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As fans begin to trickle into Citi Field in New York City, home of the Mets, a room behind center field is already on full alert, monitoring for potential risks that could affect fans, players, employees and property.

Large venues pose unique challenges to security and emergency preparedness. The combination of dense crowds, media visibility and high economic value at such events creates great risk to people, property and reputation. But how do you ensure strong security while also ensuring your patrons and fans still have fun?

“Given today’s climate regarding security, we have to be able to optimize our security presence on campus as much as possible,” says Frank Solano, Security Systems Manager for McCormick Place. “That means using technology and other tools to keep our visitors safe."

When the Mercedez-Benz Stadium was being built, leadership at AMB Sports & Entertainment decided to aim high when it comes to the quality of experience for fans attending events and games there. One key factor to becoming an “elite” venue, says Joe Coomer, CSSP, Vice President, Security, AMB Sports & Entertainment, was the game day associates – including parking attendants, ushers, beer vendors, the popcorn guy and, of course, the security staff.

“For us, a game day activity is no small matter,” says James (Jimmy) Johnson, Assistant Vice President for Campus Safety at the University of Texas at Austin.

No kidding – Longhorn football games regularly sell out, hosting more than 100,000 fans in the Darrel K Royal (DKR)-Texas Memorial Stadium, not counting the small army of vendors, staff, security personnel and law enforcement that keep operations running smoothly.

The security industry’s calendar seems to revolve around a few key events: ISC West, ASIS International’s Global Security Exchange (GSX), ISC East… But have you ever considered how much effort goes into securing tradeshows and other large-scale events?

“The country’s come quite a long way. Fans now expect security, and it made me feel good that I could take my wife and daughter to a baseball game, spend a couple hundred dollars, and feel safe about it,” says Adam Stockwell, Vice President of Security for the Milwaukee Bucks.