
2. Let them help plan the layout
Bring security in early--if not before choosing the venue, then certainly before you lay out your floorplan. "Security has to be an integral part of the development stage," says Bill Haire of the International Protective Services Agency. "Often people will set up the flowers and tables and then say, 'Oh, we want to put in metal detectors,' after they've determined the set-up." Consulting a security pro early ensures the event is laid out well, and everything else-décor, catering, table configurations-should come later.
3. Keep guests' names private
A table covered with name badges in alphabetical order makes it easy for invited guests to grab their tags and go, but it also helps uninvited guests sneak in. Tony Poveromo, president of 21st Century Security, says: "Neither the list of attendees nor name badges should be facing the people who are attending the event, so someone who's not authorized to be in the event can't grab the badge and say, 'Oh, I'm Joe Smith,' or 'That's my name right there on the list, I'm Mary Jane.'"
4. Know who's responsible for what
Almost all hotels have their own security staff, but planners are responsible for the safety of their guests. "Hotel security does the job when it affects their hotel, not when it affects the clients of their hotel," Gardella says. Hiring a security company for your event will also cut your losses, as long as you specify each detail in the contract. If anything goes wrong with what the security company is directly responsible for--if production equipment is stolen, say, or a drunken guest is thrown out and injured--the company is liable for damages, according to Gardella. Guards assigned to watch guests in the second-floor ballroom aren't responsible for equipment in the basement storage locker.
5. Call the police
If you do an event without security, at the very least call the community affairs officer at the local precinct (the venue should have the number) and tell them the date and time of your event. "If [the officer] is available, he will come in a suit and tie and hobnob and network, and if he can't be there, he will give the desk officer a written 'special attention' form that notifies the foot cop and sector car assigned to the area, and they'll drop in if they have time," Gardella says. "You can cut down [risk] by having a uniformed cop there."
—Suzanne Ito
Posted 02.26.04
