The 2014 Super Bowl will bring 80,000 game attendees to the New York/New Jersey area. Super Bowl organizers are sure to already have crowd management plans in place, but only time will tell if those plans will be successful. As football fans eagerly await the big day, let’s take a peak into the many layers and nuances to keeping crowds in check and flowing smoothly in and out of any stadium. Here are just a few keys to Super Bowl-style crowd management:
1. Think beyond the front doors
If you wait to begin your crowd control until people are walking through the front doors, you may find yourself with a huge problem and very dissatisfied stadium-goers. Crowd management begins at the entrance to the parking lot or garage. As event attendees pull their vehicles into the parking facility you better have a well thought out plan to get them safely parked and efficiently to the stadium’s front doors. By utilizing specific equipment, such as portable, extra-long retractable belt safety barriers to instantly block off large areas with 65-feet of long belts, a single person can easily deploy traffic-controlling solutions quickly and efficiently. Additionally, these barriers can be combined with signage to easily disperse stadium visitors at the conclusion of the event.
2. Signage is man’s best friend
Signage can prevent serious crowd control issues by keeping confusion and bottlenecks from developing in the first place. Use simple, bold commands to direct people and vehicles. Stand-alone signs can serve a dual purpose by being double-sided and easily deployed for incoming traffic and then switched for dispersing the outgoing crowd. Other forms of signage that can be effective are poster display sign stands, digital signage and post-top signs. Signs can also indicate where restrooms and concessions are located during the event to eliminate attendee confusion and the frustration of wasted time away from the event.
3. Turn on a dime – use transportable crowd control equipment
Most stadiums are utilized for a variety of events and activities. Various uses translate to various traffic patterns and the desperate need for flexible, easy to reconfigure crowd control equipment. A baseball game one day will not have the same attendee control needs as a concert the next day. Post transporters allow for the easy relocation of extra stanchions to create appropriate configurations for these varying events. Additionally, same day reconfigurations are a breeze when it’s time to change an incoming traffic pattern for an exiting crowd to be accommodated.
4. Find the balance between stable and flexible
Think semi-permanent. You want your equipment to be strong enough to control the flow of a crowd, but then easily transportable for the change in direction from incoming to outgoing and also from event type to varying event type. Portable stanchions and the unique transport carts designed to conveniently store, rapidly deploy and quickly assemble them, are foundational elements in the flexible crowd control system.
Additionally, removable semi-permanent post-mounting options such as magnetic bases for retractable-belt posts, allow for posts to be quickly and easily removed from the floor plate when needed. The crowd control experts at Lavi can help you develop the correct crowd management strategies for your stadium’s events. Deploy Super Bowl-style crowd control to any event for optimal efficiency and pleased stadium attendees.
