According to the
National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security at the University of
Southern Mississippi:
Social media is a
powerful tool that all venues should be using. Creating a sound social media
strategy will allow for more information to be pushed quickly and effectively.
No matter the size of the venue/event, it is important to find creative ways to
implement a social media communication and monitoring program. There are many
different ways that the various platforms may be used. Social media enables
organizations to monitor individuals/groups and understand their intended
behavior/actions at events, and it offers communication with stakeholders,
staff, and attendees to keep them informed. It also allows venue patrons the
opportunity to report information.
Venue administration
and local public safety agencies should build expertise and experience with
social media platforms (i.e. text, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn,
Instagram, apps, etc.). To properly leverage social media, each jurisdiction
should develop policies and procedures for communicating a message. These
procedures will create consistent messaging with local/state/federal agencies.
You should consider
social media as a critical technology for effective inbound and outbound
communication for event safety and security. To be able to maximize the
communications, consider piggybacking on marketing/sales acquisition of social
media tools. Many departments within a venue may be able to use a common
platform for multiple purposes. By using a common source for information, the
venue may be able to create a larger following, which will then create a more
effective plan. Being able to properly monitor these platforms may be critical
to the success of the program. Having individuals that are not qualified or
aware of what their role truly is may lead to a lack of success. Assign a
qualified person to monitor and communicate via social media.
A couple things to
consider are:
Monitor social media
activity for security, safety, and threats
Follow visiting
team/entertainment fan sites and social media feeds to anticipate potential
issues
When pushing information out to guest, be sure to keep messages concise and clear. Consider using the 27-9-3 method for communicating messages. This method is as follows: 27 total words in the message delivered in 9 seconds with 3 key messages To make this method most effective, these messages should be prerecorded or prescript to ensure the proper tone and message will be communicated to the guests. You may not be able to have a script for everything, but you will be able to script for your most probable incidents. For more information on the Best Practices, download the 2018 editions of the NCS4 Safety and Security Best Practices Guides.
