By Mario Machaieie 
The framework aims to provide a guide to welfare and security for venues with a capacity of under 5,000
Responding to the incidents of injury and loss of life due to crowd surges in recent years, UK industry experts have collaborated to produce a crowd management framework for venue operators and event organisers called ‘Safer Crowds, Safer Venues’‘.
The document aims to provide crowd management guidance for indoor venues with a capacity of under 5,000, including concert venues, theatres, nightclubs, pubs, bars, restaurants and more.
Though not intended to be used as a regulatory tool or official guidance, the framework hopes to support small to medium-sized venues with a framework to improve safety and security for both employees and attendees.
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The comprehensive guide covers best practices for event challenges including but not limited to planning, staffing, counter-terrorism, safeguarding, medical and weather.
UK Crowd Management Association, Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), and Live Music Industry Venues & Entertainment joined forces with industry experts and stakeholders to compile the document “for which there was previously no dedicated framework”.
Anne Marie Chebib of the UK Crowd Management Association reportedly said: “The tragic incidents in recent years underscore the critical need for standardised and effective crowd management practices”.
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Recent years have seen a rise in tragic accidents caused by a “crowd crush” or “crowd surge” at events, with the most high-profile incident being Travis Scott’s ASTROWORLD concert which resulted in the deaths of eight people.
In the UK, four people were critically injured in London after a crowd crush at Asake show at the O2 Academy Brixton, with two people passing away from injuries sustained at the 2022 concert.
On the importance of this document, Michael Kill, the CEO of NTIA said: “This isn’t just about raising the bar in crowd management; it’s about extending a lifeline to businesses that may not have naturally considered crowd management as a priority”.
Click here to access the ‘Safer Crowds, Safer Venues’ framework.